Munchlord turns once again, this time to the familiar face and voice of Caelestes.
"On the contraty, I am not the least bit surprised to see you here. Well met Caelestes. You are, however, not the only one who was taken aback by my appearance here. Lu Caos, whom I assume you at the least know of, was just about to enlighten me concerning some amusing detail regarding my presence."

The Green Mage sipped quietly at his drink, pondering the events of the past several months, musing over the past. When he had first laid down his independant work to join the League he had often summoned for Ionia, but recent events had placed him more and more against the aims Demacia, and further in the employee Noxus. Frowning he pondered the state of things in the world...debating if Noxus called him for the upcoming rematch if he would answer.

As his eyes scanned the crowd he suddenly noticed Reira Kashuld, the Ionian reporter had peeked his interest ever since her article on the Wriggle Lantern. She had a fine eye for the arts and beauty and he was glad that it would be her pen that wrote of this event for Ionia rather than terse writings of Nick Vand. He made his way over to her, eager to listen in for hints of any more exciting discoveries or events he had missed during his absorbing work.

"Perhaps the most well spoken champion to ever enter the League, to say nothing of her talent." he mentioned to the young reporter. "Irelia's sacrifice in joining as a League Champion brings honor to all of Runeterra, and Ionia especially. I am personally glad that Noxus has agreed to a rematch, the timing could not be better to not only resolve a long-standing conflict but to bring honor to Irelia on the Fields of Justice."
((http://summoners.shurelia.com/profiles/55))

(http://summoners.shurelia.com/profiles/60)

A portal, leaking out Void energies, appeared. Ionians and visitors alike were appalled, then readied themselves for battle. But before at conflict arose, a sweet, condescending voice projected from within the portal.

"Now, now, festive ones, don't let me get in the way of a good celebration."

Masqure stepped out, the portal sealing behind him, leaving wild energy burning through the ground where it stood until they died out, like little ants scurrying around in fear. The people were not very appeased by his words, and one warrior, of Ionian garb, challenged him.

"Visitor, you are not welcome to bring conflict into this ceremony. A new champion fights for this land, fights for our hopes and the balance of all things. Leave, or stand down."

Masqure looked to this man, then around at those who watched him intently. They all waited for an opening, ready to remove this enemy from their peaceful gathering.

"Very well, Ionian. Here, take my weapon, as a sign of peace."

Masqure held out his hand as a staff appeared. It was as if it was conjured as he put forth his hand. The Ionian warrior moved towards him slowly. The intruder made no signs of movement, casually waiting. Finally, the Ionian reached for the weapon. As his hands touched the wooden staff, the warrior leaped onto his back, rolling on the grass madly.

"Oh. Right. Sorry, I forgot to leave my cursed staff at home. Well then, I suppose you can take it. As a gift from Noxus and the True Noxians, not these who have come to celebrate. I am not the subtle-"

While the warrior tossed around on the grass before Masqure, howling in pain, two guards charged Masqure with spears in hand. One made the first move, stabbing directly at his torso. Masqure moved his staff to parry, but the staff dropped. The other warrior stopped cold, confused. Masqure was gone.

But the warrior who rolled around on the ground was not. He began to stand, his eyes now crackling with a light blue energy. He took up his sword, then made a mad dash to the confused warrior....

Finally, the second warrior fell dead, with little energy left to parry the final blow. The maddened, possessed warrior stood in between the fallen Ionians. The crowd was surging torward and away from the scene at the same time. More guards had come, while some citizens began to flee. Champions were surely on their way.

The warrior held his sword outward.

"I am not the subtle one. The traitors here are. This is a warning. This is not a time for celebration. Ionia will perish in the coming days, along with your reputation, your peace. There is no balance. Noxus is the true power."

The crazed warrior held his sword up, taking the classic pose of one about to end his life...

(This all occurred in about 2 minutes. In case it wasn't clear, Masqure can posses people. Just common people and warriors though, no Champions or summoners or other peoples characters. I left some parts in there to be vague on purpose, because it makes it easier to have different views on what happened for other people.)

"My my, quite a gathering we have here? Haelion Bastion, Munchlord D'Cardin, Caelestes d'Escarde and" he begain as if he just had to take a waft of some foul smell "Lu Caos. I can honestly say that I did not expect many of you to be here. Not really what I had planned, but I suppose plans arn't always ment to go how we want, eh?"

