[Virgil Marks]

A bright and cheerful morning greeted Virgil Marks as he opened the door of his shop. Instead of turning the sign to 'open', as he usually did, he merely stepped out and locked the door behind him. As he walked towards his friends' shops, his mind was filled with thoughts of the Nox Nocturnalis that would soon be upon them.

Each year started with a festival that celebrated the joys of life that lasted for a few weeks. On the last sunset of Nox, they would all release small boats on the river to symbolize the souls of the recently departed finding their way to Toamna, the moon and the resting place for the dead. Prayers to the deceased were often uttered as the boats floated down the river.

As he tore himself out of deep thought, he found himself already in front of Katrine's shop. Katrine was one of his best friends, and he had gone to her shop first by habit. He knocked on her door and waited for her to answer, which she did a few minutes later. Closing her shop as he did his, they continued on their way to meet Lesallia, so that they could begin setting up the yearly festival.