Zali'Haro, a stoic turban-wearing plains-rider, spelunker, and man-of-arms, considers these three allies the greatest contributers to his own personality:

1) My beloved steed, UruJil ail'Tirala, chestnut brown son of the albino horse I learned to ride on, Tirala Haro'jil. Between us there is an almost psychic connection, and my moods affect his behaviour and vice-versa. Lean and fast, it is he that I will come to when I'm upset and celebrating. He is a good listener of course, but most importantly he keeps watch over me when sleeping on the plains and has saved my life on more than one occasion by alerting me to the scent of an enemy too far away for me to hear or see.

2) My father Ja'el; may Chal hold his hand forever. Though he has returned to the happy hunting grounds of the afterlife, his wise words about the duty of courageous charity and being merciless still influence my actions to this day. "Never ignore a call for help and never leave an injured enemy without finishing him off". The result is you will receive help from friendly strangers when you most need it and will avoid revenge from the allies of your enemies that should have never survived to tell the tale of being vanquished.

3) The memory of my childhood love, Sash'al, killed by marauding thieves. While riding one day, I was attacked and fended off a robbery. I let the thieves escape and later that night I learned that the same people had taken refuge in her family's residence and killed her and her entire family. Suicidal and enraged, I tirelessly hunted them down for 11 months and put their heads on stakes when I found them. Sadly, my revenge never gave me the closure or relief that I had yearned for. I have always felt responsible for their deaths, and I blame my mercy. Never again will I allow an enemy to escape.

Therefore my worst nightmare is to be attacked by were-rats in the dark.

To have overcome such insurmountable odds that only a true hero could have pulled it off. Fame is not my desire, nor is power. Gold and jewels are mere trinkets to be given away. I want to be a hero, so save a princess from a burning spire, from a certain death. To have conquered a great fiend, to overcome my own Grendel. When I die, I would feel most a peace if in my time I was able to make a difference in the world by being at the right place at the right time to avoid cerain disaster. These desires spring from the memory of my mother who died fending off an attack by a giant rat. She saved my life, for I was a baby and the intended victim. A great reverence and respect of her bravery and heroism was taught to me by the rest of my family. I aspire to that ideal.

In order to further my career, I will have to earn the trust of master SruHaro. If he was ever in danger, it is my intention to save his life. Once so indebted, I hope that he will choose me to become his personal bodyguard. A man such as he is likely to have many enemies. Somebody with enough reason to be paranoid is sure to desire a skilled fighter at his side when going into risky business meetings.

I aspire to eventually hire henchmen and start my own bodyguard agency. Before I do so I will most likely have to earn my way to the top of the SruHaro family's security force. Through my friendships with fellow fighter in his employ, coupled with my recent attempts to become a certified guildmember, I intend to further my career. By remaining a silent and trusted protector at secret meetings, I will watch and learn his secrets and weaknesses. When the opportunity arises, I would consider using this knowledge for my own benefit.

The contacts, business dealings and secret names that get mentioned by the people I guard will provide experience for the day that I break out on my own and start my own estate, complete with my own security force.

Perhaps I will be presented with an opportunity to prove myself worthy of becoming a member of "the Fist". I am envious of the respect and fear that the horse-riding man in the market received. Since I too am a very skilled rider, it should only be a matter of time and experience until I too have the combat ability, strength and resources required to attain this higher post. Whatever becomes of my career, I know that respect, power and influence are more important to me than mere riches. I would like to eventually be known as a fair but harsh ruler, incorruptible from bribes, respected by my henchmen. Since the days of my childhood I dreamed of fighting for a worthy cause, charging into battle on my warhorse, armed to the teeth and feared by my enemies.

After our first few adventures, Zali considers his brothers-in-arms:

Sjer - young and eager to please, panicy and a poor combatant, I have come to respect Sjer for his unbridled enthusiasm and supportiveness. Not ashamed to ask for help in matters of brute strength, Sjer is a valuable compatriot with lots to learn. What he lacks in skill and wisdom he makes up for with his barganing ability, alertness and magic. I distrust the black arts but Sjer has a way to using his magic just when you need it. He may be a little defenseless, and I expect to have to defend him in the future, but if I was lost in a forest I would trust him to come back looking for me. With a lovely bottle of wine.

Afalar - less naiive than Sjer, Afalar has impressed me with his cunning and secretiveness. I would be less likely to trust him with my life, as I feel there is more to him than meets the eye. Although he may at times be over-confident and critical, he makes up for it by being sly and knowledgeable, hard to fool and slick of tongue. I would not put it past him to betray a colleague if it served his purposes, but when he is on your side he demands and deserves great respect. He does not let his defenses down enough for my taste, which makes Zali feel self-conscious. He seems much more wise and worldly than someone of his age usually is. I have complete confidence in his ability to sway the opinions of others, and when it comes to discussion, with my master or people in power, I would choose to keep silent and let him do the talking. He is the person least likely to be tricked in our party, and it is to him that I defer when it comes to sheer charisma. I hope to still be his ally when he attains the position of great power that I'm sure awaits him in the future.

Zali'Haro is secretly illiterate. If given one wish he would wish he could read. It's all been a bluff until now.