J ason A lexander Bberwocky
From Changeling Venue
| Seeming | Ogre Gargantuan |
|---|---|
| Court | Summer Court ••• |
| Freehold | The Freehold of the Crossroads |
| Player | Troy Shelor |
Contents |
The monster behind the mask of Glamour
The contents of this page is not general knowledge with out expressed permission from player.
Overview
Alias(es):Jabberwocky, Mr. J,
Real Name: unknown even to him
Age:unknown
Concept:Bounty Hunter/Thug
Entitlement:Tolltaker Knight
Physical description: see pictures
Relevant Mechanics: 12/12 pumpable with trample and rampage for those non MTG geeks his strength with all of his contracts and Blessings tends to hover around 20 No structure can slow his stride. He is a firey battering ram of distruction his enemies fear to see turn there direction Wyrd: 5 (soon to be 6)
The mask of a life too distant to return to.
Character Livejournal:
Character Information
Known History
Basic Timeline: Escaped the Hedge in the 80's
Current Activities:
Merit Details:
Background:It’s dark and that’s when the memories flood back……
“How can I have been so stupid?” I ask an empty room. And the only answer is the sharp pain of the barbed bars that make up my suspended cage. The room is dark, blacker then pitch, and yet I can see. The Gentry are twisted like that. All these tricks, all their power aligned just to torment me, once a simple farmer. Nothing more then a village hero that they chose to destroy for the transgression of slaying their wolves that was killing the village’s livestock.
“I still remember!” I scream defiantly at the unforgiving darkness. But the truth is even that is slipping a little more each day. What I do remember of MY life was a simple but happy one. I was pressed into service of the Czar, and became a Cossack at the age of 14 (I was always big for my age) and served my Czar faithfully. The 4 years spent away from my village and my Katarina….my ….my Kat, my beloved Kat. It was torture but I knew our love would survive. I scratched and saved every bit of money I could pull together and returned to my little village. I worked my family’s farm until my fingers bleed and was able to put together an appropriate bride’s gift to marry my Kat. Our little shack was short on many things but it was never short on love. We had 2 strong boys (Pieter and Ketchev) and a girl (Nastashia) who I knew would be the prize of any matchmaker I would allow to do the honors for.
That’s when my brief respite in Heaven ended and my spiral into hell begun. The villages livestock started disappearing and the boys who watched them at night was found dead, with their throats torn out, or worse….not at all. “Wolves!” the town elders cried in the village meeting, but some knew it was some thing far, far worse. What I know now that I didn’t know then, was that a sacred pact had been broken. The Sacred forest of the Leshii had been violated, trees cut down for the livestock to have more room to feed, and the village would pay. Only the crazy old man, who drank more then 5 men should, had the courage or knowledge to state this very fact. But he was silenced by the others with evil glares, and snide comments about how red painted eggs and salted bread would have no effect on wolves and his “fairy tales” would not bring back their poor sons to their grieving mothers. As I caught a glance at the sad eyes of that crazy old man as he hung his head in shame I could since some truth to it. And I might have been better prepared if another thought hadn’t stopped me from contemplating the fleeting shimmer of truth. Tonight was my eldest, Pieter’s turn to watch the village’s livestock, and the horror of him being torn apart like the others had destroyed any further thought on the matter. Something had to be done and these bickering old fools would be arguing for days and my Pieter would still be dead.
So I went home and did something many husband during that time didn’t do, I spoke with my wife and got her opinion on the matter. We would ask Pieter to not go and let me stand his watch for him. God bless him, he stood firm on his principles and would not be swayed by my stern voice or his mother’s tears. He would not shame his family by being too scared to do his duty to the village. And at that he stormed off. With tears cascading down her face my Kat begged me to stop him. To do anything I could to keep him from going. I could not deny her anything. So I stomped outside and picked up a log off of the stack of firewood. I saw him head towards the barn to finish getting his stuff ready for tonight and I ran after him. He stopped at the entrance to the barn and with out turning around said in a strained voice he said, “Please Poppa, please don’t tell me not to go. I know a warrior like yourself doesn’t know fear, but I am scared and I only want you to think me brave. Your approval is what I seek, but it would be so easy to let you go in my place. Please Poppa…..” At that I wiped a tear away from my face and brought the log down on the back of my son’s head hard enough to knock him out.
