Harvest season means alot to the people of Vekia. Tis the time when Vekia is most visisted by travelers and merchants, farmers and sailors come from nearly every corner of Astas to sell their wares for the coming winter. Food, wood, cloth and other material in abundance and plenty of people to buy these wares. Steel from the famed dwarven hold of Crimson Keep, silk webs from the Kuri people, leathers from Ryyz, ironoak from the elves and many more wares to browse in the markets. Though to some, the food is the thing that is worth the weeks of sailing. That was at least true for a newly arrived Rath'Kar. He arrived from Alderia, exploring the fowl swamps there for things to hunt as well as making sure that troublesome beasties would no longer be a problem. His mask was on as well, the only thing visible of his face being his eyes, his very bright indigo eyes. His weapons were clearly visible, including the famous Skara thorn whip at his hip. He smiled beneath the mask and took in a deep breath. He had been to Vekia a year before, nearly to the day, and it was a great place for work. Night Lurkers were usually big problems as they would tear apart farmers' lifestock so someone would hire a merc or two to deal with them. He enjoyed the cool breeze that blew from the ocean. He looked back at the ship he had come by and watched as his companion galloped down the ramp, nearly running over a crewmember. He snickered as his large black steed stopped beside him, striking the cobble ground. Thalen, the Rath'Kar spirit caller, ran his gloved fingers through the mane of the beast before approaching the captain. He had offered to be a sort of protection from pirates but the journey had been peaceful...and booooring. Thalen payed the man for the fare and mounted the unicorn named Moonstrider. The first thing that Thalen did was to get to a stable to leave Moonstrider. As much as Thalen would've wanted, not every tavern enjoys horse dung in their establishments. Once at the stables he payed the master a few coins that would let Moonstrider stay or two days and keep him fed. He touched the mighty beast on the nose for a few moments, looking into his eyes before parting into the city proper. Elves, Dwarves, Humans, some Kuri and a number of other Rath'Kar could be seen exploring the market booths and stores, a fair number of which were oh so subtly approaching the pleasure houses and smoking dens. It was the perfect spot to meet anyone from anywhere while getting foods from everywhere. Which reminded him that he was getting hungry. He headed straight to booths that were serving food. One of the booths was serving a roasted, four winged bird, the aroma hitting his nose and the sight of the juices dripping from the rotating spit making him actually start drooling. He payed the cook for an entire bird and a spit and took it off the rack, tearing it apart with his teeth when he had pushed his mask aside. [center]===[/center] Haklo Harken Desol, son of Vallen Desol, watched over the city from the central meeting hall located literally in the center of the city. He was looking south, seeing the main market in the distance. He wore a black jacket and pants, a velvet shirt underneath the jacket. His long hair was pulled into a ponytail tied with a silver band. At his right breast was a brooch, the emblem of his house. At his hip was a longsword and dagger, the blade half the length of his forearm. He had a small cloak on, one that was draped over his left shoulder and would causally cover his arm. It was of leather, a matte brown so dark it was nearly black. Black was the color of House Desol it seemed. Black and velvet. That and the velvet shirt felt very good against Haklo's skin. Haklo looked back and at his retinue, his bodyguards that wore a finer made gear than that of the standard militia guard. They wore faced helments, plain and of steel. Both were armed with a sword and a kite shield, the former sheathed at their hips and instead they held 6 foot long spears. "With me" He said to them and left the balcony and headed down and out of the building, leaving his father with the other two heads of the city, Skath and Vintair. Haklo had spoken with both. Vintair was a bit overly friendly. The first time he had met the man, when he was six years old, he had his hair ruffled by the man's big hand. To Haklo, he seemed like a gentle giant. Skath on the other hand was something that he preferred. Respectful and reserved. Skath and Desol were very much alike to a degree. Haklo wondered how things would turn out when he was the head of the Desol family. Though it seemed that it would be a decade or so before that would happen so instead of worrying about that, Haklo Desol took his retinue and headed to the market to observe the wears. Maybe he'd find something that would interest him. As he walked down the streets of Vekia, people respectfully stepped out of his way. Some even greeted him, offering polite wishes of a good day to him. He gave those people a nod of his head and made his way to the market.