Ancient Tides: A Tale of Sea and Sky

Ancient Tides: A Tale of Sea and Sky
#6
RE: Ancient Tides: A Tale of Sea and Sky
Name: Jumbles Jimothy Jubilant (in formal documentation, he will be Jumbles Jimothy of the Jubilant House)

Description: Jumbles is a kobold, an anthropomorphic lizard-like creature (comparable to a crested gecko) with big floppy ears. Glasses decorate the tip of his snout and he dresses academically, if shabbily -- although always, always neatly. He is agreeable, inquisitive, and eternally (almost infuriatingly) optimistic – nothing really seems to bring him down no matter how dire the circumstances are. Like a good majority of kobolds, he has a vested interest in dragons and would like to encounter dragon-y phenomenon one day. He is starting to change his mind though.

Place of Origin: St. Adastra, Serkath Theocracy, Midnight Sea.

Bio: Jumbles is a kobold from an old-money family of bankers, connected to the Celestial Hoard, one of the most premium banks among the Nine Seas. As his elder siblings (for which there are many) inherited the business, Jumbles had a lot of money and free time. So he decided to become an musician as he marveled at how more “intense” the tone sounds when all the other senses are muted or deprived, a commonality in the Midnight Sea despite the prevalence of Darkvision.

His family did not approve of this esoteric interest, and so unceremoniously disowned him. However, Jumbles continued to eek out his existence as a brave-and-ever-dashing hireling!

(Near city-borders of course.)

He had his fair share of good and bad co-adventurers. However, his favorite person to work along side is a dragonborn named Alrakis. Alrakis and Jumbles worked together in great frequency, which was fun and lucrative. However, Jumbles sensed building stress from the taller humanoid, which increased with each subsequent hire. At first, Jumbles though it to be a consequence of adventuring-to-adventuring. However, Alrakis came less frequently, from once a week to two weeks, and then a month. One day, Alrakis did not came back.

However, Alrakis left something bloody in Jumble’s mailbox.

Unwrapping the package, revealed a tooth, the length of his arm, so freshly harvested that the pulp still clung to its roots. Investigation, with the help of his archives, revealed that this tooth was of draconic nature. Of what particular dragon, it was ambiguous – it came neither from kobold, wyvaran, dragonborn, or even dragon-adjacent creatures like wyverns, basilisks, and others. One night, he mustered enough courage to ask a contact at the local university (his aunt) to see if it originated from a dragon.

It wasn’t.

There laid one conclusion by elimination for poor Jumbles, the tooth was that of a True Dragon. Apparently, others caught wind of it. His apartment was broken into, his belongings rummaged, and the walls defiled with occult graffiti. Death threats were sent in the form of anonymous letters and calls. Considering these threats were becoming more frequent, Jumbles need to figure a way out before his hidden foes decided to their support their threats with direct action.

Perhaps, his aunt can help him?

Ambition: Jumbles would like to return this tooth to whatever decaying true-dragon remnants it originates from -- in the impossible, inconclusive hope it can solve all his problems and he can go back to teaching. However, he would like it to do in a way that less-than-benevolent people could come across it again and use it for their nefarious purposes. Such a simple goal with so many GODDAMN STEPS.

Contacts: Adastra. The muse of Jumbles. A True Dragon whose legendary swansong was to turn her death into a masterpiece. While Jumbles had not and will not ever meet her in person, her influence lingers in his songs and sorcery. Adastra compositions tend to be joyous and bombastic, followed by tragic, tear-wringing lingering – an aural encapsulation of a supernova.

Jubilant House. Old-money kobold bankers. Not exactly nice people, but not exactly evil. Jumbles has difficulties with his father (Marmite Manuel), but at least on talking terms with his mother (Rarebit Rory) and siblings (of which there are many).

Sausage-Roll Stephens. Aunt of Jumbles. Works as a professor at the local-university, teaching general-educuation Arcana. Stephens is a rotund kobold with a love for the finer things in life. While she is perpetually busy (and Jumbles does not want to bother her that much, she is a pretty cool lady!), she can occasionally do small favors for her favorite nephew.

Alrakis. Dragonborn (human ancestry) and adventurer who hired Jumbles frequently. Nonbinary. Alrakis is ghost-like pale with shock-white hair, almost vampire-like. Only the subtle gold scales on their cheeks and slit-pupil eyes betray their draconic heritage. Jumbles suspects they have cultist tiles, but even then…he hopes they are alright.

Rising Scales. A dragon-cult who is harassing Jumbles. The cult has strict membership, with only dragon-blooded or empowered people joining their ranks. Their idealogy is esoteric and potentially apocalyptic, trying to bring together enough corpse-pieces to resurrect a True Dragon. Their leader is a gold-dragon named Aurifex. Jumbles hadn’t seen her in-person – and doesn’t want to – but heard rumors she is somewhat of an unhinged scholarly sort.
Quote


Messages In This Thread
Ancient Tides: A Tale of Sea and Sky - by Anomaly - 09-25-2020, 03:11 AM
RE: Ancient Tides: A Tale of Sea and Sky - by Pharmacy - 09-27-2020, 12:08 AM
RE: Ancient Tides: A Tale of Sea and Sky - by CSJ - 10-01-2020, 03:49 PM