While he was out, I bound and gagged him to a support beam and walked slowly towards my hiding spot in the barn. I stared down out it for what seemed an eternity, and then fell on my knees. I dug away the straw and dirt and sighed before lifting the tool I had so long ago put aside for the plow and the love of my life. As the fading afternoon light shined on my saber, I shuddered as if it felt like someone just walked on my grave. I ran my sash through the rings of my sheath and tied my sash around my waist. I then walked to the house. I saw Nastashia come around the cottage playing with her dolls and when she saw me ever so innocently say to her dolls, “Poppa is going to go fight the wolves” and I told her,” Go inside and help Ketchev and mother with supper.” I followed her in and got a basin and a cloth. Kat looked at me with hope in her eyes and she came to me and embraced me. I took this moment to whisper in her ear, “Pieter is tied up in the barn, keep the rest inside tonight and if I don’t make it back….” She put her hand to my mouth and shook her head no. I knew from that bond that a loving husband and wife gain that she didn’t want to hear that kind of talk and looked forward to being there to untie him in the morning with me. I walked out at that. I wish I would have said I love you. I wish those would have been the last words I said to my beloved Kat.
I returned to the barn with the rag soaking in the basin of cool water I had drawn from the well and saw my son starting to stir. I started to cool my son’s brow with the rag and told him that it would help calm his headache that he would start to feel real soon. At that he realized what had happened and started struggling with his bounds and to scream through his gag. I sat back on the ground and calmly waited for him to come to the understanding that his actions were futile. When he stopped I said to him, “Son, what you said about me not knowing fear is untrue. I was so scared of you dieing tonight that I did this. I would rather you hate me and live, then for to meet the Grim before me. A father should not outlive his son I hope with time you can come to forgive me. I am so, so proud of you, and it would make me even prouder for you to find a wife and give you mother some grandchildren to spoil.” At that I walked out of all of their lives forever, with my son trying to scream a final message through his gag with tears running down his face.
I walked up the hill as the sun was setting, and looked back for one last time at my beautiful little cottage. I arrived at the livestock as the days last lights struck the Earth. How beautiful it was. Funny about how that memory stuck. It is one of my few memories that is picture clear.
The night was still with only the occasional call from the livestock. This when on for a few hours, and then I heard a twig snap. The livestock started to stir. My hand shifted to my saber far too naturally. I crept in the direction the twig snapped and silently drew my sword. I saw a shadow move and I prepared to pounce. I counted three shadows. I started to cleave into one and I heard on of the shadows let out a girlish giggle. Into the moonlight stepped Pieter’s three friends. The three said in unison, “Hello Mr.”…….what did they say…..I think it was my name…..
They where good kids, each a little quirky in their own way, but good never the less. The first to grab my attention, and how could he not with his brightly colored clothes, was Sasha. The boy was a twig of a thing, and spry to. The boy acted like a 4 year old that ate too much sugar. He couldn’t stand in one place for more then a second, always flitting around like a bird. The next was the girl who fancied Sasha, Sonia. She was an odd bird herself. She seemed to be out of place on land, tripping and waddling all over the place. In the water on the other hand she was truly in her element. She saved a boys life when the river took hold of him and tried to keep him. The third was the older illegitimate half brother of the boy Sonia saved, Ivan. Rumor had it that his father was something of a cat burglar. He had a fancy for Sonia, and Sonia had a fancy for Sasha. Ivan was jealous of Sasha and would sometimes get a little physical. If it wasn’t for Pieter it could have turned out bad a time or two. Pieter was the one that pulled them together.
“We came out to keep Pieter company tonight, sir.” Sonia said. “Where is he, sir?” Ivan asked as he looked around. “He misbehaved this afternoon, and I grounded him for the evening. Since it was so close to his watch, and I couldn’t find anyone else to take it. So I have to do so the family doesn’t get shamed.” I lied. I guess I should take a moment to let you know that I am as about the worst liar I have ever met. And these kids could see through my poorly constructed lie, but one glance at the flash of steel in my hand they must have figured it would be impolite to point out this fact. Before they could even talk about what next, the pack of wolves decided to try and come through us. I call them wolves, but that is in the rough since. They were a good half again bigger then normal wolves and their eyes and fur had a human quality to them. Yet steel still dispatched them with only a little extra effort, and I dispatched them all but one. I chased the last one into the Leshii’s sacred grove and the kids ran the other direction.
