Jahi Gallu

Jahi
Jahi.png
Profile
Status:	Alive
Age:	Unknown
Race:	Demon
Gender:	Female
Class:	Red Mage
Nation:	Libaterra
Faction:	Magicracy of Alent

Jahi Gallu is a demoness living in the crumbling tower in the Threshold district in Alent. She is one of the founders of the Magicracy of Alent and an old acquaintance of Dantalion, Omaroch d'Zarnagon and Vaetris L'andariel. She is the mother of the Seven Sisters and leader of the Threshold demons.

Biography

Early Years

Path to Freedom

"Jahi and her...colleagues knew many demons back in the day. The hearts they broke, and how their hearts were broken in turn before those in power trampled on them in the most horrible way possible...well, let's just say it's not a period any of us like to reminisce. Norasn'namun was a wretched, decadent city, and I'm glad I left its corruption behind. I'm happy that I could save Jahi from it too even though the damage had already been done by then."

—Omaroch d'Zarnagon about Jahi

Jahi was born in the Demon Realm and spent much of her demonic life there as a prostitute in the dark city of Norash'namun. During this time she gave birth to her eldest children, the Seven Sisters, and got to know Vaetris L'andariel and Nina Heeate L'andariel who were working as her colleagues.

Jahi dreamed of a better life and held unrequited feelings for Duke Omaroch d'Zarnagon while failing to notice the feelings of the bard Dantalion whom she saw as a cowardly weakling who had left her alone when she had needed company.

Omaroch began gathering like-minded followers over the years, and Jahi was one of those who began following his teachings of potential co-existence between different races. When Omaroch entered the Land of the Living in the Third Age to prepare things for the god Mardük's resurrection to fulfill that goal, Jahi and some of her kin followed him.

Jahi's group travelled to Libaterra where they met with Omaroch's companions Drishnek, Jemuel, Richelieu. Together Jahi's demons and Jemuel's mages contained the Reactor Core Explosion which nearly wiped out a good chunk of Central Libaterra. They cast a shield around the crumbling city of Lutherin, saving countless lives in the surrounding countryside from the fallout.

Hiding in the Shadows

Mardük reawakened and opened a portal to the Demon Realm, after which countless demons poured into Yamato. When the Godslayer slew Mardük and began the Cataclysm, Jahi's group decided to stay in Libaterra to follow the path Omaroch had paved for them. They helped the early members of the Council of Mages, Omaroch included, to found what would become the Magicracy of Alent. Jahi noticed that when Omaroch had returned from his trip, he wasn't the same anymore; he seemed to bear a burden in his heart and had a deep sadness in his eyes. Despite Jahi's efforts Omaroch didn't divulge anything, but she couldn't forget about him.

Libaterrans feared Jahi and her demonic children, however, and Jemuel decreed that in order to preserve the unity of Alent, the reborn Lutherin, demons would have to live in relative autonomy and, more importantly, in isolation from the masses who weren't ready yet to accept them as their brethren. Thus what would be known as the Northeast Side, or Threshold, was built where Jahi's kin relocated to. The demons shut themselves from the rest of the growing city and its populace which soon forgot they had ever existed. Only the founding members of Alent and a few stray people in the city knew the truth and the demons' contribution to the rise of Alent.

Jahi mated with fellow demons and gave birth to many children in the following years, wishing nothing more than be left in peace. Although her children caused some mischief and even murdered a bum or two, they were allowed to live in the slum, and they did their best to survive in the harsh, poor and dirty conditions while their demonic auras slowly began twisting the Threshold into a magically ominous, almost poisonous district where few non-demons dared to tread.

A few years later an Alentian gang of thugs entered Threshold for some reason or another. The demons' power had grown greatly, and Threshold's magic drew out the darkness in the thugs' hearts, which eventually resulted in the deaths of many of the thugs and driving the few surviving ones to madness. A young Javan al-Kassis was one of the few thugs who survived the onslaught, and he had a conversation with Jahi who scolded him for his naïve outlook and gave him a few words of wisdom while telling him not to return unless he had made peace with the demons of his past in his heart.

Godslayer Era

Defiler's Touch

"You must've heard about the Northern Horde's movements in the south. It's only a matter of time before they attack Alent. What will you do when that time comes?"

