James — From Cutpurse to Courtier

James — From Cutpurse to Courtier

Aliases & Titles

  • Jimmy the Hand — Once the most notorious young thief in Krondor’s Mockers guild.

  • Lord James Jamison — Knighted and ennobled for service to the Kingdom of the Isles.

  • The Prince’s Shadow (in court whispers) — for his unmatched skill at moving unseen and uncovering secrets.

Race: Human (Isleman) Homeland: Krondor, Kingdom of the Isles Known For: Rising from street thief to trusted agent of Prince Arutha, surviving countless intrigues, and walking the knife‑edge between the underworld and the court.

I. Streets of Krondor

James was born in the back alleys of Krondor, the illegitimate son of a dockside woman and a man he never knew. Orphaned young, he survived by his wits, quick hands, and quicker feet. By his early teens, he had earned the name Jimmy the Hand in the Mockers — the city’s thieves’ guild — for his unmatched pickpocketing skill.

Life in the Mockers was dangerous, but it taught him everything about the city’s hidden arteries: who paid whom, which doors stayed unlocked, and how to vanish when the wrong eyes turned his way.

II. Crossing Paths with Power

James’ life changed when his talents brought him into the orbit of Prince Arutha conDoin. What began as a wary alliance — the street rat doing a job for the Prince — became a long‑term partnership built on mutual respect. Arutha saw in James a rare combination of cunning, loyalty, and nerve. James saw in Arutha a man worth following.

Over time, James became the Prince’s unofficial spymaster in the city, moving between the court and the Mockers with ease. He could drink with thieves one night and dine with nobles the next, never quite belonging fully to either world.

III. From Thief to Lord

For his service during the Riftwar and the crises that followed, James was knighted and granted lands — a transformation that baffled some and infuriated others. The boy who once slept in alleyways now bore the title Lord James Jamison.

Yet the streets never truly left him. He still kept his network of informants, still walked the alleys when the mood struck, and still preferred plain speech to courtly flattery.

IV. Family and Loss

James married Gamina, the telepathic ward of Pug and Katala, and together they had children. But life in service to the Kingdom is never without cost. Friends and allies were lost along the way — some to blades, others to the slow erosion of dangerous work. Those losses left their mark, tempering his humour with moments of quiet reflection.

V. Personality and Traits

  • Cunning and Resourceful: Can improvise under pressure and turn a bad situation to his advantage.

  • Wry Humour: Uses sarcasm to break tension, test allies, and mask concern.

  • Loyal to His Own: Fiercely protective of those he calls friend or family.

  • Bridging Two Worlds: Equally at home in a thieves’ den or a royal audience chamber.

  • Pragmatic Morality: Knows the world isn’t clean, but still draws his own hard lines.

VI. Where the Story Stands

By the time Betrayal at Krondor begins, James is a seasoned operative for Prince Arutha — a man who has survived long enough to know that survival is never guaranteed. He remains the Prince’s eyes and ears in the city, the one who can slip into places no knight in armour could go and return with the truth.

When whispers of unrest in the Northlands reach Krondor, James is already moving in the shadows, piecing together threads others don’t even see. He knows trouble is coming. The only question is how deep it will cut this time.