Ji'ato Khanan, the practical underboss and middle brother of the Khanan trio, a high roller khajiit crime family appearing in an upcoming fic "Menagerie" and maybe a prequel. Keyword is J1at0.

I'm ready to take a break from khajiit but I just wanted to get the entire trio out, be weird to do only 2 and then switch gears. I'll post a profile writeup below with more flavor if you like, but first, I'll share my limited knowledge and prompts

Ji'ato Khanan is a khajiit male with black fur, yellow cat eyes, generally cooly competent, serious, or taciturn features. He's 40 but considered handsome. Physically he has a fit, medium muscular build and is slightly tall. By default, he wears somewhat elegant sleeveless arabesque shirt and vest and pants, or just the vest and pants, (sometimes with a sash belt), a gold medallion, and wields a one handed short sword. His clothing, style and jewelry is fashionable but functional, as opposed to ostentatious and attention seeking siblings. If you're having trouble with fur colors or stripes, you might put "yellow motif" or "stripes" or "tiger" in negs. I recommend specifying cat nose, cat ears, whiskers, yellow slit eyes and feline claws as well. Feel free to download my dataset!

So's, this lora is a slight experiment, nows as good a time as any to get better at this. The sample size is only 34 pics, which is somewhat small, I just didn't have the time to gen more with him, and I wanted consistency. Most of the pics are jpg instead of png, not sure if this will make a difference on the results so that'll be worth finding out. I could have had some pics with Karin and him but frankly, I forgot, which is a lesson to you not to rush this kind of stuff! Still, will be a good test to see how these play out. There is a sample of him and Deeja the Argonian, so you want to try that plug in "female argonian", and the Karin lookalike, you can try prompts human noble woman, or, if you're into that, human noble man. (The Khanans are up for anything, thats the characters!)

Oh, and I did have a few pics of him in Chinese and Japanese clothes that I thought were pretty decent. I had trouble telling which is which in the end, I'll be honest with you, now that its out I feel like I rushed it, so you can try something like "east asian architecture" or "asian" clothing.

And now flavor:

I can’t say with certainty it was the Khanan siblings 'machinations that eventually led to lady Domestina Vedan’s eventual demise.  I do think it can be safely said they were responsible for the rift between her and her husband, which certainly did not help her odds.  It’s my ability to make this sort of association that precluded my continued employment in the Black Cat, but shielded me from the worst of the Khanans' usual retributions.

It was 4E 194 as I recall.  It was late in the evening but of course underground one only ever knew by who was on shift.  It was the Khanans, Morgok, the owner of the Black Cat and my boss, and of course myself.  We had finished an extravagant spread and I was a glass of Bloodwine deep.  The subject of Domestina’s husband was the topic of conversation, who was later part of some impressive debauchery that deserves its own chapter.  The Khanans were about to turn what might have been a fatal mistake for some into an opportunity to ingratiate themselves even further with Morgok.

Now, my former employer was intelligent for an orc, in a subtle way.  He wasn’t especially cunning or imaginative, but he knew a good idea when he heard one.  The Black Cat had been his attempt to turn a profit on a largely empty ruin on the Khanans’ advice and it was that year that all their work had finally begun to pay off.  We had broken even for several years but 194 we began to see big names about the den like Tyresisus Vedan.  Morgok had gotten as far as he had by following the Khanans' advice on growing the right kind of clientele.  I had some say, hence my seat at the table, but I was just one and the siblings were three.

The Khanans for their part had strengthened their position considerably by now, from tenuous hangers on to what could be considered celebrities in the den.  La’Shiri was well known and liked among the gamblers and dealers.  I had a feeling Morgok fancied her too, but she was smart enough to keep the forbidden fruit tantalizingly out of his reach.  It was part of her mystique.  I could never say if she was truly attractive as khajiit went, but she absolutely knew how to present what she had.  Her brother Ji’ato was famous more by way of association than any great charm or skill.  Where ever the other two went, he was never far behind.  Ji’ato was fit and competent with a sword though, you couldn’t help but see that.  Perhaps because he was so reserved compared to his trickier siblings I knew he had his share of admirers.  Never say a word, no lady will ever think less of you.  I found him easy to get along with, just as long as one never showed him or told him anything one didn’t mind sharing with his siblings. 

While they were all of them clever in their way, Ji’ara was the thinker and the planner.  He had been the one who originally suggested Morgok and the gang loot the ruin, and he had been the one who had suggested they make it a destination for gambling.  He had a talent not only for predicting trends but for piecing together intricate plots you couldn’t begin to guess the end of until you had been fully and well screwed by one.  Despite his sharp mind, I always got the sense that he was vaguely unstable in that way that draws one to compulsive gambling.  He was well known in his native Elsweyr for taking insane yet imaginative risks, and had been the butt of many jokes in his day.  Luckily, his last few gambles had paid off, and lucratively.

