Quoted By:
Lo, I see many folk gathered in the taverns and guild halls, seeking to disparage the old Serpent, hurling jests and mockeries upon what they deem the "most wretched speech in all the land." Yet, the truth lies not with these masses, for their minds are too clouded to grasp the grand art that Ser Jake hath laid before them.
For many a year, men have scoffed at the line, "Dost thou wish to play at twenty-one? I possess twenty-two," claiming Ser Jake is ignorant of the laws of the card game. Nay, what Ser Jake meant, in truth, was that he possessed a dagger sharp as his wit, 22 inches exactly, and though his foe may possess a perfect hand, he wouldst not depart this place a victor. Ser Jake is fierce, ruthless, and bound by no rules in the pursuit of triumph.
The next line, "Wouldst thou play at Blackjack? I hold two such things as well," dost not refer to the game of chance. Nay, Ser Jake speaks of blackjacks—sturdy clubs, crude but deadly, with which he would crush those who dare stand before him.
And lastly, the most cunning of all, the line: "Shall ye wager on Aces and Eights? I possess more than my share," echoes with dark meaning. Aces and Eights, known throughout the land as the Dead Man’s Hand, the very cards the rogue Bill Hickok held when his life was cruelly snatched from him.
Ser Jake, ever the cunning snake, dost claim that his path is littered with the bones of men who dared think themselves his better, only to fall as Hickok did, with death’s cold grip upon them. ‘Tis time the kingdom faced the truth—though his mind was addled by spirits stronger than wine, Ser Jake the Serpent could weave a tale more cunning and sharp than any bard in all of the realm.