User:Landrin Mard/Sandbox
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Jayem Dareau
- Affilliations:
- Cleric of Senath
- Former Affilliations:
- Cleric of Bobil
Early History:
Jayem grew up as the son of a moderately wealthy merchant and was sure to follow his father into the family business until this business was lost through the betrayal of his father’s most trusted manager. Customers had been cheated and the manager vanished with as much gold as he could carry, which since he’d purchased magic bags was a lot. Jayem’s parents were left almost destitute, their home and all their belongings being seized to pay most of their debts and his father having to enter indentured service for five years to pay the rest. There was nothing for Jayem to do but leave and allow his parents to focus their efforts on his younger siblings while he made his own way in the world.
While travelling Jayem heard of the religion of Bobil. The idea that somewhere something had such perfect loyalty that it remained loyal to its master through so much, and that this loyalty was rewarded rather than betrayed, held a great attraction to Jayem. His father had thought the manager was loyal and had been loyal to the manager despite the clues to the manager’s true nature.
It was a long journey to study the philosophy of Bobil and it was full of peril only avoided by luck and a willingness to run. Eventually Jayem reached his destination and after dedicated study was ordained as a Cleric of Bobil. Jayem thought about what this meant to him and decided that just as Bobil had served Angadar so should Bobil’s clerics serve Angadar’s. He had heard of the great temple to Angadar in Elysia and decided that would be a good place to begin his service.
Unfortunately the luck he had enjoyed on his journey to the place of study did not extend to his journey to Elysia. Jayem did not know what had happened, just that he had woken up naked and bleeding in a ditch with small animals sniffing at his bare feet and considering eating his toes. This experience persuaded him that while Clerics of greater Gods might enjoy protection due to bandit’s fears of divine retribution this might not apply as strongly to a Cleric of a demi-god such as Bobil.
Upon reaching Elysia Jayem decided to seek additional combat training so that he would not be such an easy target in future. He regretted that this would slow his advancement in Clerical knowledge and prevent him achieving grace in Bobil’s eyes as soon but knew that if he was dead then he would never learn.
Arrival in Elysia:
Shortly after his arrival in Elysia Jayem was assisting the farmer Serion when he was spoken to by a female halfling in blue armour, the colours of Angadar. She introduced herself as Shiloh Ven and offered to help him with equipment and with finding his way around Elysia and the surrounding area. With this assistance Jayem managed to progress in Bobil’s favour and take the necessary training to be able to use the Bastard Sword as he had planned.
Jayem also met another priestess of Angadar called Kisri Aedia who also helped him find his way around. This was a mixed blessing as she was in conflict with a powerful mage and Jayem twice found himself turned to stone as a result of one of these confrontations. However Priestess Aedia did also invite Jayem to participate in a small quest, which provided him some useful equipment and a significant amount of gold for other equipment, and taught him how to make basic healer’s kits.
As he continued questing and assisting and being assisted by Shiloh Jayem’s skills continued to improve but he did notice that Priestess Aedia seemed to have less time for him. Her attitude seemed to have cooled, her inclination less friendly, and Jayem began to wonder if Kisri had only been carrying out an obligation in her assistance.
Eventually the quest with Priestess Aedia was completed and Jayem gained a superb Darksteel Longsword, but this weapon although magnificent would require him to waste his training in the Bastard Sword and was too powerful for his meagre skills. After some thought he decided that he owed Shiloh Ven enough that this would be an adequate thank you gift. This turned out to be a wise decision as Shiloh managed to have this Longsword converted into a Feysteel Shortsword for herself and the Feysteel Bastard Sword which Jayem uses to this day.
Artefact Smugglers:
As a new arrival in the south Jayem had little connection or history with groups there and so had a clean record. This seemed useful to Aerill Ailpera, Archmage of the Blue, and Jayem along with other people with clean records was recruited for an investigation into the smuggling of magical artefacts. As this investigation proceeded though the emphasis changed.
Due to the sensitive nature of this investigation little can be said of it, as the more that is known the more likely retribution would become.
This quest took Jayem, and the others, to many places and was rather challenging at times which required improvements to their equipment as well as their skills. Jayem’s large shield was first improved and then replaced by a Tower Shield. He was also given new armour, but was reluctant at first to accept this. The armour he was wearing had been a gift from Shiloh and it seemed ungrateful to replace it.
Thankfully Eric Buzzard kept this armour between one meeting and the next and so Jayem was able to accept it the second time rather than having made a serious mistake. This armour continues to serve him, though it has been painted and repainted several times as well as having had the spikes removed.
At the end of this quest, which had changed from being a simple investigation to becoming peripherally involved in a centuries old religious conflict, there was a final thank you. Jayem was quite worried when his Feysteel Bastard Sword was taken away and was a little underwhelmed when it was returned. It had been improved and given the name Glory Breaker but much of the improvements would only be useful in rare circumstances and it, being even more distinctive, seemed to potentially mark him as a target.
Crisis of Faith:
During the investigation into the artefact smugglers and afterwards Jayem had been beginning to doubt his faith. As time went by and the anger and pain of his father being betrayed dimmed Jayem had begun to wonder how this had affected his judgement. He had always been aware that his interpretation of Bobil as representing loyalty had been unusual but he was beginning to realise how little this opinion was shared.
