Jessamine is a merchant prince of Port Nyanzaru who controls the city’s trade in plants, herbs, poison, and sanctioned assassination. She is a female Chultan human assassin with a reduced hit point maximum of 58 (down from normal due to the death curse).
Role and Authority
As one of the seven merchant princes, Jessamine holds significant political power. When the council is divided on an issue, she typically casts the deciding vote. She speaks infrequently but wields considerable influence through her monopoly on “sanctions”—legal writs that permit killings by ordained methods (usually poison or stabbing). Murder is otherwise illegal in Port Nyanzaru, but Jessamine alone can grant permission to kill for a fee ranging from 150 gp minimum to unlimited amounts depending on the target’s prominence and the circumstances.
Business and Expertise
Jessamine maintains a vast personal collection of poisons and sells all varieties listed in the Dungeon Master’s Guide at market prices. Her agents can execute sanctioned assassinations for an additional fee, with guaranteed results. She is also a buyer of rare botanical substances—she pays 20 gp per pound for hallucinogenic plant leaves that can be harvested from certain locations in Chult.
Appearance and Condition
Most of Jessamine’s body is concealed beneath billowy robes and tightly wrapped black bandages. This covering hides her rotting flesh, a consequence of the Soulmonger’s death curse affecting her resurrected body.
Backstory and Family
Twelve years ago, Jessamine had a brief but passionate affair with an Amnian sea captain, resulting in a daughter named Ymezra. The shy girl is now being tutored to eventually take over the family assassination business under Jessamine’s watchful supervision.
Before establishing herself as a merchant prince, Jessamine worked as an assassin for a Calishite pasha. She died during a mission, but her employer paid to have her raised from the dead. This resurrection makes her vulnerable to the death curse—she is slowly dying again as the Soulmonger consumes resurrected souls.
Villa and Assets
Jessamine’s villa features walls and pillars painted with colorful serpents, with decorative stone fountains and fonts sharing the serpentine motif. Her garden cultivates tropical plants with useful properties and applications as poison.
Attitude Toward Adventurers
Because of her personal suffering from the death curse, Jessamine is predisposed to help any adventurers actively trying to end it. This makes her a valuable potential ally for parties investigating the Soulmonger.