[hr][center][@Zverda] [color=thistle]Anala Attor[/color][/center][hr]Anala moved closer the the man and his strange puppet George, wanting to get a better look at the map that he had. While she had been wandering the region for awhile, she had never bothered to really look at any available maps, thinking that it was something she simply did not need. Of course, that wasn't necessarily true, but hey, she wasn't about to tell anyone that she had a bad habit of getting lost when left to her own devices in a strange area.

[color=thistle]"So what do we have here?"[/color] she asked with a raised brow, her eyes scanning over the paper. It wasn't all that hard for her to lean closer to do so either, thanks to her choice of mount, it was rather tall compared to the strange insect mounts these people rode right now. Rogath, after all, was a horse originally meant for pulling carriages and plowing fields, but that was the type of horse she wanted. Clydesdale were strong and rather gentle  creatures after all. [color=thistle]"Where did you find this?"[/color]

Anala's eyes flicked away from the man for a moment, focusing on the Warlock, her methods of dispatching the enemy had  not gone unnoticed despite her distance. She studied the other magic user with a scrutinizing eye, a small frown starting to pull down the edges of her lips briefly before she went back to her micro-smile. [color=thistle]"I forgot to address this earlier, Mhyrienne of the Arcane,"[/color] she commented as an after thought, [color=thistle]"No need of formalities, any of you. Feel free to call me Anala, there is no need for 'Lady' or 'Mistress' in this place. Despite my station we are all equals on the road. After all, we did just fight together."[/color]

[hr][center][@BCTheEntity] [color=deepskyblue]Talran Galelove – Medium Friendly Paladin[/color][/center][hr][color=deepskyblue]'Well-met, Lady Mhyrienne,'[/color] Talran greeted, smiling widely. What a nice, polite young woman. Unlike those ravens overhead, raucous as they were, only adding to the shockingly dread atmosphere of Barovia's village - and as he watched them, he couldn't help but notice that some seemed to be moving in a more intelligent fashion than anticipated. They were noticeably further above their group than their brethren, for instance, or at very least further afield. And... it seemed that some were paying special attention to both their guide Markus and the newly-introduced Lady Anala? How strange. And she had greeted him like an old friend earlier, after all.

Not that she didn't notice their presence either. A few blasts of magical power scattered some, and fried others. Indeed, her warnings seemed entirely appropriate; Talran would try to keep close to her, just in case. But first, he had to get everyone else's names... actually, just two, come to think of it. Though the puppeteer who bore George also seemed to have a map, and much as Talran wanted to see what the fuss was about, he knew he'd have time to examine the parchment later. Instead, he first approached the gruff man who had been unfortunate enough to get caught in the dying demon's dreck alongside Talran, he who had refused to imbibe the Heroes' Brew earlier. A suspicious one, that man - that was, suspicious of others, not necessarily suspicious in himself. Still, no use judging without evidence; putting on a grand grin, Talran asked [color=deepskyblue]'Poor luck on our part earlier, I believe. I don't believe we've even introduced ourselves; I am Talran Galelove. And yourself?'[/color]

Whether or not he received a useful answer, he found himself moving on from the man to... well, the final figure. The mysterious cloaked chap, the one who he'd been sure he'd met earlier. Who was that? Surely he had some inkling in his mind... perhaps the name would refresh the memory.

[color=deepskyblue]'Pardon me, sir,'[/color] Talran asked politely, [color=deepskyblue]'but if it's no trouble for me to say so, I'm almost convinced we know each other from somewhere. Perhaps my mind plays tricks on me, but it'd be a grand favor if you might show me your face, to go with your name. I am Talran Galelove, and you are...?'[/color] He hoped he wasn't being impolite by asking. Perhaps there were religious reasons to cover his visage from the world? Oh, heavens, perhaps he'd been hideously deformed. He'd certainly apologize greatly if such was the case.


[hr][center][@JohnSolaris][color=maroon]Zaerith Dustborn[/color][/center][hr][i]Kehehe… This ought to be interesting.[/i] The Jester cackles, upon hearing the words of the paladin who has since revealed his name to be Talran Galelove.

[i]…you know something, don’t you?[/i] Zaerith frowns.

[i]Perhaps I do; perhaps I don’t. Isn’t life all just one delightfully big mystery? Kehahahaha![/i]

Sighing to himself, Zaerith shakes his head, the motion minuscule enough that none is likely to notice it under his hood. How foolish of him to expect the Jester to be helpful, especially at times like this. He turns his gaze to Talran, and scours his memory for anything resembling the pale-skinned man’s visage. Alas, nothing jumps to mind, at least not for the moment.

[color=maroon]“I am Zaerith Dustborn.”[/color] His voice is as gravelly as ever as he lowers his hood. Ashen gray skin and incomprehensible sanguine glyphs tattooed upon his bald head are not the most pleasant of sights, to be sure, but Zaerith reckons that they are hardly out of place in the gloomy atmosphere of Barovia's village. [color=maroon]“Perhaps we’ve met before, but I cannot be sure, for my memory can sometimes be… unreliable, due to circumstances that I’d rather not disclose.”[/color]

Is it a wise idea to inform the others of his memory issues? If they become aware of any memory loss on his part during his journey with them from now on, they may attempt to exploit it by feeding him reminders containing false information on what happened prior. On the other hand, they are not aware of the exact circumstances under which his memories may fray and tear. So if he simply pretends to suffer from a bout of amnesia regarding recent events, and ask his companions to refill the blanks, this may discern which ones among them have plans on deceiving him. In the long run, likely a better course of action than attempting to hide his memory problems from them forever.

As for whether he had actually met Talran before, he should take the paladin’s answer with a grain of salt. Not all paladins are paragons of so-called virtue; perhaps this one is trying to deceive him even now.[hr]