MisterSaturnine
2007-05-02, 10:10 PM
So, I'm working with a villain that's really a tragic character if I do say so myself (then again, I had some "help" thinking him up)...but I'm having issues deciding alignment.
The story may seem familiar. Especially if you're familiar with a particularly bad musical that sticks in your head like a barbed arrow if you've recently been in it. :smallfrown:
If you want to read the full backstory, here it is. I'll do a nutshell after.
Oh, and beware of typos. This is a lot of text I'm not in the mood to proofread.
Basically, a high-level wizard (say, 40ish?) decided he was fed up with society's corruption and wanted to, basically, see if he could make his own perfect society. So, he went out into a dense forest that few dared to wander into and fewer came out alive of, and using his magics, turned a clearing in it into a lush paradise, which he called Eden. Then, he created his two first people, Adam and Eve. The wizard's specialty, you see, was making golems, and Adam and Eve were intelligent golems made of all the neccessary components to make them function, essentially, like normal human beings (including the ability to reproduce), with the small exception of having the Hebrew "Emet" scribed under their left eye. They grew up in the garden, and as the wizard--who was now referred to simply as Father--intended, fell in love. All their lives, however, Father had told them two things. One, that they were the only people left on earth. And two, that if they ever tried to use magic, or even looked at the language it was written in, they would be corrupted--as he believed magic, like science, was one of the primary corruptors of society, despite his constant use of it. One day, however, Father left the garden to observe some particularly disturbing upsets outside of it, and another wizard who'd been a thorn in his side for years took the opportunity to show Eve one of Father's left-behind spellbooks. Though Eve didn't fully grasp many of the spells, they excited and intrigued her as she imagined what she could do, what she could create with them. Through scrying, however, Father saw all of this, and went to Eve with Adam. Outraged, he told her that because of her folly, he would decreate her, rubbing out the "e" in "emet," and turning "truth" to "death." Adam, however, couldn't bear the thought of losing her, and begged Father to spare her life. Father wouldn't allow it...and so Adam, too, looked into the book. Betrayed and despairing, Father destroyed the garden and left to another plane, never to see his children again. Ouch.
So, Adam and Eve peruse the spell book for useful things for their new life in the harsh wasteland that is this forest. They soon had children of their own, the eldest named Cain, the other Abel, 3 years Cain's junior at 14. All was well-enough, though every day Adam prayed to Father to forgive them and bring them back. Then, Cain found something shocking--the remains of a little camp, probably one that adventurers used hastily to sleep for the night--a dead campfire, animal bones, etc. More astonishingly, Cain found tracks, not of animals, but of other humans. Cain brought his family to the camp and convinced them to go find the other people--proof they weren't alone in the world! Adam wouldn't have it, however--as it turns out, he'd found out years ago, just a bit after Abel was born, but didn't tell his family for fear Father would never return if they interacted with other people--with the civilization Father had warned against. And so, Adam and Cain began to fight, with Cain growing angrier and angrier until he lashed out at Abel with a stone when Abel tried to stop it. His last words to Adam as he stood by the bleeding body of Abel before he ran and followed those tracks were, "That should've been you." Eve never recovered, refused to eat, and soon died of grief.
Adam was left with nothing and no one--all he had loved in the world had left him, and it was all his fault. Adam invested himself in magic, and now seeks to end civilization itself, in hopes that if he does, Father will forgive him, and return to recreate the world.
Nutshell: High-level Wizard known as Father fed up with civilization makes a little utopia in a horrible forest, which he calls Eden. Makes two golems identical to people named Adam and Eve. Tells them they're the only people left, and to never touch magic. Eve touches magic. Adam must choose between Eve and Father. Chooses Eve. Father destroys Eden and leaves the plane. Adam and Eve live in the wilderness and have kids named Cain and Abel. Cain finds evidence of other people Adam found earlier but didn't tell about for fear Father would never return. Adam and Cain fight. Abel dies. Eve dies of grief. From the spoiler--
Adam was left with nothing and no one--all he had loved in the world had left him, and it was all his fault. Adam invested himself in magic, and now seeks to end civilization itself, in hopes that if he does, Father will forgive him, and return to recreate the world.
Adam will be a Wizard 6/Mountebank 4/Nightmare Spinner 4 to accomodate his plot, though I've modified Mountebank to suit my purposes.
The plan is to use alter-egos + nightmares and suggestion and stuff to manipulate the world into a crippling world war that will eventually result in the destruction of civilization. He does, however, do his best to avoid hurting children.
And now for the dilemma: his alignment.
In intention, he is Lawful Good--working with the system in order to destroy it from within, and means only good for the world. His means, though, are certainly not good--devious manipulation that will cause murder in the millions, destroying smaller societies personally, and eventually organizing raids to ransack treasuries and armories, only to kill the raiding parties and destroy the weapons of armor.
