[SIZE=32]Pain and Pleasure in Equal Measure:
The Journey of Deon Darklash[/SIZE]
Prologue
Life alone for a young man in Karthy can be tough, often at the will of the sadistic town guards. Deon escaped his family home in the small town of Pyke when he was sixteen; his father wanted him to enlist in a local militia. Deciding he could not live his life under the harsh restrictions of a military life he left his home town in the night. Moving quickly through the harsh lands of Rilara was certainly a fearsome experience but through some sheer luck he stumbled upon the city of Karthy relatively quickly. Though whether he was lucky to stumble into such a place is debatable.
Deon was dressed in a tattered cloth shirt as he stumbled through the gates of Karthy, and straight into a town guard. The man looked at him sternly from under a dark steel helm, and without a word, lifted Deon and carted off to the town stocks where he spent his first night in his new home. Beneath the faint glow of the moon which escaped from the prison of dark clouds enveloping the skies, Deon saw rats scuttling around in search of food scraps while two men argued over who would take the last sip of wine. As his eyes gradually became heavy and he fell asleep, even in his uncomfortable position, the young man’s mind was filled with great fear, yet great excitement all at once.
In the morning he was released, albeit, reluctantly by the same guard. His first day of exploration was an eventful one. All around him the sounds of the ocean, of merchants haggling over goods, of drunken folk stumbling from the taverns making their beds in the street, and yet he felt excited, more so than he ever had in Pyke with his boring family.As he stood in wonder he failed to notice a lad reaching for the small coin purse he had taken from his father before he left. Then, feeling the foreign hand, Deon turned to see a small boy, perhaps nine or ten year’s old dart off into a crowd with his coin purse.
Deon gave chase, rushing head first through the crowds of people. A blur of arms and legs lay in front of him as he pushed further, the boy still far off, but still in sight in the distance.
The boy ran down a side street and darted into a door which immediately shut behind him. Deon arrived to hear the sound of a deadbolt being locked on the other side of the large wooden door. Furiously he banged upon the door, shouting for the boy to come out and face him.
From behind him, a woman approached a curious grin on her face as she spoke,
“Allo 'andsome, aww did those buggers steal yer money too? Ye must be a soft touch lad.”
She smirked as Deon turned form the door and answered angrily,
“Keep your nose out wench, this doesn’t concern you!”
Her grin became even wider,
“Oh, venom”,
she took a moment to study him, pursing her lips slightly,
“That will serve ye well 'ere lad. Now then, are ye going to stand there all night banging on a door that will never open or do ye want to spend a night in a warm house with plenty of wine?”
Confused, Deon followed her reluctantly; something in her eyes intrigued him, though now he might say it was the way she was dressed, or rather not, that beckoned him forth. The woman walked, her feet bare and leaving no sound on the stone floor, within seconds she disappeared into a dimly lit open doorway, from which she beckoned him in.
Here he was entering a house with a strange woman, after being robbed of all he owned, and yet he felt no fear as he stepped into the dimly lit hallway. Immediately the strong, almost overpowering smell of incense and perfume filled his nostrils. Sounds of wine glasses clinked together and echoed down the hallway, occasionally a slight giggle would escape from one of the many doors they passed.
At the end of the hallway, a large hall opened out before him. Men and women stumbled about drinking wine and laughing with each other. Plush carpets lined the floors and paintings of scantily clad figures adorned the walls. Before him, a large table stood filled with all the foods he could imagine, as well as a fair few he couldn’t, with many of the men and women sitting to eat.
“This is the night of Flesh and Magic, young man”,
the woman said,
“Ere tonight we honour our lady Xeen, together with Lucinda. Go on 'andsome, enjoy the night, sample the wine and other pleasures we 'ave 'ere tonight, for to not do so would insult our lady.”
She smirked and weaved her way into a large group of people dancing, leaving him alone.
That night was one of the most influential evenings of his life. In that one night he had become an adult, he had learned of everything his father had tried so hard to shield him from, and Deon enjoyed every moment of it.
Deon can remember little of what happened; wine can have this affect, the woman, who he came to know as Shai told him. She also taught him of Xeen, and that the feast hall were he came to live, was also her temple, where people came to honour her through a fulfilment of all of their desires.
Over time, the pair became very close, and would often share their nights, with plenty of wine for good measure, however they would never tie themselves to each other, in fact he was fairly open with his affections both for the other women and the men, much to Shai’s amusement.
For almost four years Deon learned the ways of Xeen, and eventually undertook the required rituals to become one of her clerics. In service of his lady, Deon continued to help in the day to day tasks of the feast hall for many more months, as well as enjoying the spontaneous 'holy days’ that were often held.
While Deon enjoyed his time in the temple immensely, over time, his thirst for new experiences and places overcame him. While Shai knew she would miss him, she also knew that all pleasure is fleeting and must be followed to new places.
As the preparations for another year’s feast if Flesh and Magic were made a small caravan of wagons departed from Karthy towards Lannisport, Deon was among them beginning his search for new experiences. His travels led him to the continent of Mistone, and to the small town of Hlint for a time yet he never truly settled. Now Deon finds his way to the port town of Vehl, a place filled with vagrants, wanderers of the night and plenty of drink.[/FONT][/I]
