Jack & Avery on Temple Street in Kren'poltar

Jack & Venuvea in the Beastiary

Jack & the Simurgh

Jack's Dream

Jack, Sue, & Asad

Jack in the Antiques, Curiosities, Characteristics, & Attributes Shop

Jack & Thrush's Book

Jack & Leia

Grayson on the Cross

Jack's Worth

Jack Gets the Ticket

Jack in Berellia

Jack's Coda With Minerva

Jack & the Dagger

The Fate of the Troubadors

Jack on Jeremas

Jack & the Crippler

Jack, 26 Weeks, Part One

Jack, 26 Weeks, Part Two & Three

Jack at the Contest

Jack at the Contest, II

Jack at the Contest, III

"Know what I am, Reggie? I'm a might-have-been. I'm not even a has-been. I'm another face in a crowd of insipid,

pretty-boy might-have-beens with their little girly voices and their cute dimples. There's a special place in music

purgatory for pretty-boy might-have-beens like me, and I'm not even a pretty-boy. Look at this face. Could even a

mother love this face? Well they can kiss my throbbing cod, the lot of them. Maybe I should join the church of hate,

what do you think of that? They'll probably hate me, but at least it'll be their duty. Ah, who am I kidding, they'll

hate me for all the other reasons too. Most of all they'll hate me because I'm a wanker. Ask me how I feel about bein'

a wanker...I feel just fine about it, thanks for askin'. I love bein' a wanker. I hate the hate church and I love bein'

a wanker. One of these days I'll walk right into the hate church and wank right on their altar. What do you say to that?

Good way for a might-have-been wanker like me to die."

"Alright. Time to pay my dues."

Book of Thrush's "First Shem Hymns for Dummies."

blessed dhunic flail, +5/+5, +3/+3 additional vs. evil beings.

Pro 11+14 (Shield parry +2, flail +3+2, sword +2)

Ath 11+13, endurance +20

Str 12, toughness +3, (armor +5/+5, +3 poison resistance, helmet +3/+3, shield +4/+4 18 toughness vs break), sword +25

Awa 14, reaction 14 +15, improv 14

Wil 12+12+4, 12+12+4 vs. alcohol, music faith 19+3 (holy symbol), 10+12+4 vs. Crucifixion, vision faith 8

Rog 13, fast talk +2, Read crowd 15+2 10 negotiation

Flail +4/+4

Temp mods: THE song +10

Chorus song +9

Pro +3

(-wounding 25

First aid 13

general connections 15

hunting 10

survival marraddonian wilderness 8

Echo Lore 9

Gift Lore 11

Morag Lore 10

Read ancient Dhunic 13

spellsinging 16+16

Snowsinging 22

Instacommunication with the band.

Connections (music scene) 14

Reputation (controversial)

Reputation (singer)

Languages:

Maraddonian 12+3

Star Elven 10

Shemir 8

berelian 7+3

Kren'atanic 8+10

Elven 10

Dwarven 9+3

Vocals 25

Songwriting 19+7

Bass guitar 19 +1 portable, +6 standup

13 wind instruments

22 violin

22 guitar by ear

17 cello

Read Music 12

By Ear 15

Read crowd 15+2

Improvise 13+3

Showmanship 19+4+3 +6 suit, +6 to convince lesser beings not to attack him

can become one with sound three times, each time risking permanantly becoming a song

weak to cacophony

as much as he could afford of a variety of jerky flavors, ranging from mild to spicy, including a mild minotaur blend called "date with death." (to combat alcoholism; the spicy stuff is for when he needs a real break-state)

Some motivations are only temporarily altered. I will note in bold either "on hold" or its current altered form, which will probably return to normal when Jack gets back on balance. Some may change permanently, but most will eventually return to normal.

Passions:

• he will never admit it, but being exposed to music again has reminded him of the passion he used to have for making music, and living life to the fullest.
• He's given up, and is trying to find his spark again, trying to find a flow he knows he used to have. He has previously given up on that, and might have died a miserable old man if he hadn't been reminded.
• The thrill of performing has returned to Jack, and he loves being on stage again, especially with a group of good musicians he loves and respects.
• He would also do some absolutely stupid things to protect them if he has to. $
• Now, he wants to take the music he used to perform and absolutely blow people away, take them to new heights with it. the performance on Laird's treasure island has given Jack a new benchmark for musical transcendence. Jack wants to take music out a whole new door. Jack is one with song, and together they can do anything. $
• Having rediscovered his music faith, and tying in somewhat with the previous passion, he has determined that he can transcend the normal bounds of music, and wants to stretch the limits of music into magical and miraculous realms,
• and wield music as the key to fixing the planar problems and saving the gods and Shem.
• Jack would like to be worthy to hear the blue wombat joke.
• "I'm not really gettin' to be an old fogie am I? I can still cut loose and have fun." It's been on his mind since the reaver empire, but only lately has he seen enough of his careful reactions to process that it might be true. A man gets better as he ages by holding on to what is good and replacing what is not.
• Find out what the hell the Sword of Noise is and unseal it. Now be worthy to wield it.
• Find out what the hell happened to his soul and how to fix it.
• Become worthy of the mail of Grayson.
• "I have passed through trials, and I am the eye of my own storm."
• Keep magic and void at peace until this conflict is resolved. Get Sue and Arlie's help on that.