What do you think, guys? Lawful Good? Chaotic Good? Lawful Neutral? The last I'm not so comfortable with, but if it works...
The story may seem familiar. Especially if you're familiar with a particularly bad musical that sticks in your head like a barbed arrow if you've recently been in it. :smallfrown:
If you want to read the full backstory, here it is. I'll do a nutshell after.
Oh, and beware of typos. This is a lot of text I'm not in the mood to proofread.
Basically, a high-level wizard (say, 40ish?) decided he was fed up with society's corruption and wanted to, basically, see if he could make his own perfect society. So, he went out into a dense forest that few dared to wander into and fewer came out alive of, and using his magics, turned a clearing in it into a lush paradise, which he called Eden. Then, he created his two first people, Adam and Eve. The wizard's specialty, you see, was making golems, and Adam and Eve were intelligent golems made of all the neccessary components to make them function, essentially, like normal human beings (including the ability to reproduce), with the small exception of having the Hebrew "Emet" scribed under their left eye. They grew up in the garden, and as the wizard--who was now referred to simply as Father--intended, fell in love. All their lives, however, Father had told them two things. One, that they were the only people left on earth. And two, that if they ever tried to use magic, or even looked at the language it was written in, they would be corrupted--as he believed magic, like science, was one of the primary corruptors of society, despite his constant use of it. One day, however, Father left the garden to observe some particularly disturbing upsets outside of it, and another wizard who'd been a thorn in his side for years took the opportunity to show Eve one of Father's left-behind spellbooks. Though Eve didn't fully grasp many of the spells, they excited and intrigued her as she imagined what she could do, what she could create with them. Through scrying, however, Father saw all of this, and went to Eve with Adam. Outraged, he told her that because of her folly, he would decreate her, rubbing out the "e" in "emet," and turning "truth" to "death." Adam, however, couldn't bear the thought of losing her, and begged Father to spare her life. Father wouldn't allow it...and so Adam, too, looked into the book. Betrayed and despairing, Father destroyed the garden and left to another plane, never to see his children again. Ouch.
So, Adam and Eve peruse the spell book for useful things for their new life in the harsh wasteland that is this forest. They soon had children of their own, the eldest named Cain, the other Abel, 3 years Cain's junior at 14. All was well-enough, though every day Adam prayed to Father to forgive them and bring them back. Then, Cain found something shocking--the remains of a little camp, probably one that adventurers used hastily to sleep for the night--a dead campfire, animal bones, etc. More astonishingly, Cain found tracks, not of animals, but of other humans. Cain brought his family to the camp and convinced them to go find the other people--proof they weren't alone in the world! Adam wouldn't have it, however--as it turns out, he'd found out years ago, just a bit after Abel was born, but didn't tell his family for fear Father would never return if they interacted with other people--with the civilization Father had warned against. And so, Adam and Cain began to fight, with Cain growing angrier and angrier until he lashed out at Abel with a stone when Abel tried to stop it. His last words to Adam as he stood by the bleeding body of Abel before he ran and followed those tracks were, "That should've been you." Eve never recovered, refused to eat, and soon died of grief.
Adam was left with nothing and no one--all he had loved in the world had left him, and it was all his fault. Adam invested himself in magic, and now seeks to end civilization itself, in hopes that if he does, Father will forgive him, and return to recreate the world.
Nutshell: High-level Wizard known as Father fed up with civilization makes a little utopia in a horrible forest, which he calls Eden. Makes two golems identical to people named Adam and Eve. Tells them they're the only people left, and to never touch magic. Eve touches magic. Adam must choose between Eve and Father. Chooses Eve. Father destroys Eden and leaves the plane. Adam and Eve live in the wilderness and have kids named Cain and Abel. Cain finds evidence of other people Adam found earlier but didn't tell about for fear Father would never return. Adam and Cain fight. Abel dies. Eve dies of grief. From the spoiler--
Adam was left with nothing and no one--all he had loved in the world had left him, and it was all his fault. Adam invested himself in magic, and now seeks to end civilization itself, in hopes that if he does, Father will forgive him, and return to recreate the world.
Adam will be a Wizard 6/Mountebank 4/Nightmare Spinner 4 to accomodate his plot, though I've modified Mountebank to suit my purposes.
The plan is to use alter-egos + nightmares and suggestion and stuff to manipulate the world into a crippling world war that will eventually result in the destruction of civilization. He does, however, do his best to avoid hurting children.
And now for the dilemma: his alignment.
In intention, he is Lawful Good--working with the system in order to destroy it from within, and means only good for the world. His means, though, are certainly not good--devious manipulation that will cause murder in the millions, destroying smaller societies personally, and eventually organizing raids to ransack treasuries and armories, only to kill the raiding parties and destroy the weapons of armor.
What do you think, guys? Lawful Good? Chaotic Good? Lawful Neutral? The last I'm not so comfortable with, but if it works...