Cleric of Lathander - background

[drakhe]

Tonight we finaly get to play again. My Dnd group (the one I play in, not the one I DM) has been on hold for a rather long time because of one of the players loosing his mother to a long drawn out illness. She now rests and we've made our peace, now on with the game.

In this campaign, I intend for my character to grow into being a cleric of Lathander. I would appreciate any background the good people of ENWorld want to share.

I have both DnD2e and DnD3e Deities and Demigods, but I would like some more background on the cleric. How would such a cleric live, by what code? What kind of quest or adventure would a cleric of Lathander refuse? What kind would he accept unconditionaly? What would a cleric of Lathander say? (war-cries and such...) Would a cleric of Lathander be one of those that only fight when struck, never to start a fight/combat themselves? How strongly would a cleric of Lathander rely on his faith, or would he rather trust his own resources to prove his faith?

Any info and background is welcome !

Also any anecdotes you want to share about clerics in your campaign(s) that demonstrate the how and why of being a cleric would be very much appreciated!

 

[Quickbeam]

I played a paladin of Lathander once. I saw the church order as a bit ostentatious or gaudy, but nonetheless good and generous at its core. Clerics of this order (IMO) would be a bit vain and self-righteous; early risers who prayed by dawn's first light; kind and decent; very devoted servants of their faith, fearless in the face of evil; optimistic believers in renewal; and perhaps a little aloof, as though they were above trivial or petty concerns.

If any of this works for you, I'll go into more detail.

 

[Celtavian]

Re

Lathander is probably my favorite Deity in the FR. I have played a Paladin and two Clerics of Lathander.

The way I see it, Lathander's clergy are at the forefront of a great many activities in the realms. Lathander's clergy are people of action not words. They go forth into the world to make a difference whether it be feeding the hungry, inspiring the hopeless, or fighting in wars against evil. Lathander is the god new beginnings and thus hope, so you should definitely be a person of action.

I see the dogma of Lathander as one that promotes generosity, hope, courage, inspiration, love, and general goodness. They rarely, if ever, feel down or hopeless. They do not fear death nor ends, because they know that endings do not exist as long one can begin anew.

You should be constantly seeking out problems to solve and spreading hope through word and deed. You should exercise daily and maintain your health, so that laziness and indifference do not make your body weak. You should treat people well and help the poor and downtrodden, for those without hope are lost to Lathander.

If you have any of the FR deity books, give his dogma a read. That pretty sums up Lathander.

Some of the catch phrases I use are as follows:

"Dawn breaks, darkness falls." I usually use this phrase when turning undead, especially when using greater turning.

"Lathander's light strike thee dead." I usually use this phrase when hitting with a searing light or flame strike.

"Fear not the darkness, for the light of Lathander cannot be dimmed." Just a general phrase if the situation looks dark.

There are more in the FRCS and a FR novel known as Tymora's Luck.


I hope this helped. I don't know how many EN Worlders play FR. It seems most enjoy playing in worlds of their own making or non-mainstream worlds, so you may not get many answers.

 

[Mr Fidgit]

well drakhe, IMO, there's no simple answers to your questions...

because a cleric can be one alignment step away from their diety, it's quite possible to come up with different sects for any diety

for example, a group of LG followers of Lathander would be much more militant and hierarchical than a CG sect. each sect (LG, NG, CG or N) may focus on different aspects of Lathander's dogma, and having different overall goals

even individual clerics may worship and practice differently from the 'mainstream' NG church structure, as does the Order of the Aster (Paladins of the Morninglord)

you may want to decide first on what alignment your cleric will be, and then explore the ways that the cleric could follow Lathander's will in his own way

(if not, i'd be happy to post some more information, like the defined dogma in the FRCS if you don't have it )

 

[WayneLigon]

Re: Re

Some of the catch phrases I use are as follows:

"Dawn breaks, darkness falls." I usually use this phrase when turning undead, especially when using greater turning.

I've been playing a Cleric/Paladin of Lathander for a couple months now, and I've been using a lot of catchphrases like those. I'll have to remember these and add them to the repetoire.

 

[drakhe]

... If any of this works for you, I'll go into more detail.

This is the kind of info I'm looking for. Anything you want to add is greatly apreciated!

 

[drakhe]

well drakhe, IMO, there's no simple answers to your questions...

My character is 19 years old and has currently been drafted (together with his 3 pals = the other players) to serve in the Cormyrean army. I've been raised by the Abbot of a monastery dedicated to Shauntea. This abbot was once member of the same adventuring party my mother belonged to (who's a priestess of Mystra) I've never known my father.

Xander Greenleaf (my character) has been very impressed when a Cleric of Lathander passed thru the village and displayed his power and honor when he stepped in to resolve a dispute. Ever since, Xander has had it in his mind to become like that cleric.

It might change (as I menstioned before, Xander is only 19) but for now, Xander is LN, being raised as such by his step-father the abbot.

(if not, i'd be happy to post some more information, like the defined dogma in the FRCS if you don't have it )

Thanx for reminding me that that book exists , I've been checking Deities and Demigods and Faiths and Pantheons but didn't think to check the FRCS.

Anyways, I'm looking fo rstuff beyond the descriptions in these books, like Celtavian's post.

 

[Chun-tzu]

It might change (as I menstioned before, Xander is only 19) but for now, Xander is LN, being raised as such by his step-father the abbot.

Just FYI, since Lathander is NG, a Cleric of Lathander must be LG, NG, or CG, unless your DM is willing to make a special exception.

 

[drakhe]

Just FYI, since Lathander is NG, a Cleric of Lathander must be LG, NG, or CG, unless your DM is willing to make a special exception.

Offcourse [grrr I NEED to get some sleep ]

I meant: LG !!!!

 

[Tristissima]

Hm. Brainspurt. Feel free to ignore. Just had some ideas coming out of my fingers.

If you wouldn't mind the re-vamp of your character concept, what if your character began to blend the three deities into one triune deity? They could match pretty easily to the Triune Goddess of Wicca, I think. Chauntea is perfect for the Mother, Lathander fits the Maiden very well, and Mystra could easily be interpreted as the Crone. The other "famous" triune deity is the Christian God and that one could still map fairly well. Latander as the Father, the God of the Hebrew Scriptures, somewhat militant and strong of weapon-arm in defense of virtue (plus the Hebrew Scriptures were written first and describe the beginning of things, fitting the "dawn" idea pretty well), Chauntea as the Son, Jesus, preaching love and acceptance and nonviolence, and Mystra as the Holy Ghost, infusing everything with the Weave and granting mysterious powers to a few. Or something that's a combination of the two. Or something completely different. Maybe you could choose from any of their domains if you did this, maybe resulting in a very intriguing pair of Domains for your character (Nobility and Animal for one who idealizes the animals around him with a "savage nobility of spirits" deal, or Nobility and Plant for someone like Aragorn would be if he was a hobbit, or Knowledge and Sun for he who sees all, or Rune and Earth for a more dwarven style, well you get the point)