"Gentleman, if you do not mind, I would like to talk to Mrs. Reira Kashuld about a subject we were discussing at another period of time. I believe that among yourselves you'll have plenty to talk about. I know for a fact D'Cardin has a great intrest in you Caos" Kalis said, laying the foundry for a possible powderkeg. Taking Reira aside, hoping to get a quick word in with her before he goes and meets with this Irelia, a thought came to Kalis. "d'Escarde, what in Void are you wearing?" he questioned "You worthless fool, just because we are here in a time of peace doesn't mean you should show such a sign of weakness!" he thought to himself. Oh well, what was one to do with the inexperianced?

As he was leading Reira aside (just slightly away from the more prominant figures of the crowd) he noticed out of the side of his eye a small child. No, not a child, at least not an Ionian child. Children generally do not have crystals growing out of themselves, especially ones that resemble Sapphire Crystals that Champions are able to use on the Field of Justice. It was at that relevation that Kalis recognized the child- no, not a child, a Yordle. A particular Yordle that he knew of, one "Summoner Safir". He didn't know much (and cared less) about Yordles as a society, but this one in particular bothered him . . . . . less. Kalis was unsure as to what specifically about this one changed his mood (only slightly) but he had to keep an eye on this one. Even if it didn't look like one of their kind, Kalis was fully aware of the ramificationsof one being here; "To much time alone and this one will go insane and try to kill everyone"


Finally, after he and Reira were at a safe place to talk, something crazy happened. A man he was aware as the Master Tactitions Advisor appeared, apparently out of one of the so called "Void Portals". It seemed that in the time span of two minutes he effectivly cursed a soldier, vanished, possessed and killed two more. What's worse, the fool decided to assosiate Noxus with this. "Bleeding patriots" he mumbled to himself, telling Reira he'd be right back and to wait a moment for him. Making his way to the soldier right as he was about to take his life, Kalis conjured at least five barriers on diffrent parts of the soldier; one on his upper arm, lower arm, the weapon, his body and his head. "Let this man go now you" emphisising he knew who it was. Almost as a sign of obediance, the crackling blue lightning faded, and the Soldier was back to his old self. Though saving an Ionian was almost an anti-thesis to him, keeping this from turning into a blood bath before he got what he wanted was more important. Walking up to the soldier, Kalis quickly masked his face into one of care and concern "Are you okay? I believe you were possessed by a zealot of the Void. Chances are they want to take advantage of the conflict between us. As much as I may not like Ionians, I rather face them myself then let some third party set loose the Gate of Hell." Seeing as the soldier was now fine, and other officals were taking care of the other two guards (which he were dead), he made his way back to Reira, undaunted at this recent development. Though, in the back of his mind, even with his stunt he knew only bad things would come his way because of this.


((also, MasqureMan, Illusion/Rad is better))

Nite was a little disappointed at Reira's being taken away from him, but nonetheless, it was a party! Nite would enjoy himself, he would socialize. There were a few people here that he did wish to meet. He did know and greet a few prominent figures that he knew from their own adventures, such as Motas and Haelion Bastion. One man whom he respected greatly, but never had the privilege of meeting caught his eye. Nite approached him, "Hello, Munchlord is it? My name is Nite and I would like the opportunity to speak with you.".

http://summoners.shurelia.com/profiles/39 - Summoner Ade Daiba
http://summoners.shurelia.com/profiles/28 - Champion Kida, the Tengu Blademaster

Daiba sat beneath a blossoming tree, partaking in the beauty of the majestic garden, the grandeur of nature, and the ephemeral grace of Irelia's visage. The sage master observed the guard captain with eyes that seemed to channel the very elements, flickering with a hearth's warmth. In her, he saw the embodiment of Ionian elegance; a true champion of Ionia and a treasured beauty of its culture, unmatched in power and grace. He applauded to her address, confident in Irelia's abilities as a daughter of Master Lito, and eager to summon her to the Fields of Justice in Ionia's name.

Leaning against the tree, Kida did not share the same repose. Constantly observing the crowd of onlookers, her gaze darted from side to side, only to stop briefly at the handful of Noxians who made themselves present in the garden. Their presence alone was more than enough to rebuke the calming effects of the blooming garden, as Kida clenched her grip around her sword, furrowing her brow in immediate dissatisfaction. The disgruntled Tengu stepped out of the tree's shade with blade in hand, only to be promptly stopped by the light gesture of Daiba's hand.

"Ease your tension, sky child. Your anger is understood, but misplaced."

