J'Kar Burin

Art by Nebula Robo (https://nebularobo.weebly.com/)

> *"The moment I figured it out for certain, sir, was when you just told me the answer, asking how I had figured it out."*
>
>

> -J'Kar to Lord Keel on the 14th of Sharus AeP 446
>
>

J’Kar was a con man from Carufell who tried to scam his way onto Lord Keel’s expedition to the Southern Isles. On this trip he encountered a siren and was one of the few people allowed to visit the home of Li-Shara. He was eventually recruited by Lord Keel to the Mordish Birding Society and he gave the lord the secret to human enchantment found in the Isles. He participated in Iron Eye's Final Battle. After the trip he went north with Daxian to try and find a path through the Viridian Bog. On this trip he went by the name Karas Trisan.

In Ghuramus of AeP 447, J’Kar was tasked by Lord Keel to orcehestrate the assassination of Gavin Bellest. J’Kar and Daxian moved to Port Thresthelm and took new names, Stellars Jay and Waxwing respectively. They hired four people in the city and within a few days, Gavin was dead.

## History

### Leaving Carufell

J'Kar Burin was born in a poor town in Carufell called Pinesprout. Town was even a bit generous. Pinesprout consisted of about a dozen huts housing about two dozen families of subsistence farmers under a feudal lord. The Burin family in particular was in charge of agricultural manure. J'Kar always felt he was destined for better things than shit-shoveler. From the age of seven, he began to convince his family to do work for him, not because he was incapable, but rather just because he didn't want to. Slowly it just sort of developed the social norm in his family that J'Kar didn't do as much work. Eventually bored of doing nothing, J'Kar stowed away on a cart headed to the South. He wasn't sure the destination, but he was sure he didn't care.

### Silver Mists and Bloody Tides

Eventually he crossed the Spiked Peaks and ended up in Mordehall where he spent many years as a nomad. However he kept up a polished appearance. He dressed nice, stood tall, and slept on a nice bedroll in mostly secluded allys. J’Kar ran nearly countless scams, from the classic basilisk eye paste to shamen consultations, J'Kar knew just enough about his source material to say a few correct things and assure people he knew what he was talking about, but made up nearly everything on the spot. He even managed to sell off a handful of fake godstones over the years. It was during a scam as a mail courier in Cape Red that J'Kar saw a particularly fancy and ornate seal. He didn't feel any gold in the envelope, but he wanted to break it, just to see if he could. Inside was a treasure greater than gold: opportunity. It was a letter addressed to a mysterious lord written by a man who called himself Lord Keel. It spoke of treasure in the Southern Isles and it contained a time and date at which the expedition would launch. J’Kar watched closely for the reply. He couldn't believe his luck. The reply came into his hands but a day later. The intended mailman would probably report his breach of protocol to get the mail, but J’Kar made sure it ended up in his hand. He would have to leave the letter scam but he felt it was time to move on.

The reply confirmed the expedition and spoke of a payment to the Roadani but it was not signed. J'Kar was able to identify the quill used to pen the note fairly easily. The official brand was expensive, and while knockoffs lasted only a short time before snapping in two, the actual tip was nearly identical. It would take a jeweler to see the difference. The ink was always a bit trickier, especially because J'Kar intended to amend the letter. In Cape Red he found the necessary ink to forge the reply. The discrepancy between the inks would be a bit easier to tell then the quill especially as the letter aged, but J’Kar did not expect the trip to last long. In any other country paper of such quality would be difficult to come across and extremely expensive. Fortunately fancy paper in Mordehall was sufficiently abundant. He copied the letter for practice before eventually forging an addition. In the letter he had the mysterious lord tell Keel that he was sending his illegitimate son on the trip to make sure he stayed away for a few weeks. He also told Keel to send no response. (All the letters can be found in the campaign auxiliary documents) J’Kar forged a cover story of being the bastard son of a lord. He worked through his cover thoroughly and researched colleges he might have attended and activities he might have done.

With his new identity J’Kar met Lord Keel on the Kirinda’s Jewel where he was promptly introduced to Sylvie one of the research students, and Daxian the hired muscle for their trip. The four immediately left to go meet their guide. This was a man named Jack who was dropped off by a Roadani warship. Keel instructed the four of them to pick up an enchanted ballista he bought. They left to get it and along the way Jack began to tease J’Kar for his attitude and appearance. They found the ballista in a more sketchy part of Cape Red. The people selling it informed the group that the price had been raised. Before anyone could react J’Kar laughed and payed off the difference with the last of his money. He also bought a tarp to throw over the ballista. They left with their new weapon. On the way back however, they were questioned by a few guards as to what they had. Before J’Kar could react Daxian talked off the guards. J’Kar told Daxian in the future he would like to handle such matters.

In the other preparations for the trip, J’Kar clashed again with Jack doubting the veracity of the old sailor’s stories. He also got to know the other important people on the trip. He was warned by Lord Keel to not try and suck up. At a dinner he spoke with Captain Melar Peterson about the skipper’s old stories, and with Henrus Kline about the old professor's life. But on the way back from this dinner J’Kar found a man searching his room. Jack and Daxian apprehended the man and J’Kar questioned him. The man had been sent from the mainland. J’Kar later told Keel who promised to watch the sailor. A day after that there was a great storm at sea. J’Kar went with the other VIPs to the captain’s mess. However when a bolt of lighting blasted a hole in the side of the ship he accidently knocked Sylvie into the waters while trying to stop Kline from falling out. He quickly got a rope and jumped in after her while Keel anchorned him and helped pull both of them out.

J’Kar was also in the group that landed on Karabour. He and Jack argued the whole trip. J’Kar helped convince the locals to ignore them and later when the group was accosted by the Steel Eagles of Ghendar J’Kar couldn’t do much to help. This he took to heart and vowed to be more effective next time. When the group heard a siren in the lake they needed to cross J’Kar didn’t believe it at first. However he helped work out hand signals to use since their ears would be covered. J’Kar found the siren when the group was on the raft. The ancient terror shook him to his core but he did not fall into the siren’s trance. He pulled Palo out of the way of her claws for which he suffered a great wound. They eventually made it across to the shadowy island. He made it down into the crypt where they found a great preserved mural of a dead god flanked by people with angel wings. J’Kar decided that Keel should never have what was found and tried to convince everyone else. He was able to convince and trust most everyone who found the ancient shrine by revealing his own secret, but Janie Kerias did not trust him, however J’Kar had no choice but to trust her.

They left with the treasure and once more had to face the siren. This time she was even more dangerous. Janie Kerias now fell under her trance diving into the lake. J’Kar helped pull the professor and Jack out of the water after the sailor dived in to save the woman. But as they fled the wax fell out of J’Kar’s left ear. When the siren called again he felt pain and then heard nothing. The sound was gone from that ear. When everyone got back to shore, J’Kar collapsed with the others in exhaustion and pain.

Upon returning to the Kirinda’s Jewel, people were brought into Lord Keel's office for surgery. J'Kar wasn't concerned, he had spent a lot of time making sure everyone's story was consistent. When he was eventually called in himself, he was patched up nicely, and delivered the story perfectly. However, he was thrown off guard significantly when Lord Keel asked Sylvie to step out of the room. Unfortunately for J’Kar, his pride and prejudices finally caught up to him. His assumption that the man Lord Keel was corresponding with would be so demeaning, combined his insistence on always using his birth name allowed Lord Keel to get to the bottom of his story. Lord Keel cut straight to the chase. And no sooner was the door shut before Lord Keel started drilling J'Kar with questions about his "father". It was clear J'Kar had been found out, but instead of playing his hand, J'Kar played dumb, seeing if Lord Keel would tip his. Lord Keel revealed that while his forgery was impressive, his critical mistake was in the tone. Lord Keel's mysterious benefactor wasn't as arrogant as J'Kar had made him out to be.

J'Kar quietly began to panic. He was quite literally under the knife. Lord Keel was skilled enough to make it look like an accident, and kill him right then and there for his insubordination. But Lord Keel wasn't out of surprises yet. Lord Keel saw something more in J’Kar. He saw potential. He offered to let J'Kar join his organization. He said J’Kar would make a good spy. J'Kar had to think it over. And think J’Kar did. Something about the whole thing as enticing; something peaked his fancy and more importantly, his trust. He spent hours going over it in his head, and writing down the conversation Lord Keel had with him in the operating room. Lord Keel had specifically mentioned that his master was “less arrogant” than J’Kar made him out to be, and if that was the case, he must be “more humble.” J’Kar was at the very least interested, and he wanted to hear Lord Keel out.

After a long conversation where J’Kar was reluctant to play his full hand, the two eventually agreed that power belonging to one singular man, particularly one with an army of fanatics at his back, was dangerous for the people of the world. Because of this J’Kar accepted Lord Keel’s invitation. He also came completely clean about what everyone had found in the vault of Ghendar. Lord Keel did not seem remotely surprised, and smiled a knowing smile, and that’s when J’Kar knew that Lord Keel’s organization was further reaching than he had originally thought.

The next day solidified J’Kar’s decision. After an escape from a vicious Pirate Lord, he was granted permission to enter the Glass Palace, home of Li-Shara, along with Jack, Sylive, Daxian and Feerik.There they were cautioned by the Tide Keeper and given a warning. “Be cautious of those who are only out for themselves” The goddess also gave J’Kar one more gift. She healed his ear from the siren’s call.

J’Kar was put to the test quickly. In order to dock in Crow’s Harbor, permission from one of the pirate lords is required. J’Kar, Lord Keel, Jack, Sylvie, and Daxian all sat down to formulate how, without giving up the secret of their expedition, nor any valuables on the ship. J’Kar came up with a cunning plan. They would give the compass to Nyshia Furrel and claim that they hadn’t been able to follow through because of the siren. The plan worked.

Upon arriving in Crow’s Harbor, J’Kar decided to do a little sleuthing as to who spilled the secret of Ghendar’s enchantments. He went looking for the cure to Janie’s disease with her students, had them scope out the most gullible looking shop owner, after which he stole the cure. The two were very clearly concerned with getting the elixor back to their professor, but asked several questions as to how J’Kar acquired it. This put J’Kar at ease, as the two clearly were not instructed on how to not ask questions about shady dealings in public, and he was happy as well to be able to help Janie. His next step was to go learn literally anything about Jack, the largest wildcard on the whole expedition. While bar hopping around, getting sailors drunk and spreading and receiving gossip about the mysterious “Loadstar,” J’Kar came to the conclusion he was rather well liked, but had lived in the Isles for quite some time, and fashioned quite a name for himself. He knew Lord Keel was focused on Mordish politics, and had written Jack off as Lord Keel’s other contact long ago. However, his curiosity got the best of him, and he kept digging around. He got so deep, that he ran into Jack himself. Jack was dismissive and distracted, but was obviously looking for something or someone. Unfortunately, Ironeye was looking for Jack, and now J’Kar was stuck in the middle of it all. Iron Eye started a bar fight and the two men had to fight their way out. J’Kar found one that stood out. A tall woman who looked shockingly familiar. In the midst of the brawl, J’Kar swapped positions with Jack. The woman was actually Jack’s daughter Leucy. The three fled the bar and J’Kar listened as the other two fought.

The next day, J’Kar helped in a successful mission to rescue professor Kline and Palo. He helped interrogate a pirate working for Iron Eye and although he didn’t get much, the interrogation allowed J’Kar’s allies to stage a fake rescue. When they finally arrived at where Kline and PAlo were being held J’Kar witness Leucy and Feerik each kill someone. It was the first time he had seen death. They returned to the Kirinda’s Jewel safely.

The trip to the vault was mostly uneventful, and everyone was able to work together to get into the deepest depths of it, including Jack and Leucy reconnecting Janie and J’Kar butted heads after receiving the final rituals, but J’Kar had boiled down all of the possibilities of who told Lord Keel of the winged humans. It was down to Janie or Kline. J’Kar paid close attention to her plans as to what to do with the scrolls and rituals. He felt nothing lined up with her stories, and J’Kar was almost convinced she was Lord Keel’s plant. He however wasn’t sure enough to risk it, so he tired convinced her to let him take a look at the decoded rituals and forge the copies of them, while he would report his changes to Lord Keel, and reverse his own encryption if he was wrong.

Upon returning to the ship with their newfound riches, Lord Keel brought J’Kar down into his office, and had him reveal the whole truth. J’Kar said he ‘found out who the mysterious Lord had mentioned in his letter,’ but essentially accused both professors of being the plant. Lord Keel revealed that they were both involved in some way, and asked how J’Kar was sure. J’Kar said that he wasn’t completely sure until Lord Keel had just told him. Lord Keel told him he was happy with his work, and was ready to give him assignments, assuming that everyone made it out alive. He also asked J’Kar to recruit Daxian to the cause, something J’Kar was hesitant about.

The battle with the pirate lords was grand in scale and success. J’Kar lead a successful infiltration of the enemy ship

The four player characters after Iron Eye's Final Battle. (from Left ot right: Sylvie, Jack, J'Kar, Daxian) Art by Nebula Robo https://nebularobo.weebly.com/

by pretending to be of the invading pirates. Daxian caught on quickly, much to J’Kar’s delight, and the two put on a mighty show. When the ship surrendered, J’Kar took command with Jack and Leucy’s help, and drove them all right into the side of Iron Eye’s flagship, helping break the mighty ship. During the final showdown between Jack and Iron Eye, J’Kar quelled the crowd, and made sure none of them intervened with the legendary duel.

In the aftermath, J’Kar sat down with Daxian, and asked him if he wanted to actually do something with his life. Instead of simply fighting for coin, or for fun, what if the two of them joined forces, and put their exemplary skills to the test. Daxian was resistant at first, but ultimately trusted J’Kar, and took him up on his offer. J’Kar was last seen shaking hands and receiving a note from the man known as Lord Keel, compasses pointing North, and headed north with his new traveling companion/bodyguard/friend. Daxian.

### One Crime at a Time

As part of a series of assassinations to spark a formal declaration of war, Lord Keel sent J’Kar and Daxian to Port Thresthelm to kill Gavin Bellest. J’Kar was put in charge of the mission and offered housing and funds from the Society. He took the name Stellars Jay and Daxian took the name Waxwing. After doing some light scouting, Jay found four people to hire. He had been directed by Keel to not perform the assassination himself, since he knew too much to get caught. Jay contacted Ricard, a local crime lord, and using a store room of Ricard’s as a base, hired Alekiai, Willa, and Jorso. After meeting them he tasked the three and Ricard with swapping a note from a courier of the Count. The note was supposed to be delivered to the Kaiser. After the success of that, he revealed the target of the assassination. The four operated on their own, using the Lair and Jay for support. Within a few days they had killed Gavin and set fire to his workshop. Jay left them money in the Lair and fled to a safehouse outside the city where he met up with Waxwing.

## Appearance

J’Kar stood at an average height, had medium length brown hair and brown eyes, an average build, and regularly changed outfits to fit the occasion.

## Relations

Lord Keel: Lord Keel was the boss of J'Kar. He respected Lord Keel, and took him at his word, but was very careful to get that word out of him. J’Kar also believed in his cause, but was personally careful to make sure that whatever he was doing in Lord Keel’s organization was somehow contributing to that cause.

Daxian: J’Kar enjoyed Daxian’s simplicity, and instead of being frustrated by his perceived shortcomings, was amused by them. There was nobody J’Kar would rather have watching his back. After joining the Mordish Birding Society, Daxian became his bodyguard. The two had a chemistry in combat. Out of battle they were friendly. When push came to shove, J’Kar knew Daxian would take the shove for him, and push back harder in return, J’Kar felt a responsibility to make sure that trust and loyalty was never misplaced or abused. The two continued their relationship after returning from the Isles, travelling to Port Thresthelm to kill Gavin Bellest.

Sylvie: J’Kar had little knowledge of magic and the arcane arts, and Sylvie seemed completely devoted to them. J’Kar admired her dedication to her studies and magics. She had bailed him out of many dangerous situations and for that he was thankful for her.

Jack the Loadstar: J’Kar thought he had a friendship with Jack, despite their rivalry. They both greatly valued human life and freedom for their own personal reasons, but regularly butted heads in regards to how to preserve that. However, they both were willing to put their own lives on the line for others, and J’Kar knew this. But he found Jack regularly antagonistic towards him, and found his haphazard nature and ‘go with the flow’ attitude frustrating.

## Powers

J’Kar was extremely adept at reading most people. He also had a knack for convincing others to do what he wanted. J’Kar could read the facial expressions of people very well. This even included Lord Keel who was a well trained spy.

After joining the Mordish Birding Society, J’Kar was well connected. He had access to the Society’s vast funds and contacts which he could use so long as it advanced the goal of forming a Mordish Republic. With this money he was able to hire Alekiai, Willa, and Jorso.

## Trivia

Along with Daxian, J’Kar was the first player character to return as an NPC. The two also hold the record for most appearances, at 12 sessions each. Right behind them with 11, is fellow SMBT player character, Sylvie.

## List of Appearances

1. Silver Mists and Bloody Tides Session 1: Blood Tide
2. Silver Mists and Bloody Tides Session 2: A Dead God Walks These Jungles
3. Silver Mists and Bloody Tides Session 3: Echoes of the Ancients
4. Silver Mists and Bloody Tides Session 4: Under the Knife
5. Silver Mists and Bloody Tides Session 5: As the Crow Flies
6. Silver Mists and Bloody Tides Session 6: An Eye For An Eye
7. Silver Mists and Bloody Tides Session 7: Strength, Justice, and Soul
8. Silver Mists and Bloody Tides Session 8: The Fury of the Isles
9. One Crime at a Time Session 1: A Storm is Coming
10. One Crime at a Time Session 2: Revelations
11. One Crime at a Time Session 3: Honor Among Thieves
12. One Crime at a Time Session 4: Rat in the Trap

**Supplemental**

1. SMBT Supplemental: Before the Hall (Mentioned Only)
2. SMBT Supplemental: Catalog
3. SMBT Supplemental: Daxian’s Thoughts (Mentioned Only)
4. SMBT Supplemental: J’Kar’s Reflections
5. SMBT Supplemental: Lord Keel’s Letter
6. SMBT Supplemental: Sylvie Felt Tired (Mentioned Only)