-
This wiki is very much under construction. The original wiki was set to be shut down and the wiki was largely mirrored to a Fandom-based version, though most of the reference images had not yet been copied over. This migration was put on hold when it appeared the original wiki could in fact be retained, however the old wiki was lost in its entirety when the server was among the many taken down by a massive series of cyberattacks on data centers during early February, 2023. It is now being rebuilt with the launch of Hel. Sorry if it's a little messy right now!
Njack
Appeared in chapters 41 43 44 46 47 50 55 56 57
Njack is a naga-like "friend demon" summon of Kiel'ndia.
Appearance & Personality
Njack is a male "demon prince", one of Kiel's unique form of nether summons that has managed to gain a greater-than-average degree of identity and autonomy. As such, the bulk of his form is a dark pseudo-shadow, with many defining features apparent through a contrasting white glow. He personally manifests as a naga-like being, with a serpentine tail and prominent curved horns on his head, featuring hair drawn back into a braided ponytail. His form is clad in a long and loosely fitting jacket, with what would seem to be bandages underneath. Like his fellow summons Bast and Sindas, he has a set of glowing spikes atop his head, granting the appearance of a crown or tiara.
He is a carefree and somewhat manic individual, with an eccentric sense of humour and strange perspective of the world around him. He is also without shame and quite perverted, eagerly macking on those around him, regardless of gender, even those currently attempting to attack him. In addition to a near-worshipful dedication to Kiel'ndia, he appears to have a solid friendship with Sindas, who at times restrains his peer from actions that are reckless even by their standards. Though his good cheer persists in nearly all situations, he is jealously protective of Kiel, openly expressing hostility to those who he suspects to have ill intent towards her.
Biography - Arc II
Assassination of the False Empress
Njack first appeared as Kiel'ndia led a group of Vloz'ress in an attempt to openly assassinate the Fake Val'Sharess within the Beldrobbaen Fortress, having been allowed to enter the tower under the pretense of a diplomatic mission with the aid of a Val'Beldrobbaen contact. Having approached as close to their target as possible and with their path blocked by an Imperial Guard, Kiel'ndia took a pair of small plush dolls containing Njack and Sindas and threw them down the corridor at the unsuspecting Overseer.<ref>Chapter 41, page 13</ref> Alerted by the motion, but not yet realizing the danger, Nemea'tari stooped to inspect the dolls, whereupon the two demon princes emerged and began their attack. With the first obstacle now distracted, the rest of the group sprinted onwards, intent on reaching their target before an alarm could be sounded.
Though the others were successful and able to assassinate the body double, they immediately found themselves beset by enemies on all sides as the Imperial Guard responded in force, led by Captain Nir'naya herself.<ref>Chapter 41, page 15</ref> No longer needed to distract Nemea'tari, Njack and Sindas returned to defend their allies, with Njack interposing between Fame'nidea and Eri'nyasa.<ref>Chapter 41, page 19</ref> Though swiftly overpowered, the two were able to take advantange of their form's resilience to buy the others enough time to make an initial escape.<ref>Chapter 41, page 20</ref> While little could cause him lasting injury and he treated his ensuing dismemberment by a summon with mild amusement, sealing remained a very real threat, and one that Kiel was keenly aware of as she made her escape along the tower's ledges. Fortunately, he was evidently able to slip away before sealers could arrive.
