APPLICATION
Out of Character Information
player name: seimiya
player livejournal: netherwinds
playing here: --
are you 16 years of age or older?: y.
In Character Information
character name: Jarlaxle (formerly Jarlaxle Baenre)
Fandom: Forgotten Realms
Timeline: Post Road of the Patriarch
character's age: 425.
powers, skills, pets and equipment:
The first thing Jarlaxle has going for him is that he is really, really old, and has the experience that goes along with 400 years. He’s been to everywhere on his home world, Faerun (well, basically), and has met at least once of each race. He is charismatic, ambitious, and manipulative. He has met a lot of people. A LOT of people. As a drow, he is tall, lean and agile, with black skin, pointed ears, and very bald. He has green eyes that glow red when he uses infrared vision to see in the dark. As a drow, he possesses the magical ability to create globes of darkness (about twenty feet in diameter) and outline his targets in harmless, purple faerie fire that outlines invisible people (and anyone else).
He traditionally fights with two weapons in a flashy, swashbuckling style. Not to say he’s not skilled - rather, he’s been fighting for more than three hundred years. Jarlaxle also has an incredible business sense, mainly that comes from leading a mercenary band.
Jarlaxle known for having a magical item for every occasion. As mentioned in canon, these are the items he possesses: [copied from the wiki]
A fine cord that can elongate to at least 120 ft is tucked under the silken band of his hat[6].
An eye patch that prevents magical and psionic intrusion or, if shifted to the other eye, enhances his vision. It also enables Jarlaxle to see through doors[7].
A pair of boots that can be noisy or silenced at will.
One of his jeweled earrings can extend its size to that of a small grappling hook, used as such when tied to a rope[8].
A many-hued piwafwi that displaces light, thus hindering ranged attacks.
A brooch of shielding clasped at his cloak's front side[3].
A silver whistle hanging on a chain around his neck that can open and close doors and the like regardless of traps and locks on them.
Jarlaxle's belt is a snake that will uncoil into a rope form for climbing when needed, extending to whatever length is required.
Several extra-dimensional devices, including a button on his waistcoat that turns into a bag designed to shield the magical emanations of its contents[12], and a portable hole that, if reversed will create a temporary hole in whatever surface it touches. He also carries a ring that opens a limited number of extra-dimensional portals[13].
A black cloth in the shape of a small bat that turns into a living creature which can serve as a scout[14].
A palm-sized ornament in the form of a silvery rearing dragon, with wings and jaws spread wide. In truth, it is a charm to secure the entrance of a room[15]. It is a trap bringing forth the various breath forms of the deadly chromatic dragons.[16]
A tablecloth that can magically provide a feast[17].
One obsidian steed figurine of wondrous power.
Jarlaxle possesses a variety of slender wands[13]. One such wand can create a solid stone wall to cut off the pursuit of enemies[18]. Another wand creates illusions.
A Housebreaker Harness.
A small silver cone to create an area of amplified sensibilities enabling him to overhear the conversation of his subjects from a long distance.[21]
A small orb which when crushed can throw him through the multiverse, to which plane of existence Jarlaxle cannot predict - his last route of escape.[22]
Agatha's mask, which allows project the illusion that he is a surface elf.
A brooch of tongues, which allows him to understand and speak all languages.
A portable hole
Aside from his boatloads of magical items, he also possesses a pair of short swords - in case he ends up in an antimagic field.
canon history:
Born in the underground city of Menzoberranzan, Jarlaxle was set out to a difficult life from day one. Menzoberranzan’s fierce faith in the goddess Lloth said that all males must live lives subservient to females, and that the third son of every family should be sacrificed to her. However, another mother put a spell on Jarlaxle as he was attempted to be sacrificed, and so all the energy from the sacrificial dagger was instead transferred into a shield around him. When his older brother touched the shield, that energy exploded and killed him, leaving Jarlaxle the title of second son (secondboy) and a chance at life.
