Jack is a swarthy Human male standing three or four inches under six feet and weighing around 165 pounds, give or take. His hair and neatly-trimmed beard are black, and he has a lean, hard-eyed look about him.

He is clothed in black leathers, is armed with a rapier and daggers, with a shortbow at his back. In addition to his backpack, he wears a canvas haversack at his hip, with its strap looped across his chest. He is perhaps 25 summers old (he is unsure of his exact age).

He was born and came of age in the Dockside district of old Pomton (now Auxene), situated along the river Aux. Dockside is a tough waterfront area, populated by mariners and by many of Auxene's rougher population. Life is cheap there -- along with quite a few other things. There's an old Auxene saying: "Dirty deeds done dirt cheap? You'll want Dockside."

Jack was the son of a whore (ahem . . . member of the Polyandrous League) named Farella, who plyed her trade in the suggestively-named "Mermaid's Grotto", and of some unnamed (and possibly unknown) father. Farella was close-mouthed about the identity of Jack's father -- which was a little unusual, given how talkative she was on most other subjects.

Unfortunately Farella fell ill and died when Jack was quite young -- only about five summers he supposed, as he thought back on it in later years. As a result, Jack found himself orphaned and out on the mean streets of Dockside, forced to live by his wits, fast hands, and faster feet.

Jack could have chosen an honest trade, and mayhap talked himself into some sort of an apprenticeship. Instead he found that he could survive on his own, beholding to no one -- which was fine by him. The lad used to imagine that one day his father would seek him out and whisk him away to live a life of ease -- or, at least comfort -- but of course, it never happened. Jack at first thought that his father must be a mariner, given the large number of sea-going men to be found in and around Dockside; but later he came to realize that men from all walks of life and all quarters of Auxene journeyed to Dockside to sow their wild oats (another Auxene saying is "What happens in Dockside stays in Dockside").

As far as siblings went, Jack could recall his mother speaking of an older sister, whom she had turned out "'Cause the little bitch thinks she's too high an' mighty to earn 'er livin' the way I do." At the time Jack was too young to understand what Farella meant, but in later years he found that he sided with his unknown sister on the subject. He did not think to ask any questions about this sister before his mother died, and now he had no idea where she might be found -- or even if she was still alive, for that matter.

One fine evening, the young Jack was pulled into a dark alleyway by a shadowy figure. "'Ere now, there's a fine lad. I been watchin' ye, that I 'ave. Ye ain't bad. No, no, ye ain't. But with a little trainin', ye could be lots better, an' thass a fact. Yessir, that's a troo fact. So, whaddaye say, lad? Ye game?" The hulking man gave Jack's arm an extremely hard squeeze, which caused the lad to decide that it would not be a good idea to refuse the offer.

As it turned out, the training was a good thing for Jack. He soon learned that he was now considered a member of "The Shadows" -- one of the groups of Auxene's thieves, strong-arm men, hustlers, and general ne'er-do-wells -- and that all he had to do was to look, listen, and learn from men and women who were much more accomplished in their chosen trades than he was . . . well, that, and not step on the toes of anyone who was higher up in the Shadows than he was.

Jack had originally thought that the man who had accosted him -- who went by the street name of "The Golem" --  had done so out of the goodness of his heart, and considered him a friend . . . until he learned that members of the Shadows were paid a bounty for bringing in recruits who survived, and who developed into members in good standing. Jack himself chose the street name of "Alleycat". Each of the Shadows was required to choose one and to use it when addressing each other -- that way, if anyone was hauled in for breaking the Law, they could not name any true names. The one exception was Basoro, who was generally thought to be so powerful -- or with powerful enough connections -- that he could safely use his true name.

Always nimble and agile, Alleycat also had a good head on his shoulders -- and over the years this combination, coupled with the on-the-job training that he received from other Shadows resulted in his being a confident, competent footpad -- one who was equally familiar with lock-picks, blades, and bows.

However, in Dockside things have a way of changing on short notice -- a flip of a coin, some might way. Thus, it came to pass that on one foggy evening when one could scarcely see their hand in front of their face,  Alleycat found himself in circumstances that caused him to grudgingly come to the conclusion 'twas better for his own health and well-being if he took up a different line of work, one where mayhap some of the skills he had learned on the mean streets of Dockside and the Rivora Tennancies could be put to good use . . .

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OOC: This should be considered to be a work in progress. The DM has not yet had an opportunity to review it for consistency with campaign canon, so there may be a few minor edits along and along. I anticipate that other than a few details, the bulk of the story will not see too many changes.