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Archives of Nethys
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Jona Clay

This creature's description may contain spoilers. Click to revealThirty years ago, Jona Clay was a popular up-and- coming Pathfinder Society field agent with several exploits published in the Pathfinder Chronicles and a bright political future ahead of him in the leadership of the Grand Lodge of Absalom. Then, one day, he simply disappeared. Most of his colleagues assumed he had been killed in one of the siege castles littering the Cairnlands of Absalom's outskirts. Rumors among some of his friends and junior agents he'd brought into the organization told of a mission gone wrong in the Mwangi Expanse—or maybe it was Osirion—and a curse that kept him isolated from his former colleagues for fear that the wasting contagion might spread. Those who knew him best wondered if he had simply lost interest and wandered away, never to return.

In truth, Jona's disappearance was mired in tragedy. On one of his many adventures in central Avistan, while visiting a rustic village of little historical import on the way to explore a promising Third Crusade tomb, Jona Clay encountered a farm boy named Ellund, who dreamed of one day taking up a wayfinder and sword in service to the Pathfinder Society. Jona spent an afternoon encouraging the young man, even leaving behind a favorite old shortsword—the weapon he had held while daydreaming of adventures as a youth himself—with instructions that Ellund return it to him when he was ready to venture to the Grand Lodge in Absalom and join the ranks of the Society as a new recruit. A mere two days after leaving, Jona saw a column of thick black smoke rising on the horizon back in the direction of Ellund's farm. He immediately abandoned his original mission and sped back to the settlement only to discover smoldering ruins and fresh corpses—Ellund and his whole family had been murdered by bandits. Worse, Jona's old shortsword lay broken at the young man's side. Relying on Jona's lessons of bravery and swordplay, Ellund had tried his best to protect his family just as a Pathfinder would— but the boy and his family still died.

Despondent and overwhelmed with a sense of responsibility for Ellund's grim fate, Jona was haunted by nightmares for months, plagued by terrible dreams of drowning in a lake of blood, pulled down by dozens of hands. He quit his quarters at the Grand Lodge, leaving behind only his abandoned longsword and a blade fragment of the broken shortsword that had sealed Ellund's fate. No one in Absalom ever saw Jona Clay again.

But Jona Clay did not abandon Absalom, and he did not abandon the Pathfinder Society. Instead, he donned a disguise and assumed a new identity as Joran Culddammas, member in good standing of the Union of Artisans. He bought a home in the Ivy District, where he married Larissa Lorn, a part-time singer and full- time upper functionary in the Guild of Actors and Performers. Then, he set up shop as a humble woodcarver, with a workshop overlooking one of the district's busiest markets. There he served as an informant and secret member of the Pathfinder Society, recruiting new members of the organization through his wife's contacts among the city's performing artists.

Over the years, the masked ruling body of the Pathfinder Society—the Decemvirate— called upon Jona's services more and more, promoting him to the rank of venture-captain, even as his status within the Society and true identity remained a closely guarded secret to all but a small cadre of agents. Recently, the Decemvirate ordered him to accompany Shevala Iorae down into the tunnels beneath Absalom's Puddles district in an attempt to locate the long-lost location of the Sanctum of Aroden. Jona stands just over 6 feet tall. He has a lean frame and an open, trusting face. His graying hair recedes at the temples, adding a hint of fine age and distinction to his naturally handsome features. He wears a filthy outfit like most of the other prisoners but soon supplements his kit with aeon armor taken from the sanctum knights. In combat, he uses his bardic abilities to aid allies, but otherwise hangs back and observes how the PCs handle themselves.

Jona particularly appreciates any PC who returns the Pathfinder Society signet ring he left in area A4 and his wayfinder from the Orthux overlord's treasure cache in area A18. He is kind and slow to anger, and he tends to gravitate toward younger or more impressionable members of the party, attempting to mentor them but also warning them of the dangers of the adventuring life and the great burden of responsibility that falls upon adventurers—and particularly members of the Pathfinder Society. Although he shares the same rank as Shevala, he defers to her more often than not, as her public persona as a popular leader in the Society and lack of high-profile, costly failures confirms that her skills as a venture-captain are superior to his own.

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Print Stat Block

Elite Jona ClayCreature 6

Unique Medium Human Humanoid 
Source The Dead God's Hand pg. 159
Elite Changes are marked. The +2 damage bonus to non-strike offensive abilities (+4 if the ability is limited, such as spells) is NOT factored in.
Recall Knowledge DC 22 (32 if Unique applies) • Humanoid (Society)
Male human bard
Perception +12
Languages Ancient Osiriani, Common, Dwarven, Elven, Empyrean, Gnomish, Goblin, Orcish, Skald
Skills Absalom Lore +13, Athletics +14, Deception +15, Diplomacy +15, Nature +12, Occultism +13, Pathfinder Society Lore +15, Performance +15, Society +13, Stealth +13, Survival +12
Str +3, Dex +2, Con +0, Int +2, Wis +1, Cha +4
Items ragged clothing
AC 21; Fort +12, Ref +13, Will +11
HP 94
Speed 25 feet
Melee [one-action] fist +12 [+8/+4] (agile, finesse, nonlethal, unarmed), Damage 1d4+2+3 bludgeoningOccult Spontaneous Spells DC 24, attack +16 (+4 dmg); 3rd haste, heroism (2 slots); 2nd cleanse affliction, dispel magic, noise blast (3 slots); 1st charm, fear, protection, soothe (3 slots); Cantrips (5th) daze, light, message, prestidigitation, telekinetic hand
Bard Composition Spells 1 Focus Point, DC 24 (+4 dmg); 3rd counter performance; Cantrips (3rd) courageous anthem, rallying anthem, song of strength
Martial Performance When Jona has a courageous anthem, rallying anthem, or song of strength composition active, and he damages an enemy with a Strike, the spell's duration is extended by 1 round.Signature Spells Jona can flexibly cast dispel magic, heroism, and soothe, and is able to heighten these spells freely.
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