Jahari Makali

[VikNightfox]

Player Name/Alias: Strawcat

Character Name: Jahari Makali

Character Species: Anthro

If Anthro, what sub-species? (Put N/A if Human): Striped/Spotted Hyena Crossbreed

Character Sex: Male

Character Age: 26

Height / Weight: 6'2" / 176 lbs

Physical Description: Jahari is a tall, rugged hyena with tawny fur marked with black blotches arranged in a pattern of intermittent stripes over most of his body. Although not as massive as some in his line of work, the solidity of his rock-hard form is kept free of unwanted excess, thereby defining his muscles with a presentation that seems imposing enough to qualify. His eyes are like obsidian marbles, devoid of eye-white or any of the usual ocular differentiation; they are impenetrable, revealing little but what the glossy surface reflects. Normally, however, these spherical voids are shrouded by an overhanging shock of platinum, contrasting with the blackness of the rest of his unruly, shoulder-length hair. Below sits a blunt, canine-like nose, and wide mouth, with a jaw that is known for its vise-like strength. Also of note are his concave ears with curved edges tapering into blunt tips.

He wears a red tank top, black boot-cut jeans and boots. During these cooler times, he'll also put on a studded, black leather jacket, though opting for the sleeveless variety in order not to conceal the musculature of his arms. He'll also don some leather gloves with metal studs on the backs to match his jacket. The jacket is normally kept open, with a wide belt component sealing it just above the waist with a thick, oversized square-shaped buckle. A pair of unmarked dog tags complete his attire, suspended by a silver chain around his neck.

Background: Jahari was born in Lehann, a port city in the southeastern region of Bulari that had its resources squandered by the previous Ruwenian government with its mandate of rapid industrialization and exportation at the expense of local infrastructure and public goods. Jahari's grandparents were among the first Anthros to be shipped into the area in order to fill the extensive labor requirements of this ambitious creed, and toiled away in the nearby mines, smelting facilities or assembly lines. His parents, like many other Anthros of the slums here, were restricted by the harsh socio-economic conditions exacerbated by the general segregation policies, which the corporate minority was able to manipulate to their hegemonistic advantage, and much of these Anthros thereby seemed to be "free" only in a narrow legalistic sense that they themselves did not understand. As a result, the dilapidated city has continued to be a focal point of civil unrest and collective malaise even after its democratization.

Jahari lost his father to an unfortunate mining accident in his early years, which is not too uncommon in an area where safety standards are still a little behind the times. His mother raised him to the best of her ability, though much of her time had to be spent working the assembly line to make end's meet, and without an appropriate male role model, Jahari ultimately fell in with one of the major gangs of the city. Gang-related crime was generally accepted as a norm here, and law enforcement officials usually deemed it lower priority...that was, until a gang war suddenly intensified and innocent victims started to become involved, both accidentally and intentionally. As his friends started ending up in jail, mysteriously disappearing or re-emerging with "the collar" which usually put an end to their gang activity, Jahari's social network gradually eroded away, and the concern set in that he might soon share a similar fate.

With these pressures mounting, Jahari snuck aboard a freighter en route to Alkesh with the hope of starting a new life for himself. Within the 9 months he has lived there, he had adapted relatively well, securing a bouncer position at The Tankard in Lower Alkesh as well as a room in the upper level of this venue, which might be unsuitable for most, but seems to meet his modest housing expectations. Since his quality of life is actually better than it once was, Jahari is content to mingle and clash with the undesirable types who frequent his seedy domain, with no plans to advance further in society. Then again, he has never known any alternative, having had little cause to explore the majority of the city...

Personality: Jahari has no specific ideology, nor any scruples about aligning with almost anyone if it will maximize his chances for survival. He operates mostly on an instinctual basis, relying on intuition and street smarts, rather than logical deduction. This doesn't mean that he's always right, however, and his impulsive decisions sometimes get him into trouble. Due to having little formal education, his grammar is imperfect and his Bularian accent further exacerbates the impression that he is stupid and lazy. However, though his intelligence isn't stellar, it remains to be seen what untapped potentials he may have, since there is some indication that he not as dumb as he might seem at first. And though he would rather just lounge around, never having been a busybody, he usually seems to get done whatever he is required to do.

His somewhat eccentric behaviour has distanced him from some, while attracting the attention of others. He tends to put his own liberty first before that of others, and will often appear a bit detached and even callous to those who have not yet earned his full trust, which can be slow to develop. For this reason, it is uncommon for him to form deep, meaningful bonds with other people.

Rather than grow embittered about the state of the world and his condition of segregation and solitude within it, Jahari has found solace in the absurdist outlook that things are the way they are for no particular purpose or reason, but that it is the very expectation of reason that throws people into conflict with the world, with often ironic consequences. The existing order is therefore best taken lightly, for if you cannot laugh, the alternative is insanity.

Jahari then can seem overly casual and flippant at times when he shouldn’t be, though his outward presentation can mask the more serious intentions within his mind, being difficult to read. Because of this, he is sometimes underestimated and is capable of unpredictable tactics that can throw his opponents off-guard.

Weapons / Equipment: Jahari will often carry a metallic baseball bat around with him in those areas that he perceives a greater than average threat level, including when he's on duty. Otherwise, he is usually quite capable of defending himself with his impromptu "feral" style of unarmed brawling.

Additional Info: Jahari has managed to save up enough marks for an old yellow motorcycle (similar to a Harley Sprint), which he has renovated and tuned up so that it no longer looks and sounds like crap.