Jig

Jig — Original artwork by J. Leigh Bralick

Jig is a fierce, solitary, arrogant, and extremely talented fighter. He is essentially co-leader of the Meats with Anuk, but sometimes takes issue with Anuk's more equitable sense of justice. Although initially hostile to Shade, Jig eventually develops a great respect and admiration for him that begins to verge on reverence.

## Description

Jig's appearance is incredibly deceptive — he is rather small and lean — because he is one of the most talented and dangerous street-fighters in Brinmark. Not a Cavner by birth, he looks to be Inarine, or of mixed Inarine and Cavnish heritage. (Inar is an island nation to the east of Tulay, on the other side of the known world.) Jig has black hair that he wears a little longer than fashionable, and dark eyes. His complexion is warmer than a typical Cavnish skin-tone, but not as dark as Tarik's Tulian complexion.

His natural and trained agility, flexibility, and athleticism are the origins of his tag, "Jig," because when he fights, he moves like a dancer.

## Personality

Jig is a complicated character. His rather surly and hostile attitude stems from his defensiveness — feeling like anyone he comes into contact with is trying to actively challenge his worth. Yet he is also drawn to power, and those who wield it well. He is not a natural follower, but when someone proves to be worthy of his admiration, Jig's devotion verges on an almost manic obsession.

One of his greatest frustrations as a disciple of Shade is seeing Shade so powerful and yet unwilling to exercise that power. Jig would happily see Shade subdue the world and bring it beneath his dominion. Shade's reluctance to use his authority is incomprehensible to Jig. Yet once Shade secures Jig's devotion, there is nothing that Jig wouldn't do for him. He would risk his own life readily if he thought Shade needed, or wanted, him to.

Solitary by nature, Jig has few true friends. All his life his thorny personality drove off those who would try to befriend him, because he couldn't understand how people could be friends. In his worldview, there were only the people in competition with you and the people you had defeated. Friendship was not a part of the equation until Shade drew him into his crew.

## Background

Like many of the Hole rats, Jig is a person of obscure origins. He came to the Hole around the same time as Hayli. Because of his small size, he quickly learned that he had to defend himself if he wanted to survive on the streets. Knowing he couldn't beat a larger, stronger boy in a fist fight, Jig devoted himself to his own style of martial art — closely related to Cashina, but relying more on speed, reflexes, intuition, and physics than brute force. His questionable morality and willingness to coerce others into doing his will quickly won him a place as one of the Meats, the Hole's enforcers.

## Skills

Most of Jig's upbringing focused on physical arts of conflict, and that is where his strengths lie. He was never well-educated or interested in schooling, except to learn what would make him more formidable on the streets. Naturally impatient and unsociable, he is not a persuasive speaker nor a deep thinker. However, as he becomes involved in Shade's schemes, he begins to develop more of a curiosity about the mental battleground — strategy and tactics.