Ophelia
The Whylder Brothers

Northwind Camp, Outskirts of Vallen

Kharlylre had scarcely slept through the last couple hours of the trip. Every rock caught under the wheels of their carriage was felt in great detail by the side of his head. He arose, bleeding from his temple, having rested up against the wooden walls of the carriage, they shared qualities with sandpaper. Luckily enough for Kharlyle, brother Mercurio had arranged the spot for their camp on the outskirts of Vallen.

Mercurio thought himself lucky, despite their late arrival, no one had chosen to claim Merc's ideal spot. A small cliff overlooking a valley of hogs. The way the locals had described it, a majority of hogs in the surrounding area would migrate into the valley to form something akin to a hog ocean, bustling waves and all. While the thought of ample pigshit and the associated hog stampedes would dissuade most, Merc simply had to see such a natural spectacle for himself. 

"We've been to Taemar before, brother. Should you remember." Mercurio, who was unphased by days of relentless travel, said to Kharlyle. 

"Should I remember? No Merc, I've forgotten the first fourteen years of my life for the convenience of this conversation." Kharlyle, who took days of relentless travel fairly worse than Mercurio, replied. "Merc, I can't entertain this, it feels as if someone is forcing an ice pick through my temple." Kharlyle pressed two fingers to the side of his head, he could feel the pressure of flowing blood behind his eyes. 

"Oh cheer up fair brother!" Mercurio abruptly patted his brother on the back. "We've arrived!"

Every syllable of Mercurio's voice shot pain into Kharlyle's head. "I can smell nothing but pigshit, Merc. Nothing but..." Kharlyle had still not observed the whirling hog formation under the cliffside. It didn't seem like something that would interest him. "I need to leave Merc. I need to get the fuck out of this hellscape."

"Brother no!" Mercurio recoiled in shock. "Brother you should see this! The ocean of hogs, it's even better than I could have imagined!" Mercurio began to plead for his brother.

"I need to leave this place." Quite unlike Kharlyle, he wanted to get away from his own men. Instinctually, he headed for the castle, it's possible he wanted to feel like he was in familiar territory. Its possible that he remembered he had an agenda to forward. Regardless, he was off, after all, he had half a seat in the council to fill.
Heather
Marsila Vema
Vallen, Taemar

Marsila tugged the stallion's rein towards her chest while leaning back ever so slightly, encouraging Romia to slow his pace down to a steady walk. She paid no mind towards the bodies of people that had currently set up camp by the tower of grunewald and instead, continued down the road that led towards her parents home.

As a large wooden framed house, almost similar looking to an inn came into view, Marsila began to tap her fingers against the pommel of the saddle in a nervous manner, embedding her nails into the wooden material, marking it. Inhaling deeply, Marsila felt her stomach turn from anxiety with each step Romia took. She wanted to turn back in fear of being rejected by her parents yet the tiny voice in her head warned her of the regret she would feel if she did so. So Marsila forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat and brought Romia to a halt. Throwing her leg over the saddle, the young woman slid from the saddle and landed heavily on both her feet. She didn't bother to tie Romia to a post, knowing the steed would remain close to the house. "I won't be long boy, stay close." She knew the horse couldn't exactly understand her but his company and associating with him brought Marsila some sanity after being alone for so long.

Taking long strides towards the first step that would lead her inside, something about the door had caught her attention. It was ajar. Furrowing her brows, the sudden anxiety of meeting her parents vanished and was soon replaced with worry. She rushed towards the door to throw it open and faced the mess that was left inside. Like it was raided. 

"Mum!? Dad!?"

Her heart began to pound against her chest as Marsila ran through the ransacked house, looking through every room for a hint of what had happened. Each room was similar to the last as she searched, until she finally came upon her parent's room with the door torn completely off its hinges. Her vision began to blur as tears formed from the loss of her mother and father, making it difficult to focus until a burning sensation hit her chest only seconds later. The amulet around her neck had begun to feed off Marsila's sadness and the anger that boiled inside, preventing her from lashing out and potentially shifting. 

Regaining her composure, Marsila pulled her shoulders back and inhaled deeply. Taking a step into what used to be her parent's bedroom, Marsila began to study every minor detail in how the room was destroyed. Her lips pursed together, noticing the mess wasn't a result of a fight. If it had been, there would some form of markings or even a drop of blood but instead, drawers had been emptied, a desk thrown upside down and the belongings of her parents spread across the room. Someone must have been looking for something important. But what happened to her parents? And how did they manage to take them without being heard or seen?
Michael
**Lady Surany Torok, "Lady of the Wine"**
*Carriage along the streets, Vallen, Taemar*

Laughter filled the carriage as Surany acknowledged her better known title. "Indeed, indeed! I have to say, this may just be a more interesting Council meeting." A wild look gleamed in her eyes, silent promises of trouble and plots awaiting to happen. "Honestly, they are quite lucky I made sure to bring some good wine. Gods above know what type of foolish alcohol they are providing for this event." Her eyes rolled to show off her annoyance. 

A soft noise was heard from the creature occupying her neck, the little monkey obviously having his own words to say to her plans. "Now, now, we must be mindful of others and what they expect. As our lovely Madame Frida said," And her demeanor changed to that of a rather snobbish and prickly older woman, "We must maintain our manners and decorum, Surany! Imagine if the great Lord Jusik saw you use your salad fork for your supper!" With a dramatic gasp the Lady fell into giggles, face flushed from the laughter. 

"Bella, can you honestly believe that?! Of all things, forks are more important than the very well-being of people or lands." She scoffed at the idea, lips begun to purse into a pout as she stared out the window. The constant view of houses and people served as her temporary entertainment as they moved along, ever closer to the main castle. "Really, one would think that caring for their subjects, who are the main income and source for trade, may one be reminded, be more important than the latest fashions." It was something rare to hear from the noblewoman; often she did not release her inner thoughts, but having drunk at least four bottles of wine did tend to loosen the lips. 

"Bella, do you think this Council will even be about anything important? Or are we just going to prove the importance and wealth the noble hold over those below?"