Jarlaxle - Personality

Personality

More than anything, Jarlaxle is an opportunist. His wealth is considerable, but official station in drow society means nothing to him. Jarlaxle has learned that the best way for a male to survive and prosper in the matriarchal drow society is by being outside the system and too valuable to be eliminated. Jarlaxle was audacious enough to take his life in that direction, quickly gathering a mercenary band designed specifically to house outcast drow. Always calm and composed, although with an ever-ready quip, Jarlaxle enjoys flaunting his independence and is proud of the fact that the noble houses come to him for aid. In the city of Menzoberranzan, intrigue and double-dealing are a way of life, and no one plays them better than Jarlaxle does. Jarlaxle deliberately cultivates an air of mystery about himself, keeping his actions unpredictable so that even his closest advisors in Bregan D'aerthe are often kept off-balance and guessing as to his next move. Predictability allows individuals to study a potential opponent, note their apparent strengths and weaknesses, and plan accordingly; thus, unpredictability is a great asset to Jarlaxle, as others are forced to improvise, rather than plan ahead, when dealing with him.

As a male outsider in the city, Jarlaxle has much information few others beyond Lolth's priestesses are likely to have access to. He is one of the most powerful individuals in the city and the surrounding Underdark. Jarlaxle enjoys manipulating chaos and disorder—as well as causing it and then manipulating it. This is both because he can usually manipulate chaotic circumstances to his own advantage, and because he simply enjoys the spectacle. Jarlaxle seems to greatly enjoy learning new things and living through new and unique experiences, probably at least partly due to the boredom of having lived so very long (he is apparently centuries old.) He enjoys manipulating circumstances to generate chaos and see what happens, often viewing everything as a game (at times, he can be rather cold regarding the lives of those he manipulates as pawns in his games.)

Jarlaxle has worked hard to develop Bregan D'aerthe as a power in Menzoberranzan. He is always on the lookout for the opportunity to recruit talented individuals into Bregan D'aerthe. Because of the strict rules and customs regarding nobility and standing in drow society, drow (nearly all male) generally join the organization only if they have no choice. Also because of the strict rules and customs of Menzoberranzan, which can often leave an individual completely without support if he inadvertently breaks some law or rule, or even if he does nothing wrong but his house is destroyed, leaving him with nothing, there are plenty of opportunities to recruit. Jarlaxle is not above manipulating circumstances to ensure that an individual is forced to join the band.

Bregan D'aerthe is a formidable force. Jarlaxle has worked hard to recruit individuals with a wide variety of talents (such as fighters, psionicists, etc.) into the band. When necessary he will fight, and is deadly, but Jarlaxle prefers making a profit without fighting whenever possible. Bregan D'aerthe will do anything to make a profit, be it merchant operations, spying, assassinations, or brokering information—even to the deep gnomes, blood enemies of the drow, if it can be done without drawing the wrath of the ruling houses or Lolth's priestesses.

Jarlaxle seems to have educated himself extensively, as he appears to be knowledgeable about a vast variety of subjects. Unusual for a drow, who are typically xenophobic and view virtually all other races as inferior, he is knowledgeable about many other races and cultures, and seems able to speak a wide array of languages perfectly (it is thought that he has some magic item that grants him an effect similar to the "Tongues" spell, allowing one to speak all languages). Jarlaxle has no problem dealing with other races, even traditional enemies of the drow, if there is a profit in it (and if it can be done without provoking the greater powers of Menzoberranzan or the Spider Queen's clerics.) Although he is a formidable fighter, possesses many powerful magical items, and surrounds himself with skilled fighters and magic-users in Bregan D'aerthe, he always prefers to accomplish his goals without fighting whenever possible. Unlike many drow, Jarlaxle is always willing to engage in a deal that is beneficial to both sides (of course, he has been known to double-cross his partners, although that is often because they were planning to double-cross him first.) Jarlaxle understands that information is power, especially in a city like Menzoberranzan, where schemes, intrigue and secrecy are paramount, and Bregan D'aerthe is always well-informed about the events in Menzoberranzan. This information, and a wide variety of other goods, is usually made available to the highest bidder. Jarlaxle loves making profits, but he seems to enjoy irritating and unsettling personages in power even more (particularly the ruling priestesses of the Spider Queen, who generally view him with veiled contempt—because he is a male rogue without house—and frustration—because he always tends to be flippant and disrespectful, and killing him is simply not an option.) He greatly loves magical artifacts, and is always actively looking to enlarge his personal hoard of artifacts (even after his possession of Crenshinibon, a sentient artifact that manipulates its possessor, nearly resulted in disaster.) Jarlaxle loves luxury and fine living; he tends to always wear the best clothes and eat and drink the most expensive foods and wines. Although he enjoys adventuring, both for the potential profits and the entertainment value the excitement provides, and since adventuring typically means leaving the comforts of civilization behind, Jarlaxle typically brings luxury with him—usually in the form of a magical item that can produce any number of outrageous luxury items he desires. He has a very great and active libido, but does not try to force himself on women; he seems to enjoy propositioning and charming women almost as much as bedding them. Unlike most drow, who are so caught up in their own prejudices that they view all other races as inferior and would never think of sleeping with them, Jarlaxle often chases human women, and would probably bed women of most other races if the opportunity presented itself.

Jarlaxle has a very charismatic personality, always willing to talk his way out of situations rather than resort to force of arms. Moreover, talking is what Jarlaxle does best. He can be extremely charming and persuasive, an especially remarkable feat given that he is usually either addressing evil, paranoid creatures that trust few or no one else (drow and other monstrous inhabitants of the Underdark) or races that are automatically suspicious of him because of his drow heritage. His words easily work past the handicap of his race's evil reputation, able to turn potential enemies into allies. A common tactic among surface races is to be flamboyantly humorous, and then provide a generous and amusing demonstration of whatever magic items he feels like displaying, knowing a sure way to earn the tolerance of many surface dwellers (especially halflings) is to feed them and make them laugh. He tends to have a great natural insight into the instincts, thoughts and desires of potential partners and enemies, and whenever possible, tries to pursue mutually beneficial goals in order to avoid conflict. He appears also to be extremely intelligent and a brilliant tactician who almost never seems to be unprepared for any thinkable and unthinkable circumstances. Having survived in the unpredictability and chaos of Menzoberranzan, Jarlaxle is very skilled at thinking several steps ahead of allies, enemies, and potential enemies. He also prefers not to kill anyone as long as he can manipulate the person to serve his interests, no matter how small their role might be. Interestingly for a drow, Jarlaxle doesn't like to kill somebody he does not have to.