Jasper and Frank

From The Fifth City Wiki

"Beautiful penmanship, isn't it, Frank?" asks Jasper. "Shame we're too illiterate to read it," Frank replies. "Whenever Mr Stones wants privacy, we always seem to misplace our educations."[1]

Jasper and Frank are a pair of Unfinished Men who serve as enforcers for the Masters of the Bazaar.[2]

Clay Henchmen[edit]

"Jasper grins. 'Oh no, Frank: an assailant. Whatever are we to do?'"[3]

Jasper and Frank's friendly personalities,[4] dry humor, and sarcastic quips[5][6] belie their fearsome reputation as the most brutal of the Masters' enforcers,[7] often deployed to tie up loose ends in the Masters' schemes.[8][9] The pair are loyal to the Masters as a whole, but which Master they serve at any given time is interchangeable; as such, they frequently become embroiled in the power struggles between the Masters.[10][11] They are most commonly employed by Mr Fires[7] and Mr Stones.[12] When push comes to shove, however, Jasper and Frank are ultimately most loyal to Stones[13] because it has the deepest pockets.[14]

Jasper and Frank supervise the activities of the Neddy Men and report to Mr Fires at the Masters' meetings.[15] While on duty, they fight with hammers,[16][17] though their bare fists are often enough to get the job done.[18] They possess the same notable strength as others of their kind, but are not particularly fast or agile.[19] While Jasper’s form of "incompleteness" as an Unfinished Man is unknown,[20] Frank is missing a hand.[20][21]

Jasper and Frank arrived in London aboard the same ship from Polythreme, stacked on crates alongside another Clay Man called Soap; all three once worked together handling jobs for Mr Fires. Soap has since departed the group, and Jasper and Frank want him back.[22]

Just Business[edit]

"Jasper and Frank, Unfinished Men and occasional enforcers for the Masters of the Bazaar, have a business idea. If they supply the pupils, will you provide etiquette lessons?"[23]

Jasper and Frank have a lair in Wolfstack Docks, guarded by Clay underlings.[24] In addition to their longstanding protection racket for the Antimacassar Theatre,[25] they have been known to extort money from Spite merchants,[26] and steal from other Clay Men.[27] Their legitimate front, however, is located at Mahogany Hall, where they offer etiquette lessons to paying customers.[28]

Unlike many Clay Men, Jasper and Frank are literate.[12] They have taken in a "nephew," a young Clay Man named Lyme, and are training him for a future in their illicit enterprises.[29] When not working for the Masters or running their rackets, Jasper and Frank enjoy watching Clay boxing matches from a private booth in the Clay Quarters.[30] On holidays, they return to their homeland of Polythreme.[31]

Historical Inspirations[edit]

Jasper and Frank are heavily inspired by the Kray twins, infamous London gangsters active from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. Their in-game portrait is a homage to the famous photograph of Ronald and Reginald Kray, taken by photographer David Bailey.

References[edit]

