Jessie

Jessie was a member of the Winter’s Hand and part of the group that went to Curaheim in AeP 447. She was put in charge of watching the new recruits. When they were accosted by White Badgers, she and the recruits made it out along with Zek. At Curaheim they found a host of Drel’Mareath guarding the city. Jessie and the other survivors worked to free the town. Jessie developed a friendship with the recruits she was meant to watch and in turn they saved her life. During an assault on the mines, Jessie suffered severe burns at the hands of a Drel’Mareath witch. With Deryl’s help she was able to recover and join the attack on town. Afterward she stayed behind to command what was left of the Hand and help defend Curaheim from the rest of the Drel’Mareath.

History
At only seventeen Jessie joined the Winter’s Hand. She was born in a small town near Tarabrenth. Believing that the only consistent way to make money in Carufell was to pick up a sword, she enlisted with the mercenary group. For the next seven years she travelled the country with the Hand, collecting taxes, providing protection for nobles, and any other task she was given. Jessie served in Captain Boris Virilli’s company. In Cainus of AeP 447 part of the company was hired to collect taxes from the town of Curaheim. They would be joined by four new recruits. Jessie was put in charge of watching the recruits and showing them the ways of the Winter’s Hand. The recruits were Tarron Kesvin, Deryl, Valera, and Zonah Safar. Jessie quickly got to know them. She explained to them the plan for approaching Curaheim. She also informed them that as rookies they would have to keep watch at night. After several days on the road the Hand reached an outpost where they would stock up before the long march through the snow. Jessie introduced the recruits to Evan the Proprietor. Jessie and Evan were friends. She also insisted Derly buy them all drinks due to his wealth. After leaving the outpost they travelled for nearly a week without incident. On the seventh day the group got caught in a blizzard. As they sought out shelter a pair of White Badgers attacked, killing several of the Hand. Jessie and the recruits got separated from most of the group. With them were a few other members of the Hand. Jessie was able to protect Tarron, Deryl, and a man named Zek from the badger attacks. Zonah got a few good hits on the badgers and Derly and Valera were able to lead everyone to a cave. The six of them were now separated from the rest of the Hand.

The group decided to continue to Curaheim. Jessie pointed out that any survivors would head there. Using snowshoes that Deryl made and led by Zek’s map, they made their way Northeast. While camping two nights later, the group was attacked by a group of Drel’Mareath wearing fresh paint. Jessie took the injured Zek away while the others fought the clay men. After that they decided to approach Curaheim with more caution. Scouting the town the next day, they found it guarded by more Drel’Mareath, including a behemoth. They also saw a group of lumber workers being escorted out of the city by Drel’Mareath. They concluded the town was being occupied and that they would need to free it. Zonah brought up that many people, including any captured Hand might die in the attempt. Regardless, they realized the best way to go about this was careful strikes and guerilla tactics. They split up to find a good base of operation. Jessie went with Deryl to the hills in the West. They found several useful caves as well as a smoke trail to the North. When they were about to return, they encountered a Drel’Mareath patrol. Jessie led them off while Deryl returned to the others. Jessie eventually lost them, and refound the group that night.

Jessie slept late that night. She helped Valera and Zonah build defenses for the cave. The next day everyone but Zek went to rescue the lumber workers they saw before. In the fight Jessie took on a group of pawns, defeating them by herself. The people they rescued filled them in on what happened with Curaheim. It had been taken over by a woman who called herself the Dawn Priest. The Drel’Mareath were drawn to her and followed her orders. The townsfolk eagerly agreed to help the Hand. The next target was the coal mine in the North. They struck at night. At the end of the fight Valera saw a Drel’Mareath witch about to destroy the coal mine. Jessie ran forward slicing off the hand of the witch. This stopped the spell but caused the hand to explode, knocking Jessie back and injuring her.

Jessie remained in a state of semi-consciousness for several days after her injury. She was brought back to the cave, and treated by Deryl and Rayna. Deryl gave him a healing tea to reduce her fever. The tea was slightly hallucinogenic. At one point she regained consciousness just long enough to tell Deryl “The Winds. They follow” When she fully regained consciousness, it was almost time to move again. She had serious burns on her face and chest and her voice was rasping, but she was ready to fight. She joined the assault on Curaheim. As the band was walking there, Jessie spotted a scout, who Zonah then caught. Shortly after they were attacked from far away by a fire barrage sent by the Dawn Priest. Jessie helped get several town members out of the way. Before the attack on town, Jessie gave the other members of the Winter’s Hand blue war paint. In the fight, she helped defend the townsfolk from the Drel. She also helped pull Valera out of the lake, as the other woman was being dragged down by the Behemoth. After the battle, Jessie remained in Curahgeim to help organize the defense against the rest of the Drel’MAreath. She said her goodbyes to the recruits who were going after the Dawn Priest.

Appearance
Jessie was of average height. She had long brown hair which she kept in a braid, though the sides of her head were shaved. On the left side of her head she had a blue tattoo of a wolf’s head. Jessie also wore a silver nose ring. Her winter clothes were practical and included a grey scarf, a homemade jacket made of brown fur with a trimmed hood, worn brown boots, and leather gloves.

The weapons she had were by far the finest items she carried. Her shield was large and circular. It was made of northern pine and well polished. Her sword was made of steel and sharpened on both sides. The crossguard curved up and the hilt was wrapped in leather.

After her injuries at the hands of a Fire Witch, Jessie had burns on her face and chest. She wore them as a mark of pride.

Relations
Jessie was a longstanding member of the Hand. She was friends with many of the people in her company who were killed by the Badgers and Drel’Mareath. However like most mercenaries she learned to separate the goal from her feelings. She understood that to free Curaheim, more of her friends might die.

Jessie soon developed  a friendship with the four recruits she was meant to watch. At some point or another in the attack on Curaheim she helped Deryl, Tarron, Valera, and Zonah. When they said their goodbyes she told them to find her again if they ever made it back to Tarabrenth.

Powers
Jessie was a skilled fighter. She was an expert with her sword and shield and was able to engage multiple adversaries at once. She was also able to shrug off most hits and keep fighting.

List of Appearances
Campaigns
 * 1) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session One: The Blizzard’s Bite
 * 2) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Two: The Grip of Frost
 * 3) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Three: The Winds that Blow
 * 4) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Four: The Sunshine’s Lost
 * 5) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Five: The Force of Cold
 * 6) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Six: A Host of Force
 * 7) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Seven: In Frozen War
 * 8) The Tale of Storms and Clay Session Eight: Beneath the Cold