Incarnate
2017-03-20, 08:43 PM
Hello peeps of this esteemed community.
I have a player in my group whos character is a level 9 (in total) Chaotic Neutral cleric of Tempus.
The player has recently realized something about his character, namely that worshipping Tempus isn't a sufficient justification for going into battle or war with whoever his character wants to.
He's been playing a very ill-tempered and short-fused individual, who has been using Tempus as sufficient justification for his violent outbursts and actions. However he has just realized that worshipping Tempus may not really be the best fit for his character.
The situation he realized this in was during a battle that he decided to start recklessly.. (which Tempus says one shall not do).
The scene:
On Day 1
The party had been given safe refuge by a half-orc who was also a leader of a small warband (who also happened to be worshipping Toldoth).
Both groups were recovering from being ambushed, but the warband had arrived prior to the party and was reinforcing their encampment with some simple pallisade walls.
They were building it towards becoming a base of operations of sorts. The warband was also significantly larger in numbers than the party. One of the party member found that
she resonated a lot with Toldoths teachings as was thus converted as a follower of Toldoth. The Tempus Cleric saw this as a big issue, and was ready to bash her skull in for that "transgression".
However she was able to talk her way out of that one. Later that day, two of the party members wanted to leave the encampment and basically said that they were leaving at dawn and those that didn't follow would be left behind. So the party decided to rest as much as possible, pack their stuff silently during the night and then leave at dawn.
On Day 2 - At Night
The Cleric was having a nightmare or in his interpretation - a vision about the future. He dreamt that he was in the encampment, in his tent resting. Then followers came and took him against
his will, he was fighting to get free from their strong grip. He was carried to the temple that now stood in its full glory, it was filled with ornamental decorations. It was a temple of Toldoth, where he was
being dragged to the altar to be sacrificed. He saw the leader of the warband in her fine lavish occult vestments, as she slit his throat she whispered to him - "This is for Toldoth, this is for your transgressions against Toldoth and his followers, this is the only way it can be". And then he awoke. The other party member who wanted to leave the encampment had, the same dream, but only here he was a bystander who could do nothing than witness it. When the leader slit the cleric's throat he heard "For Toldoth - You are all bearing witness to this sacrifice and atonement." Then the character awoke as well.
Both awoke to see & hear that a chant was going on in the encampment - it was for Toldoth. The cleric told the other partymember about "the vision" and the cleric told the other partymember that he was feeling and itch in his hands and that he needed to find his battlegear as could not let this vision become a reality so he decided to strike, with or without the party.
Half-way through the battle..!
He suddenly realized that maybe he was being tested by his god for all the other times where he had recklessly brought the battle to others because he wanted to fight, not because he needed to fight. Which was the same here, he didn't need to fight, he didn't have to fight, he had made a choice to bring the battle because of fear, hate and his own ego.
At this point it was already late and we decided to halt the "encounter". But me and the cleric player decided to discuss what this realization meant for the character and if the character should
try and atone for his previous "transgressions" and begin to try and deal with his character's ill-temper and short fuse.. OR... Should he begin to find a different deity that would be a much better fit for his personality...
So what do you guys think the player should do?
- my advice to the player was that he should give it some thought before deciding.
- if he decided to try and find a different deity it would most likely mean that he would be without the support and divine connection to Tempus - making him an ex-cleric (a less capable fighter), and quite possibly he would have to start over as a new cleric for the chosen deity. But when he had proved his worth and devotion for the chosen deity he could possibly convert his previous cleric levels into the chosen one cleric levels. Or if he was clever about it, he could possibly make a more smooth change without losing the ability to cast divine spells.
What war-god would be a good fit for such an ill-tempered individual?
- just so you know it's in Forgotten Realms.
// Inc.
I have a player in my group whos character is a level 9 (in total) Chaotic Neutral cleric of Tempus.
The player has recently realized something about his character, namely that worshipping Tempus isn't a sufficient justification for going into battle or war with whoever his character wants to.
He's been playing a very ill-tempered and short-fused individual, who has been using Tempus as sufficient justification for his violent outbursts and actions. However he has just realized that worshipping Tempus may not really be the best fit for his character.
The situation he realized this in was during a battle that he decided to start recklessly.. (which Tempus says one shall not do).
The scene:
On Day 1
The party had been given safe refuge by a half-orc who was also a leader of a small warband (who also happened to be worshipping Toldoth).
Both groups were recovering from being ambushed, but the warband had arrived prior to the party and was reinforcing their encampment with some simple pallisade walls.
They were building it towards becoming a base of operations of sorts. The warband was also significantly larger in numbers than the party. One of the party member found that
she resonated a lot with Toldoths teachings as was thus converted as a follower of Toldoth. The Tempus Cleric saw this as a big issue, and was ready to bash her skull in for that "transgression".
However she was able to talk her way out of that one. Later that day, two of the party members wanted to leave the encampment and basically said that they were leaving at dawn and those that didn't follow would be left behind. So the party decided to rest as much as possible, pack their stuff silently during the night and then leave at dawn.
On Day 2 - At Night
The Cleric was having a nightmare or in his interpretation - a vision about the future. He dreamt that he was in the encampment, in his tent resting. Then followers came and took him against
his will, he was fighting to get free from their strong grip. He was carried to the temple that now stood in its full glory, it was filled with ornamental decorations. It was a temple of Toldoth, where he was
being dragged to the altar to be sacrificed. He saw the leader of the warband in her fine lavish occult vestments, as she slit his throat she whispered to him - "This is for Toldoth, this is for your transgressions against Toldoth and his followers, this is the only way it can be". And then he awoke. The other party member who wanted to leave the encampment had, the same dream, but only here he was a bystander who could do nothing than witness it. When the leader slit the cleric's throat he heard "For Toldoth - You are all bearing witness to this sacrifice and atonement." Then the character awoke as well.
Both awoke to see & hear that a chant was going on in the encampment - it was for Toldoth. The cleric told the other partymember about "the vision" and the cleric told the other partymember that he was feeling and itch in his hands and that he needed to find his battlegear as could not let this vision become a reality so he decided to strike, with or without the party.
Half-way through the battle..!
He suddenly realized that maybe he was being tested by his god for all the other times where he had recklessly brought the battle to others because he wanted to fight, not because he needed to fight. Which was the same here, he didn't need to fight, he didn't have to fight, he had made a choice to bring the battle because of fear, hate and his own ego.
At this point it was already late and we decided to halt the "encounter". But me and the cleric player decided to discuss what this realization meant for the character and if the character should
try and atone for his previous "transgressions" and begin to try and deal with his character's ill-temper and short fuse.. OR... Should he begin to find a different deity that would be a much better fit for his personality...
So what do you guys think the player should do?
- my advice to the player was that he should give it some thought before deciding.
- if he decided to try and find a different deity it would most likely mean that he would be without the support and divine connection to Tempus - making him an ex-cleric (a less capable fighter), and quite possibly he would have to start over as a new cleric for the chosen deity. But when he had proved his worth and devotion for the chosen deity he could possibly convert his previous cleric levels into the chosen one cleric levels. Or if he was clever about it, he could possibly make a more smooth change without losing the ability to cast divine spells.
What war-god would be a good fit for such an ill-tempered individual?
- just so you know it's in Forgotten Realms.
// Inc.