Convictions:

• He used to be great, and will be again, but right now his life isn't worth shit.
• the conviction he's fighting against is the one that tells him that simple, quiet, peaceful death is preferable to anything else right now.
• The conviction he really wants to believe is that it really does matter.
• A deep rooted passion he's nearly forgotten about is that you should always live like you're going to die tonight.
• The gods got what they deserved for a while, but enough is enough, and it's time to pick them up off the mat for a bit and for the mortals to back off a bit.
• He still thinks these young musicians can learn a thing or two about how to put on a real show, and the Colour is about to take 'em all to school.
• Whatever may have happened between the gods and men is over now, and we gotta fix what's wrong, or it's all our asses on the line. This includes his own "long dark night of the soul" that caused him to abandon faith himself. This sentiment has now expanded to include the urgency of a major ecological catastrophe if it is not fixed. No more fockin' around. Gods and mortals are in this one together. $
• Also, it might be a good idea to, you know, avoid death, pain, mutilation, that sort of thing. $
• And now also to help others avoid same. $
• Jack is not worthy to hear the blue wombat joke.
• I'm sorry. I'm a bit past the point where I can give two tenths of a shyte what anyone expects of me.

Relationships:

• Alcohol - an addiction, but he's never been stronger against it,
• music - an old, long-neglected lover, and now also the key to setting right what is wrong.
• himself - trying to save and reconstruct, a work nearing completion, but still in progress. And I might actually come out the other side of this a better person.
• younger musicians - they've got it all wrong and he's going to remind them what real music is like. Music, in any form or fashion, can be used like any other skill to fix what is Wrong.
• Avery: Jack's little brother, and as close to a liege as he's going to get in this life.
• Aurelia: Glad she's on our side. We're about to see what her vision really is. Oh my gods. What happened? I promised Little Wing we'd make them proud, and we will. $
• Arlie: He actually really respects Arlie, and, in spite of his claims to the contrary, would trust his "short cuts," and his instructions in a pinch. He has also come to trust Arlie as a close personal friend. In a pinch, Arlie's orders take precedence, because he's been there.
• Dionysus: He doesn't think he can even come close to Dionysus's skill or vision, but he does think he can incorporate Dionysus's works into the band's music.
• Gaja: He thinks Gaja has a high potential for stage presence, and wrote Elephant In the Room to be her vehicle to stardom. He doesn't blame her for leaving, and will always care about her. He hopes one day they can all play "Elephant in the Room" again.
• Arsul: He venerates Arsul like an old uncle, and respects that Arsul's revelations have been so important to the band. It'd be a tough choice between Arlie and Arsul if they contradict each other, but Arlie barely wins out.
• Sue: He respects Sue for his unique point of view on music, and his unique experiences. He's also considering how to bring Sue out in the band. Sue has come a long way, and still has much to contribute.
• Bartleby: Gods it's good to have a cousin. I like him a lot. He and I seem to be like two peas in a pod sometimes. I'm gonna miss him. It was nice thinkin' I wasn't the only one of my kind. I told Little Wing we'd make 'em proud, and we will. $
• Leia: Boy did she grow up. Welcome to the band, little sister.
• Tomerane: Hell, I got used to Sue, I can get used to this one.
• Leonas: Don't know a lot about him yet. I'll have to watch and see what he's like.
• Venuvea: You're not going to get a coherant answer on that one. At the moment, he's just really hoping not to scare her off by being himself. He thinks of Venuvea every day, and hopes he might see her again one day. Jack has finally found someone he hopes to spend the rest of his life with--the worry right now is that that's not very long. Jack is doing his best not to think about Venuvea until his job is done, and he worries this new mistake is going to cost him dearly. This one may not be fixable. "But as much as this hurts, she might well have insured I can't break. It's a bitter-sweet parting gift."
• Little Wing: The sudden, new added responsibility of fatherhood. He has to teach Little Wing to survive on his own, and love him like a child. Since he doesn't really know how to do either for a simurgh, he takes a scattershot approach. He has also, lately, seen the wisdom in getting LW's point of view on some things as they go. He's done a lot of growing, and Jack hopes he isn't rubbing off on him the wrong way. But he's an adult now, and so their relationship is going to shift a little. Jack has raised a creature that promises to be far more advanced than himself, and he hopes he did alright, and that Little Wing won't hold any mistakes against him when he finally realizes what they are.
• Thrush: He suspects strongly that somehow, he is related to Thrush, and that he must find out how, and tap into its full implications to make himself better. Jack's connection to what he really wants to be.
• Mark Goodrick: Living reminder of a past wrong that Jack must face and atone for in some way. In fact, Jack probably thinks of Mark Goodrick as the icon of all his past bastardliness up to and including his drunkenness. It doesn't help things that Mark just saved his life again. There will be a time to pay dues. We got work to do in the meantime. "Okay, that's getting personal. Fuck my dues, Mark is not a good man, or at least not good enough for me to feel bad about it."
• The Dhunic movement: he's interested in the peaceful branch, hopes maybe to sway the middle branch, and survive the third. If he gets a good chance to oppose the third branch, he probably will.
• Frogs: He's going to be very cautious around frogs from now on. Frogs are now kill-on-sight.
• Civetello: He gets anywhere near Avery, I'll...I'll...think of something. Done. NEXT!
• The gods in general: We gotta get them up off the mat or it's all our asses on the line. Talk to them, talk to their servants, get their words and wisdom, make friends with them where you can, and build bridges with them. We need them, and they need us.