"Only blood matters. We'll do what's right for our clans and our future."

—Dantalion and Jahi

More info later.

Day of the Damned

"Alent fears us and for a good reason, but we coexist even if only in the Threshold. What could you possibly offer us?"

"Freedom. Absolute freedom to do whatever you please, to slaughter anyone who even looks at you in the wrong way. No longer will you walk in the dark, steal to eat, cower at the might of those who are actually weaker than you. We shall make you a queen and your bastards and bitches shall become the lords they were always meant to be."

—Jahi and Vassago

More info later.

A Cry in the Dark

"What do you know about family, Vaetris L'andariel? Have you held a spawn--the fruit of your loins--in your hands, see it unfurl its wings for the first time, witness its first flight with your own eyes? Have you heard it utter 'mama' and curl against your body in the cold winter nights, watched it play with its siblings with little care of anything else in the world while the air around it is filled with pure, untainted laughter? Have you dried its tears when it has hurt itself and is crying loudly in the dark, seen it kill for the first time and emerge victorious with the joy of accomplishment in its enthusiastic eyes as it devours a critter's heart in front of you? Has it carried its own newborn spawn gently in its arms months after its first joining, has it presented its fruit to you with the motherly or fatherly look of pride about the health of its offspring? Has it then told you that it finally understands what the word 'parent' really means? Unless you've seen at least a fraction of this, you have no right to lecture me about the joys and fulfillment of parenthood!"

—Jahi to Vaetris L'andariel

Dantalion and Jahi had a brief talk after their encounter in the tower. Jahi made Dantalion remember to honour the contract and leave the child resulting from their Joining to her care and that the child would never learn the identity of the father. She also harshly asked Dantalion to leave once more, feeling he couldn't contribute anything more worthwhile to her cause.

It was then that her children brought an injured Refan d'Zarnagon to them, and Jahi recognized him as Omaroch's son. She noticed some strange magic was affecting him and began sucking out his infected blood while Dantalion looked on. Around the same time another person entered the tower, this time a face from the past: Javan al-Kassis. The pale merchant had come to warn Jahi about the arrival of the Northern Horde's agents to Alent and asked for her help in dealing with the problem because Alent was something they both called home. Refan woke up from his trance around the same time, and Jahi observed his actions carefully while pondering Javan's words.

Eventually troubling news reached the tower: some of the teenagers of Threshold had rebelled and had dragged several Alentian residents from other districts to shacks in order to "play" with them while Harrad U'niviel, an Alentian councillor, was bombarding Threshold with magic. Realizing that dark times were ahead unless they acted, Jahi looked on as Dantalion went to deal with Harrad and Javan and Refan went to deal with the rebellious teenagers.

Not long after the others had left, Jahi was revisited by Vassago himself. They had a heated argument during which Vassago nearly raped Jahi before regaining control over his impulses. Jahi quickly repelled the confused higher demon and sent him on his way but realized that not only Vassago but some other sinister force was at work in Alent, the same force which had apparently influenced Vassago to act recklessly. Jahi suspected who the source was but dared not think about it too much; she wasn't ready to face th sins of her past yet.

The necromancer Razravkar Dominus came to the tower with Vani, one of Jahi's children, and offered to help Thresholders much to Jahi's surprise as she wasn't expecting any other outsiders than Javan to actually understand her plight. At the same time magic became more dense in the district, incapacitating many demons. Realizing that something must've gone wrong, Jahi asked Razravkar to find out what was going on and keep her children safe.

After Razravkar had left, yet another visitor showed up, this time someone Jahi knew all too well: Vaetris L'andariel, once Jahi's colleague and now the Duchess of the Eastern Horde, approached Jahi and asked her to join her horde as her new Dreadlady, the horde's second-in-command. The archdemon also offered Jahi's children a sanctuary among her kin... or at the very least suggested that they shouldn't limit their options. Jahi was angered by Vaetris's pride, especially after the Duchess mentioned that she might be able to return Omaroch to her. Jahi then lectured Vaetris about the joys of parenthood, claiming that the Duchess would never understand what true family meant until she had given birth and seen her child grow. Vaetris left the tower after the rant, but not before reminding Jahi of her offer and mocking her stance on idealism.

