Jahoda/Storyline

Jahoda is an employee of the Curatorium of Secrets, working for Nefer.

Profile

Personality

Jahoda is usually a bubbly, cheerful and sassy young woman, who wants nothing more in life than peace and tranquility. She is quite suspicious of others at first sight, often giving them nicknames, but as she gets to know them, she becomes kinder and more open.

Due to her past as a Treasure Hoarder and the pressure put on her shoulders by her boss, Nefer, Jahoda tends to be anxious when confronted with dire situations or people with strong reputations, as evidenced by learning of Rerir's title and meeting Arlecchino in-person. Nonetheless, she will recompose herself to accomplish her tasks.

She is also very smart and intelligent, as seen when she helped the Traveler, Paimon and Lauma infiltrate in the Kuuvahki Experimental Design Bureau, managing to find her way to guide them through the facility to recover the Moon Marrow. In spite of this, Jahoda can just as quickly be as naive.

Despite all the pressure put on her, Jahoda is still loyal to Nefer and seems to be very fond of her, always doing her tasks with almost no hesitation or questioning.

Appearance

See also: Nova's Whisper

Jahoda uses the medium female model. She has fair skin, yellow-blonde hair cut with choppy bangs in the front, and her eyes are golden — fading to lavender on the bottom with a cyan ring around the outer border — with yellow star-shaped pupils.

History

Past

As a youth in Nod-Krai, Jahoda presumably struggled to make ends meet. She joined the Seahook Gang, a powerful organization in the region. She became acquainted with Ihanti, who taught her his methods of persuading people to part with their Mora and treated her to huge meals.^[6] When the gang managed to expose a swindler and claimed a large cut, Jahoda stole the necklace and returned it to him. The boss, knowing what she had done, cut some of her reward as punishment.^[7] Her time in the gang was short lived, as a merchant named Ratfan bribed several members to betray the boss, causing the gang to scatter. Jahoda swore revenge and tracked Ratfan down wherever he went, sustaining injuries in the process. When she finally managed to corner him, Ratfan tried to persuade her for a collaboration, but Jahoda killed him in response.^[8]

Severely injured, Jahoda would be discovered by Nefer, who had her right hand amputated in order to save her life. Unable to pay for the procedure, Jahoda told Nefer she would do anything and work for her, which she agreed to, and thus became an official employee of the Curatorium of Secrets. Through this, she would also work in the Northern Intelligence Network.^[9] They also made an agreement in that when Nefer could no longer see, Jahoda would take over the Curatorium. Later, Nefer paid Aino to install a metal arm, though with limited money, it only possessed limited functions. Through practice sessions, Jahoda would learn how to use her new arm.^[10]

In order to help in negotiations, Nefer spread word that Jahoda had acquired a Vision, though Jahoda was worried about people realizing it could be fake. Nefer reassured her that only true Vision holders would know, and people began to respect her as a result of the faux Vision. While sleeping, Jahoda muttered that she would help others with her Vision, and as Nefer was about to leave, saw an unusual glimmer, discovering that Jahoda had acquired an Anemo Vision.^[11]

Jahoda also participated in the Frostmoon Scions' Spirit Envoy Championship, using a Chic Badger she called Reed Miller VIII and was the champion, given that few people actually participated in it due to the Scions' isolationism.

Present

Alongside Nefer, Jahoda observed the Traveler and Lauma from a distance.^[12] The Traveler first meets her in-person when Lauma asks them to accompany her to the Curatorium to ask for assistance in infiltrating the Kuuvahki Experimental Design Bureau. Jahoda, nervous of Nefer's unusual attitude, accepts the commission, only for Nefer to fire her, stating that she would be welcomed back after finishing it. She asks the group to give her a day to prepare.^[13] The following day, the group met outside the bureau, but she was nowhere to be found. Jahoda had tried to weasel out, fearing the Fatui, but when Lauma detected her with the assistance of a Sniffer Mole, she was forced to assist them. Having stolen a card from a Fatuus that had gotten drunk at the Flagship, she had initially believed they were a high-ranking personnel but they were actually a maintenance intern. When they came upon a grate, Jahoda instinctively jumped away, separating the two. She assisted them through a computer, guiding them through the bureau. At the end of the investigation, they were caught by the Fatui, and Jahoda was terrified at the prospect of meeting a Fatui Harbinger. Fortunately, the Harbinger in question was out on a test when they confronted her, only for Rerir and the Wild Hunt to appear, leaving her even more terrified. They then returned to the bureau, where Nefer restored her status as an employee.^[14]

Jahoda later returned to the curatorium with Lauma's medicine, only for the Traveler to realize that it was salt. Nefer gave her a menacing stare, causing Jahoda to rush out the door to handle the mishap. She later returned to the shop owner, who had kept the medicine and brought it to the Traveler before showcasing Aino's cannon to the two.^[15] When chaos began erupting in the city, Jahoda scouted the town and informed the group that people were in a state of panic; several were fleeing, others were trying to make a quick profit and others preventing access to the cannon.^[16]

