Jexi Quickwhistle - Courier & Information Broker
“Nothing travels faster than bad news—unless you’ve hired me and paid extra for discretion.”
Name: Jexi Quickwhistle
Race: Forest Gnome
Role/Class: Courier & Information Broker/ Rogue Level 6
Appearance: Jexi Quickwhistle is small even for a gnome, barely three feet tall, with the wiry build of someone who has spent her life scrambling over wagons, rooftops, and tree limbs. Her skin is a warm, nut-brown, smudged here and there with ink and dust. A cloud of copper-red curls is bound into a loose, lopsided ponytail that seems to be held together by more quills and parchment scraps than actual ties. A dusting of golden freckles dances across her nose and cheeks, and her eyes are a bright, mischievous green that miss nothing.
She dresses in layered courier’s garb: a fitted leather vest over a cream shirt with rolled sleeves, knee-length breeches tucked into soft-soled boots, and a short, hooded cloak marked with small stitched symbols of routes and waypoints. Belts and bandoliers crisscross her torso, hung with scroll tubes, wax seals, colored ribbons, and a compact map case. A small rapier rides at one hip, a hand crossbow at the other, and a dozen throwing knives and hidden pockets are tucked where no one expects. A brass whistle hangs from a chain around her neck—its tone, when blown, is a familiar call to every runner and street urchin in town.
Backstory
Jexi was born into a loose-knit clan of forest gnomes who made their homes in hollow trunks and hillside burrows near one of the region’s trade roads. From the time she could walk, she ran messages between dens, watched passing caravans with wide eyes, and learned the value of being “the one who knows things” in a world where most folk towered above her.
Her first real job came when she snuck a love letter into a merchant’s wagon for a shy young farmhand. The merchant’s daughter got the letter, the pairing happened, and Jexi realized there was coin (and fun) to be made in getting words where they needed to go. She began running notes between market stalls, forest patrols, and caravan masters, gradually expanding from “Little Jexi with the messages” to the proprietor of a full courier-and-gossip service.
When she eventually settled in the bustling forest trade town that would become her base, Jexi carved out a loft above a lane used by merchants and wardens alike. From there she built a web of runners, errand kids, and chatty regulars. She learned to sweeten deals with a rumor, to warn wardens of trouble before it hit the gates, and to gently nudge traders away from making choices that would anger the forest’s guardians.
Somewhere along the way, she discovered a knack for minor magic—little illusions and whispered messages that made her work even more efficient. A kindly hedge-wizard helped her refine these tricks, and now Jexi uses her spells to mask her movements, disguise sensitive packages, and hold private conversations in very public spaces. She insists she’s not a spy; she’s a “professional listener with very good routes.” In truth, she sits at the crossroads of information for an entire region.
