Jothi

Jothi Gender Male Race Half-elf Status Alive Relationship(s) Captain Elyssbeth(Captain, lover) Alias/Title a rheumy-eyed half-elven sailor Affiliation(s) The Niima’s Promise

Jothi is the First Mate of the Niima’s Promise, which was in port at Caligos Isle from 2017-2021 before it sailed away at the conclusion of A Tale of Love. Along with the rest of the crew, Jothi refused to leave Caligos without his captain. Despite his love for Elyssbeth, he was too terrified of the Isle to set foot past the docks. In Prime, adventurers helped Jothi free Elyssbeth and the caravel sailed away.

Appearance

Slight of frame but gaunt beyond reason, the half-elven sailor has shaggy hair of chestnut brown and a day's growth upon his face.  Rheumy eyes with deep pouches beneath gaze around the area with a sadness that is echoed in his posture.  His clothing is disheveled and has seen better days, though his bare feet seem remarkably clean.

Location

2018-2020

[Caligos Isle, Pier]
Squawking birds of all sizes wheel overhead, making strafing runs atop the water and plunging dives beneath it to secure a meal.  Successful hunters perch upon the handrails to devour their prize, mobbed by would-be meal thieves.  The planked decking underfoot creaks rhythmically in time with the incoming waves sent forth by the roiling, blue-green seas surrounding the harbor.  You also see a monolithic limestone walrus statue with an enameled seashell bucket on it, a rheumy-eyed half-elven sailor, a lateen-rigged exploration caravel and a warped oak shack.
Obvious paths: north, south

2021

[Caligos Isle, Hidden Cove]
Silt, scoria, and gravel make for an uneven terrain as the small pathway spills upon a black sand beach littered with skeletal fish bones, shattered seashells, and the rotting corpses of eels.  Wafts of fetid odors laden the already humid and damp air with a pungency that is cloying and sits at the back of the throat.  A series of smooth stone steps leads to a haphazard dock where a lateen-rigged exploration caravel sits at anchor.  You also see an indigo-tailed black cockatoo and a rheumy-eyed half-elven sailor.
Obvious paths: none

Ambients

Heartbroken and weary, the sailor mutters in a strangled voice, "Niima give me strength and bring her back to me."

Several people descend the steps of Caligos Isle, their brightly colored clothing reflected in the ambient light.  "Captain," the sailor cries out.  "Is that you, Captain?"  He watches with growing disappointment as the group passes him on their way to the Damsel of the Deep.

Shielding his eyes with both hands, the sailor turns his gaze towards a lateen-rigged exploration caravel and watches as a small dinghy briefly pulls up to its side.  A sack is tossed from the deck down to the smaller boat, and immediately, a young man jumps in after.  Closing his eyes, the sailor stands dejectedly on the pier as the dinghy pulls away.

Using his fingers, the sailor begins to count out loud, "Jorgenson, Gyxsy, Mairn, Zevvy..." he trails off for a moment in thought.  "Still six of us, we could sail her if the captain comes back.  We could still get off this rock."

Staring at the island, the half-elven sailor begins speaking as if to a person only he can see.  "Captain Elyssbeth, you can do it, just get your feet on the pier and break the bloody curse!  You can do it, return to us," he urges with his heartfelt words.

Questions and Answers

In 2021, the sailor had the following responses:

>ask sailor about bauble
Anxiously, a rheumy-eyed half-elven sailor looks at you, "Yes, I can take the bauble.  If this... trick... or remedy... rids her of the curse, then I can use the bauble pay the sea witch.  Otherwise, she's promised to take... other... things... from..."  He trails off into silence.

>ask sailor about caravel
Gazing affectionately at the exploration caravel, the sailor softly says, "Niima's Promise is her name.  Captain commissioned her out of Ta'Loenthra some fifty years back now.  Was a time when we would explore the coast searching for hidden coves and lost relics."  His lips purse in a bitter line, his tone terse as he continues, "But bloody Junderthal had to find this piece of rock, and its damned curse will be our undoing."

>ask sailor about cockatoo
Eyeing you carefully, the sailor says, "Aye, I know Nix.  It used to be the captain's cockatoo.  She'd had it for years, and then suddenly, one day, the Captain swatted it away with disgust.  But I tell you, that cockatoo was wise, it soared to the island, and I can hear it calling to the captain sometimes when the wind is high."

>ask sailor about curse
Flapping his arms with exasperation, the sailor exclaims, "Gods, but I wish I knew!  I can't figure it out.  Is it the relics?  Is it the air?  Something keeps people here, something steals them from you, and by Charl's salt-encrusted whiskers, you can bet that I'll never set foot on that rock again."

>ask sailor about egg
The sailor replies, "You should speak to the warden about that."

>ask sailor about Elyssbeth
Licking his lips, the sailor opens his mouth to speak, but stops to clear his throat.  Closing his eyes for a long moment, he finally manages to say, "She's my captain, my love.  Her eyes are like the moonlight dancing upon the back of a dolphin in a becalmed water.  I just want her back, back at my side, so we can sail away."  He sighs again and whispers, "Sail anywhere."

>ask sailor about escape
The lines of the sailor's face grow hard and his eyes turn glassy.  "Not without Elyssbeth... not without the Captain."  His voice tremors just a bit, the barest hint, before his throat bobs and he croaks out, "Not without her."

>ask sailor about isle
Swearing an oath fit to make even a boatswain blush, the half-elven sailor says, with disgust, "That bloody island, I wished we'd never laid eyes upon it.  Cursed and fouled by the strange mist that encircles it.  Nothing, no treasure, is worth the thing that steals in the night."  When pressed for more details, he grows nervous and backs away.

>ask sailor about Junderthal
Shrugging, the sailor says, "What of the man?  He's a good captain, but he's not mine.  He sees profit under every rock, but mine saw history.  He can have this rock for all I care, I just want Elyssbeth back."

>ask sailor about leave
Strangling a sob before it can fully form in his throat, the sailor manages to say, "I can't.  We can't.  Niima's Promise is Elyssbeth's, and we owe it to her to wait."

>ask sailor about mist
Worrying and wringing his hands, the half-elven sailor eyes the pier as if suddenly the mist may appear upon it.  "Heed my words, stay away from it.  No good can come from something that unnatural-looking."

>ask sailor about name
Confused by the question, the half-elven sailor seems surprised to be asked who he is and with a careless shrug says, "First Mate Jothi of the Niima's Promise."

>ask sailor about Niima
Half sobbing, half sighing, the sailor says, "I keep praying that she'll take mercy on us and send the captain back, but my prayers are getting thin, and my hope is fading."

>ask sailor about warning
"Yes, I've heard the bloody thing!  Not that I needed to!  I've known this place was damned from the beginning," he rails, face gone red and eyes glaring daggers.  "It's taken everything from me!"

Fate of Jothi

The Fate of Elyssbeth hung in the balance and Jothi asked for help in saving her. The outcome was decided in 2021 by taking part in the quest: A Tale of Love.

Messaging

>give sailor
"I can trade you some powerful dust for your sea-glass bauble.  It may help you free my love from the curse that keeps her trapped on this dreaded island.  If you are sure you want to give it to me, repeat your command within 30 seconds and I will make it so."  The sailor waits patiently for you to hand over the bauble.

>give sailor
The sailor accepts your sea-glass bauble and says, "Thank you."  He swaps your sea-glass bauble for a handful of pungent dust.  "Take this pungent dust to Captain Elyssbeth and without her catching wind of what you're doing, give it a good EXHALE to blow it in her face.  She is probably roaming along the main pathway of the island."