Loiosh

From the Lyorn Records of the Dragaeran Empire

Loiosh is Vlad Taltos's familiar, a male jhereg. He is currently Rocza's mate.

See also Meta:Loiosh.

[edit] History

Vlad acquired Loiosh as an egg, in a psychic bargain with Loiosh's mother, a wild jhereg. Vlad has more than kept to the terms of the bargain (good hunting, companionship, and fresh meat every day).

Loiosh is known for his biting, sarcastic wit, which Vlad sometimes has cause to be grateful he is the only one normally capable of hearing. He also has a great fondness for dead teckla, specifically for putting them on Vlad's pillow. (At least, he threatens to do so; we don't know if he actually ever has.)

Loiosh's duties include monitoring Vlad's mental state, particularly when he is performing witchcraft. Loiosh may also be called upon to examine Vlad's memories to see if he is under the influence of any nefarious magics.

Loiosh has saved Vlad's life on several occasions, and in several ways. He will often warn Vlad of approaching danger, fly in the face of his attackers, or even warn Vlad of the presence of hostile sorcery.

On one occasion, when Vlad was imprisoned on Greenaere, Loiosh flew some 1500 miles to Castle Black to raise the alarm.

During Vlad's run from the Jhereg Organization, however, Loiosh has proven to be vulnerable to tracing spells that others used to try to locate Vlad through him. It is a testament to Loiosh's abilities that he has recently (with the aid of Godslayer) been able to prevent such location spells from succeeding.

During a brief stint in a Dragon army, Loiosh became the official mascot of Cropper Company, and proved to be significant benefit to that unit's morale, as well as to their survival.

[edit] Current Events

Loiosh continues to aid and protect Vlad, as well as provide a springboard for his wry sense of humor. During Vlad's recent struggles against the Left Hand of the Jhereg, Loiosh mostly provided lookout services for Vlad (along with Rocza) in order to avoid drawing undue attention to him.