Jonoleth Palantas

Jon is an original member of The Party. In his years of travels, Jon has gone from being a brash boy, believing that all problems can be solved with violence, to becoming a brash young man, who's learned that not all problems are solved with violence, just most of them.

## Backstory

Jon was born in Deepwinter, 1354, shortly before the evil wizard Maalithiir became First Lord of Hillsfar. More properly it should be said that he was delivered as an infant, by unknown agents, to the retired adventurer Nym Tourmaline, a moon elf ranger living on the southern outskirts of the Archwood. Jon experienced a very different upbringing than most human children. From the time he was able to speak, Jon was told that he was special, and that great things were meant for him.

Jon spent his entire early childhood reading books about heroes and training to fight. Nym introduced Jon to arms as soon as he could walk. The two made frequent visits to Archenbridge, where the veteran adventurer's influence allowed Jon to train with sword and lance in the drill yard of the famed Archenriders. Jon eventually came to spend as much time in town as he did in his foster father's woodland holdfast. While the other boys and squires disliked and avoided Jon, the drillmasters had great hopes for him, certain that one day he would become a knight or captain in the company. He also trained under the warriors of Tempus, who had a large keep in Swordpoint.

While Jon took to martial training extremely well, though his life's course would be determined by greater powers. While Nym worshipped Solonor and the Seldarine, he introduced Jon to the prayers of many gods. In a visit to the church of Lathander in Archenbridge, Jon felt an affinity for the teachings and power of the Morninglord, and received great attention from the priesthood of there, who viewed him as some sort of divine blessing. He specifically caught the attention of Stella Brightstar, Mornmaster of the temple, who became a sort of mother figure to him. On his 12th name day, she declared him a true paragon of the dawn.

Thus Jon spent his adolescence, training, reading, praying, and being doted over in the temple. Jon looked forward to being a great hero for good in the realms, until events shook his life in 1373. Three great dragons attacked the North in that year. In the spring, a old red dragon awoke in the ruins of Myth Drannor and attacked the elven communities in Cormanthor. Many of the adventurers in the Dalelands rallied to destroy the beast. Jon's tutors insisted that he was too young and inexperienced to face such a foe. He grudgingly remained in Archendale, while his foster father, Stella, the knights of Tempus, the captains of the Archenriders, the clerics in the temples, and virtually everyone Jon looked up to rode to assist the elves. This mighty force drove off the beast, but their victory was short-lived. While Nym and his company were on the journey home, an even greater monster, the great black wyrm Zarlandris, attacked Highmoon. Many heroes died killing the dragon, whose fall shattered the Tower of the Rising Moon.

When Stella Brightstar returned to Archendale with Nym Tourmaline's broken corpse, Jon flew into a great rage, insisting that he should have been allowed in the company that rode to fight the dragon. After burying his foster father, Jon returned to his home in Archenwood, to discover that it had been seized by the Harpers. Nym had belonged to this order in his youth, and had promised his holdfast to the Harpers on his death. Jon took the legacy that was his and returned to the temple of Lathander. There, on his insistence, he was knighted and Mornmaster Brightstar ordained him a Paladin of the Morninglord in the summer of ̶6̶9̶ 1373.

### Current

Charged by Matthias to find the dagger, Jon believed it to be somewhere in the Nine Hells. He thought Martin LeClerc might know its location. Not wishing to visit Avernus personally, Jon thought the easiest course of action to find The Party and use Martin's summoning stone. Jon took two zelekhuts with him, Korax and Baratus. Hearing a rumor that The Party was in Carceri, Jon set off to the Bastion of Last Hope. He spoke to the spectators at the Last Chance Adventurer's Depot, who suggested Jon travel to where they went last time.

In MR 74, Jon located The Party in Porphatys, engaged in combat with an elder mud elemental.

## Equipment

Jon's prized possession is a Holy Avenger, which ironically, he is presently bound not to use.

## Personality

Jon's attitudes towards the world do not always make sense.

### Jon and Engineering

Jon fancies that reading stories about great sieges gives him keen insight into the actual construction of engines, fortifications, bridges, and pretty much everything else. In fact, while Jon knows his sums, multiplication is a tricky concept to him, and division completely escapes the man.

### Jon and Evil

As a paladin, Jon can naturally detect evil in people and places around him. On evil planes, Jon cannot detect evil in a specific person or place, and trying to do so gives him a headache. [[Swordquest\_1.5|Once], he described the feeling of detecting evil to Lucia thusly: "I say 'red,' for lack of any better descriptor. It is not a thing seen, but a feeling. As there are many hues and tones of red, I see many shades of evil: A murder done in a man’s youth, who now an old beggar remembers little of his miserable life, except his bitter unrepentance, which is to me far more onerous than the reek of his filth. A comely woman in finery crosses the street, appearing without a care in the world, yet I see not her jewels or happy smile, but her relish in some recent mortal betrayal. And then fiends are much worse. I see no specific acts of corruption, only their nature, whole palettes of reds all at once. The mighty ones wear depravity as a cape: It surrounds them and goes on before them, so many flavors of evil that for a second my mind is undone by it. Undead are entirely different than either. There’s no intent, just an empty hatred; it’s more a lack of color than anything else. And finally, wicked priests-—besides whatever malice they carry with their own strength-—I feel the massive, brooding power of their dark gods."

Jon's typical course of action when meeting evil creatures is described here.

### Jon and Forgiveness

Following is Jon's list of people he means to slay, along with the reasons Jon wishes them dead.

* Matron Despana: Killed his sister in a sacrifice to Lloth. Also, is a drow priestess of Lloth.
* Xun'Aste: A shadow dragon who engineered the above event and sold The Party into slavery, forcing them to witness the event. Also, is a dragon.
* Balagos: Holds his sword hostage. Also, is a dragon.
* ~~Aritor Cain~~: Tried to kill Bryce. Also, is a total loon. Jon opened his throat on Cain's own altar.
* ~~Gomez~~: Involved in Lucia's killing and disappearance. Also, is a demon bounty hunter. Jon disemboweled him in Waterdeep, and went on to kill a vision of him in the Maze of Blades.

### Jon and His Ego

While Jon is quite congenial in conversation, he is extremely egotistic on certain points.

* Battle prowess: Jon maintains that he has "never been defeated in the field." This overlooks several incidents which would suggest otherwise, such as losing a joust when he was 14, losing a joust when he was 22, being given orders by a dragon, and avoiding certain defeat and death by taking advantage of the gullibility of robots.

* His looks: To say that Jon has been happy with his appearance is an understatement. Being of extraplanar origin, Jon developed an excellent physique while growing up, through very little deliberate effort. Circa MR 34, he was given a mighty gift by The Sun: Angel wings. Angelboy was pretty pleased with himself. Later on, Dalleanna stripped him of his wings, leaving ragged, burnt wisps of flesh in their place. Jon has chilled out a little bit since then, learning to bear a disfigurement with grace.

* Life: Jon enjoys power, but craves recognition above all else. He wishes to be known as the greatest living knight. His superiors have taken issue with this at times.

### Jon and Literature

Jon enjoys stories of great heroes and their adventures, and has since he was a boy.

### Jon and Money

While not growing up in a palace, Jon's childhood had a decidedly noble character to it, when compared to the typical inhabitant of Faerûn. Until fairly recently, Jon had little notion of the value of money, having never had to earn it.

### Jon and Violence

Jon lives by the sword to the point that this section required its own article: Jon and Violence.