~~~~~
excerpts from Krim’s notes
This is my third attempt at a comment about the ArchSeer’s notes. It appears that anything written about [~~~~] fades away. Something is amiss with this being.
The Beggar King
The King of the Carnival, the Laughing Rogue, the Ringmaster of the Carnival of Tears and Terrell.
Perhaps the Jack of Tears was once nothing more than an evil spirit. It could be that he once roamed the night roads in a corpse cart or a circus wagon, the wheels of which left tracks of blood, and he inflicted ill luck, miscarriage, and sudden death wherever he went. Certainly, this is the origin many commoners attribute to him, but the jealous have always taken delight in casting aspersions. It is also rumored that he was one of the vishay who rose up and killed his human neighbors during the ill-fated experiment of the City of Light and Dark, laughing and delighting in the blood and mayhem. And then there are those who believe that he is a primeval force of evil, present at the beginning of the world, and fated to bring chaos and destruction with a giggle wherever he goes.
Or perhaps he was a common man, who became something more when he sipped at the many wells of power or fed on the twisted remains of fallen deities, growing mighty on the intensity of Dakaron’s suffering.
Whatever his origin, the Jack of Tears is now the undisputed ruler of the Carnival of Tears and the Troupes therein. These troupes are groups he has bound together for the common good and goals of all, picked up along the way as he formed his dreadful Carnival of Tears. In 6950 e.c., he started touring the northeastern countries of the continent, gathering more followers and creating a vast show of unequaled entertainment and horror.
Though he is a jesting figure, the Ringmaster is undoubtedly a force of evil, one who is wise enough to make himself useful to his neighbors so that they tolerate his existence. But to the individuals who deal with him, the Ringmaster is a merciless trickster who twists words and grants requests with a ruthlessly literal ear. He is never seen without his white harlequin mask.
The Jack of Tears rules his swamp kingdom from a great tent city nestled in the branches and limbs of the Cherry Cypress. The tree stands in the center of the bayou, connected to the Bay of Gerys by a channel so that members of the Troupe of Waves can come and go freely. Within the Great Tent, on a brightly painted throne of children’s toys, he presides over the endless festival of his minions and holds audiences with those daring or foolish enough to approach him.
The Jack of Tears has an alliance with the Rotting War, a living disease that came from a laboratory in the Swamps of Stitei. However, since their alliance and subsequent annexation of the country of Terrell, no one has seen or heard of the Rotting War.
The Jack of Tears has never been observed in battle. His scepter Foolscap is a thick wand, white on one end and black on the other. The black end causes massive wracking pain with but a touch. The white end cures all illnesses and wounds and restores all lost abilities, levels, and amputated limbs. The white end works on the Jack of Tears as well as on anyone he agrees to bless… for a price.
Shadows of Dakaron 