I lost the wolf thing, with the timing as if it chose exactly when it would lose me. Lights of all colors appeared in a parameter and swirled rapidly around me. Then she stepped out of a tree. The air grew cold and she looked at me with those all to pale eyes. Eyes like a frozen lake. Her lips curled into what could pass as a smile, but that was the only thing on her face that did indicate her twisted joy. While she could pass as a woman, her beauty was nothing of this earth. I wanted to fall to my knees and profess my love to her, but then the memory of my Kat came to mind and our love steeled my resolve. She lifted her arm pointed at me by barely curling her pinky and the finger next to it. At her gesture the fairy lights rushed towards me and when one clipped against my blade I barely had time to drop it before the inch of ice that covered it, covered me as well. “MMMM” she purred and the air on this summer night grew cold enough to see my breath, but there was no sign of hers as she continued, “Strong and fast, I should be mad at you destroying my pets, but I still have my best and I can make more.” At that the last wolf came trotting back with a stupid grin on his face, and then he stood on his hind legs and morphed into a more human likeness. It went to her and knelt beside her, and she started absent mindedly petting it as she continued. “You belong to me now.” “The hell I do” I retorted and a fairy light cold burned my arm to show her displeasure. “Well aren’t you the fiery one.” She stated in the same tone as if my words didn’t even faze her. “Then how about this, you promise me that you will come with me, and I will release the boys that are still in my possession.” All I could do was nod. “Is that a, I swear?” she asked. “Yes, I swear” I said in a defeated voice. At that she let out a loud shrieking laugh and clapped her hands. The birds startled from their nightly perch and squawked as they flitted away.
She started to walk away and the wolf thing yelped and ran into the woods. The fairy lights evaporated and my legs followed after her on their own volition. I heard 4 thuds behind me, and my brain screamed not to look, but I sometimes I have a problem taking good advice. I turned and saw 4 of the 5 boys, their corpses half eaten. “You lied!” I screamed. “No, I didn’t. Those are the boys in my possession exactly as they were when we made our bargain.” she said and then cooed like a dove. “Where’s the Romav boy?” I growled. “Funny you should ask” she started as she touched a long dead, dried out, rose that was part a tangled hedge that formed an archway. We walked through and were walking a path that was surrounded by thorny growth. “I traded him for a little favor. The Fire Giants of Valshea, a reign of Arcadia that is nothing but volcanoes, wanted a new slave and I wanted a new toy.” She then cawed like a crow before continuing. “It is true I could turn you into one of my beautiful wolves, but not this time.” We continued to walk through the hedge every once in awhile thorns reached out and took some of my flesh and some of my memories. The further we walked the more frequent the thorns came at me. Never once did they dare touch her.
She told me her name was Minerva and that it was the power of my promise that propelled my legs forward. As to my fate she would not be persuaded to say any more. We walked for minutes or was it years. It felt like it could have been both. I know, I know, it’s just really hard to explain. The closure we got to Arcadia the more and more it occurred to me that time was at Minerva’s whim. Never the less we stepped out of the Hedge and before us lay a land of mountain ranges with smoke coming out of every mountain top. The air was thick with ash and sulfer and breathing felt like someone was trying to squeeze my throat shut. And the heat, God help, it was insufferable. If it wasn’t for the cold Minerva was sheathed in, I would have passed out.
We walked for maybe a half a mile more. That’s when Minerva stopped walking, and I felt the spell break. With my legs back under my control, I started to run away, but that flight was cut short by 7, 15 foot tall, red skinned, with fire for hair and beards, men that rose from the ground. I skidded to a halt into one of their massive shins. He reached down and plucked me up with one hand. With Minerva surrounded and me in the grip of this monstrosity, arose their leader who stood a good 5 foot taller then the others. Minerva spoke up, “Gregnar, so kind of you to show up.” “Well after your kind gift”, Gregnar started, but Minerva interrupted, “You damn well remember that boy wasn’t a gift. He was a trade and I have come to collect.” She pointed at me, “Turn him into a Gargantuan of your kind.” Gregnar laughed, “And what’s to stop us from kicking your butt and keeping the human for supper.” Minerva face never showed any emotion, but her eyes turned completely black and the air grew so cold around Gregnar that you could see a blue hint to it. His fire/hair went out, his flesh turned blue, and frost was covering him. The others started feeling the same pain as Gregnar, and Gregnar in a very worried voice whined, “I was just kidding Mistress. We will do as you wish. I so swear it.”
