Puddleopedia | Entry / Jackie

Jackie is a Human, is female, is a Healer, and is not wearing the symbol of any clan.

While she travelled the lands, Jackie was known for her unusual training and for healing herself rather than others. After Awaria's lessons lost their power, Jackie retired.

The following is Jackie's Story, as written by the historian Jaqueline in Summer, 534, transcribed by Kani in Spring, 564.

Before Exile

On Shan Deral, the Ghorak Zo and the Emperor Mobius were waging a bitter war. At this time, Jackie was three years old and lived happily in a small town at the edge of the northern mountains. She'd lived there her entire life, and all that she knew was her parents, her sister, her brother and her other friends in the town.

Eventually, Mobius defeated the Zo, and the Zo fled away through their mirrors. Not all escaped, though, and some were captured by the Emperor. Mad as the Emperor was, he saw the strength of the Ghorak Zo and wished to use them as his own army. In order to endear himself to them, he gave the captured Zo a town of their own.

Jackie's town was chosen, and the Ghorak Zo were pleased to have such a fine town. As it was their town, and they didn't care to live with the other races, they killed, enslaved, and punished the previous inhabitants of their town. Transcriber's Note: This town is likely Mountain's Reach, which soon expanded into a city.

Jackie's friends and family were not inclined to leave their homes or bend to the will of the Ghorak Zo. One day, a Ghorak Zo wanted his shoes polished, and asked Jackie's father to do the deed. Her father, proud as he was, refused and was swiftly brought to the public stocks where he was publicly tortured until his will was broken. He never did, and eventually died from the brutal tactics used against him.

During the torture, Jackie's mother began to pack up the family belongings so that she and her children could flee. Her mother and brother were captured as they attempted escape, but Jackie and her twin sister Juliet were able to steal away. During the scuffle that resulted in her mother's capture, Jackie lost track of Juliet.

Jackie ran aimlessly for a week, but eventually became so exhausted that she couldn't run any longer. She lay in a ditch alongside a road and hoped for help. After several hours, a married halfling couple happened across her body. She was unconscious, so the halflings hefted her body across their shoulders and brought her to their home.

For three days, Jackie lay still and ill near death. She survived only because the two halflings, both master medics, had closed their shop in order to help her. When she finally opened her eyes and returned to awareness, she told them her story of loss and heartbreak. Kindhearted as they were, they adopted Jackie as their own child.

Half a year later, her new parents got a child of their own. Jackie's new sister was named Daishi, and the four of them lived together as a happy family. Around this time, they began to teach Jackie, including lessons in the healing craft. Jackie practised their lessons, though her thoughts were consumed with thoughts of vengeance against the Zo.

This obsession lead her to lessons from a friend of her new parents in the fighter's profession. Time passed, and Jackie continued to hone her skills both as a healer and fighter. Daishi had grown old enough to learn a trade, and chose to become a fighter. When Daishi was well into her sixteenth year, and Jackie just past her 20th birthday, a catalytic incident occurred.

It was early one morning, and Jackie was travelling to her fighting lessons when a youthful Zo jumped from the nearby brush and accosted her. Putting her lessons to use, Jackie defended herself as well as she knew, struggling with the young Zo for another twenty minutes before she managed to get the upper hand. She managed a swift kick, and he lost his balance; the result was a mortal head wound from the subsequent impact against the cobbles of the street. Terrified, Jackie attempted to heal him back to life, but found herself unable. She'd spent too much of her energy pursuing fighter skills, and had allowed her healing ability to wane.

Though she'd faced misfortune in the past, this paled in comparison to what was before her now. The recently deceased Zo was the son of the highest-ranking Zo in Mobius' Ghorak army.

Her court hearings were brief, and before much time at all passed she was exiled with the 61st wave to Puddleby, her new home.

Exile

In her new life, Jackie found many many friends but also many foes. She lived happily, and befriended the trainers (Master Bodrus, Higgrus) who would allow her to improve her fighting ability as well as those who would steer her on the Healer path.

She was helped a lot by her new friends, some of whom invited her to join the Order of the Mini. Jackie was pleased by this, and her skills steadily improved. Juliet was exiled several waves later, and the two were reunited. They caught up on their histories, and decided to stick together as sisters should.

Many zodiacs later, exiles began to find soulglasses ? and the undine powers began to increase. Before long, the Ripture War broke out. In the early days of the war, before the riptures grew near to town, the Order of the Mini broke apart and Jackie left their ranks.

She was alone again; Juliet had also struck out on her own for several zodiacs to explore. The voids and undine began to appear in town, and the exiles had to flee to the Adytum and defend it as their only hope.

Jackie never rested during the battles for the Adytum. From time to time, only She staunchly defended the Adytum; at times as few as 20 defenders would be awake and so she'd build walls from kudzu and fallen bodies. She was good at fighting the undine alone, but couldn't defeat powerful undine such as Liches or Greater Deaths.

The battle raged for many days, but eventually the exiles emerged victorious and were able to return to Puddleby. As they passed through the Dialyth, they forgot their old trainings and had to begin anew. Not all survived, but despite this Puddleby grew and new trainers appeared, some claiming knowledge from the Adytum itself.

Still hot with thoughts of revenge for her family, Jackie trained feverishly. In the 84th wave of exiles, her sister Daishi arrived. She'd stowed away, hoping to see her big sister again, and was successful in making it to Puddleby.

Perhaps Jackie was a slave to misfortune, but another exile known as Ther'Anger accused her of awful things which certainly weren't true. Distraught, she appealed to the Ancients for help and was rewarded when Ther'Anger was banished from town for four zodiacs.

Time passed, and Jackie became a good student of a new trainer known as Awaria, who improved her self-heal (and indirectly, her fighting powers). She studied long and hard with Awaria, Higgrus, and Master Bodrus, but as the 87th wave of exiles swept in, Awaria's lessons were greatly depleted in efficiency, and Jackie's ability was weakened tremendously.

As her chosen path had closed, Jackie chose to donate her worldly possessions to her sisters Juliet and Daishi. She retired to the halls of the library evermore, having never learned the fate of her mother or brother.