The night wasn't quite over for Jahi yet, though: she was visited by a projected mirage which had been created by none other than the very person she had suspected of being behind the Thresholders' actions. Her daughter, Lust, had returned and told her that their reunion would soon be at hand.

After mocking her mother for a while, Lust's projected image vanished just in time for the final visitor to appear in the tower: Jemuel, the lord of Alent. Jemuel immediately gave Jahi both an offer and an ultimatum: she could get a seat in the Council of Mages as a demon representative but in exchange she and her children would have to pledge loyalty to Jemuel as well as hand in the demons who had kidnapped and tortured people in Threshold. He left soon after while leaving a warning.

Jahi was troubled by these rapid meetings which had taken place one after another, and she realized she would have to make a choice not only for herself but also for her children's sake. Her troubles were eased only a little bit when the source of the oppressive magic left Threshold, and she assumed Dantalion had succeeded in dealing with Harrad's magic.

Deceiver's Gambit

More info later.

Aliases and Nicknames

Crone of Alent

One of her nicknames.

Maiden of Night

One of her nicknames.

Matron of Threshold

One of her nicknames.

Night Mother

One of her nicknames.

Whore of Norash'namun

One of her nicknames.

Appearance

A black demon with fiery red eyes, beautiful dark hair and elegant dark wings on her back. She likes to wear revealing clothing which can change from crimson to emerald. She has a sad yet somewhat cold look in her eyes and she rarely smiles anymore.

Personality and Traits

Cold, guarded, intelligent and extremely protective of her children. When she gets angry, her enemies should be very afraid, especially if said enemies have threatened her children.

Powers and Abilities

She's above the power level of a common demon, having spent centuries growing in power. Despite her skills as a red mage who can use spells and weapons to a dangerous degree, she rarely uses her powers directly because she prefers to stay in the shadows.

Relationships

Dantalion

Dantalion, a demon bard and mage, goes way back with Jahi. Their interaction is casual albeit always on the edge; their conversations are like a delicate dance on a rope. This is because Dantalion has unrequited feelings for Jahi who doesn't view him the same way. Many of Dantalion's actions were motivated by him wanting to impress her. Even after their one intimate encounter in the Threshold tower, Dantalion realized that Jahi still didn't care for him the way he had wanted.

Javan al-Kassis

Javan and Jahi have an interesting relationship. When Javan's foolish teenage years got him accidentally involved in demon matters, it was Jahi who saved him and showed him a way towards understanding people other than one's own race. Javan in turn gave Jahi some insight into human psyche. Since then

Jemuel

Jahi joined Jemuel's quest to found Alent when Jemuel promised Jahi's people a place to stay. However, Jahi ended up isolating her people in Threshold district because many Alentians weren't ready to coexist with demons yet. Jemuel himself sees Jahi as a potential ally and enemy, so their relationship is strained even though both grudgingly respect the other.

Omaroch d'Zarnagon

Jahi has unrequited feelings for Omaroch, the archdemon who saved her from a life in prostitution and who gave her hope and a means to take her children away from the corruption in Norash'namun. Jahi doesn't like how Omaroch chose a human, Delora, instead of another demon as a mate, but she still hopes that one day she might win Omaroch's heart even though her brain knows that's an impossible dream for someone like her.

Vaetris L'andariel

Vaetris, her sister Nina and Jahi used to be colleagues in Norash'namun where they worked in forced prostitution to please the demon lords. This was a traumatic time for them, and eventually Vaetris and Nina chose to use their seductive powers to claw their way up in the demon hierarchy so that they could become demon lords themselves. Jahi, meanwhile, wasn't too happy about the ruthlessness Vaetris showed and distanced herself from Vaetris who slowly formed her own horde. As time passed, the two rarely spoke anymore, especially after Jahi chose to follow the traitor Omaroch to the Land of the Living to have a new life for her and her children. Vaetris has recently shown up in Alent and had a chat with Jahi, offering her something she craves, but whether Jahi will take Vaetris's offer or not remains to be seen.

See also

• Dantalion
• Javan al-Kassis
• Jemuel
• Norash'namun
• Omaroch d'Zarnagon
• Seven Sisters
• Vaetris L'andariel