Jeyshann, shaman of Thawellui

More about Jeyshann, shaman of Thawellui

Jeyshann is an influential but often controversial leader among the Medicine Lodges of the loose collection of tribes known simply as the Kirith Plains Horse tribes on the plains between the settlements founded by the players in my AD&D campaign and the nearest 'civilized' nation. She's the follower of a warlike goddess very much like Bast, with a huge following that crosses the boundaries of the three rival tribal coalitions controlling the settlers' best route to the nearest cities.

Jeyshann has in the past been something of a foil for the player's plans, though never as malicious as some of the other elements of her people. As befitting someone following a cat goddess, she can be capricious, fickle, and more than a bit hard to get along with, but she's utterly dedicated to the well-being of her people. She has worked all her life to try to suppress the squabbles among the tribes on the plains, with very mixed success so far. So long as the PCs keep that in mind and make sure she can see mutual benefit in what they wish to accomplish she is willing to work with them.

In particular, she's butted heads with some of the leaders among the player characters. Of late, after a lot of work and negotiations, they've become uneasy allies against a greater threat. Though ironically, she gets on famously with many of the people supporting the players. She's got a very impressive personality, devastating beauty and wit that she wields gleefully and with great skill to get what she wants, and her own extensive band of supporters drawn from all walks of life among the Horse Tribes.

Given the huge following she has among especially the younger (and wilder) elements of her people, she has proven to be a great asset. At the same time, she is not shy about delivering acid critiques of the settler's plans, or occasionally challenging them by presenting an often hair-raisingly daring plan of her own, then challenging them to show her anything better. She's a huge believer that a passable plan NOW executed intelligently is far better than waiting and waiting while you tinker and gather information to perfect your intricate 'perfect' plan. A point she frequently makes when she becomes impatient with what she perceives as over-caution or dawdling from the players.

One of the ways they found to mollify her is to try to satisfy her thirst for knowledge and seeing the world outside of the plains and people she protects so fiercely. She's frighteningly intelligent and curious, and keenly interested in learning everything she can to better protect her people. As well as satisfying her insatiable curiosity, of course.