Archpaladin Zousha
2012-04-09, 07:22 PM
Earlier this week, I asked over on the Paizo forums if Irori, the Lawful Neutral god of Knowledge, History and Self-Improvement, was able to grant powers to paladin characters. The answer to the question was basically "yes, but they're on a case-by-case basis," meaning that while paladins of Irori do exist, they are too few in number to form an organized order like Iomedaean or Abadaran paladins would, and since each follower of Irori seeks his or her own path to enlightenment, so too do his paladins make their own codes. I've actually been inspired, thanks in no small part to Sean K. Reynold's fascinating article on the Master of Masters in Tide of Honor, to consider making an Irori-following paladin-like character. I say paladin-like because I'm not certain whether to use the paladin class proper or use the Sohei archetype for monks. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239220)
The character would be for use in a game of Council of Thieves, and would be a tiefling with the Infernal Bastard trait. The idea is that this hellspawn turned to the worship of Irori because he wanted to transcend the taint in his blood and become something better. What kind of a code would such a fellow have? I'm not that good at writing up codes, and since each paladin of Irori essentially makes their own, this is one that would be specific to this tiefling in Westcrown. A few points that it'd probably at least touch on are:
Protection of knowledge, history and the truth - Essentially, the Order of the Rack would be incredibly important enemies to this hero. Their practice of censoring and rewriting Chelish history to suit the whims of the upper class is anathema to achieving enlightenment.
Defiance against Asmodeus' temptations - This isn't just because of the fact that he's devil-blooded and thus has to consciously fight his own malicious urges, but he must also resist the urge to choose the quick and easy paths Chelish society offers, whether through money or magic. Everything he has and is has to be earned honestly and patiently. He also exhorts others to do the same, to reap the rewards of their own hands, rather than taking the meager handouts the Prince of Darkness sometimes tosses your way.
I'm thinking maybe there should be other components like exposing secrets (very important in Council of Thieves) and of course, defending the innocent and fighting for justice like every paladin worth his salt should. Any advice on this and how to format it into a standardized code (by which I mean like how it's presented in the Faiths Of... books, as a creed with each component as an affirming statement "I swear, etc.)?
The character would be for use in a game of Council of Thieves, and would be a tiefling with the Infernal Bastard trait. The idea is that this hellspawn turned to the worship of Irori because he wanted to transcend the taint in his blood and become something better. What kind of a code would such a fellow have? I'm not that good at writing up codes, and since each paladin of Irori essentially makes their own, this is one that would be specific to this tiefling in Westcrown. A few points that it'd probably at least touch on are:
Protection of knowledge, history and the truth - Essentially, the Order of the Rack would be incredibly important enemies to this hero. Their practice of censoring and rewriting Chelish history to suit the whims of the upper class is anathema to achieving enlightenment.
Defiance against Asmodeus' temptations - This isn't just because of the fact that he's devil-blooded and thus has to consciously fight his own malicious urges, but he must also resist the urge to choose the quick and easy paths Chelish society offers, whether through money or magic. Everything he has and is has to be earned honestly and patiently. He also exhorts others to do the same, to reap the rewards of their own hands, rather than taking the meager handouts the Prince of Darkness sometimes tosses your way.
I'm thinking maybe there should be other components like exposing secrets (very important in Council of Thieves) and of course, defending the innocent and fighting for justice like every paladin worth his salt should. Any advice on this and how to format it into a standardized code (by which I mean like how it's presented in the Faiths Of... books, as a creed with each component as an affirming statement "I swear, etc.)?