Great - Now *I* Have a Paladin's moral dilemma - Sunless Citadel spoiler

[enrious]

(for those of you non-FR people)
Kelemvor - LN God of Death, abhors undead
Lathander - NG God of Birth, Light, Life, abhors undead
Tymora - CG Goddes of good luck
Asimar - a descendent of a Celestial; a planetouched person
Waterdeep - perhaps the largest city in the Realms

I'm playing a Paladin of Kelemvor in a party consisting of a cleric of Tymora and an Asimar ranger/sorcerer. We are all good, but with varying degrees of law/chaos. Mind you that none of the following is out of character for any of the members, as far as all 4 of us (counting the DM) are concerned. I think it just reflects us really role-playing the personalities of the pieces of paper...

Here's the situation. The three of us are adventuring underground (being put throught The Sunless Citadel - we haven't finished it so please don't spoil it) when the Asimar found a magic whistle. I was sensing evil on it when he blew it and was notified that it turned evil when it was played, turning back to non detectable as evil after a few minutes. A few moments after the whistle was played we saw a zombie rise out of the ground look at the Asimar and start digging back under the ground.

My Paladin is positive that the whistle is evil (having detected it as such) and is pretty sure that it allows the owner to summon and control zombies. He confronted the Asimar and demanded that the whistle be destroyed but was rejected by the Asimar. It was pointed out that the whistle displayed evil while it was played (and the paladin swore in Kelemvor's name that he detected the evil) and that further it was an afront against nature and Kelemvor to summon such abominations.

The paladin maintained that such an item had to be destroyed, but the Asimar should be compensated for losing such a valuable object but again the Asimar refused. At this point the Tymoran cleric agreed that it should be destroyed before it spread more evil but the Asimar retorted that he was using evil to destroy evil and therefore it was serving a good cause. He further maintained that such abstract ideas of good and evil meant nothing to him; he did what he thought was best.

Trying one last tactic the paladin said that he would not make any effort to take the whistle from the Asimar but he feels it will likely corrupt the Asimar and further the cause of evil. The paladin said that if the Asimar refused to surrender the whistle then the paladin would have no choice but to tell his clergy in Waterdeep (they are a week's ride away) as well as the clergy of Lathander that the Asimar is possesion of the whistle and refuses to part with it.


As I said earlier, it's more a sign of good roleplaying that the paladin and Asimar are clashing (and it's not the first time). My dilemma is that if he doesn't turn it over then the paladin will inform his bretheren and the faithful of Lathander that such an item is in their very city (or close by) and possessed by an elven ranger (none of the party members know he's an asimar). Which will likely mean some nasty things for the Asimar and probably a dilemma for the DM.

Anyone have any alternate paths I can take? Am I on the one you would take? Can the Steelers win the Superbowl this year?

Thanks

 

[Wolfspider]

I like your solution. Tell his church and let them (AKA the DM) deal with it.

 

[Skarp Hedin]

Yep, that's what I'd do. Let Father Angry over at the local Kelemvite temple know about it. The only issue I could see with doing all that is that it could split the party, if the aasimar refuses to bend on the issue of the whistle.. but really, it's not like the paladin has a whole lot of choice. If he sees use of that whistle to be an evil act.. then the aasimar is turning to evil (even if the aasimar doesn't know it), right? So he'd have to kill the aasimar eventually, perhaps.

This way, he can tell his bosses, and if they show up in force to confiscate the nasty thing.. well, then the paladin just saved the aasimar's soul from being devoured by undead-lovin' nasties, or soemthing.

Now, in my own campaign.. they found that whistle, and the only guy who knows what it does is the party wizard, who Identified it in the downtime between the Sunless Citadel and the Forge of Fury. Being a Chaotic Neutral halfling, he plans to use it in secret, heh heh. I fully expect the party paladin to find out about it and beat him for it, which will be extremely funny.

 

[enrious]

I like your solution. Tell his church and let them (AKA the DM) deal with it.

Actually it's my paladin's church and the church of another anti-undead god (none of the party are followers of him).

 

[enrious]

Yep, that's what I'd do. Let Father Angry over at the local Kelemvite temple know about it. The only issue I could see with doing all that is that it could split the party, if the aasimar refuses to bend on the issue of the whistle.. but really, it's not like the paladin has a whole lot of choice. If he sees use of that whistle to be an evil act.. then the aasimar is turning to evil (even if the aasimar doesn't know it), right? So he'd have to kill the aasimar eventually, perhaps.

