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[center][h2][color=Maroon]Z O S I M O S  B L A C K C O I L[/color][/h2][/center]
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Zosimos eyed the gathering of travellers in the royal court with suspicion from underneath her hooded cloak and nimbly side-stepped any who drew too close to her person. She kept to the back of the hall, sequestering herself in a nook behind a lit torch that was attached to the wall. There she hid in the dancing shadows the flames cast and observed those who came forward to answer the King’s quest – [i]a fool’s quest[/i]. Many times, between setting foot inside the royal castle and leaving behind her reclusive life in Torvelt’s mountain forests, Zosimos had questioned her own sanity following her decision to journey to Koprust to embark upon this fool’s quest. As many travellers turned and filtered out of the King’s hall after his wise words of warning, she mused that many shared her thoughts on the matter.

Whilst Zosimos held the Prince no ill will, she did not desire to forfeit her own life in the search for his – and yet, her feet remained rooted to the spot. The very thought of banding together with an assortment of miscreants and would-be heroes had the Tiefling’s pistris-like teeth tingling in her mouth. She watched closely as members of this band stepped forward and wondered what motivated them to do so. For some it seemed it was honour; for others perhaps it was compassion of some kind; and for those like herself, it was the promise of the King’s reward should they succeed. 

It was that tendril of faith in this promise and what she would claim from it that finally gave Zosimos the nerve to walk through the remaining members of the Hall towards the King and Queen. She stopped in front of them and lowered her hood. She heard a few gasps and sharp intakes of breath as eyes fell upon her disfigured face and demonic features. Zosimos’s hand tightened on her Warlock’s staff. She gave a small bow to the King and then to the Queen before lifting her eyes – or rather, her one good eye – to meet theirs.

[color=Maroon]“Zosimos Blackcoil. I pledge my staff in the quest to find your son,”[/color] the Tiefling spoke calmly before moving off to follow her fellow companions.