Name: Jacob “Azralon” Lightfoot
Sex: Male
Race: 3/4 mixed Caucasian American (primarily Scotch-Irish), 1/4 Native American (Choctaw via paternal grandfather)
Birthday: March 15, 1979
Birthplace: Tacoma, Washington
Hair: Black, straight, shoulder-length
Eyes: Gray
Height: 5'10“
Weight: 160 lbs.
Distinguishing Physical Characteristics: hawkish nose; blue-indigo tribal tattoos circling triceps of both arms; small “soul patch” goatee
Quote: “Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about walking out into the rain and beating the shit out of an umbrella salesman.”
~~~
Jacob was the figurative runt of the litter, as he was the oldest of his five brothers while remaining the least physically fit due to the unfortunate inheritance of his mother's anemia. As much as he tried to remain athletically competitive with his siblings, his physique never progressed past “rail thin” as a child, and in early adulthood it would peak at “wiry.” He was a promising sprinter, but the other aspects of track sports proved too demanding upon his poor constitution. The infamous damp Pacific Northwest weather didn't help him stay healthy for much of the year, as well.
In compensation, Jake took to academics, ravenously devouring both the technical and life sciences as if it would help justify his physical shortcomings. He was a child of the 80's, and as such his father wisely impressed upon him the merits of the emerging computer industry. He was one of those supposed techno-prodigy children of the time who was somewhat expected to be the next generation Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. The fact that he was one-quarter Native American practically guaranteed a free ride on the middling-level universities; he might have even been able to go Ivy League if he had demonstrated any sort of serious academic – or personal – discipline.
Jake's biggest personal shortcoming, despite his bitter assertions otherwise, is not his anemia. It's simply his lack of commitment and control. Perhaps a product of lifelong frustrations and/or the (unfortunately cliche) alcholism of his negligent father, the temper of Jacob Lightfoot is notoriously lacking. As he never had the physicality to back up his indignations, his tongue sharpened and he became a fairly belligerent young man.
As a consequence, his social decline continued during his college days when he fell into company with some fairly active software “pirates.” He spent many a night dumpster-diving for discarded computer components or outright stealing parts from electronics stores, then using them to Frankenstein together “darknet” webservers to distribute illegal copies of software.
Of course, in the nerd version of an easy-come-easy-go lifestyle, that just meant he turned around and blew the money on his own personal computer. Thanks to quick reflexes and a noticeable violent streak, he became a bit of an ace at first person shooters, participating in frequent all-nighters with his seedy pirate buddies rather than concentrating on his grades. Once they started using voicechat in those games, he soon became known as King of the Smack-Talk, and was legendary for visiting swift and unrelenting retribution upon anyone who managed to gank him first.
Then, one dark and stormy night in what would have been his senior year (if he had been passing his courses), a freak stroke of lightning blew through the circuit breakers in his dorm room and managed to fry his prized computer during a particularly tense game of Tribes. No other electronics had been affected, surprisingly, but until he bought – or stole – the parts to rebuild his computer, he'd have to look for other ways to keep himself busy.
Maybe he could impress some chicks by showing off his “authentic injun nature skills” with that local hiking club or whatever he heard about….