[h3][u]Hugon[/u][/h3]

Hugon watched the carriage make its slow way through the crowds and the bleak city. The paladin was out of his plate armor, dressed in light furs to combat a chill he could not seem to shake, and armed with a dagger at his side. There was a symbol of the maker hung around his neck that he idly played with, partly out of habit and partly out of reassurance. He had arrived a few days earlier, exploring the town a little before making his way to the manor. It was a dark place. Hope was nowhere to be seen, faith in the Lochbornes was gone, and faith in the Maker was all but faded completely. The people were beaten down by the evil that had crept into the land, the air, the water, the very soul of Malacast itself. They felt, no , they [i]knew[/i] that there was nothing to be done about the curse and that anyone summoned by Lord Lochborne would just be driven mad or cut down like all the others before had been. 

Hugon had done what he could to ease the suffering, but there was only so much one man could do against such darkness, especially a man such as Hugon. His talents had never laid in healing or aiding those harmed by magic, but in cutting down the creatures and villains who had harmed them. The paladin's thoughts turned to the Hanged Man, and he felt a damnable, irrepressible, shiver go down his spine. He had only seen the cursed cadaver from a great distance, swaying gently from his tree on the hill, but he had been certain that the monster was looking right at him, cutting through his armor and demeanor to leer directly at Hugon's soul. 

The paladin had made sure to avoid looking at the cursed creature ever since. 

He looked on impassively as the crowd was ruthlessly dispersed by the guards. Fear lead to madness, and madness had to be repressed at any cost, or all would be lost. Hugon turned from the window and made his way back farther into the house to prepare for the meeting with Lord Lochborne and the rest. Hugon had not been told anything by Lochborne since he had arrived at the cursed city, simply told that he would be told more  when the rest of the Lochborne family's friends arrived. That time had arrived, and despite a feeling of relief at finally being able to begin taking action against the curse that hung so heavily over Malacast, Hugon felt a growing sense of dread at what was to come. 

The dining room only made the feeling worse. The symbols of the Maker, usually symbols that brought comfort, seemed to bring the hint of hysteria and despair by the sheer amount present in the room. To say nothing of how the books seemed to watch his every move with a disturbingly predatory gaze. Hugon entered the dining room right as the last of their number finished introducing himself, a young man covered in grime and dirt from the road with a heavy gaze and a scarred visage. The man seemed ready to leap out of his chair at any moment. At least he kept his gear well maintained and clean. That, Hugon supposed, was a small blessing. The other warrior of the group was a dwarf, one of the few Hugon had seen in his travels. A friendly face covered in wrinkles and a large white beard, with a stout frame and scarred face. Hugon hoped that the dwarf's age meant he was someone to be relied on when they undertook this cursed quest, for the Paladin didn't see things in the others that he trusted. 

The other two were less reassuring. One was a human woman, with strange facial tattoos and jewelry on her clothing. Her clothes were at least practical, but something about her made Hugon's skin crawl. She looked like someone who had delved where she shouldn't, and that was someone to be wary of. The other was an elf, whose face and skin was as gnarled as the dwarf's was. Dressed in tattered clothes with  a seemingly endless number of pouches and pockets, she seemed kind. What was more concerning was the bandages that could be seen, peaking out of her torn gloves. 

[i]Strange company the Lochborne family keeps.[/i]

"I am Hugon. I arrived here a few days ago at the same request of Lord Lochborne's as you all. He has told me nothing more than what he has told you all, I'm afraid, so we will simply have to wait for him to return."