Jinjin came to Freeport a few months prior to being hired by Captain Scully of the Waterwitch. During the time with his clan in The Bone Lands, Jinjin came to be admired by some, but was mostly perceived as a freak for his "learn-ed" behavior. Like most of his kind, Jinjin spent little time caring about what others thought of him and eventually became bored and sought out a more interesting lifestyle. Hearing of adventure and intrigue to the East, as well as coin-a-plenty, Jinjin bartered passage from The Continent and traveled to the Island of A'Val, and eventually to the city of Freeport. There he spent a couple of months working the docks before being hired on by Captain Scully of the Water Witch.
It is rumored that Jinjin had gotten into a nasty altercation one time in which his arm was severed. The story goes that Jinjin picked up his severed limb and proceeded to beat his assailant to death with it before allowing it to reattach itself. Thus, Jinjin is known to some on the docks as "Arm-Thumper".
Jinjin is of average intelligence and quite gullible.
Jinjin is prone to obsessive behavior; i.e.: if he is told that placing a coin face down on a table is back luck, he will ALWAYS place coins - one by one - face up.
Jinjin simply does not understand the effects of his massive size. He is the guy that walks through a crowd, knocking people over, but doesn't realize it because after all, he's just walking.
Jinjin is a terrible estimator of resilience and strength; "That [delicate] chair can hold me." Or "One more turn ought to do it."
Jinjin carries a small stone around that has markings on it which resembles a face.
Jinjin has named the stone Jerry.
Jinjin feeds and gives water to Jerry every day by placing "nib-nibs" (sand) and water in the pouch that he keeps Jerry in.
Jinjin may consult Jerry on difficult decisions.
Jinjin will not hesitate to kill a person if they threaten Jerry.
For reasons unknown, Jerry is VERY important to Jinjin.
During a moment of desperation and frankly, a lapse of reason, Captain Scully decided to appoint Jinjin as the ship’s boatswain (bosun). Jinjin instantly took to the disciplinarian role of the bosun...much to the dismay of deckhand and captain alike. It was here that Jinjin met a half-elf by the name of Dunstan. Dunstan was a source of consternation for the troll but was also quite useful, especially when it came to handling the ropes.
For reasons Jinjin still cannot quite understand, upon docking in Freeport, the Captain was quite adamant that he and Dunstan leave the Waterwitch.
Dunstan is the son of a human prostitute and an elf of mysterious origin. Obsessed with the idea that his father is an elf of the highest and most legendary importance, Dunstan believes he will some day discover who is father is and, by association, gain the respect of everyone who ever "kicked" him as a child. Dunstan was raised in a brothel called "The Ninth Nymph" and as a result has about 15 mothers and while this was unusual it was a loving if somewhat sheltered upbringing. He was schooled in the ways of swordplay and fire arms my the men who frequented the establishment and is thought to have considerable potential as a swordsman, if only he could "just focus".
Against the wishes of his mothers, Dunstan left home in search of his fortune and his father. He has been described as Indolent, contrary, utterly foolish, fearless, inventive and hot-blooded. Because of these traits he has bounced from ship crew to ship crew having been forcibly ejected from many ships.
Vril Wisebloom was born on the Continent, but his family never felt welcome there after Vril's mother, Gilla, was accused of theft by several of the families for whom she worked as a seamstress. Vril's father, Roper, was around very seldom, often away for weeks at a time "working" for a group of thugs about whom me never spoke to Vril, but often spoke quietly about to his wife.
One evening, Vril's father rushed into the small kitchen from the street and ushered the family swiftly out of their modest home, giving them only 5 minutes to gather things of greatest importance before they left swiftly out the back door. "No time to explain, but we need to go. NOW. No time to explain..." and they headed to the docks, unsure of their next step, but knowing that he had no choice but to lead his family away from the trouble he'd started in town. He hoped the trouble would not follow him.
The leaking, creaky "ship" - if you can call it that - carried them to Freeport, barely. Roper had traded several important-looking books to the captain of the vessel, pleading for passage for the family. The battered Caravel seemed barely seaworthy, but yes, it would only be TO Freeport, no return necessary. The transit was uneventful save for the frigid waters pouring through all the openings in the sides of the craft, seeping into their clothes and belongings.
The vessel struck bottom within sight of the docks near what they would come to know as Scurvytown. She sound of snapping lumber was more fearsome than the furious screaming of the enraged captain and the craft simply came apart in the water. Barely held together at the start, she fractured and took one last breath of wind as she tipped and started to sink beneath the waves.
Vril gathered his few soggy belongings in a leather shoulder satchel and abandoned ship, stopping only to quickly gather his father's precious books before jumping into the water. It was not how he expected to spend his 10th birthday.
Wet, cold, and hungry, Vril and his family arrived on the Freeport docks intent on making a new life, knowing they were starting from the very bottom. With few belongings, fewer coins, and no friends to speak of in this new place, Vril's father made an important choice ; when speaking to the harbormaster who pestered them for their names and demanding a fee for using the docks, Roper quietly replied "Wisebloom" seeking a way to both tell the man off and to give the family a fresh start. No use in keeping the old family name, it meant nothing here.
"WHAT?" the old man bellowed, "SAY THAT TO MEFACE YE LITTLE...."
Vril looked confused for a moment, but understood quickly what was happening. "Wisebloom" he repeated, confidently. W-i-s-e.... "WISEBLOOM? the man thundered in response. N'er heard of WISEBLOOM" and he quickly scrawled the name in the ledger, giving them for better or worse, their first tenuous foothold into the city.
Everyone within earshot that cold morning heard the name echo across the harbor. Those looking on could not have understood the reason for the happiness that swept across the faces of the halfling family that day, but Roper, Gilla, and Vril had come to Freeport to start over and they new were free to do so.
"FREEport, indeed!" Roper laughed as he looked around in the morning light. Wrapping his arm around Gilla's waist and clapping his hand on Vril's shoulder, he seemed overjoyed to start anew. No belongings to speak of save for the clothes on his back, boots on his feet and the coins jangling in his leather purse. His vibrant green coat stood out in contrast to the graying clapboarding on the dockside structures.
Harlan is a young noblewoman of House Montague, a ancient noble family of Freeport. The Montagues are not among the most powerful of the families that make up Freeport's aristocracy, but they have been a part of the city's ruling class since the time of Drac the Sea Lord. The Montagues have stayed in the periphery of the cutthroat world of politics and intrigue. The stakes are quite high in that world; one false step and an entire bloodline can be eradicated with swift power play. In order to survive, House Montague has always relied on a prodigy; a child born with extraordinary powers. The Montagues' blood is imbued with arcane power. Once each generation, this power is manifested in an heir to the bloodline. Harlan is the most recent in a long line of these prodigies.
Identified at a young age has having an uncommon knack for the arcane, she was secretly put into training in magic and sorcery at the Freeport Institute. She excelled at her studies and showed a knack for wielding a sword as well as her fledgling magic skills. Her years in the institute provided her with the skills and talents needed to help protect House Montague from it's rivals and enemies. She takes this honor very seriously. There is a somberness to her. She knows all too well just how precarious the balance of power can be in Freeport.
Harlan has practiced her skills with the sword and bow, and is quite capable of protecting her family's interests with a slash of her longsword or an arcane blast of magic fire. Her noble upbringing and natural charisma help her navigate the dangerous world of Freeport's aristocracy. She's quite familiar with local secrets and (perhaps) tall tales. Her high birth and noble station allow her access to parts of Freeport society closed off from the common folk of the city. All in all, Harlan cares most in maintaining the balance of power among Freeport's elite.