Not so long ago I was nothing but a student of history. Well: history, philosophy, theology, these
were all part of my studies. My living
at the temple was contingent on my handling certain duties apart from my
studies. I was asked to catalogue and
organize the mostly ancient pieces of knowledge and history that the temple had
collected. Of course this was not a task
that could be, or would be completed in my lifetime. It was not so much a chore as a lifelong
career. Which meant I had no need to
hurry. If I managed to accomplish
anything, then I was successful. I
always took my time, not just to be thorough, but to try and learn as much as I
could. This is why I know the things I
do. The obscure knowledge, the
understanding of things that the world thought was lost to the ages, the
secrets that most wouldn’t even bother to listen to; these are all information
and power to one such as myself. Sure
this knowledge has brought some strange looks from my current companions, but
it has helped us understand our situation so much more.
Now as a Cleric of Pelor, one thing I learned without doubt
is Good vs. Evil. I learned about the
nature of these concepts and the philosophies of them as well. On the material plane, where I and most races
I’ve considered putting these philosophies to use on, live; Good and Evil are
ideas, choices we make, and precepts we hold to. That is the most important issue on my mind
right now. Undoubtedly there are races
that cling more to one than another.
Goblinoids typically act in an evil manner, whereas Elves generally
follow a goodly path. Of course this is
not born into them. Each race has
evidence of members that don’t hold to these stereotypes. But that is the way of the world I live
in. I must be able to recognize when
someone, no matter who they are or where they come from, makes a conscious
decision to be or do evil. However, Evil
is a force; a very real part of existence that cannot be fully destroyed. In the same way most people do not care for
death and wish it was not a part of life, it is in actuality a very necessary
part of life. Evil, while not my
preference, is necessary in a way. I’m
not arguing for it in any way, but there must be a balance between life and
death, light and dark, good and evil. Of
course no one really knows where that balance stands which is why people like
me dedicate our lives to trying to make sure Good has its chance to balance
against the ever present Evil.
Creatures from the Outer planes are more a manifestation of
one of these forces, then an actual entity on their own. Devils, and Fiends are built by, or born from
Evil. Being evil is not a choice for
them, it is simply nature. Doing good
deeds, actually for the sake of good can be very painful and permanently
damaging to them. The same, except
opposite, is true for Celestials like Gaje.
It is his nature to be good, and do good. Participating in an evil act, or aiding evil
in any way can permanently affect his entire existence. Of course it is against his nature to do so,
and would be a powerful willful act for him to do anything evil.
This brings me to the thoughts that have weighed heavy on my
mind as of late. I have been given power
by Pelor to channel positive energy and dramatically change the behavior of
evil creatures, particularly the undead.
I can also imbue this ability with greater power to utterly destroy
undead, which is my preference. In my
studies I have uncovered a way to slightly alter the effect of this power to
instead function against creatures that are inherently, or by nature (born of),
evil. As in our fight against the Hezrou
with all the Dretchs. These were fiends
that are more a manifestation of evil then they are their own person. Evil is not a choice for them. That is the only way my power could affect
them in this manner. Doing this gives me
no fear that any of my companions would be harmed or frightened by my display
of Pelor’s might. Unfortunately,
Korophon has not been honest with us.
From the moment he came to us he has chosen to be deceptive, holding an
image of illusion over himself in order to hide his true form from our sight. This has no effect on the warlock who can
always see the truth of things, at least visually. But Korophon continues to play out this lie
to us. He attempted to explain his
reasoning by saying that he cannot help how he was born, or by what
circumstances he came into existence.
Meaning he can’t help his nature, and wants to atone for his past and
walk a path of good. But recently during
a battle I unleashed a spell that was specifically chosen at the moment to
defeat evil. As a cleric I have the
opportunity to give up the spells I prepared for the day, no matter what they
are, and use a spell that is wholly good as if a sanctified soul had cast
it. The spell I used was meant to damage
only those that are evil, not evil by nature but by choice. Again I felt that this would have no effect
on my companions. Even though some of
their choices and methods do not exactly match my own, I felt confident that
none of them had chosen a path of evil.
But Korophon received the same amount of damage from the spell as the
creatures we were fighting.
This leads me to believe that the deception of Korophon is
far greater than we originally believed.
The fact that he was not affected by one ability of mine, but was by
another, shows me clearly that he is an evil person. Not the same as the fiends we have faced here
in the Abyss, creatures that cannot help doing evil as it is their nature. No, Korophon is evil by choice. And his deception, and even the help he has
provided us thus far, lets me know just how dangerous he is. I’m at odds with the choices placed before
me. I don’t want his continued deception
to mean death and destruction to any of my companions, but I only have my
suspicions and my understanding of good vs. evil to propose we all turn on
him. I will give my thoughts to the
others (minus Korophon of course), and use my wisdom, and let the wizard use
his intelligence and hopefully we can come up with a viable option to rid
ourselves of this potential threat, without dooming ourselves to be lost to the
Abyss.
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