Drow boys being raised spend most of their time with their eyes on the floor, being beaten, and cleaning the splendid houses and cathedrals of their families. As the secondboy of the First House Baenre (the unspoken rulers of the city), Jarlaxle was no different. But he knew, knew, that he could do more than this. He knew that Lloth smiled upon him and it was with this confidence that he stole away from his house and began to build himself a web, making himself too valuable as a male to have the powerful females discard him and order him around.
Fast-forward to hundreds of years later. The successful Jarlaxle leads the mercenary band Bregan D’aerthe. He is too powerful for the matron mothers of the city to simply kill him, and so he can get away with occasional insubordination. Not only that, but Jarlaxle is wealthy from the jobs his band does for the mothers and every other faction in the Underdark, even the worst enemies of the drow, the grey dwarves. Jarlaxle has all but abandoned his familial title, and it’s unlikely that more than a handful of people know that he was once of the first house. Jarlaxle has also been on a huge number of expeditions, and has used this to pick up information about every race and species out there along with piles of magical trinkets, which he carries around with him in a portable hole. He also picks up a number of interesting companions, the most of which being the human assasin, Artemis Entereri, who he brings back to the Underdark with him.
One day, Jarlaxle is hired to help kill off the rogue drow Drizzt Do’Urden. Instead, though, he lets the other drow escape. Not only that, he also lets Artemis escape. He uses Drizzt to track down an immensely powerful object known as Crenshinibon, the Crystal Shard. This object slowly takes control of Jarlaxle’s mind and bends his ambitions to its own desires. The two seconds-in-command, Kimmuriel and Rai-guy, don’t like the way Jarlaxle is taking Bregan D’aerthe and slowly begin to wrest it away from him. With the help of Artemis and a cleric, Jarlaxle has the object (and Rai-guy) destroyed by an ancient red dragon. By this time, though, the shard’s influence on Jarlaxle has caused him to make a number of ugly decisions that have turned Bregan D’aerthe against him. He willingly lets Kimmuriel have leadership of it, but warns the other drow that if he comes after Jarlaxle, he’ll get his butt kicked.
And so, he sets off in search of adventure with Artemis. This spirit leads him to the counties of Damasa, where he spends time with Artemis fulfilling bounties by clearing out the Bloodstone Lands (filled with orcs, goblins, etc...), while also under the employ of copper dragons sister Ilnezhara and Tazmikella as they search for magical artifacts left by the previous king, Zhengyi. Jarlaxle and Artemis find themselves send with a number of other mercenaries (including the obnoxious dwarf Athrogate and the niece of King Dragonsbane). Though they eventually defeat the magical castle summoned by a book of Zhengyi, many of their party fall - of course, Jarlaxle doesn’t care much about them, mostly because he acquires the skull that allows him to control a dracolich. Afterwards, though, he simultaneously helps and damns Entreri as the man gets into trouble with the assassins in Damara.
While allows Kimmuriel to investigate the items of Zhengyi, he also tries to get Artemis to deal with his serious, stoic history and his tragic past by giving him a magical flute to better access his emotions. But Artemis rebels against these attempts and deserts Jarlaxle, leaving him to go on his own adventures while he deals with his past and looks to the future.
personality:
Jarlaxle is, first, second, and last, a consummate opportunist. With every occasion, he wants to get the best out of it for him in the end and what everyone else wants is totally irrelevant. Like many drow, he doesn’t mind backstabbing everyone else to get where he needs to be. To this end, he is a flawless liar and holds no loyalty to anyone but himself, though he hardly lets anyone else know that. He is skilled at building webs of falsities over himself to deceive his friends and enemies alike, and keep them off their collective toes. However, unlike many drow, he holds no desire for status, merely the power and luxury attached to it. To Jarlaxle, life has always been about making yourself valuable enough to not get killed, and that’s worked out pretty well so far. He likes standing out and being an outsider; attention and glory are totally his thing, and to this end, he wears flashy clothes and a huge hat, which a big feather on it.
