-Prologue-

A chapter to set the mood, a man who turns to thievery for the sheer thrill.

-Prologue- 

     Arduin was unsure as to why he decided to travel to the kingdom of Adreamus. He questioned why, after he fled the city of Fenraln, he had decided to remain in the continent of  Calithean at all. Calithean was war torn, violent, and bloody- yet something drew Arduin to the poetic brutality of it all. The hollow din of clashing steel that echoed long after the final blow was struck, the pungent odor of blood that seemed to embed itself into every crevice of the fractured landscape, the burden of thousands of lost souls threatening to bring the very mountains to their knees. No kingdom knew these sensations better than Adreamus, a land known for its chivalrous knights and ruthless military. To its adversaries the nation was seen as a brute force- a callous and unforgiving kingdom. To its inhabitants, however, it was a bright utopia. Due to the fierce nature of Adreamus' military, crime was nigh absent, and for many citizens corruption was forgotten completely.

   Arduin was unsure as to why he decided to stay in the kingdom of Adreamus. He had traveled to many lands before it, yet some odd force held him behind the comforting walls of the kingdom. When he first arrived in the city, he succeeded in making enough coin preforming as a travelling bard using the lyre his father had left him. Doing so was enough to allow him a place of residence in a seedy, yet quaint tavern on the outskirts of the castle's town. During the day, Arduin would sing and play for the innkeeper; his melodic voice sweeping through every crack in the building, coiling down bustling alleyways and enticing all those who listened. He was a siren, and the city was his Odysseus.

   Arduin was unsure as to why he turned to thievery. After all, he had a steady income, was well liked in his small community, and earned enough to pay for a small roof above his head, among other things. Yet he found that when he awoke in the morning, there was typically a new trinket adorning his shelves; a trophy from the previous night's exploits. It became a nightly routine for Arduin: he would wait until the only eyes on him were those of the moon hanging warily above the city, then crawl out his window before landing silently in the cobbled alleyway below. During these times, Arduin could barely remember the scenes around him as they blurred into a haze, instead finding himself suddenly sliding into the open windowsill of a random citizen's home, his journey led by pure instinct and adrenaline. The painting of the room was always the same, a darkened, nondescript space in which twisting shadows were strewn across the walls from the moonlight that filtered through the gaping window.

   Slowly creeping across the floor, Arduin would search for his prize for the night. Typically, he would avoid objects of clearly large importance, instead seizing small items such as candles, books, or- if his gall permitted- a simple ring or necklace. Carefully, and with great deliberation so as to not disturb the palpable silence that hung stagnant in the air around him, he would slowly undo the clasp of a small pouch at his hip. The metal button would snap open with a sound that seemed to reverberate throughout every inch of the home, threatening to rattle the bricks in the walls out of their enclosure. From this point on it was a blur once more, with Arduin finding himself back in his room; the eyes of his bounties fixated on him as he entered, reminding him of the potential consequences of his actions.

   The act of thievery sated Arduin's thirst for adventure, his desire for adrenaline, yet after time his feats began to lose their edge. He began lifting things of larger value- expensive jewelry, gilded candlesticks, anything worth a good amount of coin. The thrill again quenched his lust, however he would always leave behind a sum of coin near if not equal to the price of the item taken. Arduin would take careful deliberation in stacking each of the gold coins in the center of the room before garnishing his work with a small red feather resting atop the tower of currency. Typically Arduin would take his leave at that point, yet occasionally he would remain. Undoing his satchel Arduin would delicately lower it until its stained leather binding graced the floor with a dull thud. Taking this time to reflect on his actions, Arduin typically then sat perched in the open window, allowing himself to bask in the shadows of the night.  Then, he would simply depart- leaving behind only his penance and the echo of the metallic button, ringing out and splitting the placid moonlight into fragments.

    Soon, however, even that began to fail to satisfy Arduin's needs. His shelves were lined to the brim with valuables, yet his cache of rewards shone less every night. Arduin grew infuriated with his meaningless possessions, and searched vainly for a way to feel that euphoric sense of excitement once more. It was then that he took to stealing in broad daylight, trading the familiar graces of the moon for the harsh waves of sunlight that threatened to reveal his crimes to all. Between his arias sung at the tavern he would steal away to the grand market, coiling himself around the gilded pockets of nobles who frequented the shops.

    Arduin was unsure as to how he found himself fleeing through the streets of Adreamus, cursing madly as he felt the guard's hounds lunging at his heels, their rancid breath urging him to make haste as he ran from what could only end up to be his untimely demise at the hands of the executioner.