Traveling to Felde
Days later, Njack was present in the audience enjoying a performance by Fame'nidea and her band, Goat Heads. He was soon joined by Kiel, relaxing after her recent adventures and pointedly ignoring political events in play despite Chrys'tel's insistence that she act against the schemes of Snadhya'rune.<ref>Chapter 43, page 6</ref> Seeking to force Kiel back into a state of excitable recklessness they needed, Nau'kheol advised his sister to provide Kiel with the summoner-killer they had earlier encountered in Nuqrah'shareh. While it would be far too large to safely use for most summoners, or even a group, Kiel was informed that Kharla'ggen might be able to activate the summon on her own. As Njack and Sindas expressed their gleeful support of the plan, a still-worried Kiel'ndia shot them a withering stare.<ref>Chapter 41, page 15</ref> Ultimately, Kharla'ggen agreed to risk activating the summon, succeeding to the awe of those present with the sheer might of her monstrously powerful aura.<ref>Chapter 43, page 25</ref>
Kiel's mood restored to its typical mania, a group was assembled to attend Snadhya'rune's imminent gathering in Felde, with the Turtle Summon serving as transportation for those accompanying the eccentric Vloz'ress and her allies. Displaying his typical carefree and perverted nature, Njack took the opportunity to grab at Nau'kheol's butt as he boarded, much to the latter's irritation and Kiel's amusement.<ref>Chapter 43, page 43</ref> He watched the unannounced arrival of Sara'hilana and An'jin with curiosity, but made no effort to involve himself, as the intrusion was swiftly resolved peacefully.<ref>Chapter 43, page 45</ref> Kharla's boarding of the ship, however, elicited a far stronger reaction, and Sindas had to restrain his fellow Demon Prince from making his crude advances upon the notoriously unstable Ill'haress.<ref>Chapter 43, page 46</ref>
As the journey to Felde commenced, he accompanied Kiel as she sought out Chrys'tel to tease her over her brother's behavior, unintentionally intruding on a private conversation between Chrys'tel and Shinae. Though Shinae swiftly slammed the door in Kiel's face, Njack joined Kiel, Sindas, and Bast in eavesdropping before getting distracted by Fame's sighting of another group of travelers approaching.<ref>Chapter 44, page 15</ref> To the surprise of those aboard, the approaching strangers were revealed to be of the Val'Jaal'darya clan, by chance also traveling to Felde. Njack, Bast, and Sindas took offense to the presence of Fia'nova among the Jaal'daryan envoys, sensing her demonic nature and wary of her motivations. Njack in particular displayed a rather uncharacteristic hostility over the attempt to steal "his" Kiel, firmly stating he didn't like who or whatever Fia'nova was.<ref>Chapter 44, page 17</ref> Despite the reservations the Demon Princes and Princess had, the decision was ultimately made by the others aboard the turtle to follow the Jaal'daryan procession after it was revealed Kharla'ggen had fallen asleep and inadvertently taken the vessel off-course, much to the frustration of Njack.<ref>Chapter 44, page 18</ref>
Felde Gathering
Arrival
Upon the group's arrival in Felde, they gained the immediate attention of Larvova and two of her scourges, Finol and Labran'che. With his usual lack of restrait, Njack helped himself to some of the food on a plate being carried by one of the servants in Snadhya'rune's service.<ref>Chapter 44, page 55</ref> Aware of his familiarity with Kiel, Larvova with difficulty ordered Kuso to ascertain her motives for attending the gathering. Their meeting went as poorly as expected, with Kiel demanding to know the reason for their presence in turn. When Kuso evaded the question, Njack and Sindas aided Kiel in a crudely disparaging remark made at the expense of Zala'ess. The discussion was abruptly cut short, however, as an incident unfolded involving a very hungry and unattended Kharla'ggen. While Kiel rushed to the scene, accompanied by Njack, Sindas, and Kuso, it had already been resolved by the intervention of Khaless. While this disturbed most of those present, Kuso and Njack were both quite pleased by the sight.<ref>Chapter 44, page 62</ref>
Snadhya'rune's Decree
With the immediate crisis over, Kiel entered the tower with her customary lack of subtlety or tact, holding a rather brief and mutually disingenuous conversation with Snadhya'rune.<ref>Chapter 44, page 65</ref> Their conversation would soon by interrupted by the arrival of Ran'diirk, who made a ill-fated attempt to assassinate Snadhya'rune at the cost of his life. Having dispatched the threat with ease, Snadhya'rune the ordered the guests to the higher levels of the tower for a further demonstration of the power she wielded. Kiel reunited with Chrys'tel, in disguise as a common scourge, teasingly demanding she carry her. While Chrys'tel refused with an equally crass retort, Njack and Sindas were more than happy to carry their lady as she willed.<ref>Chapter 44, page 77</ref>