They dragged me into their lair and got started right away. They forced this noxious potion down my throat and but me on this devise that started stretching me like I was some piece of taffy. After that they tossed me into a pit with 30 other people. No one spoke and it was to dark to make anyone out. A few minutes later a large kettle of some meat stew was put in the pit. A few people moved towards it, and so did I. Out of the darkness came a voice (it wasn’t in Russian but I somehow under it), “You aren’t going to eat that are you?” One of the prisoners with tears in his eyes cried, “I don’t care anymore I am so hungry.” At that the group around the kettle dug in. I thought it was the poor lighting, but it looked like they became a little….monstrous. The exchange made me a little inquisitive, so I asked, “What’s wrong with the food?” “Ask your self, did you see any livestock, or any land around here that could support livestock? No, there have been more of us. They take the weakest and feed him to us. Something about this place doesn’t allow you to actually starve, but it doesn’t mean that you won’t be hungry. Maybe even hungry enough to do that.” I let that roll around in my mind and found a little part of the pit to lie down. As I slept, I dreamt. In my dream Stone came to me and offered to help make me stronger. I fully accepted. And when I woke the next morning I could feel the power of stone flowing through me. But there was no rest for us. They took us to the lava and forced us to work the lava into their wares and weapons. Eventually the heat would over take me and I passed out. The Giants beat me until I woke up. Then they forced that potion down my throat and back to rack with me. They through back in the pit, send down the food, a couple more went to the kettle, and I refused. I then passed out and this time Fire came to me. This time I refused.
This continued for a month. I was getting bigger and stronger. The hunger however, was so hard to fight. How I longed for Kat’s cooking, as terrible as it was, I missed it. While I was fanaticizing about having dinner with my wife and kids after a rather brutal round of beat and stretch, the air grew cold and everyone in the pit froze in place. I blinked and Minerva was sitting on the kettle swirling her finger in it. She pulled her finger out and sucked on it. She looked unimpressed and shrugged her shoulders, “Could use some demerara and a pinch of pitt moss.” She slid off the kettle and walked towards me, as the ground under the other prisoners moved them out of her way. “The reason I am here is you haven’t been eating, and have been resisting the gifts the giants have been giving you.” I started to retort, but she stopped me just by placing her freezing finger to my lips. “You are here to bring the gifts of the Fire Giants to my realm, and help me dispose of Maeb. I don’t want to here of any of your pathetic words, besides yes ma’am. Oh, I also bring you some news from the homestead. Your son Pieter and his 3 friends captured my last wolf and turned him over to some hunters. Of course I will have to punish them for this transgression.” She removed her finger, “Was there something you wanted to say?” I fell to my knees and pleaded, “What can I do Mistress to quell your wrath towards them?” I was defeated and she knew it. She smiled and said, “You will forget your name and become my Jabberwocky. You will also give yourself over to the giants and take the gifts they give you.” I swore to it with a bowed head. At that point I could only think of my name being Jabberwocky. She stepped aside and gestured toward the kettle and disappeared. Everyone instantly thawed and resumed what they were doing. I gave in and ate…it wasn’t that bad. Don’t look at me like that. I ain’t going to eat you. Anyway that night I accepted the contract with fire.
The next month was easier. I didn’t pass out from the heat; therefore I didn’t need to be beaten back to consciousness, the potion didn’t taste half bad, and I wasn’t so sore from stretch (fact is there wasn’t that much more to stretch). I started feeling more like the giants and less like the humans. I even started conversing with one of the giants by the name of Suetul, and he taught me a thing or two about the hedge. I was starting to enjoy the little extra freedom I was granted, when I saw something that snapped me back to reality. I came across the kitchen at dinner prep time. I watched them preparing the long pig for the stew. The look in his eyes ignited the flame in my gut that still burns. And I swore then and there that I would do anything I could to stop the Gentry from ever kidnapping another human. So, I turned and started to find my way back to Earth, but that was cut short when I ran into Minerva and the entrance of the cave. “Going somewhere?” she asked without expecting an answer. “Is he ready, Gregnar?” Gregnar stepped out of the wall behind me, and told her that I was about as ready as I would ever be. She smiled and a steel collar appeared around my neck and a thin metal cord shot out from it and fell into Minerva’s hand. She turned and started to walk away. The collar followed and with all my strength I couldn’t stop it. I followed or the collar dragged me. I chose to walk. “Good Doggie” she chided.
