(http://s9.favim.com/orig/140715/beautiful-eyes-freckles-ginger-Favim.com-1916759.jpg)<br/><strong>Tasha Ananias (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=293833.msg14416552#msg14416552)</strong><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide</div><div class="spoiler_body">HP: 29, AC: 13, CMD: 13, Active spells: N/A, Postcounter: 1</div></div><br/><strong>Location</strong>From: High City of Senval / To: The no-man's lands of Valenland<br/><strong>Tagging</strong>nil<br/><br/>Tasha slid from beneath the sheets, struggling to disentangle her thoughts from the memory of ripe elf-flesh. It took a moment for the mesmerist to reorientate herself, trading the deliciously exotic fantasy for mundane reality with reluctance. She blinked in surprise at the apparently self-inflicted markings on her belly, quickly rubbing away the dark symbols before her waking mind had the opportunity to focus too closely.<br/><br/>"Now isn't that a curious thing?" she murmured dreamily to herself.<br/><br/>The former slave rose gracefully, revelling in her nakedness as she surveyed the small bed chamber. Now, which special friend did she need to thank for today's accommodation? With a soft chuckle, Tasha realised she had no idea of the half-orc's name. Only that he'd been particularly appreciative and, now she thought about it, impressively well-endowed. A half-smile tugged at the mesmerist's lips, but disappeared just as soon as she noticed the glowing message.<br/><br/>"Someone is far too clever for their own good," Tasha decided as she examined the hovering message in more detail. "Let's see:<em>Blah blah, elven bullshit, blah blah blah, fiends, blah blah, corruption, blah blah Valenlands...</em>"<br/><br/>She cast around, searching through the detritus for items of discarded clothing. The underwear was easy, that was hanging from the candelabra, but finding her dress took a little more work. Tasha had no idea how or why it had ended up in the horse trough, but the fabric seemed to have survived the experience unscathed. A little sodden, but otherwise unscathed.<br/><br/>Her time in the Republic had been diverting, but she was beginning to grow bored. Tasha simply lacked the dedication to stomach all the tedious cloak and dagger. And, she had decided very early on, this particular sort of backstabbing wasn't at all to her tastes. Worse still, the aristocrats themselves were uniformly dull and that was what had first pushed her to seek less refined and more imaginative souls. The Lord Magistrate might've been as exciting between the sheets as an unfilled bed-warmer, but his chief bodyguard was an absolute slut!<br/><br/>Still, even those dalliances were growing stale and perhaps this message, untrustworthy and no doubt self-serving as it might be, was the cure to what ailed her. After all, she was starting to draw the wrong kind of attention and that was never the prelude to pleasant things. No, best to show the city a clear pair of heels and head out into no-man's land on what, at best, was going to be a wild goose chase.<br/><br/>Giggling at her own ridiculousness, the half-elf made her way to the stables, trying not to drip on anything that looked too important. She didn't exactly own a horse, but it seemed likely that no-one of note would be particularly concerned were she to<em>borrow</em>a mount. And, anyway, she intended to be several leagues from here by the time they did. Tasha snagged her pack from its hiding spot, checking to make sure no thieving bastard had disturbed it.<br/><br/>Once the mesmerist had reassured herself, she took several thrilling seconds attending to the green-skinned stable-boy, who, now properly motivated, was all too happy to saddle one of the waiting horses.<br/><br/>And, so it was, that Natasha Ananias left the High City of Senval, following a mysterious magical map to a unsolicited meeting that might just promise ultimate salvation, or, more likely, a momentary but welcome distraction on the path to inevitable corruption. The half-elf spurred her borrowed horse, ignoring her utter lack of riding experience and instead, simply hanging on for dear life.