As the group attempted to investigate Rerir's background, Jahoda was irritated of the chase and wished for an encounter, which she unfortunately egged on as the ground shook. Rerir engaged Columbina in battle, easily overwhelming her, the Traveler, Flins and Lauma. Lauma ordered Jahoda to take Columbina and flee, which prompted Rerir to attack the pair. Columbina shoved Jahoda out of the way, saving her life at the cost of some injuries. Fortunately, they managed to evade him and his thralls, as they were rescued by Varka, who brought them to the Secret Base. Wanting to show her appreciation for Columbina's life-saving actions, she asked Nefer to consider helping out. Nefer reluctantly agreed for her sake.^[17] The Traveler, Jahoda and Lauma would then peer into Rerir's memories for their investigation.^[18] At their next meeting, she relayed this information to the others and Arlecchino.^[19]

During the investigation, Jahoda learned more about Rerir's past, and later Nefer's when Rerir manipulated her chessbox as they tried to leave. Following their battle against Rerir, Jahoda appeared and helped her boss back to the Curatorium of Secrets. As the Traveler returned to Nasha Town, Jahoda invited them to the Flagship for a victory feast, serving food and drinks.^[20]

Strange phantoms began appearing across Nod-Krai shortly afterwards, with Nefer sending Jahoda to investigate the appearances. Jahoda discovered a massive spaceship at Starsand Shoal and reported it to the group, who had been aware of it, leaving her surprised. She unintentionally gave the information to them for free, causing Nefer to scold her for her carelessness. She then learned the spaceship was the Traveler's and wanted to know more about it, but this curiosity was shot down by the Traveler. After compiling their information, Jahoda was urged by Paimon to avoid pressing Nefer's buttons and she agreed, later asking Ashru if he could tell Nefer to give her some leeway.^[21]

Jahoda was one of the participants who wanted to help bring Columbina back, but this required a kuuvahki compatibility test. Nicole administered kuuvahki into Jahoda, who began having an allergic reaction.^[22] The Traveler successfully brought Columbina back for Moon-Prayer Night, and Columbina visited her to get some balloons for a balloon fight. As Arlecchino approached, Jahoda tried to scurry away, but Nefer stopped her and ordered more balloons, telling her that they had to uphold the Curatorium's reputation. As the festival came to an end, Jahoda gave Columbina some gifts and bidded her farewell^[23], only to become upset when she learned from the Traveler that Dottore had ambushed her. Nefer had her remain behind as she left with the Traveler, Flins and Lauma to Dottore's hideout, telling the others she could gather intel for them in her absence.^[24]

In their attempt to bring Columbina back, the Traveler realized there was a connection between Columbina and Luonnotar. Nefer also spotted the connection and realized she could peer into its past, but doing so would cause her to become permanently blind. When she learned of this, Jahoda tried to convince Nefer not to do so, but she was willing to make the sacrifice and reminded her of their agreement, which Jahoda promised to honor. Fortunately, Columbina had anticipated this and spared enough power to cover the cost, leaving Jahoda baffled as they returned to reality. She then held several fingers for Nefer to check if she hadn't gone blind, and Nefer told her that she had a look of sheer terror on her face.^[25] Following Dottore's defeat, Jahoda arrived at the Flagship to remind the Traveler of the newly formed League's first meeting, though questioning if such an alliance would hold in Nod-Krai.^[26]

Jahoda later participated in another iteration of the Spirit Envoy Championship with her badger, only to be eliminated in the quarter-finals when they went up against Celaeno and Haemus.^[27]

When the Voynich Guild hosted a trade expo, Nefer had Jahoda handle the affairs. Concerned that this year's event could be too much for her due to the presence of numerous VIPs, she asked the Traveler to assist her with them. Overwhelmed with the work, Jahoda was relieved to see the Traveler and learned they were there to assist her. She warned them of two VIPs; a captain of a huge mercenary fleet and a top dog in the underworld, even going so far as to separate their booths to minimize the chances of them running into each other. Before the venue opened, she was forced to deescalate a situation when a punk attempted to attack Ati, Neb and Raya over their spot. When the two VIPs arrived, the Traveler greeted both, leaving Jahoda flabbergasted as they told her that they had connections across Teyvat. Jahoda was also given a remote by Aino to control all the robots of Nod-Krai if a situation at the expo became impossible to manage, warning her that it could only be used one time.^[28]

To her disdain, the expo ran into a problem when someone stole the prototype Guizhong Ballistae that had been kept in storage, and Jahoda had to decide between throwing the Guild under the bus or getting the captain's ire. She promised to have the theft investigated.^[29] The Traveler and the VIPs eventually discovered the truth and the event concluded without any further issues, where Jahoda had finished dealing with the punk that continued to cause trouble.^[30] When Ati failed to return after heading into town due to being kidnapped and other vendors complained about being scammed, Jahoda had to use the remote, which allowed them to rescue Ati and recover the stolen money.

Trivia

• Jahoda gets an allergic reaction when exposed to unnaturally high levels of Kuuvahki, in the form of full-body itching.^[31]
• When facing Nod-Krai exclusive Treasure Hoarders with Jahoda as an on-field member, they will have unique combat dialogue with her.
• Jahoda's English voice in Song of the Welkin Moon Teaser: Moonlit Ballad of the Night was not provided by her current English voice actress, Sonya Krueger.^[32]
• Jahoda is seen wielding the unascended version of Snare Hook during In the Shadows of Night, as well as in her Character Trailer.
• Jahoda is also known by these aliases or titles:
  • Dumpster Diver (by Aino)

Etymology

• Jahoda is the Slovak/Czech word, meaning “strawberry”. It also means "berry" in Russian/Ukrainian/Belarusian.

References