Jaya Forlorn

Jaya Forlorn is a petite brunette with sparkling blue eyes and an infectious laugh.  She always has a kind word to say, and her compassion is boundless for those lost, confused, or feeling hopeless.  Despite her firm belief in the doctrine of the Athar, she avoids disparaging those who mistakenly place their faith in more powerful beings, choosing to instruct by example rather than castigate or use force.  For this reason the more militant Athar view her as weak and ineffectual, but the majority of the faction has great love for her and nothing but kind words about the cleric.            Born in the gatetown of Faunel to a cleric of Silvanus and a planar ranger, Jaya grew up with a great love for nature and reverence for the Forest Father.  Her father stayed close to home for the first few years, but wanderlust eventually drew him away.  The lack of a father figure played a big role in Jaya’s development, one that was filled only briefly by Factol Terrance of the Athar later in her life.            Indoctrinated early into the church of Silvanus, Jaya devoted herself to nature and and its preservation, but was always bothered by what she interpreted as a callous disregard for humanity.  Like it or not, people were a part of nature and needed to be taught how to live in harmony with it, rather than working against the advance of civilization.  Furthermore, the Dryad Dance always bothered her on a personal level, for the half-dryads grew up with no acknowledgement of their fathers or their human halves.  Still, she performed her duties faithfully and received her spells from Silvanus.

                  She tried again. Still the healing magic would not manifest.                           One of the Athar sneered at her,             “I told you the Powers were fakes.”

            When she came of age, Jaya joined a group of adventurers and set out to explore the multiverse and experience its wonders.  She also searched for her father, whom she never found.  During those travels, she met many different faiths and interpretations of the relationship between nature and civilization, most of which were less harsh and more accommodating than Silvanus’s church.  There were times when her group became embroiled in activities that did not promote the cause of nature, yet Silvanus never chastised Jaya for being involved.  Doubt grew within her, but still Silvanus granted her spells and answered her prayers.

            Jaya fell in love with Maxwell, a member of her adventuring party, and the two shared a brief but intense relationship.  Maxwell taught Jaya how to swing a sword, maximize the power of her attacks, and guard against the onslaught of a superior opponent.  They fell out of love just as quickly, but a deep and lasting friendship remained between them.  Then tragedy struck.

One day, Jaya’s group came to the aid of some travelers on the Outlands heading to Tradegate.  A group of six men were attacked by followers of St. Cuthbert, including a cleric and paladin.  At first, Jaya’s party was confused about whom to aid, but when the paladin began slaughtering the travelers after they surrendered, Maxwell shouted a challenge and attacked.  Jaya’s group turned the tide, saving the travelers and driving off the Cuthberites.

            Unfortunately, several people were seriously wounded, including Maxwell.  The travelers, who identified themselves as members of the “Athar,” refused Jaya’s offer of healing, all the while telling her how her god was a fraud and he would let her down when she needed him most.  Turning her attentions to Maxwell, she called on Silvanus to heal the fighter’s wounds…but nothing happened.  She tried again. Still the healing magic would not manifest.  One of the Athar sneered at her, “I told you the Powers were fakes.”  Maxwell died in her arms.

            Jaya attacked the man immediately, and her companions had to pull her off him.  She went mad with grief, incoherent and inconsolable.  Although she continued to travel with her friends, she was surly and withdrawn, and refused to use her clerical powers.  Unable to help her and unwilling to keep dragging her all over the planes, Jaya’s adventuring companions brought her to Sigil to see if the Bleakers could be of any help.

           Jaya spent six months in the Gatehouse under the care of the Bleakers.  Between their care and the daily visits of a kindly man named Terrance, she gradually regained her sanity.  Terrance spoke with her at length about life, the choices people make, and the concept of the Great Unknown.  When he felt she was ready, he revealed his leadership of the Athar.  By now, Jaya had come to consider Terrance a father figure and, while his confession stung her deeply, she no longer felt the rage she once knew.  In her heart, she knew it was a failing of Silvanus that allowed Maxwell to die, for the god could not compete with the power of the Great Unknown.

