[center][h1][color=#c5f5ff]Kaelan[/color][/h1][/center]
Port Kaigurne's Grand Bazaar had seen such a congregation of bodies, had been beset by such a cacophony of noise, Kaelan had breathed a quiet sight of relief when he’d been granted the respite of silence within a carriage. His eyes smarted from all the colours, and he’d sneezed more in the past few hours than he could remember having done so his whole life, for the mingling of scents at the marketplace had been wondrous yet overwhelming at once.

Now, there were the vaguely familiar smells of wood, leather, metal, and fabric, though even the make of those was different. He was coming to learn that each land had its own way of crafting, so even using the same materials – which were rarely truly the same, with the disparate flora and fauna used as the source – the end results were utterly unique. 

Siliach was a place of stone. Stone wall, stone buildings, stone streets. Shades of gray everywhere he looked, from blocks of granite lining their famed Patronaat, to the blocky buildings which looked so much like each other, to the cobblestone pathways with their neat, orderly little cubes set into the earth twining every which way. He could only assume the vibrant banners accenting the capital were in honour of the coronation day.

Celebratory in visage, yet deadened in spirit.

His initial impression was strengthened each passing moment until it solidified into grim certainty. Each despondent face, each desperate note, each tearful gaze told the same story. These people weren’t welcoming in a new ruler so much as they were mourning their departure.

[color=#c5f5ff][i]How pitiful…[/i][/color]

They didn’t have space for cheer, love, or even excitement, for they had deadened their hearts, and were already bidding goodbye to what hadn’t been lost yet.

A breath gusted his lips as the carriage came to a stop. The tilt he’d got used to even out when the Lammergeier exited, the wood under their armored feet groaning in protest. The ylva followed, and though he’d initially not planned to take any weapons, [i]something[/i] made him reach for his spear, and slung it across his shoulder by the leather strap he’d tied around its shaft. Part of it was instinct, to be sure, but neither had the number of armed persons within the crowds escaped his gaze.

Was an attack expected? Could that be the reason for the Executioner’s presence?

He hadn’t asked, for he had sensed no answer would be forthcoming, but he had certainly wondered. 

Just who was it that would be executed?

His soft steps were drowned out by the Lammergeier’s thudding as they crossed the plaza. A trio immediately drew Kaelan’s attention; two Eagles accompanied by an armoured man one could deem intimidating only when not compared to the executioner in his own company. Still, he wondered at the other; was the knight in a position similar to his, that is, someone affiliated with the Venators yet not a part of their group?

It was a small bit of familiarity in an unknown land he was eager to acknowledge. So, he offered his respects as he passed by with a simple, [color=#c5f5ff]“Good day.”[/color] He inclined his head to the knight and the Eagles, following it with another nod as his gaze happened to catch a couple marveling over the trio not too far away. However, Kaelan did not linger – if the Lammergeier was soon to fulfill his duty, he could at the very least offer a prayer for that departed soul.