Shifty Jim

Shifty Jim is a Halfling Rogue, former Warlock of the Author, and active party companion.

He joined G'aetan's Clergy after denouncing the Author.

Appearance
Stout even for a halfling with curly reddish hair and a freckled face. Jim generally dresses inconspicuously, with a light brown cloak and leather armor.

Personality
Originally a gluttonous, selfish thief, Shifty Jim's time with the party has turned him into a kind yet naive ally.

While he claims to be over a hundred years old (unlikely due to Halfling aging), he has the intellect of a child. Jim lacks forethought and often acts impulsively such as when he spent all the parties' gold on food. Despite this, he has brief moments of wisdom, with his time on the street giving him a decent intuition.

Shifty Jim has become stead-fastly loyal to the party, making a vow to become a better person.

Background
Shifty Jim has presumably lived in Markham his entire life as a thief, joining the Bolt Street Boys and gaining skills as a rogue through numerous heists.

At some unknown point, Jim ran afoul with a Hag. The hag implanted a Bag of Holding inside his stomach.

Ara
Initially fast friends, Jim and Ara's relationship is currently rocky after her memory loss at the hands of the Oblex.

Ara and Jim's mutually friendly demeanors made them likely friends, with Ara often aiding Jim in his quest to be a better person. In return, Jim promised Ara he would keep her safe at any cost.

After her memory loss, a teary-eyed Jim accepts that Ara no longer remembers him. Worse, his excitement to Infernal Essences despite Ara's clear sensitivity to the issue strained their relationship further.

G'aetan
Originally apart of the same heist team with the Bolt Street Boys, G'aetan and Shifty Jim embarked together on a quest to become better people. Despite Jim selling G'aetan out to C'tau, G'aetan understood the circumstances and forgave the halfling for his betrayal.

Their relationship is mostly positive, though G'aetan has little faith in Shifty Jim's ability to avoid getting himself into trouble.

Morgun
Shifty Jim saw Morgun as his enemy the moment he and Ara fought when the Party first arrived at Tinkerer's Row.

Trivia

 * Shifty Jim is the first Warlock of the Author met in the campaign besides Symania.
 * His being a member of the cult was improvised by Nick, who claimed Jim had his "toe fungus" cured by the Author.
 * While retroactively we have seen the Author make deals, this bit contradicts the Author's lore to a in that it usually does not make made trades with warlocks unless it has something to gain.
 * Shifty Jim was originally created as a villain, as the Bolt Street Boys were created as antagonists before being tied into G'aetan's backstory.
 * He was meant to steal the citizenship papers of Ignatious and the Party and strand them in Markham. For numerous reasons, this plot-line never came to fruition and the party took in Jim as an ally.
 * Shifty Jim has made the most appearances of any NPC, currently having appeared in every session of the campaign.
 * Shifty Jim is the second reader to reject the Author, after G'aetan.