On the last day of preparations for the Blood Festival, Murphy took advantage of the nightfall to go for a walk around the city.
He was delighted to discover that the "festival collaboration" between his little players and the locals was going exceptionally well.
They'd had only four days to prepare, but that hadn't dampened their enthusiasm. Now, beneath the night sky, the entire Scarlet Keep looked as beautiful as if draped in a sheer red veil. The vast empty lots still gave the place a touch of desolation, but at least the residential district and the commercial district, where businesses had gradually begun to open, were brimming with festive cheer.
Especially the city plaza!
Now, when most people had already gone to bed, the esteemed Count White Mountain and his exiled servants from the Principality of Thorns were still working here in the dark.
Since these northern vampires had been exiled and couldn't attend the Blood Festival in the Principality of Thorns, they could only take part in Scarlet Keep's local festivities with a mixture of regret and anticipation. Count White Mountain was something of a "well-known regional artist," so he'd decided to make something himself as a gift for the first Blood Festival held in Murphy's domain.
A gigantic ice sculpture!
André had designed it himself. His loyal servant Vesta, currently the second-most important figure in the White Mountain faction, had led the bloodkin in carving it beneath the night sky. Finally, Triss and Femis would enchant it with psychic magic, keeping it from melting until the Blood Festival ended.
It depicted a blood-drinking vulture with its wings spread, ready to take flight. But its talons had been sculpted, in a highly artistic manner, to depict Murphy and his warriors charging forward. Since they couldn't choose specific warriors,