About Jack of Tears
Here is the most important pieces of information. Of major import, and one bit that could be used as a plotline, is that Momus is one of six pieces of a shattered demi-god.
The Six Aspects
Before his “death,” Psyclus cared deeply for sentient
beings. However, Kadum’s influence has twisted
him so that three of Psyclus’ six aspects embody his
darker, more self-concerned side (these are the Jack of
Tears, Nadirah the Whisperer, and Warlord
Stormraven; see below). Today these beings dwell in
various places throughout Scam, unaware of the others’existence and of their truenature.
Aside from Erias,
each is a Medium-size outsider with at least 15 HD,
although their individual abilities may vary widely.
Erias
The god of dreams is the most powerful of the six
aspects of Psyclus. Full details regarding his powers
and abilities can be found in The Divine and the
Defeated (p. 99).
The Jack of Tears
After Erias, the Laughing Man is the most powerful
of the six aspects. He embodies the many
subconscious divisions and excesses that marked the
Sleeping One’s soul. He has a deep sense of humor but
delights in causing pain. He tends to the sick and
miserable but torments the strong and healthy.
Though honorable and known to never break his
word, he schemes endlessly to twist his promises and
treaties to best serve his own ends.. . whatever those
might be at any given moment. The Jack‘s full,
revised statistics (he first appeared in Creature Collection)
can be found in Chapter Four.
Nadirah the Wh jsperer
Nadirah is a female courtier and rogue born from
Psyclus’ ambition and desire for power. She has
existed in many guises-a noblewoman, a courtesan,
a spy, a spouse or lover of powerful rulers, or an
assassin and thief. She revels in gaining power for its
own sake, manipulating others to her own ends, and
destroying the plans of the powerful. Her current
whereabouts are unknown, but regardless of her location
she always controls a vast network of spies and
operatives who gather information, engage in theft,
murder and blackmail, and rule many lands in secret.
Sjlverhelm
Named because of his snowy white crown of hair,
Silverhelm embodies Psyclus’ love of the mundane
aspects of life, of the simple pleasures of the mortal
races. As such, he appears as a common farmer who
wanders the land, settles in a place for a time to take
a wife, raise a family and tend crops before moving on
again, abandoning his wife to tend to his children as
they grow into adulthood. Silverhelm always adopts
a name appropriate to the region in which he lives.
His long-term memory fades each time he travels,
leaving him unsure of events that have occurred more
than a couple of years in the past.
Given Silverhelm’s origin, his children invariably
grow up to be accomplished warriors, powerful
wizards, or devout clerics. Many prodigies that have
risen from amongst the peasant class can trace their
heritage back to Silverhelm, although most know
their father simply as an itinerant farmer or laborer
who left their mothers soon after their birth.
Psyclus’ heritage is both a blessing and a curse.
Roughly half Silverhelm’s children go on to become
champions of the commonweal, while the other half
give in to the call of Kadum’s blood and take up the
titans’ cause. All the while, Silverhelm wanders the
land, unwittingly siring still more champions for both
sides of the conflict.
Therrix the All-Knowjng
Therrix is a sage who resides in an isolated,
largely ruined tower somewhere on the shores of the
Blood Sea. Embodying the intellect and knowledge
that Psyclus once held, Therrix spends his days in
quiet contemplation and study. He appears as a tall,
gaunt, balding man with apale complexion. He wears
a simple robe and sandals, preferring to spend his time
thinking of matters more profound than his wardrobe.
He is strong and hale despite his sedentary
lifestyle, easily capable of making a long march or
wrestling a powerful warrior to the ground.
Therrix is a sage without rival. His reputation is
known to many, and adventurers, philosophers, and
others sometimes seek his knowledge. Therrix often
sends such seekers of knowledge into the Blood
Bayou, truly believing that the answers to their questions
rest there. None have been known to return.
Though he holds the collected knowledge of a
godlike being within his mind, his memories are
imperfect in many specific areas. He knows nothing
of his heritage and does not suspect that he bears any
tie to Blood Bayou. As far as Therrix knows, he simply
has lived for an incredibly long time, and what little
he does not know is held in the many fat tomes of
knowledge that fill the shelves of his crude tower.
Warlord Stomraven
Stormraven is a skeletal ruler on the continent of
Asherak. Formed from Psyclus’ bones and physical
strength, he is a ruthless conqueror who has risen to
power, been defeated, and fallen again countless
times across Asherak since his creation. Even when
overthrown and destroyed, Stormraven has reformed
himself - under a wide variety of names and guises
- and returned to conquer again.
The Jack of Tears has one love in life: luring
others to their destruction - or into his service,
which often amounts to the same thing - by using
their own weakness, pride, and desire against them.
With the establishment of the Carnival of Shadows
and the subsequent infusion of Kadum’s blood,
the Jack of Tears has solidified his personal
and established Blood Bayou as a power
feared. He reigns supreme over Blood Bay
but finds little joy in rulership for its own
sake. As a result, Momus has grown bored.
To keep himself occupied, he concocts
elaborate schemes to corrupt and subvert
people from all backgrounds and beliefs.
He is as interested in manipulating an evil
overlord into benevolence as he is in
leading a paladin into decadence
cruelty. To the Jack of Tears, morta
their vices, gullibility and occasic
resourcefulness -a re merely. toy.s t
manipulated for his own entertainm
Plans: To keep himself amused
Jack of Tears looks for particularly i
natine mortals. He
seeks those who possese courage,
strength and resolve, for he
has little paticence for those who
fold too easily. Once he has found his marks, he
sends his minions
to test them. The
Carnival of Shadows
appears nearby to tempt
them, or a band of alligator
warriors or undead soldiers
from Baron Mirth‘s Krewe of
Bones launches a raid to draw
them into battle. The Jack
cares little about the outcome
selves the target of even more schemes. It is not that
Momus is vengeful. Rather, the more talented the
subjects, the more likely they are to amuse him.
Followers: While Momus is the unquestioned
leader of the krewes, rivalries and conspiracies abound,
not a few involving ways to grab some degree of power
from the Jack himself. The Laughing Man knows
much of such machinations, but seldom acts to stop
his minions’ efforts. He
finds dark amusement
in their plans to unseat
him and erode their ri-
Since the Jack of
Tears counts all the
krewes as his vassals, he
requisitions followers
from his underlings as
he sees fit. Such meddling
is usually crafted
to cause as many
headaches and complications
for the krewes as possible.
The more chaos
that exists in the
ranks below him,
the more opportunities there are for entertainment.
