Jamal the Assassin in his role as tea shop proprietor
Jamal (the Assassin) (circa 2380? - 2429? a.a.H.)
The Loranor known as Jamal was one of the most skilled assassins known in the fantasy era of the world of Aiers living in the Drow metropolis Negeémiliel. During the early 2420's a.a.H., he played a major role as an agent for the Negeémi Populist Party in installing Selene Paen'Dhirra as High Sorceress of the Temple of Doom and effectively set in motion the events leading up to the Dahl'Arak Coup of 2428 a.a.H.
Attributes[]
Jamal is silent and quite deadly without using sharp weapons
Jamal has no last known name and it is unknown if his name is actual or an alias. He is a Loranor of the Tiggers subspecies.
- A tiger-man
- An eastern style martial artist
- Minimal use of weapons
- Jamal has cat-like reflexes
- Is very strong
- Very professional when on the job
- Kills silently by use of a garrote wire
- Able to bind foes in seconds
- Able to disarm and disable well trained warriors through hand to hand combat
- Has agility and courage to cross the Abyss of Doom hand over hand
- Likes to extract unusual forms of compensation from clients
- Can brew a good cup of tea
Cover[]
Jamal operates as the proprietor of a tea shop as the cover of his true avocation. Changed venue from Negeémiliel in Aels to Kalhari in Zarhuy in 2424 a.a.H.
Family[]
Largely unknown. It is known that he has at least two sons who help with his tea shop.
History[]
Disarming and defeating trained Acolyte soldiers is not a problem for Jamal
Early[]
Nothing is known of Jamal's early operations. It is known that he was well acquainted the Jabharil High Priestess Ma'Az from before she was a priestess, suggesting that he may have long lived in Negeémiliel and worked for the Fanatics of Jabharil?
Spiraling Violence[]
In 2418, 2419 and into the 2420's, the city of Negeémiliel was being beset by demonstration and street fights between the 'fanatics' of the drow worshipers of the matron goddess Negeé and the foreign goddess Jabharil, native to the Kalhari drow culture. Jamal might have done much to politically advance the Cult of the Flower and the Negeémi Populist Party of the Acolytes wanting to achieve a takeover of the government. The first recorded conversation between Ma'Az and Jamal would suggest that he had done multiple jobs for the Cult of the Flower by the time he took on the contract to kill Khariel Baener.
Fanatics between the two Drow religions were at odds, (see: Fanatics of Jabharil and Fanatics of Negeé) and the acolytes, particularly those of the Negeémi Senatorial Party hunted down criminally behaving Fanatics of Jabharil of the Cult of the Flower. The High Sorceress of the Temple of Doom Khariel Baener was strongly opposed to the Jabharil religion, and, in 2424 a.a.H., used extra-legal means of violence and death against the Cult of the Flower whether if they were violent or not. Baenar ordered the deaths of the defenders of a Jabharil temple opening in the central part of the city, near the Temple of Doom and 'forum' of the plaza between important buildings. The temple was also burned, these actions being done by the Drow Trio.
The Drow Trio had accidently let loose the information that the high sorceress was responsible for ordering this attack. Hence there was little reason to guess as to who ordered the deaths of so many Jabharil sentries. Worse, at least one of these killed sentries was a favorite of an important Jabharil figure in that religion.
The Contract[]
High Priestess Ma'az wanted to strike back at Khariel Baener, a member of the High Council, and assassinate her. But she wanted the job done delicately killing few Acolyte defenders in the Temple of Doom, and generally making the attack look like a high level theft rather than principally as an assassination. It is almost certain that the true voice making this contract was that of Selene Paen'Dhirra of the Populist Party of the Low Council, so that she could replace Baener, yet keep the Cult of the Flower from being blamed for this large step, so that they could still be useful as minions afterwards.
