Xarv

## Xarv Ripjaw

Xarv fan art by @Boo\_Rad13y

*"Everyone claims that they're the best with their instrument, and that's all well and dandy, but there ain't no such thing." ~ Xarv*

*"Magic stuff is just [makes head exploding motion]." ~ Xarv*

Xarv is a gnoll musician who is covered in shaggy fur that obscures his eyes most of the time. His fur is auburn browns with a dusting of white, and he has a dark brown, almost black mane. At rest, his jaw is slack and he has a protruding underbite. He wears studded leather pants, leather straps around his feet serving as footwear, and a tiny bowler hat. His ears are pieced with earrings and his appearance is overall disheveled. He is the de facto leader of a loose collective of musicians, dancers, and other craftspeople who work with music and stagecraft called the Musical Menagerie.

Xarv was originally a war drummer in the Ripjaw pack of gnolls in Tracadia. The group allied with the local Avan Clergy and received a seat in Tracadia Capital. With exposure to the city he began to tinker with many different instruments, cymbals, lutes, and even woodwinds, though he was unable to properly play them due to the shape of his jaw. He tried out some different drums but eventually settled on the bass guitar as his instrument of choice.

Xarv was recently seen performing at The Silver King's ball, providing light, ambient music. He was joined by other members of the Menagerie, forming a string trio.

Besides pleasant chamber music, Xarv has ventured into more experimental theatrical musical performances such as appearing to eat a live chicken before performing his piece "Decapitation Escalation". The shocking act was all a bit of trickery involving a druid friend named Clara who would wildshape into a chicken and some illusion magic to provide squirting blood and other special effects. This act has been retired due to the departure of Clara from the area.

His instrument of of choice is a bass guitar, similar in design to Panic's, that is to say, more modern.

## Personality

Xarv is very mellow and laid back. He encourages musical and artistic expression with forthright, yet gentle language that emphasizes passion over rigid forms. He has a great degree of distaste for people who claim they are "the best" as he feels that egomaniacs stop learning and progressing in their craft. For Xarv, the pursuit of music is more about emotional fulfillment than adherence to rules and rankings.

He views the world as a source of wonder, particularly magic. He loves little more than a good jam session, regardless of the level of skill of the other performers. In his spare time, he has taken up crocheting. He likes how it keeps his fingers exercised, and has even been making hats and other items for some of his band-mates. He has been working on a rainbow colored hat for Scratch and enjoys crafting things to ward off Alivast's harsh winters.

## Relationships

### Panic

*"I wasn't expecting someone like him. I thought he was another another schmuck trying to get into the Musical Menagerie." ~ Xarv*

Initially Xarv was suspicious and even dismissive of Panic because he saw him as too full of pride to be a true student of music. Panic swayed him with a masterful performance, and Xarv acknowledged that he might actually have the skills to match his boasting. When Panic met Xarv at the ball, he joined in their group and assisted in providing ambiance. Xarv later expressed pride in Panic's progress, even though he doesn't actually know what Panic accomplished.

### Hellina

*"You've gotta sing for them at some point. You gotta show them that song we've been workin' on." ~ Xarv*

*"Has a voice and a heart that’s contagious… can’t help but bob to her beat, and connect with the message of her song. Taking our time with the new talent though, don’t want to throw her and her work to the wolves just yet." ~ Xarv*

Hellina had a chance encounter with Xarv when she 'ran into him' at a concert and apparently he saw something special in her and welcomed her into the Musical Menagerie. He gave her the name Glossolalia, a reference to the religious practice of the United Clergy of Orun. He mentors her and encourages her to share a song she has created, and trusts her enough to invite the Unexpectables to the Menagerie's hidden location as well as restring a guitar. She has been to his performances and even got a signed poster of his which she gave to Panic.

### Ripjaw Pack

Xarv is the nephew of pack matriarch Zerth and cousin to Garagog and Luhneirth.

## Trivia

* Mel has a Xarv poster in her lair in the sewers
* Xarv has had problems in the past with some gnomes and halflings not considering him a person because of his race.
* Distorion Devil (formerly Senile Snake) claimed Xarv is the Lemmy Killmister of gnolls.
* As of early winter, Xarv has an upcoming show called “The Maw Music of the Mountains” which can be caught at the Gilded Goose.
* Xarv has played gigs at the Sweet Dragon
* Xarv has played the 2nd floor lounge at the Romansion with Scratch and Sage.

## Gallery

* Xarv fan art by @caitlinc37
* Xarv fan art by @godzilla458
* Xarv fan art by @alXtrathicc
* Scratch and Xarv fan art by @ParryThat
* Xarv fan art by @Boo\_Rad13y
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