Original Songs:

Dues to Deserel

Roses and Barbed Wire

Through The Glass Darkly

Thunder of Horses

What It Takes To Give A Damn

Two Fools

Blood Boiling

Trace Legacy - with Avery Colzayre

Luck of the Draw - with Avery Colzayre

Crispin's Blood

Black Mass

Bloody Heather

Day of the Races

The Mansagian Triad

The Elephant In The Room

On That Night

Stuck In Hell

Swim For Your Life

Beauty and the Beast (Abandoned, never completed)

The Colour of Sound

Sunheart 20.5+(?)

We Are the Band

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Pages: Characters . Logs . Setting . The Artistocrats . We Are The Band . List of Known Contestants . The Golden Ticket . Compositions . The Cards . List of Help & Danger

Characters: Arlie Battisto . Avery Colzayre . Jack Crane . Aurelia Lucent . Subiquim Ixioj . Arsul Toutant . Dionysus Berrywight . James "Magnum" Peltier . Bartleby the Rogue . Tomerane the Snowsinger . Leia Bantae . Leonas Willow . Hunny . Manny . Little Wing . Kashaji . Odellino . Muxiat Solgheraq . Klaus Uwengelter . Lucilla Toutant . Greipur . Jack the Diamond . Rumbleford . Rubella Crane . Stalker Toutant . Domy Toutant . Shatter . Samuel Jericho . Rex Cuniaid . Dayrum . Damon Argent . Merian Dremholz Battisto . Conell Colzayre . Valara Lucent . Kansallus the Rogue . Gaja Gamini . Ushpishtim Gamini . Darion Bumblebee . Todzeney Gemmerit . Uvex . Berko . Bentley Pharnum . Thelser . Robin Goodfellow . The Merry Men . Beauregard . The Balladeer . Katerina Ryne . Kinglsey Allfenn . Tracey Jamison . Roshadam . Fane Crow . Monir the Unseelie . Qualla the Fool . Servant of the Never . Asad Windkin . Fitz Romaine . Eliza Hawk . Uriah Trumble . Wivena . Martha Mellaus . Henry the Guileless . Ulysses Bloom . Roan Asher . Deepa Ramanarah . Civitello the Great . Mark Goodrich . Ismuth . Borreliosis . Idjallora . Seela Wile . Necrocurcuriba . Shezeri's Son . Queen of the Black Goats . Gryfyn Cuniaid . The Crippler . Giobog . Avery Jericho . Deltriquim Ixioj . Christopher Laird . Hornet Rust . Caella Markanan . Nadia Hyatt . On'Jandu . Genfyllid Cuniaid . Corwin Jericho . Blake Guidry . The Norns . Flick Tinpot . Albert Renkarr . Marilyna Maraddon . Onitan . Shona . Minerva . Bast . The Nilos . KratsatsMeky . Boelvasmithr . ShijieDeMailuo . NagyVadaszno . NeizaiFangshi . Eris . ZirehliZeng . VahKadumavenRashaven . TananIlay . Gorgeron . HiliKar . MiteraTonAlogon . Jodis . Drifa . Valdis . Salmei . Ilse . Jana . Grag Headsplitter . Chiyo Date . Inteus . Hanisim . Marcus Johansen . Nicholas Kringle . Hrodwulf Grom . Germaine Butterfelter . Makeko . Guiteau Toutant . Ten Thieves of Renown