Upon the guests assembling, Snadhya'rune selected the still-disguised Chrys'tel to stand before her, lecturing her audience on the nature of the taint, not curable but masterable with her guidance. Snadhya'rune then unveiled the creation of a potent toxin, derived from the mana-plague flowers discovered on the surface, and of which she alone possessed the cure. With it she would bring to madness the leaders of any clan that would oppose her, most directly threatening the Kyorl'solenurn to cease their aggression.<ref>Chapter 44, page 81</ref> Lastly, as a final grand show of force, Snadhya'rune revealed her control of the great airship; a potent relic of the Moons Age recently stolen from Nuqrah'shareh and a terrible weapon in its own right.<ref>Chapter 44, page 83</ref> With many of the guests already cowed and backed by a trio of powerful empaths, Shodun used her spellsong to issue Snadhya'rune's demand to those gathered: Kneel before her as ruler of a unified underworld.<ref>Chapter 44, page 88</ref> Momentarily compelled to literally kneel alongside his fellow guests, Njack attempted to do so as much as his form allowed.<ref>Chapter 44, page 89</ref>
Subterfuge
After the conclusion of the speech, the Vloz'ress delegation gathered together to dine and discuss matters, with Njack acting as a chair for his lady.<ref>Chapter 46, page 2</ref> While Kiel, Fame'nidea, and Sindas enjoyed their ice cream with spoons, Njack and Bast messily devoured the delicious treats with little regard for table manners.<ref>Chapter 46, page 1</ref> Their meal was interrupted, however, as a soldier sprinted past carrying a strange satchel. Kuso appeared shortly behind in pursuit, but abandoned the chase and informed his peers of an attacking Sarghress force. Snadhya'rune's security personnel were quick to contain and apprehend the Sarghress operatives, not before Femi had been assassinated and much of her work stolen. An'jin and Sara'hilana, not aware of the plot but seizing the opportunity to act, worked against Snadhya'rune's agents, drawing the ire of their hosts. While Sara'hilana was released by a fortuitous intervention of Kharla'ggen, An'jin was taken captive, a fact discovered as Njack, Bast, and Sindas were sent to search for him.<ref>Chapter 46, page 37</ref>
As Kiel considered An'jin part of her crew, and thus felt responsible for his safety, she decided to risk orchestrating his escape. Accompanied by Njack, Sinadas, and Fame'nidea, the latter of whom objected to the risks, Kiel descended into the lower levels of the tower housing the dungeons.<ref>Chapter 46, page 49</ref> With her initial plan of "subtly" distracting a guard failing, Kiel forcibly recruited Kuso into her scheme, dragging the undressed man to the cells and kicking him into the guard and causing both to tumble down the stairs to still-lower levels. Their path secure, Kiel and Fame'nidea descended while Njack and Sindas disabled any summons or golems along their path by devouring their mana, prompting Kiel to to refer to them as "the best sidekicks".<ref>Chapter 46, page 52</ref> Upon reaching An'jin, he adamantly stated the risks posed by freeing him, aware of Snadhya'rune's wide reach. Insistent despite his warnings, Kiel'nidea decided to distract from the escape by offering a nearby Sarghress prisoner from the earlier raid freedom in exchange for providing a distraction.<ref>Chapter 46, page 53</ref>
Escaping Felde
Elsewhere in the tower, events were happening quickly. In addition to the breakdown of Sarghress/Felde negotiations due to the earlier raid and Kalki's brutal assault of Ariel, as well as an ensuing unauthorized rampage by Kalki and her associates, a large force of Kavahini soldiers mounted a direct assault upon Felde, intent on disrupting Snadhya'rune's machinations. The entire city was plunged into chaos, which Kiel saw a prime opportunity for her group to abscond from their erstwhile hosts.<ref>Chapter 46, page 93</ref> While the Vloz'ress entourage made their way out of the tower, Njack joined Bast and Sindas in regrouping with Chrys'tel's party on the outskirts of the city. Though Kiel's group were initially barred from departing by a lockdown order upon the city, Ariel arrived taking the form of Kalki with her shapeshifting abilities, aggressively bluffing the guards into allowing their passage. With the assembled groups having boarded the turtle summon, Njack relaxed with Sindas and Bast in Fame'nidea's arms, pervertedly appreciating his position near the Vloz'ress woman's chest.
Return to The Rift
Now a good distance from Felde, the assembled factions aboard the vessel began planning their next moves. Along with Sindas and Fame'nidea, Njack watched with interest as Kiel busied herself with wooing an increasingly-receptive Nau'kheol.<ref>Chapter 47, page 2</ref> Despite a brief scare when Kharla's hunger and fatigue caused her to nearly lose consciousness and control of the vessel, the trip was otherwise uneventful for those aboard. However, upon returning to the Vloz'ress Fortress, they were greeted by the sight of a large military presence of Sharen and Sarghress in and around the surrounding Vloz'ress district,<ref>Chapter 47, page 24</ref> a result of Nyo'ka's independent political maneuvering. Irritated by the massive looting undertaken by the Sarghress military, Kiel irritably derided Ariel over her clan's actions. Njack was, however, more interested in Ariel's growing mastery of manipulating her hair with her shapeshifting, eagerly anticipating myriad perverse uses for such a power. As Kiel interpreted his words for Ariel, the mortified Sarghress heir promptly formed her hair into a conservative bob-cut.<ref>Chapter 47, page 25</ref>