  1. ↑ In the Seventh Sorting Hall, Fallen London
  2. ↑ Light Fingers: Bribing Jasper and Frank, Fallen London "The two Clay Men are infamously loyal to the Masters..."
  3. ↑ Ambush them, Fallen London
  4. ↑ Doing the Rounds, Fallen London "Jasper and Frank, the amiably brutal Clay agents of the Masters, pop by for a little word. They want to know where a certain local gossip is."
  5. ↑ Ambush them, Fallen London "Jasper grins. "Oh no, Frank: an assailant. Whatever are we to do?""
  6. ↑ "I do.", Fallen London "Jasper wipes away an imaginary tear. [...] "Lovely wedding," says Frank cheerily..."
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Hammers of Jasper and Frank, Fallen London "Mr Fires has lent you the use of two of his most brutal henchmen."
  8. ↑ A murderer's testimony, Fallen London "Unfortunately, it seems Jasper and Frank discovered the Chivver's windowless garret a few days ago."
  9. ↑ You trip on jagged clay fragments, Fallen London "Jasper and Frank got here first. If Cumberbold had any secrets, he'd better have written them down."
  10. ↑ Those two Unfinished Clay Men are the ones that took Mr Pages' book! You're sure of it!, Fallen London "You demand the book they took from Mr Pages. They shrug and […] throw it at your feet. […] Mr Pages […] commends your diligence. […] The book is a ledger of Mr Iron's business, detailing the sale of a vast quantity of steel to the tomb-colonies."
  11. ↑ Let them in (A Boxful of Intrigue), Fallen London "Jasper and Frank are pleased that you're looking after the box. "[…] you'll be wanting to get the key next. Before Fires or Veils […] starts nosing around."
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 In the Seventh Sorting Hall, Fallen London "Beautiful penmanship, isn't it, Frank?" asks Jasper. "Shame we're too illiterate to read it," Frank replies. "Whenever Mr Stones wants privacy, we always seem to misplace our educations." (The exchange is sarcastic.)
  13. ↑ Codename: Sugarplum, Fallen London "[...] During disputes between their employers, they may try to thread the needle. But time and time again, when a compromise can't be achieved, the Clay Men know where their loyalty must fall. "Mr Stones [...]""
  14. ↑ Codename: Sugarplum, Fallen London "In that case, I'd just bear in mind who holds the bigger purse [...] We all know what it means to have money, don't we? And we know who has the most."
  15. ↑ Attend one of the gatherings of the Masters, Fallen London "The Clay Man, Jasper, reports on the activities of the Neddy-Men. [...] Mr Fires nods in vague satisfaction as items on the [...] to-do list are ticked off: intimidation, extortion, the occasional gentle dispatching of a troublesome individual to the River."
  16. ↑ Track down and capture Jasper, Fallen London "You confront Jasper, telling him that it is time he returned to his duties. He hits you with a sledgehammer until you go away."
  17. ↑ Lie to them, Fallen London "Jasper and Frank head off to the weasel pits, hefting their hammers."
  18. ↑ Tell them you've had enough of this, Fallen London "Jasper and Frank exchange glances, and Frank raises a titanic fist. That's all you remember."
  19. ↑ Catch me if you can!, Fallen London "Jasper and Frank are Unfinished Clay Men. Clay Men are known for their strength and tirelessness. Unfinished Men are notorious for their viciousness. Neither are famous for speed or agility."
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 It's my box now!, Fallen London "A fight with two Unfinished bruisers was never going to be easy. Frank swings his hammer wildly with his one good hand, cracking your ribs. It's not obvious what Jasper is missing, but it's not strength or skill."
  21. ↑ First case for Mr Pages, Fallen London "You are looking for two Clay Men, one of whom is missing a hand."
  22. ↑ Even the odds in a clay dispute (5 FATE), Fallen London "They shove Soap into a half-finished tunnel. You slip in behind them. Jasper and Frank fill the shaft like a landslide. You'll need something to even the odds. "You ain't bein' very friendly, Soap," says Jasper [...] "Didn't we come across on the same boat? Stacked up on top of each other, we was. Me in the crate on top. Frank on the bottom. You in between, all snug." "OUR ASSOCIATION IS AT AN END," Soap says. He tries to push past them. Frank shoulders him back into the wall. [...] Jasper sighs. "We miss you, Soap. Remember the Mahogany 'all job? The Cotterell and 'athersage factory? Good old Virgil (may he rest in fragments)? There's too much between us, Soap. Fires 'as a job in mind, but it'll take three, see? You've 'ad your leave of absence. Now it's time to get back to work.""
  23. ↑ Provide Master-Classes in Etiquette, Fallen London
  24. ↑ Ask Jasper and Frank for more information, Fallen London "You follow your nose down to Wolfstack Docks. But you're halted outside Jasper and Frank's lair by a Clay Man, shorter but much bulkier than most you've seen."
  25. ↑ Something not too difficult, Fallen London "Set him the task of collecting protection money from the box office at the Antimacassar Theatre. Jasper and Frank have a long-standing relationship there."
  26. ↑ Be the bag person, Fallen London "You make the rounds of the stallholders that pay Jasper and Frank for 'protection'."
  27. ↑ Even the odds in a clay dispute (5 FATE), Fallen London "Jasper and Frank, the notorious Clay Man criminals, have just been paid. Their pockets rattle with moon-pearls. They're already onto their next racket, harassing a Clay Man in a battered overcoat."
  28. ↑ Provide Master-Classes in Etiquette, Fallen London "Jasper and Frank, Unfinished Men and occasional enforcers for the Masters of the Bazaar, have a business idea. If they supply the pupils, will you provide etiquette lessons?"
  29. ↑ Take on a Clay Pupil, Fallen London "Jasper and Frank introduce him as their 'nephew'. His name's Lyme. He's rough round the edges even for a Clay Man. They want him trained up in human manners, to make him more useful to the 'business'."
  30. ↑ Seek out Jasper and Frank to offer a bribe, Fallen London "...a ring of clay spectators are watching two Unfinished Men batter each other with enormous stone fists. [...] Frank and Jasper have pride of place among the audience, of course, sitting in a private booth."
  31. ↑ Timing the word, Fallen London "Jasper and Frank are back in their native Polythreme for a holiday."
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