Jacques

Gnomish Thief/Illusionist played by Matt

Jacques grew up with his sister in the city of Pranks Stone a thriving community if your quick of hands and careful to watch everyone. Mary Elena Pepe his sister and the only one Jacques knew as family, having lost their parents at an early age, was the focus of Jacques labor. He worked many long hours as a multitude of things. He sat in for many traveling bards as a flute player and accomplished himself a bit with an illusionist and local alchemist learning a trade to pay off the debts and take care of his sister until she was old enough to marry and take a man of her own.
Jacques days of labor barely payed the money he owed and scarcely put food on the table but it was enough for the time being. The debts piled up however and eventually Jacques put his illusion skills to a more ideal use as a thief. This supplemented and even gave them extra spending money around the house. However the demand from the local guild was a lot and they asked where Jacques loyalties would lay if push came to shove with his daily jobs and nightly activities. As a show of good faith he was to rob from the man and acquire some of his wares and components for the the thieves own uses.
Jacques went in the shop that night with the intent to rob the place but instead warned the old man of the the thieves guilds intent. He admitted he knew of it and thank Jacques for his honesty. The guild didn’t take a liking to this and on the following night they came into his home while he was sleeping and stabbed him in his sleep. They dagger didn’t pierce deep enough to kill Jacques but left a horrendous scar across his shoulder. Being a gnome, the killer misjudged the killing blow being misinformed he stabbed to high for a short person. The would be killer was surprised when the body he thought to be dead sprang up in pain and in a heat of the moment Jacques took the dagger and countered his would be assailant with a lunge of his own.
The brute fell down and collapsed gasping the dagger sticking from his chest. He laughed stating that while Jacques may have bested him with the dagger, the poison would soon best Jacques. His vision blurred and the room spun as he gasped for breath the room faded into darkness.
Jacques awoke inside his mentors house surprised to be alive. His mentor had come to the house to thank Jacques again and found the poison and him on the ground. Quick work and the right antidote saved Jacques life. However to his misfortune and dismay he was informed that his sister was taken away by the guild. Jacques spent the next months tracking the guild members down but they were more skilled and better equipped. Not to mention Jacques was out numbered. Jacques did find however that the actions committed against him were not the local thieves guild sanctioned actions. He discovered that the attempt on his life was uncalled for and would never had been ordered by the guild. The members of the local thieves guild actually felt bad for Jacques and stated that the individuals acted on their own without the guilds consent.
The local guild helped equip Jacques as he was to set out and find those responsible for taking his sister as well as reclaim his sister back. A kids notion and an impossible task, Jacques set out to find his sister, and kill the men who took her. He'd trust no one again, at least without good cause. He said good-bye to his mentor and promised he'd keep up with his training in magic and alchemy during his travels and upon his return would come back with more knowledge and help him with his shop for saving his life. The mentor gave him an amulet with his insignia on it and said that while it wasn’t much his word carried weight in a few places and that if Jacques ran across these people that they might be willing to help Jacques should he need it.