Revisions
5/15/24: His mercenary guild and his two companions now have names! I will make profiles for them very soon. I have also made a few tweaks to his profile.
5/2/24: Updated his character images.
02/12/24: Small tweaks plus decided that instead of killing the fugitives, he convinced them to join his quest to build a business in Skyrim. Will make profiles for them in the future.
12/30/23: Since I’ve figured out the lore of the cult J’kharni was born into, he is one of the only three vampire lords of his mercenary guild. The rest of the vampires in his guild are those with the “lesser” diseases since I’ve decided he is more welcoming to other types of vampires.
Profile
J’kharni is a fan OC for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. He is a centuries old pure-blooded Vampire Lord from Elsweyr who runs a mercenary guild in Falkreath called Ketri-katatajna, or Playful Bite, which is run very much like a mafia. His rivals are the Companions, Skyrim’s own special mercenary guild, which, ironically, are secretly werewolves. By his side are his two trusted bodyguards, Ko’misha and Zayuln, who share a history with him as vampire lords from the cult they all left behind.
Appearance
J’kharni was born sometime around the end of the 3rd Era under the waxing Mercer and full Secunda moons, and so he is a Cathay Khajiit, but is taller than average, standing at 6’8″ (2.03m). He appears as a fit, anthropomorphic feline with plantigrade legs. He has yellow-orange eyes with very narrow black slits and black sclera. His fur is light brown with manila and lighter brown markings, black stripes and spots, and long, reddish-brown hair that he usually keeps draped across his left shoulder. He has three scars on the right side of his snout. His mouth is curled, making him look like he’s permanently smiling, and his fangs simply look like an average Khajiit’s canines. He has three bronze piercings on both ears with the bottom piercing sporting a Senche tooth.
In his vampire lord form, he’s a much larger, hulking figure standing at 9’3″ (2.82m) with a sickly green palette. He sports fleshy wings, his hair is more wild, and the fur around his face grows out. He also wears traditional clothing worn by his tribe.
Personality
J’kharni comes off as a wise, caring and responsible leader despite his young looks. He is a confident, smooth-talking and generous individual, and can get out of just about any situation through his charismatic words (and sometimes with his vampiric abilities). Despite being very large for a Cathay Khajiit, he doesn’t take advantage of his size unless absolutely necessary. He prefers to use his words to settle conflicts, or, if need be, using his appearance to seduce someone. He is a very patient individual and bides his time to achieve his goals, but he is also ambitious and power-hungry, building his own empire as the leader of a less-savory mercenary guild. Deep down he has a cruel streak, and likes to crush his enemies or dominate someone in battle, drinking their blood like a crazed animal.
History
J’kharni was born as a mortal and was raised in a cult called the Kha’jay-kuza Shir or “Moonteeth Clan”, which consists of pure-blooded Khajiit vampires who live out in the Anequina deserts of Elsweyr somewhere around the Weeping Scar (more on them here). He was a natural and charismatic prodigy, and he was, as per his mother’s dying wishes, set to replace his mother as a Clan Mother, but was denied it at every turn. This was because he was highly aware that he was in a cult, but he wanted to change its ways, being power-hungry and influential, and also, unlike the rest of the clan, he viewed outsiders differently, and got into all sorts of trouble mingling with them in his youth. That never really went away in his adulthood albeit now layered with promiscuous desires, and eventually this would come to bite him in the ass one day.
Scarred and humiliated by one of the Clan Mothers for an unapproved relationship, J’kharni was further denied his mother’s title, and was forced to be under supervision at all times when leaving the clan for duties and trade. Despite this, he considered this to be a temporary punishment, and bid his time by influencing the rest of the clan with his charisma and generosity to force the Clan Mothers’ hand. The Clan Mothers considered him a threat and tried to get rid of him at every turn, but he was always one step ahead of them due to his influence. The cult had also been dealing with instability for the past decade, and during this instability two clan members, Ko’misha and Zayuln, attempted to create their own unapproved thralls— a violation of the tenets— and then fled prosecution. In exchange for his mother’s title, J’kharni, along with his supervisor, were tasked with hunting down these fugitives.
However, he was aware that the Clan Mothers were trying to get rid of him as always— he knew his supervisor was going to eventually kill him once they found the two women. As they travelled across Tamriel meeting new faces and cultures, he reflected on his original desire to become a Clan Mother, and the horrific abuse he endured at their hands. He set a plan in motion, and purposely feigned incompetence while apprehending Ko’misha and Zayuln to prolong the hunt. Once he reached Skyrim, he finally stopped playing around and turned on his supervisor and spared Ko’misha and Zayuln, convincing them to start a new life in Skyrim once he learned they were fleeing the cult for personal freedom. From then on, he decided he will cut all ties from the cult, and start fresh and anew but with purpose: to form a business empire, and he planned on doing this as the leader and owner of a private mercenary guild.
However, since the cult was situated out in a place of high crime, he was raised on loose morals, and found nothing wrong with engaging in criminal activity as long it didn’t harm the weak and vulnerable. It was hard work, but he and his new companions made a name for themselves in Falkreath. After earning the Jarl’s favor, J’kharni was able to purchase land and form an official mercenary guild there, funded mostly through gambling, smuggling, and the Jarl’s coffers. They called it “Ketrikatatajna”, stylized as “Ketri-katatajna” for easier pronunciation for the Nords, and it means “playful bite” in Ta’agra- he wanted the name of his guild to sound friendly, mostly. He hired Ko’misha and Zayuln to be his personal bodyguards, even though he seems to be protecting them more than they are protecting him.
