Shandra Jerro

Shandra Jerro was a human farmer and later fighter from the village of Highcliff along the Sword Coast North. During the Shadow War in the she traveled with the Kalach-Cha, helping to locate the haven of her grandfather, the warlock Ammon Jerro.

"All right - I mean, I know I haven't been around you as much as say Khelgar Idiotfist...I think I need you to explain to me, one more time, what were doing. We're being hunted, and accused, put on trial, and, and.. you've got silver things in you."

- Shandra Jerro to Kalach-Cha

Description
By all accounts, Shandra was unusually beautiful, even for a woman of her relatively young age. Though having the calloused hands and firm muscles of a hard-working peasant, and devoid of any jewelry or clothes of high fashion, instead wearing simple peasant trappings, Shandra was ruggedly attractive. Her fine features and simple beauty would be something that many would comment on during her life.

Possessions
After joining the Kalach-Cha, Shandra would take to using a short sword as her favored weapon.

Personality
Shandra was a woman who, by and by, preferred to keep to herself. Preferring the quiet life of her farm near Highcliff, Shandra rarely sought trouble, though she would find it drawn to her. She often dealt with such sorrows with a biting tongue and sarcastic demeanor, treating her troubles as a cruel joke by life on her. However, despite her sometimes grim and seemingly jaded attitude, Shandra was, in the end, an optimistic and idealistic woman, who held close to her ideals and hoped to find such devotion in others as well.

History
Shandra was born shortly before the destruction of West Harbor during the King of Shadows's initial attempt at conquest of the Sword Coast. During the preceding battles, many of her family had been slain, so many that her grandfather Ammon Jerro, the King of Shadows' chief foe, would come to believe his entire line had been killed. But both Shandra and her parents escaped the destruction wrought by the King of Shadows and his minions, managing to escape to a quiet life in Highcliff.

Farm Life
Shandra was raised as a country farm girl, learning from her mother primarily since her father died when she was very young. Hard-working and generous, Shandra took on much of the workload, eventually becoming head of the household. In addition to teaching Shandra how to work, her mother also related tales of her grandfather, whom she described as an accomplished wizard. She also told Shandra about Ammon Jerro's Haven, a dark and forbidding location filled with deathtraps and with a demand for the blood of a Jerro. These tales gave Shandra nightmares for years before she finally grew out of them.

A few years before 1374 DR, Shandra's mother became very ill with swamp fever, putting most of the responsibilities of the farm on Shandra's shoulders. Shandra cared for her mother until her end and grieved for her afterwards, before stoically accepting her duties. From then on, Shandra lived alone on her farm, making frequent visits to Highcliff and occasional trips to Port Llast and Ember in the north, which benefited greatly from her grain.

Shandra, stubborn and independently minded, did not feel comfortable facing the hardships of the swamps that surrounded Highcliff and often disregarded the wishes of the mayor of Highcliff. Such was the case when, in the, lizardfolk moved into the neighboring countryside, threatening the village both overtly and covertly. Unlike many farmers, Shandra refused to abandon her farm and livelihood, both for her own sake and her customers'.

First Meetings with the Kalach-Cha
The Kalach-Cha and companions hoped to resolve the conflict between the lizardfolk and the villagers of Highcliff so that they could get passage to Neverwinter by sea. The village elder suggested they ask Shandra if she knew where the lizardfolk were coming from, as she was the only one whose farm had not been destroyed. Shandra was able to enlighten the Kalach-Cha somewhat, both about the lizardfolk and strange disturbances at the ruins of Highcliff Castle. However, their conversation provided a distraction for a band of lizardfolk to sneak in and burn her farm. Furious, Shandra told the Kalach-Cha off and demanded to be left alone, a wish that the hero complied with.

But the Kalach-Cha had to return to Shandra's farm some time later while searching for answers about Ammon Jerro and the Silver Sword of Gith. Shandra revealed she was Ammon's granddaughter and sole living descendant and that she was now a target of the githyanki hunting them. Both the githyanki and the hero rushed to Shandra's farm, both intent on retrieving her, and in the process her farm was razed. However, Shandra was rescued from the githyanki and the Kalach-Cha brought her back to the Sunken Flagon in Neverwinter, where Duncan Farlong welcomed her with open arms. Shandra was more skeptical of her rescuers, however, and heartbroken over her home's destruction and the Kalach-Cha's seeming association with disaster.

But her new sanctuary was short-lived. Determined to get what they wanted, the githyanki attacked the Flagon, kidnapping Shandra, and nearly setting the inn afire. The Kalach-Cha was forced to pursue her again, this time taking the ranger Bishop to aid in the search. Meanwhile, Shandra was interrogated and imprisoned by the githyanki, who sought to apply to her punishment they felt the deceased Ammon deserved. Shandra was very close to meeting her end when the Kalach-Cha intervened, having discovered the githyanki lair. The hero subsequently slew the githyanki and their leader, Zeearie, rescuing Shandra again. Determined that being with the hero was safer than being alone, Shandra asked the Kalach-Cha to remain with her and train her in self-defense. The Kalach-Cha agreed and Shandra rarely left the side of her mentor and protector thereafter.