We took a quick skip through the Hedge and came out on a ledge that over looked her palace of Ice and Steel. I felt the fire in my gut rage and I felt Summer keep me warm. “Look at it, Jabberwocky, soon with your help this will be this throne of Snow and Ice, the center of…” she looked at me and for the first time I saw her caught off guard. Her cold exterior cracked and she screamed, “HOW ARE YOU RESISTING THE COLD!?! I AM NOT PROTECTING YOU FROM IT!?! I just shrugged and that might have sent her completely over the edge, but she quickly turned from me. After a few moments she faced me again, and when she did her eyes where black like when the Fire Giant King test her. I however, did not feel the effects. “It doesn’t matter how you did it. It only matters that my weapon against Maeb is even better then I expected” she reassured herself.
I don’t remember much of the palace. What I do remember was for a couple of weeks she played all sort of mind games with me, but the fire in my gut kept me safe from her attempts at twisting my mind and soul. One evening when I had finally had enough I left no wall stopped could stop me. They exploded away from me with the force of my egress. I traveled a few days through the hedge using the tricks Suetul taught me. And I came out through the dead rose bush I first entered that nightmare through, but the land around it held no further familiarity to me. My once simple village was now a smog choked city. People around me spoke a language I knew to be Russian, but I no longer understood it. This was no longer my life, and I felt the pull of the Sun’s path. I journeyed the lands ranging from the strange lands of Arabia, where the called me Iffrit, to the shores of Normandy, but no where felt right. No where did I understand the people nor the words that came from their mouths. It wasn’t until I reached an island with a large white cliff that I could at least understand what was being said by the people.
Besides some dialect differences, which the people of the island attested to me being from the colonies, I didn’t have too much trouble fitting in. This struck me as odd due to the physical changes the fire giants did to me, but it came to me that the glamour that flowed through me clouded the eyes of those around me. I wandered around the island; I came to know as England, for awhile. I earned a fair amount of coin from some bad people by hurting people that they direct me to. During this I found in the hills of Camel a Trod so powerful, that now that I look back on it, I know why no other Changeling could be found. The problem was there was a good sized town near by and the Gentry, that’s what we call the fairies from Arcadia, went through there like Grand Central Station. Well pay attention and you may grow old enough to know what that is. So I finally found a place to start fulfilling my oath. I started just by defeating any Fairy who thought to try and take some helpless human back to Arcadia through there.
Unfortunately there were so many humans about, and the woods seemed to draw tourists and townies, I could not keep up. I needed something to keep people from wanting to picnic in the woods. So I built up the legend of the Jabberwocky a terrible monster that had jaws that bite and claws that catch. I used the bodies of some Loyalist scum to make the legend strike home. It started to make a dent in the plans of the Gentry. Soon other Lost started to rally to my banner. The first was Myson, and as time went on I started looking on him as one of my own children. It was nice having someone close that I could trust. Together we built the other Lost into a potent force, and fear of the Jabberwocky was keeping the Trod clear of traffic from both sides of Hedge. The Lost of Camelot did not desire to have a seasonal throne, but instead put me forward to sit on the throne. At Myson’s urging I agreed, and for the next 3 years we protected our Freehold.
Well the best laid plans and all that. All the work over the past years was laid to waste in one night. Minerva had a few agents amongst the Lost of the Freehold. One night when Myson, Bandersnatch, and Jubjub were on watch the horde of Gentry struck. I didn’t find out about it until a couple of hours later when Tumtum, who was sleeping in his tree form, was able to sneak away. He told me that when woke up he saw Bandersnatch and Jubjub lying dead and Myson tied up under the guard of the Wild Hunt and it looked as if the Gentry were preparing to run the town into the ground. This I would not stand for we got everyone together and charged into the woods. With me at the vanguard all went well, and when we freed Myson we knew victory was ours. I helped Myson to his feet and turned to cheer with the rest. When I saw a blade of cold iron appear through my gut, then disappear. That’s when the Gentry reappeared and the Lost of Camelot started to fall to them. As this happened I fell to my knees in pain in anguish as Myson with a cold smile on his face stepped in front of me Vorpal Blade in hand. “Did you think you could win? Did you think that Summer should not give way to Winter? Fool, that’s how the Gentry beat you. I don’t know why Mistress Minerva thinks so much of you, but now I will be her weapon against Maeb.” I closed my eyes heard Minerva scream “No!” and then felt the blade enter my throat as the last of the Lost was captured or killed.