The Puppeteer Incident
While Kiel delayed reestablishing her control of the varying Vloz'ress factions in order to attend to Naal's demon, Njack and Sindas continued to accompany Fame'nidea as she unwittingly stumbled across Ni'bai's terrible plot to summon forth a powerful demonic entity.<ref>Chapter 47, page 37</ref> Though Fame attempted to excuse herself, the plotters had no desire for witnesses and quickly restrained her. Njack himself was taken captive by Pen'ri, an especially well-endowed scourge of Ni'bai with a talent for sealing, whom he had rather recklessly approached with his typically perverse inclinations.<ref>Chapter 47, page 38</ref> Pen'ri then led the unfortunate captives to a lower level, where they found more conspirators disposing of the remains of Kharla'ggen's attendants.<ref>Chapter 47, page 40</ref>
The plot finally revealed itself as Ni'bai opened a massive nether gate, releasing hordes of nether spirits with no concern for collateral damage. Baliir and Sara'hilana were among the first to respond to the crisis, encountering a fleeing Fame'nidea, who informed them of the plot and credited the two demon princes with sparing her the fate of Kharla'ggen's servants.<ref>Chapter 47, page 67</ref> Though Baliir and Sara made an effort to halt the scheme, it proved unsuccessful, and Ni'bai was able to merge a large demonic entity into Kharla'ggen's aura, empowering her to seize control of the population and assassinate the various clan leaders. Elsewhere, in Orthorbbae, as Kiel struggled to contain a newly-escaped Naal, Nau'kheol fell prey to Kharla'ggen's empathic attack, though some factor prevented him from succumbing to complete control. While Kiel was able to deduce Kharla's involvement by the nature of the attack, it was a returning Njack and Sindas who informed her of the dire situation, having had their physical manifestations temporarily killed defending Fame'nidea.<ref>Chapter 47, page 93</ref>
As the group made their way back into the Vloz'ress District, they encountered a populace nearly-universally ensnared, confronting them with the sheer scale of the attack.<ref>Chapter 47, page 94</ref> Reaching the fortress itself, they found the turtle summon attempting to breach the walls, a sign Kiel interpreted as her sister's resistance to the plot.<ref>Chapter 47, page 107</ref> Moving quickly now atop the demon of Naal, despite Njack's discomfort with the creature's gait, they found the the gates to the fortress barred by numerous allies controlled by Kharla'ggen, acting a living shield.<ref>Chapter 47, page 108</ref> Unwilling to cut down her allies, Kiel sought another means of entry. Grabbing ahold of Njack and Sindas, she squeezed the two princes into rough balls, using them as tools to climb the fortress walls, an act Sindas found objectionable but throughly enjoyed by Njack.<ref>Chapter 47, page 109</ref> Making their way through the largely-undefended tower, they found Kharla'ggen out of control, Ni'bai's plan overestimating even Kharla'ggen's ability to contain the beast.<ref>Chapter 47, page 114</ref> Though Kharla'ggen fought against it, she soon took control of first the princes, and then Kiel herself. Only the timely intervention of Naal's demon hungrily attacking an unaware Kharla'ggen ended the attack.<ref>Chapter 47, page 115</ref>
Though still connected to Kharla'ggen, the Demon God took advantage of its hosts incapacitation to escape its confinement, swiftly encountering a massive counter-attack from the combined Sharen and Sarghress Alliances. Though Kiel attempted to free her sister from the Naal's maw, she was unable to prevent the glutton demon from consuming the once-mighty Ill'haress. The demon itself survived only moments longer, as the overwhelming assault upon the fortress brought upon its swift collapse. As Kiel fled the tower's destruction alongside Nau, Njack and Sindas remained with Naal, following as she fell to her doom.<ref>Chapter 47, page 123</ref>
Searching for the Ninth Tower
Though Njack remained with Naal's demon until the death of it's physical form, he had departed by the the nether spirit freed itself from the ruined corpse, having attained sentience and recovering some of Naal's memories. By the following day, he had reunited with Kiel as she recovered from the recent loss of her clan and sister.<ref>Chapter 50, page 26</ref> Not all her losses were as permanent as they seemed, however, as Naal's demon was able to make its way nearby roughly a week later. Though its new host body was slain by an Illhar'dro commander, the friends demons were able to protect it from being sealed, reuniting this new Naal with Kiel.<ref>Chapter 50, page 123</ref>
