Oathbreaker nemesis backstory

[Valwyn]

While fleshing out a paladin I rolled on a bunch of Xanathar's tables and ended up with a LE dwarven oathbreaker as a nemesis. She and my NG paladin trained together and later on had an adventure in the Shadowfell. All well and good. The problem is, at some point she Fell and blames my paladin for it... and is right. So my question is, what could a paladin do to make another paladin Fall without Falling himself? She is also pretty pissed about it, enough to blame the paladin. Any ideas on what he could have possibly done?

[Ganymede]

The Captain America - Bucky Barnes backstory could be something for you to look into.

[Malifice]

While fleshing out a paladin I rolled on a bunch of Xanathar's tables and ended up with a LE dwarven oathbreaker as a nemesis. She and my NG paladin trained together and later on had an adventure in the Shadowfell. All well and good. The problem is, at some point she Fell and blames my paladin for it... and is right. So my question is, what could a paladin do to make another paladin Fall without Falling himself? She is also pretty pissed about it, enough to blame the paladin. Any ideas on what he could have possibly done?

While fighting in the Shadowfell, you were ambushed by Shadar Kai devoted to Shar during a quest. During the battle, the Dwarf was brought down to what seemed a likely mortal blow, and you got separated from her and nearly overwhelmed yourself.

Badly weakened, facing superior numbers, and with no other option, you left the Dwarf behind, presuming her dead. Hoping she was dead. For her sake.

Problem was; she wasn't dead.

The Shadar Kai brought her back to their citadel, and tortured and tormented her daily. Over time she came to believe that her allies (you) were prepared to abandon her to die in the most desolate of places 'for the cause'. She despised you for your lack of honour in leaving her behind. She grew to resent you, the 'lies' of your order and the false nature of your deity. Hopelessness set in. Despair. Isolation. Only broken by the repeated torture; which was only done for tortures sake. They didn't even ask any questions.

Then, one dark gloomy Shadowfell night, she heard a soft soothing voice in the dark. A voice that called to her, and comforted her with the promise of emptiness and nothing. The pain could stop, if only she would embrace a new mistress.

She renounced her oath and pledged her service to that mistress, Shar goddess of the night.

She waited and planned.

Meanwhile your PC is forever questioning their decision in leaving your once good friend behind. You had no option... but it haunts you. You secretly doubt your own courage, and this leads to you acting brash to the point of throwing yourself at overwhelming odds, and being headstrong to the extreme. Secretly you fear you are really a coward, and if sorely tested, will you again break and run... or stay to fight to the death? You hope your dwarven friend died a quick death (unware that she did not die at all).

How will you deal with your decision to leave her behind when again faced with overwhelming odds? Will you again flee, or stand your ground even if it means your own death? And how will you react when you again cross paths with your old friend, your greatest fear and your greatest failure?

[Valwyn]

The Captain America - Bucky Barnes backstory could be something for you to look into.

Confession: I've never watched any Captain America movie (unless Avengers 1 counts). Which I probably should, considering he took the shield style. Short of it is Bucky got brainwashed and used as an assassin, right?


Malifice:
that could work. I was thinking maybe Loviatar would be more dramatic since my paladin follows Ilmater, but Shar is probably more appropiate (though the whole Falling thing could happen after the trip to the Shadowfell, too). My only problem with the story is that she was unconcious. I think it'd be more impactful if she wasn't, but also less likely to be left behind then.

[GlenSmash!]

It is a requirement that the two character's had the same Oath?

It might be possible that say an Oath of Devotion Paladin and Oath of Vengeance Paladin were at cross-paths and siding with their friend caused one of the other to break their oath.

[Malifice]

Malifice:
that could work. I was thinking maybe Loviatar would be more dramatic since my paladin follows Ilmater, but Shar is probably more appropiate (though the whole Falling thing could happen after the trip to the Shadowfell, too). My only problem with the story is that she was unconcious. I think it'd be more impactful if she wasn't, but also less likely to be left behind then.

Maybe she was conscious, but you fled and ran, and the shame of that haunts you (even though it would have been suicide to remain).

Loviatar works just fine as well. Illmater protected your former ally from the pain of the torture of the Shadar Kai. However in rage she she renounced Illmater and his protection from her suffering was withdrawn.

She came to not only tolerate the pain; but to embrace it. At the behest of a new patron...

[Valwyn]

I think I have a pretty solid idea for her background now. Thanks for the ideas, guys! :smallbiggrin:

[Consensus]

I'm of the opinion that someone else can never truly cause a paladin to fall, its always a conscious choice to abandon the tenets of their oath rather than any forced 'morality test' ect. I agree with the poster with the shadowfell story

[Unoriginal]

An idea I had:

Imagine the one situation where your Paladin *could* have become the bad guy.

Imagine what kind of events could lead to jump the slippery slope.

It might be someone they trusted betraying them, or a teacher accidentally leading them to an horror-level situation, or anything.

Now, imagine that it happened to your PC, but they managed to avoid that way.

Their friend who was with them, on the other hand, did.

Might be even that the PC survived *because* the friend fell.

[spartan_ah]

While fighting in the Shadowfell, you were ambushed by Shadar Kai devoted to Shar during a quest. During the battle, the Dwarf was brought down to what seemed a likely mortal blow, and you got separated from her and nearly overwhelmed yourself.

Badly weakened, facing superior numbers, and with no other option, you left the Dwarf behind, presuming her dead. Hoping she was dead. For her sake.

Problem was; she wasn't dead.

The Shadar Kai brought her back to their citadel, and tortured and tormented her daily. Over time she came to believe that her allies (you) were prepared to abandon her to die in the most desolate of places 'for the cause'. She despised you for your lack of honour in leaving her behind. She grew to resent you, the 'lies' of your order and the false nature of your deity. Hopelessness set in. Despair. Isolation. Only broken by the repeated torture; which was only done for tortures sake. They didn't even ask any questions.

Then, one dark gloomy Shadowfell night, she heard a soft soothing voice in the dark. A voice that called to her, and comforted her with the promise of emptiness and nothing. The pain could stop, if only she would embrace a new mistress.

She renounced her oath and pledged her service to that mistress, Shar goddess of the night.

She waited and planned.

Meanwhile your PC is forever questioning their decision in leaving your once good friend behind. You had no option... but it haunts you. You secretly doubt your own courage, and this leads to you acting brash to the point of throwing yourself at overwhelming odds, and being headstrong to the extreme. Secretly you fear you are really a coward, and if sorely tested, will you again break and run... or stay to fight to the death? You hope your dwarven friend died a quick death (unware that she did not die at all).

How will you deal with your decision to leave her behind when again faced with overwhelming odds? Will you again flee, or stand your ground even if it means your own death? And how will you react when you again cross paths with your old friend, your greatest fear and your greatest failure?


That was awesome.
Well done!