My eyes opened and saw steel and ice framing the face of a rather perturbed Minerva. “Did you think you could die before I was done with you?” she said in a reprimanding tone. She walked to her favorite chair her throne. “I didn’t have to leave that scar, but I think it will serve you as a good lesson. The lesson is you are NOT to disobey me again.” Myson came in with some of her other servants. He went to grovel before her and the servants lifted me by the shoulders and led me down the nothing stairs into the nothing room. They threw me into the barbed cage I told you about in the beginning. I don’t know how long I was in that cage, but when you are in Hell a second fells like eternity. The door to the cell that held my cage opened and a bright light flooded into the room and shone on the nothing. I could see the outline of the nothing stairs in the light, and down them danced Myson on to the nothing floor of my nothing cell. Always coming almost close enough for me to reach out, snatch his scrawny little neck, and get the key to my prison from him. “A young man by the name of Carroll wrote a poem about our epic battle. Of course our Mistress poisoned his dreams and helped influence his wonderful writing. Would you like to hear it?” He did wait to hear whether not I wanted to hear it. And he continued to do his twirling dance as he recited the poem.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy tove Did gyre and gimble in the wabe All mimsy were the borogoves And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch Beware the Jubjub bird and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand Long time the manxome foe he sought Then rested he by the Tumtum tree And stood awhile in thought.
And as in uffish thought he stood The Jabberwock! with eyes of flame Came whiffling through the tulgey wood And burbled as it came.
One two! One two! And through and through His vorpal blade went snicker-snack He left it dead and with its head He went galumphing back.
"Thous't slain the Jabberwock, my son! Come to my arms, my beamish boy! Oh frabjous day! Calloo, callay!" He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy tove did gyre and gimble in the wabe All mimsy were the borogoves And the mome raths outgrabe."
“Isn’t that the just most the most wonderful thing you ever heard”, he beamed as he jumped up and down, clapping his hands. I emitted a low growl, and he leaned forward and stuck his tongue out at me. His eyes grew wide as he realized his mistake as he saw my huge mitt come ripping through the bars, flesh pealing back on the barbs, and my finger wrapped around that puny neck of his. I yanked him into that cage so quick his head popped like a zit. I took the chain from around his neck and held it up to the light. How that key shown in the light, I unlocked my cage and fell to the nothing floor, and started to run towards the nothing stairs. I sank in to the nothing up to my shins and it tried to cling to me with every step all the way up the nothing stairs.
I found my self in the same hall that I mounted my first escape in. I started in that same direction and stopped at the first wall. It was patched up, but not very good. At least not good enough to stop me, I laughed and started bursting through the walls again. I started down the same path I did the last time. About a day and a half into my jaunt I ran into a raging blizzard. I stumbled through the blizzard in what I thought was the same direction. Until I came upon a woman of such unearthly beauty that my uniform of stoicism was undone, and she glanced over her shoulder at me from on top of her mount. Her mount was a large pure white bear. With just a blink of her eyes the snow parted like a curtain and it was like being in the eye of a hurricane. I ran forward and threw myself, face down in the snow, at her bear’s feet, to worship her. No, I didn’t forget my Kat. I could feel her there urging me to stand up, but this presence was to strong. This goddess dismounted, using my head as a step ladder. “Rise thing. I see you are at least intelligent enough to remember what I had Suetul teach you.” I continued lying; face down, in the snow. “Do not test the patience of Queen Maeb, Thing” At this I got to my feet. No matter how much taller I was then this spry women, I still could not tower over her. “Now Thing, which wall did you come out of at Minerva’s? Thing, wipe that stupid look off you face of course I knew the whole time what that bitch was up too. Now answer my question.” I pointed until I found my tongue, “Straight down that path ma’am” At that I heard whistles, shouts, and many trudging feet. I blinked and during that time Queen Maeb had remounted her bear, and was riding off. I stood there and watched her ride away. I finally got to a gateway; it wasn’t the same one from before cause it opened on a large hill behind a bunch of strange signs. There was an H sign, and next to it was an O sign. Then an L, L, Y, W, O, O, D, it was strange. I heard Minerva come upon me fast screaming the whole way. I turned and watch her fly through the portal like a shooting star, and crash somewhere on Earth. “Hah, banished” I chuckled to myself.