Having been tasked with Chrys'tel with locating the fabled Ninth Tower in exchange for political favour, and also seeking to find a new body for the slowly-fading Naal, Kiel entered Orthorbbae with Nau and several Vloz'ress associates. In the chaos of Sil'lice's assault, Kiel and Nau, aided by Kiel's friend demons, were able to find the hidden lift to the tower within the Headmistress' chambers. Ascending ahead of their companions after having unwittingly activated the lift, Kiel and Nau were greeted by the golem guardians of the tower. Ignoring a demand to leaveby a projected voice and dispatching several golems, Kiel summoned Njack, Sindas and Inten to assist her in scouting.<ref>Chapter 47, page 147</ref> Eventually, the three demons encountered the tower's sole living resident: Sha'sana herself. The trio proved no match for ancient and extremely powerful summoner, and were soon forcibly contained as Kiel arrived to confront the school's former headmistress.<ref>Chapter 50, page 1</ref>
Irritated by the presence of "wild" demons, an argument erupted between the two headstrong women. An argument that quickly escalated into an altercation as Sha'sana refused to release the demons Kiel had come to befriend.<ref>Chapter 50, page 153</ref> Though briefly winded by a punch from Nau after throwing Kiel aside, and also having no desire to kill those she viewed as little more than children, Sha'sana's resolve hardened and she moved to throw the pair from the tower's elevator shaft.<ref>Chapter 50, page 156</ref> While Kiel was initially protected by her demonic allies, Sha'sana simply adjusted her sorcery to target Nau'kheol instead. Though Kiel was helpless to do anything but maintain ahold of Nau'kheol to prevent his fall, Sha'sana stayed her hand when the manifestation of Naal's demon caught her interest.<ref>Chapter 50, page 158</ref> Intrigued, she demanded the three stay so that she might study the strange occurrence, even releasing Njack and his fellow summons as a show of good will.<ref>Chapter 50, page 159</ref>
However, this peace was ultimately short-lived. Having tracked Kiel to the elevator, Sil'lice arrived with a force of Sarghress soldiers. Accompanying the force was Diva, the reborn form of Diva'ratrika. Recognizing her old friend despite her new body, Sha'sana was caught entirely off-guard as Sil'lice strode forward and brutally impaled the ancient summoner.<ref>Chapter 50, page 160</ref> Horrified, Nau attempted to intervene, distracting Sil'lice momentarily and allowing Sha'sana to counter by shoving a lingering mass of Kiel's summons directly into the vengeful Sharen's face. The strike not only tainted her, but rendered her unconcious. Though the crisis threatened to escalate, leading Njack to interpose himself between the Sarghress forces and his lady, more moderate minds prevailed in the abscence of Sil'lice's bloody-minded fury, ending hostilities.<ref>Chapter 50, page 162</ref>
Some time later, with some measure of peace in the tower now established, Njack was seen curiously inspecting the body of the Sharess, alongside Sindas, Inten, and Diva.<ref>Chapter 50, page 166</ref>
Biography - Arc III
Raid Upon the Ninth Tower
Over the the next three years, Kiel and other remnants of the Vloz'ress took up permanent residence within the nearly-abandoned Orthorbbae, with Njack remaining at her side. Though relatively secluded, the tower was not entirely without value, and a pair of masked agents allowed a demon hosting a shard of the defeated Demon God entry into the inner courtyard in attempt to provide a diversion as they entered the Ninth Tower.<ref>Chapter 55, page 03</ref> Though Kiel and Nau'kheol were initially unable to overcome the beast, Naal'suul was able to enter and devour much of the demon's essence, greatly weakening it. As Nau finished the beast with a blast of fire sorcery, its aura emerged and was promptly devoured by Naal. As the other friend demons emerged to devour scattering remnants of the shard and Finol arrived in a panic to hack at the ruined corpse, Njack contented himself with inspecting the corpse.<ref>Chapter 50, page 15</ref>
Having deduced the presence of other intruders as the lift ascended into the Ninth Tower, Kiel and her group waited below for the lift to return so they could pursue. Instead, they were greeted by the broken corpse of one of the intruders, having unsuccessfully lept onto the descending lift to escape pursuit by Sil'lice, Kadara, and Sil'nua.<ref>Chapter 55, page 27</ref> Unfortunately for the intruder, Kiel was not only aware of her nature, but also an immensely talented summoner. Reasoning that her enemy was akin to a summon with a body, Kiel used the the intruder's core to create a incorporeal summon of the hapless agent, intent on interrogating her for information. Though Kiel was successful in her effort, Nau quickly pointed out that her lack of a body precluded her ability to speak. Conceding the point and seeing no further value in her prisoner, Kiel casually had Njack and her other summons devour the agent, resulting in their true destruction.<ref>Chapter 55, page 29</ref>
Notable Quotes
"So that's a no for the cuddles? I've got no arms anymore but you could hold me near your breasts?"<ref>Chapter 41, page 22</ref> -Showing a perverted indifference to his enemy's attack.
Character Concept
- Concept Njack.png
Official concept art of Njack, Chapter 41.
|
|||||||||||||||||||
