Jostan Steingard
Jostan Steingard
Ex High Priest of Skyhammer
| Born | 460 (age 61) |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Race | Human |
| Class | Cleric |
| Last Seen | Hell |
Jostan Steingard is the ex-High Priest of Skyhammer, and is currently trapped in Hell after The Second Wish.
Early Life
Born and bred in Skyhammer, Jostan had been shaped from a young age to one day become the High Priest of Skyhammer. He was always known for being cut and dry, seeing things as black and white when most others would perceive shades of gray.
Shortly before the events of Sleeping Giants, High Priest Marcus Steingard passed away, and Jostan immediately assumed the High Priest role.
Recent Events
Sleeping Giants
When the Risen arrived in Skyhammer for the first time, Jostan requested an audience with them to inform them that he had a mission for them, but was not yet prepared to discuss the details. They were to stay in Skyhammer for 1 week while he gathered all of the appropriate information.[1] During the subsequent downtime, Lyla Hellebore made a startling discovery. Jostan sacrificed his father Marcus to someone or something. She did not discover why or how.
After collecting and preparing the info for their mission, Jostan laid it out for the party: there was a group of cultists in the area surrounding Skyhammer, and he would like them to be eliminated. The party was on the fence, until Jostan promised them each 2,000 gold coins for their efforts. They could not agree quickly enough.[2]
After Lyla and Elaina Nile gave Jordan Steingard the news about his father's sacrificial secret, Jordan approached Jostan directly. Jostan deflects by telling Jordan that there are certain things the church must do in order to keep the people of the world safe.[3]
After the conclusion of the mission, Jostan informed Jordan that "tax time" was almost upon them, and that Jordan must go to one of two towns in order to collect prisoners. The two options were the nearby farming village of Lullin, which Skyhammer already had unrelated dealings with, or the more distant thorpe of Greenidge located only a few miles from the Sunless Citadel, which was having issues lately with livestock disappearing. Jordan decided to go to Greenidge.[4]
During Jordan's visions with Uljas Jokela, Jostan was evidently being informed by Eva Thomsen that James Madsen had been broken out of his prison.[5]
After killing Harry Hellebore, Jordan returned to Skyhammer to check in. During a debriefing with Jostan, it came to light that Jordan knew where Maximilian Steingard was hiding out. Upon hearing this news, Jostan immediately excused himself for several minutes before returning, presumably to inform someone else of Max's whereabouts. He then thanked Jordan for assisting the church, and informed him that his deeds had earned him a promotion from Deacon to Priest. Because of Jordan's busyness, the promotion would not be celebrated. Before Jordan left, Jostan performed the Speak with Dead ritual on Harry Hellebore, permitting Lyla to speak with him.[6]
After discovering news about the Vesperan Army, Jordan returned to Skyhammer once more to inform his father. Jostan was visibly bothered, but informs Jordan that Skyhammer may potentially install Athanatos as the new Princess of Hell, in order to form a tentative alliance with the fiends. This would allow Skyhammer to beat back the Vesperian Army and, in the event of the Gate of Hell being opened, it may give Skyhammer some leverage in keeping the fiends at bay. This goes against everything the Church has ever taught Jordan, and he implored his father not to go through with it as Athanatos could not be trusted. Jostan refrained from making any decisions, and bid farewell to his son.[7]
In the aftermath of the Teleportation Tower explosion caused by Lyla, Jostan approached Ford Bertrom, who was disguised as Jordan. He brought up their earlier discussion, and asked if Jordan had changed his mind. Ford responded in the most Jordan way possible, while not making any actual decisions. Jostan informed him that no action had yet been taken, but there had been reports of fiends near Skyhammer recently. It was believed to be a manageable amount, but if things started to get out of hand then Jostan would indeed have to assault Hell and install Athanatos as a devil princess. He stated that he hopes he can count on Jordan to lead the attack, and hands him a Sending Stone. Ford then said something very Jordan and left.[8]
Jostan was having a meeting in Hell with Athanatos, Erki Timbers, James Madsen, and Maximilian Steingard, when the Second Wish was uttered. All five of them were trapped in Hell, with seemingly no way to escape.[9]