I stepped into the world again in 1987. I spent the next three years body guarding Stars and Drug dealers. I spent my free time, and time between clients, learning about the world through movies, T.V., and classes/instruction. But I grew very lonely, so I sought out others like me again. Because I couldn’t really talk to humans, but I wouldn’t make the same mistake I made with Myson. So I traveled around a lot. Here and there, never long enough for the Gentry to get a lock on me. During my world tour I ran into the first “friend” I had in a long time.
In the summer of 2000, in Simbirak, Russia (a small town south of Kazan on the Volga River... never heard of that either... BAH American schools), I was trying to find what happened to my village. There I came across Dirk Bastion. He was the Knight Banneret of his court, and in me he saw potential. The physical tests were a cake walk. And the moral test was easy as well, me being a walking weapon and all. My squirehood was relatively short, about three months, but I was, after it was all said and done, a new Tolltaker Knight. I spent a few months there but soon the Americas called me back. And that’s when I ran into you kid. I’ll warn you now. All of this I have been telling you, and what has happened to you. You better keep secret or your parents will throw you in a padded room for the rest of your life. You can only see because that piece of scum, Puck, worked some Fey magic on you. It will probably wear off if you have nothing to do with your “imaginary friend”. I can see you’re finally getting it. Yes, Puck was going to do to you things like what Minerva did to me. I got lucky and saw Puck and his changeling servant dragging you through the Hedge, and got a jump on them. Puck left his property behind and fled to Arcadia. His toy must have learned how to call the hunt from some goblin, because that’s what he did with his dying breath. So here we are sitting in a stinky garbage box, me telling you my life story, waiting for the hunt to end, and me warning you that telling anyone that fairies stole you is a one way trip to the loony bin.
The next day I found the loyalist changeling’s motorcycle and drove the kid back to KC in time for Thanksgiving. All I had to do was sneak him into his room and dispatch the fetch of this 6 year old. How tough could a 6 year old’s fetch be. Stupid question, Puck had a few other kids from around the kid’s neighborhood. These 5 Fetches had a trap, and stupid me chased the kid’s fetch right in to it. I would be dead right now if it wasn’t for Jack Sprat.
The plan was simple; I force open the second story window in the middle of the night, grab the fetch by the head, swap the kid for his fetch, and then snap the fetch like a whip until it stopped being animated. It worked well until the little bastard bit me with some impossibly sharp teeth. The sudden shock work to the things favor, and it got lose. I chased the thing around the neighborhood, and then into an “empty” house. Inside I ran into his 4 friends. Jack knew that some fetches was using this house as a meeting, and lucky for me was watching it and planning a little ambush of his own. Jack seeing a new Changeling in his city, that was planning ill intent towards these fetches, decided to save my neck and insure these fetches returned to the hell they was spawned from. Jack burst in as the remaining 3 fetches were pulling me down with one lying shattered and me smashing the other. Only when Jack joined into the fray did it get really nasty. Another of Puck’s loyalists wanted some payback for his friend I killed 2 days prior and he brought a handful of Hobgoblins with him.
Back to back Jack and I fought the pro-Gentry onslaught for close to 30 minutes. Both of us saving the others life over and over again. Catching our breath, amongst the enemies’ broken bodies, we exchanged the fore pasted pleasantries and got to know each other better. The bond forged in a fight such as this can surpass very bitter memories, and a good, strong alliance was born that early morning.
That was about seven years ago and I have been motoring around the Ozarks looking for Fairy problems since then. My phone vibrated and I pulled over and answered it. It was Jack in KC, and he wants my help.
Lings he lets "close"
Allies
Razzle Dazzle
Enemies
Who ever he is payed to hate
Character Inspirations
Mr. Vandemar from Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Marv from Sin City by Frank Miller
Soundtrack
Bodies by Drowning Pool:: Walk by Pantera:: Click Click Boom by Saliva:: I Stand Alone by Godsmack and Jackyl:: Killing in the Name By Rage Against the Machine:: My Name is Mudd by Primus::
Quotes
Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch
I would rather rip off your head and shit down your neck, but as I could use the money.....
Rumors
People is his favorite food.
A "Wet Work" operation while expensive is obtainable. (*note* if you have to ask what a wet work is you don't want one)