Subsequent Travels with the Kalach-Cha
Shortly after, the hero was accused of slaughtering the Luskan village of Ember. Shandra and the other companions helped to defend the hero against these false charges and, in an attempted assassination by the Circle of Blades, an assassin's guild from Luskan, Shandra helped foil the plot. Shandra proved useful to the investigation in other respects, by helping in the questioning of the witness Alaine, who was a close friend, as well as in the trial, where she might have served as a witness herself.

After the trial, and the Kalach-Cha's exoneration, Shandra helped the hero in subsequent missions on behalf of Neverwinter and in search of clues about Neverwinter's unseen enemies. Eventually, these led to the discovery of Zhjaeve, the ruins of Arvahn, and revelations about the King of Shadows' past and weaknesses. This in turn led to the Kalach-Cha's decision that Ammon Jerro's Haven must be sought out, in order for the group to be fully prepared to do battle with the King. With Shandra's somewhat reluctant help, the Haven was located.

Death and Legacy
Upon reaching the Haven, Shandra discovered, as her mother had told her, that a drop of Jerro blood was required to get in. Shandra gave some and gained access. However, once inside, Shandra was immediately teleported away and separated from her friends, who immediately presumed her once again kidnapped and in need of rescue. In fact, Shandra found herself in much less danger than the Kalach-Cha and companions, and she wandered the haven trying to locate them. Eventually, she came across the erinyes leader Hezebel, who told her that, since she was of Jerro blood, she could psychically communicate with them and teleport to different locations in the Haven at will. Unfortunately, not being a mage, she didn't know how to control these abilities and so teleported around the area at random.

Eventually, Shandra ran into the balor Baalbisan. Seeing an opportunity, he lied and claimed that the King of Shadows whom the Kalach-Cha sought was in fact Ammon Jerro himself. This was shortly before Shandra realized that her companions were about to be slain by Ammon. Thinking quickly, Shandra discovered a way to free the devils and demons who were giving Ammon his power, thereby weakening his ability to fight. But to do this would require shedding her own blood, a sacrifice she was willing to make. The sacrifice worked, and as Ammon prepared to destroy the invaders, he found his power suddenly gone. Furious, he accused the fiends bound to him, though all denied any part, and then he found Shandra, realizing she was responsible but not that she was family. Enraged, he struck her without thinking, giving her no time to explain. Badly injured from both her own self-inflicted wounds and her grandfather's assault, Shandra died, apologizing to Ammon with her last breath.

Shocked both that he still had family and that he was responsible for her death, Ammon was ill-prepared when the Kalach-Cha and companions arrived moments later. Surrendering to them out of both self-loathing and hopes of atoning for his crime, Ammon teleported the group out of his Haven safely.

Shandra's death had a heavy influence on both Ammon and the Kalach-Cha and their relationship. In his sorrow, Ammon set aside his traditional role as leader and perhaps learned to regret the brash methods he'd favored in his first war against the King of Shadows, though the degree to which this occurred was dependent upon the Kalach-Cha's degree of friendship with Shandra. Ammon may even have begged Shandra's spirit for forgiveness, leading him to the discovery of a tear-shaped pendant among the ruins of her farm.

In Highcliff, Shandra's partnership with the Kalach-Cha may have been remembered, with the farmers coming to the ruins of her home during the harvest season to pay their respects, believing Shandra to have fallen in battle against the King of Shadows, rather than at her grandfather's hand. Alternatively, the wilderness may have claimed the ruins, which would eventually be forgotten, as her grandfather had been.

Behind the Scenes
Shandra was voiced by Rachel York in Neverwinter Nights 2.

Although an important character within the story, arguably more so than most of the other companion characters, Shandra was not a romanceable character for either male or female PCs (the Kalach-Cha) though many NPCs would comment on her beauty and allure.

Unlike many companions, Shandra doesn't appear to have suffered much cut content. However, in one conversation that was not included, she remarks that she had studied at a temple for some time during her mother's illness, where she learned some healing prayers and found an ability to perform small miracles, hinting at a greater importance for her character. She also claimed she could sense the conviction of others' beliefs or lack thereof.

It's suggested in some conversations with Shandra that Ammon was her great-grandfather, and not her grandfather, if the player-character is of a race with a long lifespan. However, this conflicts with information given by several other characters (including Ammon himself) as well as the fact that Ammon was a contemporary of characters such as Aldanon or Dalren, who almost certainly are more in the range of being Shandra's grandfather than great-grandfather. Similarly, Daeghun Farlong, the Kalach-Cha's foster father, is a half-elf and thus has a human-like lifespan but remains relatively young in the campaign. As a result, it can be safely presumed that Shandra was Ammon's granddaughter and that the battle at West Harbor took place roughly twenty years prior to 1374 DR.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Neverwinter Nights 2