Jayne Merriweather is a human death cleric. She was played by Liam O'Brien in "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21).
Description
Appearance
Jayne is a human woman with almost translucent skin, snowy wisps of white hair, and cool blue eyes.[7] Although she is 28, she is constantly mistaken for a minor, implying that she looks much younger than this. Under her cloak, she wears a white "porcelain doll" dress and has straps of white leather around her biceps and thighs. Very light chain tattoos are drawn along her collarbone, disappearing under her dress.[8]
Personality
Biography
Background
Jayne comes from four generations of women who have all served the Chained Oblivion, but who operate a family-owned textiles company as a cover for their operations. Sometime before the events of the Bar Room Blitz one-shot, Jayne saved Clothesline's life in unspecified circumstances. She came to the Ass Sailor tavern in the hopes of kidnapping the feytouched eladrin girl named Holly as a sacrifice for her cult.
"Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21)
Jayne seemed somewhat out of place at the Ass Sailor, as she was alone, not drinking, and seemed too young to be in such an establishment. While she endured Kingston LaForge's terrible small talk, she was, in fact, waiting for Holly and her bodyguards to arrive. Once they had settled down she signaled to Clothesline (who owed her a favour after Jayne saved her life) to begin a bar brawl as a distraction so that she could abduct the girl.
In the ensuing fight, Jayne proved extremely dangerous, disintegrating a violent patron who tried to grab her and attempted to Command Holly to leave with her. She was surprised, however, when the Salamander using the pseudonym Garello intervened and attempted to abduct Holly. In the fighting she also attempted to kill Clothesline, hoping to tie up a loose end by bumping off her unwitting accomplice but failed.
As the party explored the dungeon under the Ass Sailor, Jayne found herself cornered by Clothesline, who grabbed her by the throat and demanded an explanation for her betrayal. Instead, Jayne nearly killed Clothesline with an empowered Inflict Wounds spell, revealed herself as a Chained Oblivion cultist and laid out the terms of their new arrangement. Clothesline would co-operate or Jayne would kill her on the spot: too wounded to risk a fight, the tabaxi agreed.
Jayne assisted the party through the rest of the dungeon and during the fight with 'Garello'. However, when the salamander knocked Clothesline unconscious Jayne attempted to murder her in cold blood in order to ensure her silence. Her attempt was foiled when Kingston revived Clothesline, who mauled Jayne and revealed her to be a Chained Oblivion cultist by exposing her hidden holy symbol in the melee. When Gryffin Errondil killed the salamander and rescued Holly, Jayne fled the scene, only to be caught on the way out by the police.
At some point shortly after the events at the Ass Sailor, the police attempted to interrogate Jayne, only for her to set the investigating Constable on fire with her magic. It is possible that Jayne subsequently escapes from police custody.
Relationships
Clothesline
For reasons unknown, Jayne once saved Clothesline's life, and Clothesline felt she owed her a favor because of it. Jayne asked Clothesline to start a bar fight after a certain signal.
Though Clothesline felt a degree of obligation to Jayne, the feeling was not reciprocal; Jayne felt that Clothesline knew too much about where Jayne came from and attempted to kill Clothesline multiple times throughout the night they spent at the bar.
Frankfurt
Frankfurt had a vendetta against the Chained Oblivion and, by extension, Jayne.
Holly
Jayne was under the impression that Holly was fey-touched and connected to Pelor, and would, therefore, make a good sacrifice.
Kingston LaForge
Jayne was uninterested in Kingston's flirtations, later considering him to be an "idiot."
Character Information
Abilities
As a death cleric of the Chained Oblivion, Jayne has an increased capacity to deal necrotic damage. Combined with her paranoia and willingness to casually murder others, her destructive powers can easily result in the deaths of her own allies.
Cleric Abilities
Class Features
- Channel Divinity (1 use per short rest)
- Turn Undead
- Divine Domain: Death Domain
- Reaper[9]
- Touch of Death
- Ritual Casting
- Spellcasting (Wisdom-based ability)
Domain Spells
Jayne always has access to these spells:
1st-level
- False Life
- Ray of Sickness
2nd-level
- Blindness/Deafness
- Ray of Enfeeblement
Spells
Cantrips
1st Level
2nd Level
Notable Items
- White whip[18]
Former Items
- Lawbearer symbol [19]
Quotations
- "Sorry. I was just imagining you burnt to a crisp."[20]
- Jayne: "I'm not a very nice person."
Clothesline: "I'm gathering that."
Jayne: "Yes. I am a servant of the Chained Oblivion, and I want everything destroyed."[21]
Trivia
Liam elected not to divulge too much of Jayne's backstory on Talks Machina, because of how much he had enjoyed playing her and mentioned that he wanted to 'keep her in his back pocket', suggesting she might yet appear in a future game.
References
- ↑ See "Talks Machina #37: 'Bar Room Blitz'" (TMx37) at 31:05.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina #37: 'Bar Room Blitz'" (TMx37) at 45:04.
- ↑ Liam stated that Jayne's alignment was Neutral Evil, but he also said that it was the same as the Chained Oblivion's alignment, which is actually Chaotic Evil. See "Talks Machina #37: 'Bar Room Blitz'" (TMx37) at 1:07:18. Time based on Alpha VOD.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina #37: 'Bar Room Blitz'" (TMx37) at 43:05.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 17:32.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 1:20:40.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 17:05.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 1:42:05.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 2:10:10. Jayne casts Chill Touch on both a patron and Clothesline simultaneously.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 2:10:12.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 2:40:05.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 1:20:19.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 0:51:19.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 3:00:17.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 1:25:49.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 1:52:10.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 2:39:18.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 0:57:09.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 1:26:30. Disposed of after fatally casting Inflict Wounds on a patron
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 1:20:02.
- ↑ See "Critical Role: Bar Room Blitz" (Sx21) at 2:59:12.
Art: