Jackal

Thief

> *"I know exactly what I'm asking."*
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## Storyline

### Strange Lands, Stranger People

Jackal is the mercenary the *Greenlander Mage* meet after they have been sent away by the Mage after the Mad Emperor's magical purge. He immediately calls them out as a mage with a bounty on their heads before offering his services as a guide across the sands so they can get to Azure Port. For the right coin he will lead them through the deadly dust storms and not turn them in for the bounty. His interest is not entirely professional but it's made clear that he has no problems walking away if there's no financial benefit for him.

The *Greenlander Mage* pays for his services with two of the books they carry and they seal the deal with a drink.

Jackal and the *Greenlander Mage* are in the middle of their trip to Azure Port, resting for the night in the desert. The mercenary swings between a professional, teasing, and cutthroat.

He selects a book to read as part of his payment and asks the *Greenlander Mage* to teach him the basics of the arcane arts in return for cutting his initial price in half. He learns about their search for a new magical mentor. He warns them that this person might be dangerous and they will be alone once their journey is complete. Whether he is generously giving advice as a mercenary bought and paid for or genuinely concerned for their safety is ambiguous at this point.

Jackal departs after they reach Azure Port. He leaves the *Greenlander Mage* with the instruction, "Try not to die," and takes the second half of his payment, returning the first book as agreed in the previous episode. He advises them to look forward to the future and to be careful with an open invitation to look for him as he will be in the port for a few more days.

His returns and marks a turning point for The *Greenlander Mage* who has been held captive for an unknown amount of time by Thalvich. He breaks into the shop and frees the *Greenlander Mage* from their bindings with magic, remarking that they can pay him back later. It's possible he was joking since he went looking for them and took a week to plan the rescue. He holds off the blood mage, allowing the *Greenlander Mage* to escape.

They hide in the tents of the port in as they hid from the blood mage. Jackal comforts the weakened *Greenlander Mage*, patching up their wounds and watching over them as they rest. He apologizes for not rescuing them sooner and promises that they will never be hurt by the blood mage again. He has planned to leave the *Greenlander Mage* with two trader friends in the Topaz district to take care of them. When they fall asleep the mercenary apologizes, for he will be leaving to take care of the blood mage once and for all. He vows to find them again, no matter where they are, after the job is done.

After an untold amount of time, Jackal returns to Azure Port and visits the tent of his friends Lozo and Vione, the aforementioned traders that the *Greenlander Mage* has been staying with since they escaped the blood mage's grasp. His appearance shocks them, inciting joy and worry from Vione and disapproval from Lozo. The larger cat notices that Jackal is gravely injured with "more bandages than arms" but the mercenary gallantly tells his friend not to worry before asking to be left alone with the *Greenlander Mage*. The grumpy bunny protests but Vione tempts him with tea and the traders finally leave the *Greenlander Mage* and Jackal to talk.

The *Greenlander Mage* hugs Jackal, surprising him with their newfound strength, before insisting he explain himself. He tells them of how he led the blood mage into the sands, knowing that the creature would follow him after managing to cut him in their fight. He found what he was looking for, one of the Sands's deadly dust storms, and used the magic the *Greenlander Mage* had taught him to protect himself, choosing to shred his arms instead of damaging his very valuable face. He confesses that his survival was due to luck more than skill but his plan worked and the blood mage was left as a smear on the sand, or so he thought. He checked on the mage's body and discovered it was starting to put itself back together, slowly but surely. Jackal is certain that the blood mage simply cannot die.

He came back from the desert "half-baked" and spent a week recovering before finding the *Greenlander Mage*. He gives them back their books, the ones the blood mage had taken from them but he has more to say before they can chide him any further. Jackal instructs them to pack their things; they are leaving on a boat - today - to get as far away from the blood mage as possible. The *Greenlander Mage* asks if they will be leaving together and he replies that they are, he made a promise after all.

It seems like they start to leave but Jackal stops them. He doesn't confess outright but he tells the *Greenlander Mage* that they are someone special to him and that the nights they spent traveling, talking, and getting to know each other are some of the most peaceful he's ever had. He kisses them and says he's not leaving with them because of any reputation or promise, asking if they understand. The *Greenlander Mage* replies that they do and the mercenary, quietly pleased, calls out to Lozo and Vione who are eavesdropping on them.

Lozo is not happy with Jackal's plan, especially when he learns that the mercenary plans escape to the uncharted north. Vione expresses his own concern but Jackal claims that it's the best choice and asks the *Greenlander Mage*, a powerful mage themselves, what they think of it. They agree with his plan, distressing the bunny since it means they have to leave immediately. Vione reminds his partner that the longer they stay the more danger they put themselves it and they should not put Jackal and the greenlander at further risk. The larger cat tells the *Greenlander Mage* they will always have a home with them and Vione refuses to say goodbye, instead saying "until next time", threatening Jackal with his crossbow if anything happens to them. The mercenary promises he will take the best care of the *Greenlander Mage* and thanks his friends for looking after them before leaving with his dear greenlander.

### New Lands, Old Faces

The *Greenlander Mage*s and Jackal return for another series. The *Greenlander Mage* is awoken from their slumber to the familiar voice of Jackal, complaining about the bed being too comfortable. He moans about feeling like a pampered prince before complaining about being bored in the long ship ride, wishing he had brought more ale or entertainment. Jackal talks about how all the study with no fun at all has really gotten to him, wanting to find more trouble. He then tells the *Greenlander Mage* that he is not one to complain about his lot in life especially when he has them by his side. Telling the *Greenlander Mage* that he likes to move around so much because if he keeps moving it is much easier to live with the consequences of his actions.

Jackal changes the subject quickly to why the *Greenlander Mage* doesn’t just teleport them both to Domeras instead of them having to go on this gruelling ship ride. The *Greenlander Mage* responds by informing Jackal that it was something their mentor never taught them, Jackal snaps back by joking once again about their mentor being a fool. Jackal shrugs it off by saying that he never took himself as the type to start anew, but he felt that his time in the sands had come to an end. The one thing that he is thankful for about leaving the sands is that he will never have to pay Lozo back, joking about the bunny following his debtors to the end of the world, further than Thalvich ever could. After looking back at the *Greenlander Mage*, Jackal realised that the joke he made was slightly insensitive. He comforts them with the promise that Thalvich is far behind them.

Jackal moves on once again to the fact he has no idea what awaits the both of them at Domeras. Jackal tells the *Greenlander Mage* that he hopes there is a desert where they are going as he loves the sand joking that the sand might not like him. He starts to talk about his arms, telling the *Greenlander Mage* how sore it is when he gets his bandages changed but says that it is better to be clean than comfortable.

He asks the *Greenlander Mage* what they want to do when they arrive at Domeras, possibly find a home, settle down, or go find more trouble. He explains himself saying that there are always people with too little sense and too much gold to scam money from. He hoped there is coin at Domeras as his work becomes infinitely harder when someone tries to pay him in livestock. He hopes that he can make plenty of gold where they are going so he can shower the *Greenlander Mage* in all the finest of things. The audio finishes up with Jackal telling the *Greenlander Mage* to go to sleep because he didn’t spend so much money on a fancy bed for the two of them to stay up all night talking, and tells them that he can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

When they arrive at Domeras, Jackal comments on the sights and the smells, noting that everyone is very different from what he’s used to. He asks the *Greenlander Mage* what they would like to do first, which the *Greenlander Mage* replies that they don’t know. He mentions that he has an old contact that is familiar with Domeras, warning the *Greenlander Mage* about Ce'cell who is later introduced to the *Greenlander Mage* by Jackal.

Ce’cell asks to touch the *Greenlander Mage*’s face seeing that tieflings can get a small glimpse of their past and to make sure their intentions to him are pure. He calls the *Greenlander Mage* pure but rebellious for fighting against the social order (presumably with the Mad Emperor), saying that he senses no bad intentions and agrees to offer them his services.

Jackal asks for a moment with the *Greenlander Mage* and pulls them aside, asking if the *Greenlander Mage* will allow it if he poisons Ce’cell. The *Greenlander Mage* calls him jealous and asks him to play nice which Jackal stubbornly agrees to. The *Greenlander Mage* then asks Jackal if there was something between the two of them which he denies, calling it ancient history.

Ce’cell interrupts their discussion, suggesting to bring Jackal and the *Greenlander Mage* to a spiderkin that tells fortunes in which Jackal calls it a scam. He asks the two travellers to trust him and says that if it turns out to be a waste of time, he’ll be owing Jackal a favour. The *Greenlander Mage* agrees and they head off to the spiderkin’s tent.

In Nioh, the spiderkin fortune teller mentions both Jackal and Ce’cell are waiting outside for the *Greenlander Mage*.

Ce’cell and Jackal are standing outside of Nioh’s tent with Ce’cell bickering before the annoyed mercenary asks him to shut up and they wait in awkward silence as they wait for the *Greenlander Mage* to return.

The tiefling greets the *Greenlander Mage* as they return, asking of their experience with Jackal asking about what they learnt from the mystic.

> *“Someone is coming and somewhere lost has the answer”*
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Jackal feels disheartened, seeing their clue is vague and leads to nowhere. Ce’cell butts in and explains to the demi-human that he doesn’t know the place well enough to find his way, but he agrees to tell the travellers what he knows if the *Greenlander Mage* asks him nicely. The sharp tongued man asks them if they plan on keeping the stubborn cat around until they find someone more interesting which makes Jackal extremely angry and threaten to cut off his tongue. He is aware that Ce’cell is just trying to rile him up but he won’t let the tiefling speak badly of them when he’s around. The impatient tiefling hurries the *Greenlander Mage* into asking him "nicely", making them ask more than once before he gives an answer.

Ce’cell reveals that he knows several areas that are filled with underground ruins on the continent built by a race known as the *Kasven*. Locals who don’t see the ruins as forbidden see them as cursed which makes it nearly impossible for them to find a guide that is willing to bring them there. Ce’cell asks Jackal to consult with the *Greenlander Mage* to consider making him their guide before they make a decision and leaves them alone. The agitated cat says that Ce’cell hid information until he thought someone needed it every time they worked together and put himself in a position where people would need his assistance. He tells them that all that matters is to keep them safe and will tolerate his ex-colleague for the time being. The eavesdropper barges back in, saying he’s happy that Jackal finally made a decision.

The Tel’on tells the both of them that they will need to leave early in the morning and asks them to retire to bed for the evening. He plants an intrusive thought into the *Greenlander Mage*’s mind by asking if Jackal ever said “I love you” to them before he leaves. The sweet mercenary asks them to forget about Ce’cell, calling him a fool and promising to stick with them before the posse heads off to bed.

Jackal and the *Greenlander Mage* finally get some time alone when Ce'cell leaves them to set up camp for the night as he scouts out the road ahead. As they spoke about Jackal's Common, he is reminded that the *Greenlander Mage* has yet to hear him speak in his native language of *Baladan* before. The *Greenlander Mage* seems eager to learn, with Jackal being incredibly happy to teach them.

He explains that there are different words for the pronoun "I" that define the relationship between the speaker and the listener and describes how to use "I" in the contexts of "want", "need", "desire" and "request". When talking about "Desire", he mentions that the word is reserved  for loved ones and family, saying that life is short in the Sands and love should be constant, so the ones it's used on never changes. He says he prefers not to use the word, since he hasn't used it much before.

He prefaces his story by saying that he doesn't have answers to all the questions they'll ask him but hopes that what he says next will give them answers.

When he was young, he lived together with urchins in Azure Port. Living from day to day was his only priority. There was a tiefling that lived in a small manor at the port, a Lady whose name he cannot recall. It was said that her son passed away, and to fill the emptiness in her heart, she went down to the place where the urchins would sleep herself and handed out food and sweets to the children. She never asked the children to call her by her title, only to call her Mother. Eventually if she liked a child enough she would adopt them.

Years passed and Jackal was never picked to be adopted. He couldn't stand it anymore and broke into her house, wanting to ask her why he was never good enough for her to adopt him but before he got to speak to her, he saw her talking to a captain from the dock. That's when he realised that the children she adopted were being sold to mines on the continent. He realised how the children were used to pay for the food and her manor. Not being able to do anything since he was a child, he waited until nightfall and set fire to her manor with her inside.

He never told anyone else about the incident, saying the children deserved to think that someone cared about them, shouldering the burden of the suffering himself. It wasn't long until he became who he is today. He says that he stuck with the *Greenlander Mage* by choice and keeping them safe is something he won't trust anyone else to do, promising to protect them until the end.

## Personality

Jackal is observant, friendly, and flirtatious with a dry sense of humour. As a Crimson Sands native he knows how to bargain, finding value in trading services if there's no money on the table. A mercurial man, he can go from professional to affable to sultry in a wink. He has a soft spot for those "mistreated by the world." He is a capable fighter with a history of escaping dangerous situations. He knows how to plan for long journeys and dangerous jobs but works alone as far as we know.

He has an appropriately mercenary sense of loyalty to his clients. He's cultivated a reputation as the best guide in the Crimson Sands who will do whatever his employer asks and be discreet about it - after he's paid. He is not a man for love and romance, preferring casual dalliances over intimate relationships. His closest friendship appears to be with Vione and Lozo, traders he trusts to keep the Listener safe when he cannot.

His interest in the Listener stems from the fact that they are a greenlander (non-native to theCrimson Sands) and soft compared to someone from the desert. He's also interested in learning magic as it will open more opportunities for him. By the time he has escorted the Listener to Azure Port he has grown deeply fond of them, though he hides his true feelings underneath his charm and bravado. It's not until he finds the Listener in mortal peril does he find the courage to tell them just how important they are to him.

## Trivia

### Jackal

* According to Hollow, "Jackal doesn't have a last name, there's a reason why but that's his story to tell."
* He is wanted across seven nations, six of which are by jilted lovers according to him. He is wanted in Runika, The Sarcillan Empire, 2 of the nations The Empire absorbed, The Frozen North and the Southern Dukedoms.
* Jackal was an orphan in the sands, he estimates he's around 24 but that's a guess at best
* He reads the "Fundamental Mystic Arcanum, First Edition" and takes "Perfect Host" as his payment.

* He drinks Skin of Hades Ale to keep himself warm on cold desert nights.
* Bites (if you want him to ;) )
* Finds foreign names exotic.
* ~~Furry~~
* Hates long goodbyes.
* Calls the Listener "Mage"
* Vione and Lozo say a certain potion seller is obsessed with him.
* The third character of Hollow's to kiss the Listener after Shiro and Percy.
* His ears don't count in his height. They add an extra 2 inches.
* Jackal is never paying back the gold he owes Lozo
* Jackal has taught the Listener barter lessons, how to spot fake goods, the best ways to pickpocket a noble, and the art of sweet talking
* Jackal’s cloak sits until around his shins/ ankles
* Jackal has a tail and likes it to be petted, and he uses it to shoplift
* Jackal is a Jackal, but with his feline ears and a tail is pretty indistinguishable from a cat.
* Would poison Ce'cell if the greenlander mage would let him

### Fan Theories

* The apothecary who hired him and supplies him with Rockflower salve and crushed malroot dust was Aki.
* ~~Jackal is a neko though he's not been called one by any other character.~~  - Jackal can perform magic, something nekos explicitly cannot do.

## Audio References

See the ***Strange lands, stranger people*** playlist here.

See the ***New Lands, Old Faces*** playlist here.

1. ↑ Making a Deal with an Enticing Mercenary
2. ↑ Enticing Mercenary Protects You
3. ↑ Enticing Mercenary Says Goodbye
4. ↑ Rescued From A Yandere Blood Mage
5. ↑ Enticing Mercenary Takes Care Of You
6. ↑ Enticing Mercenary Asks To Run Away With You
7. ↑ Falling Asleep With an Enticing Mercenary
8. ↑ Enticing Mercenary Gets Jealous
9. ↑ Charming Spiderkin Reads Your Future
10. ↑ Enticing Mercenary Defends You
11. ↑ A Night With an Enticing Mercenary
12 Enticing Mercenary Distracts You