Despite his criminal activities, he also protected the community very well. Most know him as a generous, kind-hearted guild leader with a strict moral code and a love for the local community, but there were rumors flying around about his cruelty to his enemies, his dark dealings with not just the Jarl but his own guild members. There were also rumors about his and his companions’ vampirism, and him welcoming vampires into his ranks, but this remained only rumors due to his, and the Jarl’s, influence. In truth, he has never passed on his vampirism to anyone, but vampires are secretly welcome into his guild, even ones deemed “lesser” by the cult’s standards, except he disallows anyone from turning people unless deemed necessary.
Trivia
- His given name is Kharni, but he calls himself J’kharni to signify he’s a bachelor. He does not plan on marrying any time soon due to his vampirism. And his romantic appetite.
- He does not know who his father is (nor does his mother), nor does he really care to know since his mother and the clan were all that mattered to him in the past.
- J’kharni used to be claustrophobic as a child. He sometimes still has nightmares of being buried alive in a coffin as a child— a hazing ritual he underwent in order to prepare for his undead future. He becomes wistful in burial crypts now, and may become distracted enough to where you can easily spook him.
- He absolutely adores children, and wants to adopt one someday. He would make a great father, albeit a little controlling and overprotective, but he still has a lot of trauma to heal from before he can be ready.
- He developed a winter coat when he came to Skyrim.
- It seems that people keep thinking he’s a tiger due to his markings, but no; he’s a mix of a bobcat, cougar and lynx.
J’kharni
Information
| Name | J’kharni |
| Given Name | Kharni |
| Race | Khajiit (Cathay), Vampire |
| Occupation | Mercenary, crime boss |
| Age | Hundreds (30s apparent) |
| Height | 6’8″ / 2.03m (regular form) 9’3” / 2.82m (vampire lord form) |
| Gender | Male (he/him) |
| Orientation | Bisexual |
| Personality | Charismatic, sultry, prideful, patient, meticulous, power-seeking |
| Weapons | Crossbow, twin daggers, claws |
| Unique Abilities | Enhanced strength and durability, supernatural reflexes and eyesight, self-sustenance, transformation, raise the dead, blood magic, night powers, regeneration, poison talons, the entire skill tree of a Vampire Lord |
| Likes | Socializing, collecting trinkets, money, wine, savory foods, children |
| Dislikes | Sweet things, scratchy fabrics, slavery |
| Status | Undead |
Lore: The Kha’jay-kuza Shir
CONTENT WARNING: slavery, eugenics, and cannibalism.
The Moonteeth Clan, or “Kha’jay-kuza Shir” in Ta’agra, is an ancient pure-blooded vampire cult living underground in the deserts of Anequina, Elsweyr, near the Weeping Scar. The Kha’kay-kuza Shir have no relations to the Tenarr Zalviit clan, and are much, much older than them, and have kept to themselves for so long that their cult practices remain unknown to the general populace (I also do not care for sticking very close to lore and don’t play any of the games besides Skyrim). To outsiders, they are simply reclusive settlers who vigilantly guard their ancient territory. Since they don’t cause any trouble, people leave them alone but they occasionally trade with them when they visit the Weeping Scar, and also involve themselves in the criminal activities of the region. Those who learn the truth about the cult will be killed, enslaved, or if you are a bipedal Khajiit, be allowed to join them should you prove yourself worthy.
The founding members of the cult were secretly worshippers of Sangiin and Molagh, but during a famine they sacrificed several women to Molagh in order to appease him. These women survived the traumatic ordeal and became vampire lords known as Daughters of Coldharbour, and this changed the entire hierarchy of the cult. The clan is now run by six leaders, and as per tradition, they’re all referred to as “Mothers” regardless of gender, and the followers are referred to as “Children”. They pass on their pure-blooded vampire strain by inviting mortal Khajiit into their cult through a very selective process, and you must undergo a very fatal ritual with the Clan Mothers. Followers cannot pass on their own vampirism to anyone without the strict approval of the Clan Mothers. The clan members are adults, and are also primarily bipedal Khajiit, namely Cathay or Cathay-Raht, which is done deliberately. Since most vampires cannot bear children, they don’t care about bloodlines, but sometimes mortals, like in J’kharni’s mother’s case, wait until they birth their children before becoming vampires. There are no vampire children but there are mortal children among the clan’s ranks, but since the clan is small (less than 60 members), there aren’t that many. They heavily look down upon those infected with Sanguinare Vampiris or other vampiric diseases, considering them lesser vampires, and won’t accept them into their numbers.
There are a lot of dark practices the Moonteeth Clan partake in but I would rather not mention them beyond the content warnings. The Moonteeth Clan regularly enslave mortal thralls for monitoring their fortress and as “cattle” for feeding, but it’s heavily regulated to avoid disturbing the local populace. They don’t look down upon feeding on animals, but it’s not as filling, and they usually prefer eating mortals as a way to not waste any part of their kills; this practice is also normalized among their followers who haven’t been turned yet. Since eating fresh (animal) meat isn’t really seen as something suspicious to Khajiit, they don’t hide their appetite unless they run into skeptics. While it’s not seen as unusual for them showing up somewhere at night, as pure-blooded vampires they can walk around during the day, but they still must remain covered to avoid the harmful sunlight; they’re also rendered to the strength of a regular mortal during the day, and are a lot weaker to fire and silver, but due to their ritualistic practices, they have built up partial immunity to these certain hazards.
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