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Jonathan_Shade · Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 328 Location: Las Vegas

Jonathan "Jack of Shadows" Shade

Human/Maelgyrm [Forgotten Realms 2nd edition]

Rogue/Warlock [re imagined from ADnD - rogue/mage] + shadow magic
Still working on the conversion of the shadow abilities from ADnD.

Extremely brief history of the character -

I started out with living anyway that I could on the streets, my expertise with "borrowing" things allowed me to rise in the ranks of the Scarred Hand rather quickly.
My superiors found that I had a knack for "water" work and I climbed even further under the tutelage of my friend and mentor Beren Glimstand.
During the course of a particularly difficult job involving living symbol of the Mageguild and it's guardians, The Symbol's touch caused some force to rage inside of me.
The resulting explosion of magefire knocked me unconscious. When I awoke, I found myself deep within the confines of the Mageguild, chained and muzzled like an animal.
My keeper eventually took pity on me, the wrenched beast that I was, barely able to comprehend what had happened.
He taught me, much like you would teach a pet, how to control the burning fire that still raged within me.
Many full moons later, I planned an escape but the plan went terribly wrong. I, with my still imperfect knowledge of the arcane arts,
ripped a hole into the cold bitterness of shadow and was thrust through. Wounded, I was easy prey for those beings that dwell in the Shadow Realm.
Tortured beyond sanity, and twisted by their machinations, I felt the essense of shadow burrowing its way into my body and soul.
I was finally rescued by The Screaming Blade Company, a loyal band of friends that had breached Shadow to rescue one of their own that had been captured.
They carried my ravaged body back to the realms of the living.
Once healed and my mind mended, I continued to venture forth with the Screaming Blade to help them recover their friend from the clutches of the shadow realm.
With every journey, I felt the arcane power inside grow more powerful while I was in Shadow realm, and power soon began to stay with me once I returned to the living realms.
I have since left the Screaming Blade to find my own way again with new understanding of my capabilities.

P.S. For Chris, he DOES have family. Both parents and a sister are living.

Chris

Jonathan_Shade · Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 328 Location: Las Vegas

Connie · Podcast Host Joined: 10 Jul 2007 Posts: 63

Wow ~ what a well-flavored character history. Good fodder for the table, lots of opportunity for the DM to create story tangents. Great job!
...and, The Screaming Blade??? That is awesome!

Jonathan_Shade · Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 328 Location: Las Vegas

Connie · Podcast Host Joined: 10 Jul 2007 Posts: 63

Now I know who "Jonathan Shade" is and where he hails from. I did wonder about that.
And who wouldn't want to know a "Jack of Shadows"?

Jonathan_Shade · Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 328 Location: Las Vegas

Connie · Podcast Host Joined: 10 Jul 2007 Posts: 63

What an awesome idea for an actual deck of cards as a Larp or game table prop!

Even when we play at the table, our group tends to bring/enjoy toys and tools and such. Many of us have a theatre background and so we enjoy our props. Miniature figures, an actual playing "board" on the table, are not required, strictly, to play D&D. We use them anyway, for the beauty and fun of it. These pieces really do enhance the fantasy experience for us and we look forward to them. Chris is the resident artisan who brings our characters to life for us, going so far as to indulge our whims when painting the miniature that represents our character on the table. Rather be golden-eyed than blue? Done! with a stroke of his tiny, tiny paintbrush.

I have this image of a deck of your ShadowJacks, calling cards, as you say. How cool. I bet our Keith Curtis, of this forum and Artist par Excellence, could represent your Jacks exactly as you envision them, should you ever want an actual, real life deck like that to just play with and enjoy. He is the professional visionary who brought the Grimm Studios logo to life.

I don't play "cards", as such, regular playing card games, so I may be misquoting here ~ but isn't the Jack in a regulation deck not to be trusted? Or is that some blurred memory from a bad country-western song? (I don't do those, either...)

Jonathan_Shade · Joined: 28 Feb 2008 Posts: 328 Location: Las Vegas

Kruzer · Joined: 08 Aug 2008 Posts: 83 Location: Fremont, NE

Amazing what you can find when you explore through old posts...

Yeah, the Jack card in a deck is kinda like the Ugly brother... not as powerful as the queen or king, but still likes to flex his muscles, and can still cause some trouble... hence the reason why a natural blackjack (Ace of Spades and a Black Jack) is the ultimate blackjack hand... beats everything. And, that could bring in some crazy backstory fun then too! Ace of Spades and Jack of Shadows... heheheh... they should fight crime
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