Jamal was supposed to infiltrate the temple, assassinate the high sorceress, steal some relics, and assault some sacred virgins in the temple--celibate male priests. As Jamal has no interest regarding males, he was left to his imagination. Doing all this and keeping actual deaths beyond the high sorceress to a minimum was quite a wish list. It's probable that Jamal only achieved the primary objective for all the acolytes he encountered. He would have to personally fight over half of the 50 or so acolytes who were part of the shift's guard.
The Operation[]
Jamal invades the Temple of Doom
Jamal invaded the Temple of Doom by knocking out a guard on the north side of the Abyss of Doom, getting a line across the rift, and crossing this 'bottomless pit' hand over hand. He would then scale a wall and enter a window into the temple itself. Knocking out guards also on the south side of the abyss and within the temple. Usually he incapacitated the soldiers and tied them up, although he killed a few in sensitive areas or as needs demanded. He frequently would hide the unconscious or dead acolytes so as they wouldn't be discovered. He found his way to the High Sorceress, killed her, and eventually departed, supposedly stealing some relics, although there is no evidence that he did much beyond his primary goal of murdering Khariel Baener.
The total score of Acolytes that he defeated, either tying them up, knocking them out, or killing them was at least 30, including the assassinated high sorceress. This feat was largely achieved by silently dealing with one guard at a time on their rounds. Even so, he had to deal with more than one on many encounters, taking on three acolytes at a time three times, including the Drow Trio whose attack on the Jabharil temple was the trigger for this attack, and even four acolytes at once upon making his escape. That acolytes have decades of extensive training and were armed, that at least two were magic users capable of using martial magic, and he had no weapon other than a garrote wire, bo staff and his body illustrates his incredible skill.
Consequences[]
Political[]
Khariel Baener was a Leg of the Spider of the Senatorial Party. With her death, she would be replaced by a Low Council vote with Selene Paen'Dhirra who likely ordered the hit through Jahbaril priestess Ma'az. The presence of Paen'Dhirra on the High Council would weaken Senatorial control of the State, and gave the Populists a means to redistribute grain to their supporters and the Cult of the Flower by funneling it through the citadel of the Temple of Doom. This allowed the Populist Party to use the cultists as their minions and direct their activities, and to help manipulate the cost of food as well, which further destabilized the government of the Negeémi Senatorial Party.
Captain Lo'Kee and her Unit[]
The assassination of the High Sorceress Khariel Baener in her personal apartments within the inner sanctum of the Temple of Doom was a major embarrassment, and quite a blow to the Senatorial Party. It would end the long term political partnership between Khariel Baener and Danieh'le Dahl'Arak, who had not so long before joined her old friend Baener by being elevated to the High Council. It would all but destroy the career of the former rising star of Xuunera Lo'Kee who was the captain of the guard. It would be terrible for the unit as well, which had had the reputation of war heroes and being able to enforce order in the streets, largely against the Cult of the Flower. They would be punished by being sent out into the field in 'exile' doing unpleasant assignments for their failure to protect the Leg of the Spider Baener.
Change of Venue[]
Knowing that after carrying out the assassination, in all probability Jamal would be correctly blamed as the assassin, Jamal and his family closed shop and moved to greater safety in Kalhari. That is where he was last known to be living from 2424 a.a.H. That High Priestess Ma'az was able to arrange this move suggests that the Kalhari government may have had a hand in the assassination as well. They had a vested interest in achieving independence from Negeémiliel from aiding a change of government to one run by the Populists.
Speculation: It is not at all unlikely that Jamal might have aided the Kalhari drow in their later attacks on the Negeémi hegemony while based in the southern continent of Zarhuy. Certainly having such an agent as Jamal close at hand would be useful for more local operations.
Current Status[]
Nothing has been concretely defined in canon. It is suspected that Jamal will be active in Negeémiliel in the post-civil war period, and will be defeated and killed by the Drow Trio in 2429 a.a.H. after the Drow Trio returns from their period of enslavement and adventures in returning to their city.