Jack o’ the Lantern

A figure wanders The Land carrying a ghostly, flickering light in a pumpkin or squash with a grotesque face carved in it.  This figure is known in stories going back to ancient times, and is named Jack o’ the Lantern, he who wanders the night, seeking… something.

Jack appears as a cloaked, hooded figure holding his lantern and carrying a walking stick, and is only encountered at night or underground.  One may come across him, or if actively looking for him he may be “found.”  If attacked he will fight back with his walking stick, never dropping his lantern.  If his form is killed or the lantern is damaged (on an attack that is a natural 20) the cloak and hood will fall to the ground empty (Obi Wan-style) and the lantern will immediately decay, covered in maggots.  The flame will flash and disappear.  However, Jack will survive, once again roaming the world the next nightfall.

Jack is quiet, and and never speaks, but accepts gifts of fine oils for his lantern and exotic foods from faraway lands (consider 100 GP or more) and may then be asked where to find something, which he may know because he has wandered far and wide in his travels and knows where many exotic things are.  If he knows where to find the object, creature or place (50%) he will run his hand along a surface as if gathering something unseen, and then motion as if blowing the substance across his lantern.  There, it will flame and sputter, creating a cloud that seems to show a scene for a few seconds.  It may be a map, a picture of a landmark or a scene that plays out, but soon the smoke will clear and Jack will be nowhere to be found.