As a young man, Jon saved his town from a wild beast (a small owlbear) by frightening it away. He decided to see the world and joined a variety of merchant caravans, specializing in the care and training of animals, making many friends on the road. Eventually he moved into the carnival business. His most traumatic memory concerns the loss of control of a lion he was training, which attacked him and ate his rabbit companion, Sixer.

“Secomber” Jon, or “Sec” as most call him nowadays, gets along well with most people, and has become a key assistant and friend to the owner of the traveling carnival, serving as animal trainer and as advance man, going into towns ahead of the carnival to make arrangements. The animals he cares for include Stripes (an old tiger, over 10 years old), Regit & Yverg (zebras from the Shaar trained for trick riding), and Fluffy (a 2-year-old dire wolf cub from the Moonshaes). He travels with Shorty, his donkey, and Red, a small fox picked up locally.