Negative traits aside, Jarlaxle’s upfront personality is cheerful, even flamboyant. He is clever and spontaneous, always with a silly quip or wry comment. If you didn’t know this fellow was cunning, murderous, and self-centered, you’d think Jarlaxle was a pretty fun guy indeed. On the surface, he’s easy to get along with. Deeper down, he’s only getting along with you because it benefits him, and if it’s useful to betray, lie, cheat, or kill you, he’ll do that with the same cheerful disposition.
As opposed to most xenophobic drow, Jarlaxle has no problem with (and even sometimes prefers!) the company of the ‘lower’ races. He prefers bedding human women to drow women, and has traded with basically every race in Faerun, including the ancient enemy of the drow, the deep gnomes (svirfneblin ). His most recent adventuring partner, Artemis Entreri, is human. He speaks a number of languages naturally, including High and Low Drow, Common, and Svirfneblin, though possesses a trinket that allows him to hear and speak any language. He understands that people of all races and types have their uses, and sometimes allows himself to come under the employ of others, when it is useful to him. Jarlaxle is great at reading people, and this makes him an awesome conversationalist (he knows just what to say) and a fantastic gambler. The fact that he likes to work several steps ahead of his friends and opponents helps, of course.
Jarlaxle’s cheerful, exuberant and adventuring personality doesn’t work well when pitted with those who are serious and goal-oriented, as his experiences with Artemis has shown. In many cases, Jarlaxle is ignorant or entirely unafraid of virtually every potential danger, and has little desire for anything beside exploration, knowledge, and wealth (though it’s hard to say, between adventure and wealth, which one he likes more). His fearlessness, confidence, and casual attitude towards virtually everything doesn’t work well with serious people, and, obviously, people who don’t like being manipulated will not be happy if Jarlaxle’s more malicious machinations end up being known.
why do you feel this character would be appropriate to the setting?
As an adventurer and a manipulator, the idea of Jarlaxle being in this new world with new people presents the opportunities he craves. And Faerun is no cakewalk either; he’s perfectly accustomed to the possibility of having nowhere to sleep.
Writing Samples
Network Post Sample:
This is really an incredible work of magic! Wherever the artificers are in this place, I’d certainly like to speak with them and learn all about their process of item creation. Even just the way things work here, certainly lends itself to have a certain kind of flair. Not particularly a human or elven or dwarven kind of flair, but I suppose I could get used to it. In any case, I am definitely excited for being in such a new place, filled with all kinds of mysterious adventures and treasure.
It is sad that Artemis couldn’t come with me, though...
Ah...I stray. I’m Jarlaxle, formerly of Bregan D’aerthe. And you?
Third Person Sample:
Flipping a single gold coin through his fingers, Jarlaxle meandered down one of the steps to the undercity. Dismas, right? Yes....he’d received a number of interesting tips about it, ones that had him put away most of his things up in his place in Anatole, and rig it trapped. Even if something were to happen (doubtful), one wanted to cut their losses wherever possible. It felt strange, carrying the actual weight of gold, when he was so accustomed to his bag of holding - but Goddess, if there was suddenly nothing in the bag, he wouldn’t want to find himself suddenly on the wrong end of a weapon. They probably had strange weapons here, like they had strange everything else.
He could feel it in the mist, the sudden quit of his innate magic. It was strange, because even during Lolth’s Silence, his objects had worked perfectly fine, and now he was Jarlaxle with his swords and little more. While he was perfectly content was that, and possessed no fear in the possibilities of what would happen next, it never hurt a drow to carry a wand of fireball and summonable diatryma with them everywhere they went.
But these creatures knew nothing of his reputation or his items, and more about this place than he did. It was worth pretending to admire them. After all, he thought, controlling people is about making them believe they have power. When you convince someone it’s their idea, they always do it.
He chuckled at the men approaching him with slit-eyed glares. One hand lightly on one of the swords, he leaned to one side and laughed. “What do you drink here, gentleman?” He asked, grinning from ear-to-ear, “Because I will buy.”
Anything else? /DROWS AT YOU