"But Master Daiba...! The enemy stands right before us, fraternizing upon our soil as though it were theirs! They despoil this ceremony with their presence, and yet--"

"And yet we will still our blades, Kida. Power lies in the scabbard, not the sword. Did I not teach you this?"

Kida stared down at the sage, humbled by his words and by a gaze of churning waters.

"I have no love for Noxians, nor am I ignorant to their aggressions against us, but we must remain civil. The Noxians expect us to bear our fangs and gnash our teeth at them. That is what they want. They will wear empty words like 'civility' and 'modernization', but their purpose is to brand us as savages and beasts to justify their campaign. We cannot give that to them, Kida. We must not bend to their provocations. We must show them that Ionia is ready to face them as a people, as a culture."

Daiba gestures to the burning Shojin monk on the opposite end of the garden. His face shows no anguish, pain, or fear. The monk's expression is not unlike that of Daiba's own when amidst his meditation; he has elevated his awareness beyond his physical form and remains vigilant, without regard to his burning flesh.

"This is our claim as a people. Our ties to nature and the elements will see us through. Though we may be strong in arms, we must also be strong in spirit. It is not simply enough to possess a blade. It is a far greater sign of power when one knows to keep their blade sheathed. Power in the scabbard, not in the sword."

Kida diverted her gaze to the ground, almost ashamed of herself. Seeing the monk's serenity through his strife was humbling enough even to ease the nerves of the warrior tengu.

"...I understand, Master Daiba."

"Good. Now come, I think we ought to have a word with the master of Hiten arts, don't you think?"

Daiba smiled, his eyes invoking a tranquil breeze. Standing up, he taps his divining staff lightly upon the floor, sending a chime into the wind before heading into the crowd with Kida behind him.

Ilyia watched the events of the cursed solider and the man that had appeared out of the void portal. She was ready to help, but the events were over before she could react. The end result of two soldiers dead didn't phase her. She flipped over the top card of her deck. The Lord of Sorrows..."More shall die....the future is unavoidable."

She stood, glass in hand, and went to find more to drink. I need to drown my sorrows. Last time I tried to change the future, he died anyway. What is the point?

((Forgot to mention something. If Lu Caos can detect anything about physiology or detect transmutation magic through touch, then accepting Munchlord's hand will reveal him to have somehow shielded himself almost completely from such detection. All it will reveal is that he is under some form of transmutation effect. He may or may not be an actual human.))

Munchlord nods at Bonez' words regarding his interest in Lu Caos.
"True that, I must admit. Your mastery of Transmutation, and the draconic shapeshift in particular interests me a lot. I have approached the arts of transmutation myself, from the perspective of the Enchanter of course, and we might find it mutually benificial to have a longer conversation about the topic at a more suitable time and place."

Munchlord is then approached by yet another person and turns to greet him by an extended hand.

"That seems to have become somewhat of a trend recently sir. You are, however, welcome to join the conversation taking place nevertheless."

Masqure forced himself out of the Ionian, at the command of General Kalis. He was a true Noxian, though he comforted the boy.

"Traitors all around, Glorious one. They will look upon this celebration and know that they are not safe in their own land, that there is no true refuge of peace. Noxus is the true power, yet they still refuse us. No longer."

Masqure drifted in his ethereal form on the Ionian winds, surveying the festivities. He was joyous to see that some were appalled by the deaths he caused, but others moved on. There were use to the dead, this was Ionia after all. Masqure was not going to be another one of the many.

He noticed a woman with a deck of cards near the scene of his deeds. She flipped a card.
The Lord of Sorrows.

And so it was settled. Another had to die, this day, here. And they had to be important.

"I have heard you take unusual requests for scientific research and I was planning on undertaking it myself. However, I had heard that the research you undertake, or even support, has an uncanny trait of becoming succesful. I have one such venture and wish to enlist your aid.", Nite said, hardly acknowledging the others in attendance. "I would speak with you in more detail after the celebration. For now, know that I'll make it well worth your while. I'm sure you'll find a way to contact me.", Nite then turned and vanished into the crowd.

Nite wandered a while, seeking important figures, wanting to gain acknowledgement with the people. There did appear to be one Journal of Justice reporter that was garnering no attention at all.

****it, the one reporter not busy is a Zaunite, oh well, what better way of gaining fame then being featured in the Journal of Justice?

Nite approached the man from Zaun named LB Briskes, "Mr. Briskes! How are you enjoying the party thus far?".