Therein lies the heart of my dilemma. I don't enjoy spliting a party over this, but as I said we're roleplaying and letting the chips fall. And that's kinda how the paladin viewed it - not only is the thing evil, but as far as he knows it will corrupt the aasimar (note the correct speeling )

This way, he can tell his bosses, and if they show up in force to confiscate the nasty thing.. well, then the paladin just saved the aasimar's soul from being devoured by undead-lovin' nasties, or soemthing.

Yeah. I hate the deux ex machine thing, but I think the ball's in the aasimar's court. I just don't see any other action I could take except steal it (but in addition the problems introduced by stealing from a partymember and being a paladin to boot but also the idea that redemption must come from within) or fight the aasimar over it but there is no good result from that, IMO.

Now, in my own campaign.. they found that whistle, and the only guy who knows what it does is the party wizard, who Identified it in the downtime between the Sunless Citadel and the Forge of Fury. Being a Chaotic Neutral halfling, he plans to use it in secret, heh heh. I fully expect the party paladin to find out about it and beat him for it, which will be extremely funny.

Cool. The aasimar picked it up and blew it right away. My paladin tends to detect evil on the party members at regular intervals and when they pick up and/or use new devices.

<sigh> I'm working on the story hour for the campaign (now that we've played 3, yes count 'em, 3 times.

 

[BadMojo]

Enrious,

Sounds like you have a nice roleplaying group. I think your paladin should definitely tell the Kelemvites (is that correct???) and the Lathanderites about the whistle. It is perfectly in-character and sounds like it could be excellent material for your GM. The DM shouldn't be upset about this turn of events, you just did a good portion of his work for him! Plot hooks this good don't just grow on trees ya know.

 

[enrious]

Enrious,

Sounds like you have a nice roleplaying group.

Thanks. We've only played our third game tonight and I think it has more life than some of the others I've been in. The aasimar and paladin nearly got into a fight within 10 seconds of meeting. Energy like that just doesn't grow on trees.

I think your paladin should definitely tell the Kelemvites (is that correct???) and the Lathanderites about the whistle. It is perfectly in-character and sounds like it could be excellent material for your GM.

I think it's Kelemvorites.

The DM shouldn't be upset about this turn of events, you just did a good portion of his work for him! Plot hooks this good don't just grow on trees ya know.

Oh he wasn't upset by a long shot, nor were any of the players. We all agree that the paladin and aasimar were completely in character; odds are we'll be bickering when we're old and grey so to speak. The aasimar is used to being by himself and having to solve problems on his own; that conflicts with the paladin's overwhelming duty to destroy undead first and evil second. The aasimar has an item that involves both of those but is loath to give it up "because the paladin says so". I figured it was a major concession on the part of the paladin to offer monetary compensation for the aasimar surrendering the whistle, but he didn't think so. I think I would have been disappointed had the aasimar just handed it over because it would have been out of character.

And let's not get into the reaction the paladin had the first time the aasimar summoned a celestial hound. "Uh, exactly where does the summoned creature come from?"

"I don't know"

"We need to talk..."

Anyway, my concern is that it could be very disruptive of the party and that's something none of us want, including the DM. To act otherwise would be to act out of character and I don't think any of us want that either.

I just don't see any alternative for me to follow. I'd be glad to consider one if proposed but personally I'd prefer we roll up new characters than have either mine or the aasimar's character act out of character just to save the party.

 

[Wolfspider]

Anyway, my concern is that it could be very disruptive of the party and that's something none of us want, including the DM. To act otherwise would be to act out of character and I don't think any of us want that either.

It's going to be more distruptive, I think, when the aasimar starts raising zombies all over the place. It'll be hard for your paladin (and the local townspeople) to stomach this kind of thing for too long.

 

[enrious]

It's going to be more distruptive, I think, when the aasimar starts raising zombies all over the place. It'll be hard for your paladin (and the local townspeople) to stomach this kind of thing for too long.

Right. I don't see any circumstance which would allow the paladin to remain associated with the aasimar if the aasimar keeps the whistle.

As I said, I think it's up to the aasimar not the paladin but I'd still like to see if there's any alternative action the paladin can take instead of going to the clergy. Sort of a middle step because I feel going to the clergy would be the last resort but one that the paladin would do without hesitation if he felt there were no alternative.

 

[Riekhan]

The aasimar is used to being by himself and having to solve problems on his own;

Have the whistle cause a problem. Change the rules of the whistle so that it has some nasty side effect. Or convince the assimar that the whistle is the cause of the party's strife. The aasimar could easily solve "his" problem by smashing the whistle.