Jirah

[Alaeha]

~Physical Description~

Jirah's build is best described as wiry: he measures 6'2”, and weighs all of 160 lbs. His eyes, bright blue, carry a decidely ironic look of calmness and innocence. He keeps his “dirty blonde” hair cut short.

 

He's commonly spotted wearing a deep blue tunic with dark green pants, and rarely seen without some manner of black gloves on – typically thin ones, to minimize impediment to his dexterity, but thicker ones for harsher jobs. He wears a bracelet on his right wrist – a golden band small medallion showing a stylized eye overlaid on the rune. The space between his shoulder-blades is entirely occupied by tattoo depicting a single, unnaturally symmetrical, blue eye which, on closer inspection, is revealed to be made of tiny, delicately scribed runes. (He passes it off as repayment for more lives than a litter of kittens has any right to, and refuses to elaborate)

[Alaeha]

~Personality~

Jirah is an archetypal laughing rogue, within the Pen – he solidly believes that the world would be a better place if everyone laughed more often. He doesn't often play the fool, and is loathe to force the role on others – he believes that the serious folk have the right maintain their solemnity, and acknowledges that the bereaved are best left their grief – he certainly isn't going to try and snap them out of it. He views life as being a challenge – he's made mistakes, many of them irreparable, but he still does what he can to get the most out of life while he still has it. His attitude is pretty much like Slick's in this strip of Sinfest. (warning: impolite, though not obscene language)

 

Jirah will, occasionally, turn introverted or confrontational, but only rarely. His single biggest peeve is with those who deny the possibility of redemption or forgiveness.

[Alaeha]

~History~

Jirah's history is long and involved, and he doesn't talk about it much. He came from a happy family, but it all went downhill from there. He came to the Pen Keep after meeting many of its inhabitants in the defense of Salinye's Hostel. He has since maintained a healthy distance from the majority of its members, only entering their midst on a few big occasions, such as the Quincuinox or some of the Carnivals.

[Alaeha]

~Abilities~

Easily the best in his old guilds, Jirah excels at stealth and getting to places he's not supposed to be in. If the only way to sneak into an enemy camp is to balance on a slender branch and leap over the sentry's heads, he's perfectly capable of doing it without snapping the branch (and thus alerting the sentry). He knows more than anyone really needs to know about knots, and knows enough of several languages to get an approximate message across or make a deal. Something like "That, how much?". He has an unusually broad understanding of descriptors, for a "beginner's understanding" of the languages, but that goes with the territory -- he needs to know he has the proper mark, after all.

 

He's passable in melee combat, but can only really thrive through dirty tricks or with an ally to keep his opponents off-guard. He's quite good with his throwing knives – he learned early on that he couldn't possibly carry enough knives that he could afford less than perfect precision. He still isn't satisfied, but he “gets by.”

[Alaeha]

~Magical Abilities~

The tattoo on Jirah's back hides his presence and thoughts from supernatural detection – to any but the most skilled diviners, he may as well not be there. He has a bit of magical ability which he's learned to harness only since he came to the Pen; mostly, this allows him to pick pockets or locks from a distance. He has learned to recognize the "feel" of magic, be it already established or a spell in the process of being cast, but he hasn't learned to distinguish beyond that -- he can't tell the difference between a simple prestidigitation and a fireball until things start getting hot.

[Alaeha]

~Items~

Jirah's bracelet is enchanted to enhance his senses and mask his presence, helping him to sense and slip past magical shields or wards. He also has a pair of extradimensional bags which he keeps, literally, up his sleeves, allowing him to carry rope, lockpicks, a grappling hook, or anything else he thinks might be useful without worry of it being spotted. He carries anywhere from six to twenty throwing knives on his person, as well as a pair of longer daggers that he wields in melee if necessary. Both of his long knives are made of adamantine, nicely made, and otherwise unremarkable. Finally, he carries a small lead-lined pouch designed to provide yet another layer of anti-divinatory warding for what he counts to be his single most important possession: hidden inside his tunic for safety and tied tightly closed, the pouch holds what appears to be a crystal the size of a large marble (Approximately 1 inch/2.5 cm.). This “marble” holds the soul of a girl named Nilani.

Edited August 15, 2006 by Alaeha