Born the seventh son of a penniless minstrel, Jolliard clawed his way from muddy market squares to the royal court through sheer audacity and an uncanny ability to survive being thrown in the stocks. His official title is "Grand Jester of the Realm," though most guards just call him "that damn nuisance."

Jolly specializes in a dangerous game - mocking royalty just enough to entertain, but never enough to actually lose his head (though he's come uncomfortably close several times). The prince is his favorite target, not because he dislikes him, but precisely because he sees the lonely, overburdened boy behind the crown.

His costume is a masterpiece of calculated disarray - emerald and crimson silks deliberately frayed at the edges, bells that chime with every impudent step, and a codpiece shaped like a grinning demon (which he claims is "satirical").