On a grand scale the fact that Angadar, who Bobil served, was regarded as an evil god had not bothered Jayem. On the more petty day to day scale of the tension between the Avariel and the Drangonari, who blamed the winged elves for the loss of their own wings, this did begin to bother him.
Eventually his doubts became strong enough that one final incident between Avariel and Drangonari was enough to make him realise he had lost his faith in Bobil, or rather had lost his faith that he was actually worshipping Bobil rather than only his own idea of Bobil. Without the self-confidence, or arrogance, to believe that his interpretation was right and others were wrong Jayem had nothing.
For months Jayem drifted and studied other god’s beliefs. None of them seemed to speak to his heart and he wanted to be sure of himself and of them before he made another commitment after his mistake with Bobil. Increasingly he harked back to the gods of his childhood but Hurine, god of merchants, seemed inappropriate for what he had become. Senath though, as god of strategy in all aspects of life rather than just in warfare, seemed more fitting. A merchant needed a business strategy as much as a warrior needed a combat strategy so Senath had always been given some respect in the Dareau household.
Although the fact the only Temple of Senath close by was a War College did give Jayem pause he felt confident, as he had not felt for a long time, in his choice. Travelling there he managed to answer the questions posed him by the interviewing cleric to that man’s satisfaction and gain admittance into that church.
Sidekick:
Some time before his crisis of faith Jayem had met a three-quarter Ogre called Gaklah the Stone and during this crisis Gaklah had been most helpful. He had even been there, providing moral support, when Jayem was admitted to the Church of Senath. Jayem had become accustomed to spending time in Gaklah’s company but it slowly began to dawn on him that he was always spending this time helping Galkah rather than it being Gaklah helping him.
The problem, if problem it could be called, was that Jayem did not actually require much help. From the smuggler investigation, from other quests, and from his own purchases Jayem had managed to gain what he regarded as good equipment. From his own efforts he was able to craft his own crossbow bolts and healer’s kits and so replace that way what he expended. He had not joined a guild so he did not have to spend any time on attempting to fill quotas.
Even with saving towards having sufficient fortune to make a return north worthwhile Jayem found himself living quite cheaply and that a single trip to mine precious metals, which he did not require assistance with, was enough to pay several month’s rent and significantly add to his savings.
So as there was nothing Jayem needed to do in particular but Gaklah, as a helpful hero of Dra'Nar, needed gold to replace that he had given away and needed, as a member of ROTE, to fill his quotas Jayem found that he and Gaklah were normally doing what Gaklah suggested. A situation made “worse” by having had to help Gaklah in his quest for love.
Realising he had become a sidekick gave Jayem some doubts. He had been in Elysia, and the surrounding areas, long enough to have potentially become a leader rather than a follower. Was all his training and study merely to trail around after a three-quarter ogre like a stray puppy? After some thought Jayem decided that perhaps it was.
Gaklah had a good heart and his wisdom belied his lack of intellect. He knew how to help people and so by helping Gaklah help them Jayem was doing good. Together they could do more than either of them could alone.
Warrior or Priest?
Gradually through diligent study and work Jayem became a more expert Cleric of Senath and began to approach another, far less serious, crisis. He had gained the wisdom and been granted the favour in Senath’s eyes to be able to make many prayers and have them answered. To be allowed an even greater measure of divine power would require him to move into the ranks of the elite of the church.
But Jayem was not sure whether he was worthy of such an honour. He did not feel that he held sufficient status, that he had done enough to spread the word of Senath, to truly be considered someone who could take a rank where potentially he could be held as an example. When people asked for strategic advice he was willing to provide this, and they often seemed satisfied with what he had said, but he had slipped into waiting to be asked rather than attempting to proselytise.
At the same time his success when he had attempted to channel the power of Senath, or indeed of Bobil, directly against the foes he had encountered had not been good. Strategically it had proven wiser to rely on his sword and the strength and skill of his sword arm for attack and to use prayer to enhance this and heal the wounds he suffered doing this. Further study as a cleric would bring little to this while more training in combat would let him use those prayers and his sword more effectively.
Was it better therefore to change direction slightly? Was this decision based on fear of being an elite cleric who would have to exemplify the ideals of Senath, guilt at not having been more of an exemplar, or was his newly improved personal life influencing him towards attempting to gain extra mastery of his sword?
Would it in fact be more in keeping with Senath’s ideals for him to seek combat training if this was the best way to increase his effectiveness at what he did? Would it be less in keeping with Senath’s ideas for him to spend time in clerical study if this would not? Would he be a better cleric of Senath by not spending more time studying Senath?
The Long Path:
As much thought as Jayem put into this there was a huge gap between making a decision and being able to implement it. Despite the fact that by comparison with his friends he was still weak, lacking the durability of Gaklah the Stone or the hitting power of Kelly Marie Crystals, his skills were sufficient that they took a long time to improve further.
It would therefore be some time before he needed to make a choice and an even longer time before, should he make the decision to become a better warrior, he could even begin on that path. Much could happen in that time.