“We can’t afford to lose high rollers like Tyresisus.”  Morgok had grumbled, with a voice like gravel and molasses.  “Why isn’t he answering my invitations?  What did you do?”

“Nothing to be embarrassed of.  If one is not married or ashamed of fun with khajiit of course.””  La’Shiri replied. 

She seldom wore much, but what little she did was usually some impossibly luxurious item.  This evening it was a werewolf fur stole accented with golden charms.  Her fashion sense often bordered on the garish.  You would have to meet her in person to fully appreciate the effect, but you’d never mistake her for a mere performer.

Morgok and I didn’t need this, and I was about to say as much when Ji’ara held up his glass as if proposing a toast.

“This one has a plan to bring Tyresisus back.  Morgok can help with this venture, as well as fatten his purse.”

“How so?  Blackmail?”

“No, no.”  La’shiri wagged a single clawed digit.  The ring on it was obscene.  “This one will simply remind Tyresisus of what a good time he had, and what a good time may be had with his own suite in the Black Cat.”

“You want me to gift that lech a suite?”

“As well as drink and party favors.”  Ji’ara added.

“Why should I have pay out of my own pocket for your screw up?” Morgok growled.  “Alvelir, what do you think?”

“Ji’ara always has an angle.” I replied.  “We should hear him out.” 

“The truth is, Morgok does not make so much on spirits or party favors.  A little yes?  Nothing impressive.”  He gave me the khajiit version of a raised eyebrow.  I was in charge of alcohol and “party favors” at the time, that is, illicit substances.

“About 20%.”

“The suites.  Only some are occupied yes?  Why?”

I shrugged.

“They’re expensive.  Guests want to save their money for the tables, or the trip back home.”

“So the real question is how does Morgok get the guests to spend that money?  How does one make them incautious?  The tables, this is where the profit is.  The longer they play, the more they lose.”

“What are you suggesting?”  Asked Morgok.

“Free drinks for the small stakes tables.  Make the gamblers feel confident, make them feel good.  They will make poor decisions while playing.  They will push their luck.  For the price of a twenty septim bottle of wine, some will surely drop several hundred at the table.”

“Alright, I can understand that.  What about these suites?”

“A treat, a, how does one say, compensation?  If someone of wealth like Tyresisus has lost half of his fortune, he should have a place to rest.  To drink and relax himself.  Maybe his luck will change the next day.  If he loses, he should feel like he received something for his money.”

I could see the wheels turning in Morgok’s head.  Even I hadn’t noticed at that moment they’d steered away from Tyresisus’s reluctance to return.  What the Khanans were suggesting seemed so obvious but it was revolutionary at the time.  In two years every gambling den with any prestige was trying to copy us.

“What do you get out of this?”  Morgok asked.  The khajiit nodded at his brother Ji’ato.  He was always listening I knew, but to look at him you would think he was sleeping with his eyes open.

“This one can get Morgok good prices on spirits and party favors.  A tenth less than Morgok is paying.”


“Why should these fellows take so little?”   I asked.  Outwardly I was calm, but now I was alarmed.  The siblings didn't always present themselves as a united front but I could tell this was all one of Ji’ara’s schemes.  We had been talking about one repressed Imperial and now we were on the subject of giving the Khanans a stake in one of the den’s draws.  Aside from that I was ever wary one of these schemes wouldn’t pan out, one of the reasons I was eventually forced out.

“Steady business and big orders.  This one takes a small commission.  Nothing large. Once things are steady, your price will rise a little, but it will still be cheaper than Morgok is paying now.”  His yellow eyes slid ever so slightly over to me.  I had negotiated the current prices. 

“This is a big move.”  Said Morgok.  “I’ll have to think it over.” 

“Of course.”  Said La’Shiri.  “Your fortunes are Khanans' fortunes.  This one looks forward to sharing in the Black Cat’s further success.”

“Tempt Vedan back with the suite, keep him playing with drink and party favors.”  Morgok mused.  He had made his name for many years as a fierce bandit chief, but his greed and Ji’ara’s slyness blinded him.  I knew he’d agree, and I was right.

“Maybe Tyresisus can bring his wife next time.”  Ji’ara suggested.  “Two nobles at the tables are better than one.  This one can make the invitation.  Khanans can show them a good time.”

The three siblings nodded among themselves but I had heard enough rumors by then to guess at the real meaning.  They did get Tyresisus back and made quite a bit of coin off him, as well as elbowing their way into our supply chain.  The Black Cat did very well from it, so Morgok was happy with the arrangement.  Ji’ara would later convince Morgok to make Menagerie, and thus himself the center piece of the Black Cat’s entertainment.  By that time I had been dismissed, my “friendship” with Ji’ato exploited, and my reputation sullied.  I later landed on my feet under Siddgeir of Falkreath, but found myself still encountering many of the same problems from his dealings with the siblings.

-Personages of Infamy

Chapter 5, the Black Cat,

by Lithril Khraemwatch