@snakewife wanted to see ‘em when they were magic school pals SO HERE.
It was fun thinking about what they’d be like 25 years ago...when Zahni is an ex-Pirate Lite™ looking to start a new leaf and Jo’vashaar is a Respectable Merchant’s Son with no inkling that he’s gonna eventually plunge into Illegal Death Magic.
[Image Description: Two khajiit standing next to each other. Zahni looks like a small orange house cat with a pleased expression, wearing blue robes and gold jewelry. Jo’vashaar looks like a brownish-grey anthro leopard, wearing yellow robes and holding a book and a staff. /End ID]
…SHE’S A CAT SHE JUST LOOKS LIKE A LIL ABYSSINIAN CAT…
Voice: Think about the pitch and tone of a cat meow…only it says words. She has the regional accent of Elsweyr and the diction e.g. speaking in third person. She also talks with a lot of dramatic emphasis. She’s a very expressive speaker.
Fashion: Green robes, gold jewelry, little capes.
Emotional Traits
Personality: Zahni is quick-witted and very gregarious. She’s charming, but also constantly underestimated due to her appearance, and she’s learned to use that to her advantage. Hyper-observant, and having a face that people just tend to spill secrets to, she has her...paw (?) on the pulse of what’s happening in an environment at any time, and she’s highly resourceful with information. But she won’t sell anyone out unless they end up being an immediate danger to her or people she cares about.
Not many things ruffle her. She’s also very at ease with non-violent criminality. Quite laid back in life. Bit of a hedonist. Prone to material excess. She has an adventurous spirit UNTIL she gets tired and hungry.
Religion/belief system: Coin, friends, and earthly comforts.
Lifestyle
Background: Zahni grew up in Senchal, in Southern Elsweyr. Orphaned at a young age, she was cared for by a found family of...mostly smugglers. Her personality, as well as having a natural talent for illusion magic, led to her making a fine living as a fence and information broker. She had a great deal of renown in Senchal’s underworld for knowing what was going on in the city at any given time. However, the Knahaten Flu devastated her life, and in an effort to rebuild it she wanted to try things aboveboard in a place where no one knew her. Because of her magical skill she tried the Arcane University in Cyrodil. Pitched a fit and really threw her magical weight around until they let her in, and she found a suitable place in the Mages Guild. But it was boring. So when Jo’vashaar was like ‘hey wanna go to a necropolis with me while I study some forbidden magic’ she was all for it. And through that, she also found new work that utilized the skills she used in Senchal, without placing her in the direct path of running afoul with the law.
Current place of residence: She currently lives in Rimmen, Northern Elsweyr, in a massive and lavish house that is way too big for her. She has a hired bard. She has bowls of grapes even though she doesn’t eat grapes. The ceilings are 12 feet high. YOU KNOW.
Occupation: She’s an…antiques dealer. Sure those antiques usually come from crypts she went into with Jo’vashaar. Sure maybe she uses some illusion magic to make people not ask questions, and also make tourists happy to overpay for those things to an extreme degree. But no one has to know that. She’s Respectable.
Habits: Bit of a gambler, bit of a drinker. Can fall asleep anywhere. Likes curling up in boxes. Gets the zoomies.
Hobbies: She likes games of chance, collecting things, dancing, and talking to anyone who looks interesting at a tavern.
Likes: Music, plays, exploring, sweets, meeting new people, shiny things, easy marks
Dislikes: Being condescended to, social tension, being minorly inconvenienced in any way—she starts getting whiny.
Goals: HAVE FUN.
Relationships
Parents: Unknown
Siblings: Unknown
Orientation: I don’t wanna think about this she’s an Actual Cat.
Relationship status: No
Notable relationships: Zahni is the sort who knows everyone and is on good terms with them. She is a very good networker and schmoozer. People love Zahni and many are on a first name basis with her. She likes building an empire of allies to have a support network that keeps herself and other friends, like Jo’vashaar, out of trouble.
Jo’vashaar: She’s been friends with him for over 20 years. He’s outwardly not the sort she tends to hang out with, being dour and taking himself so seriously, but she found him a terrific ally in Cyrodil, and thinks he’s very fun beneath his scowling facade. She also thinks he’s fun to tease and he can handle it. She sees Jo’vashaar as a way to see the world in safety, as a protective traveling buddy, and also someone who doesn’t pass judgement on her less-than-legal past and endeavors. They both sort of enable each other in that. She also thinks Jo’vashaar needs her to keep him out of jail, even if he would say otherwise. She feels protective towards him as well, in that way. She also sees tomb traps before he does and helps disarm them, and never lets him forget it.
Zahni is a pro at diffusing whatever tense social situations Jo’vashaar inevitably makes in town because she’s very skilled in illusion magic but also SHE LOOKS LIKE THIS + WEARING LITTLE FANCY PEOPLE CLOTHES.
How can u be mad at her...she just wants to go to an inn...curl up on a pillow...listen to some lutes.
Have I told you of Dar'Shinzir my punch cat? He is a foolish boy who has mastered unarmed combat but has zero concept of civilized society and believes you only own what you're holding in your hands... if you're holding it tight enough. Khajiit are the best.
Oh I LOVE A PUNCH CAT, I love a foolish boy. If u got claws might as well use them. Khajiit are indeed the best.
Even though Jo’vashaar is technically a mage, if he gets into altercations with people he usually just...beats them up. Raising the dead is for his Scholarly Pursuits, and Punching is for when someone bothers him. Zahni jokingly asks if he even knows how to use the staff he carries around, any time he ruins her night by getting into a bar fight.
Actually just remember my unrelated khajiit OC. My friend ran a short-lived Morrowind tabletop rpg and I played a khajiit named Kaspar who did nothing but lie. He pretended to be a wealthy, charming businessman from Elsweyr but was actually a former slave working to free his fellows. There was going to eventually be a big reveal when he unmasked all his lies during his final revenge but we never got too far in the campaign.
This is all I know about him BUT I THINK KASPAR DESERVES THE WORLD. I love.
Zahni is an excellent liar. Partly because she’s very good at crafting them, but partly because she’s just...so sweet and cute looking that you want to believe her. I’d believe anything a little talking orange cat in robes told me.
