Jeffries

Biography

Witness to a new legendary

Jeffries is the Church of Wealth's Spear Crusader, a legendary whose standing far exceeds that of Gold Priest Xena. He is initially dispatched to protect Leylin Farlier from the Cadaver Collector and to assess the young wizard's commercial and magical value. On reaching Port Venus, Jeffries senses unfamiliar undulations from the wizard tower and hurries there instead of accepting Xena's hospitality. He is the first outsider to identify publicly that Leylin has entered the legendary realm. (Chapters 958–960)

Jeffries later explains the continent's informal conventions for legendary beings: they should avoid battles in populated areas, dealings with fiends, private faith-building, and dangerously polluting legendary experiments. No contract enforces these rules, but he welcomes Leylin to the annual alliance of legendaries. His testimony also gives the Dambrath court reliable proof of Leylin's new rank. (Chapters 960, 962)

Ambush in the valley

Years later Jeffries helps hold a contaminated valley where several churches have prepared an ambush. Leylin's rapid progress toward divinity arouses both admiration and envy in him. Although Mystra's priestess expects coordinated obedience, Jeffries insists on a legendary's personal pride: he will fight Leylin directly and leave if defeated. Once the battle begins, he discards political concerns and focuses wholly on the opponent he wanted. (Chapters 1016–1017)

His holy spear moves with near-instant speed and crushes the surrounding space, but Leylin answers with Greater Disjunction and Shattering Palm. The first spell destroys the spear and strips magic from his necklace, robes, and boots; the second caves in his chest and sends him flying. Jeffries keeps retreating after priests buy him time, but Leylin breaks his last defence and leaves him unable to escape. Waukeen then manifests through Xena, pulls Jeffries away before the killing blow, and uses Space-time Shift to end the pursuit. The rescue establishes his survival at that moment, not his later recovery or condition. (Chapters 1017–1018)

Appearance and personality

Jeffries is a middle-aged man with long silver hair, an aquiline nose, thick lips, and eagle-like eyes. Even without deliberately releasing his aura, elemental particles swirl around him. He projects resilience and ascetic discipline, admires Leylin's work ethic, and treats other legendaries as peers rather than extensions of their churches. Pride and envy help draw him into the later duel, yet he is candid enough to acknowledge Leylin's superior power once defeated. (Chapters 958, 962, 1016–1018)

Magic, bloodline, and abilities

Legendary crusader

Jeffries is a legendary martial Professional of the Church of Wealth. His advancement places him at the secular world's peak and lets him sense another person's transition into the same realm from outside a wizard tower. The narrative does not provide his precise class level, attributes, or a complete list of crusader features. (Chapters 958–962)

Sacred spear combat

His signature thrust moves as if instantaneously and produces black lines that show space being crushed around the holy spear. This demonstrates extreme speed, force, and weapon mastery, but not an unrestricted ability to ignore distance or every defence. Greater Disjunction destroys the spear before it reaches Leylin, and Shattering Palm immediately overpowers Jeffries's body. (Chapter 1017)

Holy backing and limits

Jeffries serves Waukeen and benefits from enchanted equipment and allied priests' holy shields. Those resources are external: the shields come from Helm's priests, while Waukeen's possession of Xena and Space-time Shift are the goddess's actions, not Jeffries's own spells. Once disjunction removes his equipment and Leylin pierces the final shield, his legendary vitality is insufficient to continue fighting. (Chapters 1017–1018)

Relationships

• Leylin Farlier: A younger legendary whose advancement Jeffries recognises and welcomes. Years later he envies Leylin's divine progress and insists on a duel that he loses. (Chapters 959–962, 1016–1018)
• Waukeen: His goddess, whose contract with Mystra puts him in the ambush and whose manifestation ultimately rescues him. (Chapters 1017–1018)
• Xena: The Gold Priest who guides Jeffries on Faulen Island and later becomes Waukeen's vessel during his rescue. (Chapters 958–960, 1016–1018)

Items

• Holy spear: His signature weapon, capable of carrying a space-crushing thrust; Greater Disjunction destroys it instantly. (Chapter 1017)
• Silver necklace, robes, and boots: Enchanted equipment whose magic is stripped or destroyed by the same disjunction effect. Their individual functions are not identified. (Chapter 1018)