            The Bleakers released Jaya into Terrance’s care, and the factol took Jaya under his wing, training her in the ways of the Great Unknown.  The young woman renounced her service to Silvanus and took up the mantle of the Great Unknown, keeping her Plant domain as a reflection of her love for nature.  She learned the ways of the Athar, the “truth” of the Powers, and joined the faction after only three months.  Immediately she began training as a defier not only to demonstrate the power of the Great Unknown, but also to serve as an example for other Athar that their superiority need not be flaunted or used to cause the ignorant pain.

            Jaya was at the forefront of several nonviolent promotions, most notably the “whispering leaves,” a program that Terrance embraced with great enthusiasm.  Not only was it a means of keeping the more militant Athar occupied so they could not engender mischief, it also helped to educate those faction members who never had the opportunity or proper motivation for formal schooling.  Jaya moved quickly through the faction ranks, no doubt in part due to her closeness with Terrance.  She became his right hand, accompanying him to meetings in the Hall of Speakers, and greeting callers when the factol was indisposed.

            When the Faction War started and Terrance vanished, Jaya quickly stepped up to fill the void.  Despite her doctrine of nonviolence, she held her own and displayed true leadership qualities when the Sign of One attacked the Shattered Temple and attempted to seize the bois verdurous.  Although both the artifact and the building were destroyed, the bulk of the faction managed to survive, and Jaya was there to provide further guidance and wisdom.  Together with Hobard, a githzerai wizard and old friend of Terrance’s, she organized the exodus of the Athar to the Spire.  There the faction members would be safe from retribution by the Powers or their proxies.

            Nowadays, Jaya leads the Athar by example.  She helps hall water from the wells, chops firewood and loads it onto horse drawn carts, and teaches young apprentices how to fashion sturdy bows and straight arrows.  With all magic suppressed near the Spire, the Athar need to learn to be self sufficient as much as possible.  Of course, Jaya also has negotiations going with the nearby rilmani, as that race has dwelt in the vicinity of the Spire for countless millennia and they know some tricks for circumventing the magical laws of the Outlands.  Jaya does what needs to be done for the survival of the Athar, but she is by no means content with the current situation.

Banishment (Sp): 1/day – banishment; caster level 5th.Turn Undead (Su): Able to channel positive energy to turn or destroy undead with a successful turning check.Divine and Holy Damage Immunity (Ex): Immune to damage from divine power, such as that from half the damage of a flamestrike spell, and holy damage, such as the extra damage done by a weapon with the holy special ability.Divine Prevention (Su): Once per day as a standard action, able to grant a +5 resistance bonus on saving throws to a subject.  The resistance bonus applies against the next divine spell to which the recipient is subjected, even beneficial spells such as bless and cure light wounds.  If the subject is unwilling, the defier must make a successful touch attack and the subject must succeed at a DC 17 Will save or be subject to the bonus.Divine Resistance (Ex): Gains a +2 resistance bonus to saves against divine spells.Spell Immunity (Ex): Immune to the following spells: bestow curse, blasphemy, doom, holy word, and geas/quest.Spontaneous Casting (Su): Able to convert any nondomain clerical spell into a cure spell of equal level.Domains: Plant (rebuke plant creatures 4/day), Trickery (Bluff, Disguise, Hide are class skills).Prepared Spells: (6/7/6/5/5/4; base DC = 14 + spell level)  0 – create water x2, detect magic, detect poison, light, mending; 1 – bane, doom, endure elements, entangle*, magic stone, obscuring mist, shield of faith; 2 – align weapon, calm emotions, hold person, invisibility*, make whole, zone of truth; 3 – dispel magic x2, glyph of warding, nondetection*, remove disease; 4 – confusion*, dimensional anchor, dismissal, neutralize poison, sending; 5 – greater command, plane shift x2, wall of thorns*.  (*Domain spell)