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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nyeshet" data-source="post: 3364151" data-attributes="member: 18363">Um, if the proto-Paladin is accused of heresy, he wouldn't be allowed to wander free as he might - if allowed to roam - attempt who knows what evil act(s) - or even attempt to convert others to his evil patron. But, being untrained in religion (at least to any significant degree), he would perhaps not realize this. So instead have the corrupt bishop 'arrange' for his freedom, telling him to seek out, obtain, and bring back a relic to prove his non-heretic nature. (Note, Detect Evil could determine that the Fighter was not evil, so his casting is not being criticized because it is evil, but because it must be due to another (non-evil, but not their patron) deity.)The object, unless an artifact or under notably continuous magic, might detect as evil while en route, so perhaps you could even tell the Fighter that the item is not of their deity, but is in fact an item their religion wishes to destroy. It is not strong enough to corrupt, but its destruction may in some manner aid their church. Only the bishop and higher priests have the knowledge on how to property destroy it so that it does not restore itself or corrupt its destroyers, etc. They are told to bring it secretly to some location in a nearby town (perhaps a location where the bishop or a minion of his has a home, shop, temple, etc). Then, after they have left for the quest, the Bishop reveals to the city that the heretic has escaped. He informs them that several attempts at divination by other clerics of the religion have failed against the heretic and his allies (maybe the bishop gave them an item - to prevent their corruption by the item or being found by the cultists / etc that may attempt to seek them should their mission be discovered), but the bishop (presumably he is the highest level cleric in the city) has managed after several attempts of his highest level divination spells to determine they are headed for _____ (somewhere in the opposite direction of where they are really going). Later, if the divination scam is found out, then obviously either they turned around later to try to fool those that discovered their trail or they had a powerful spell (ie: higher level than the bishop can cast) fooling the divination. If they return with the item but are captured, the bishop can state that he did not send them on the mission nor help the heretic escape prison, and furthermore he can confiscate the evil item so that it can be properly destroyed by the church. If the group manages to find out what is going on, they are still being hunted for having an escaped heretic amongst them, and if they have already completed their initial quest then they also are carrying a powerful evil item with them - damning evidence to be sure. They don't dare leave it behind or along the side of the road once they realize the danger of being captured while still carrying it, as they do not want some evil creature to get a hold of it, using it to cause trouble, horror, etc. So they are forced to carry it about until they find a means of destroying it or otherwise hiding it where it will not be found by those most likely to misuse it. Anyway, that is how I would run it. The bishop will have a complex plan that will have several outs for him and few for the party - more or less villifying them indefinitely with the church, even if the bishop is later found out (as the fighter was called a heretic even before he escaped prison). In addition to this the 'quest' that is supposed to exonerate the fighter instead is set to further villify him and the party as well, while at the same time - should it succeed - being all but certain to further empower the corrupt bishop beyond anything they can easily deal with - such that the next quest is likely trying to find a way to prove their innocence and the true nature of the bishop, while the one after that will deal with hunting down the bishop and attempting to capture / slay him, his minions, etc before they finish their terrible goal (whatever that might ultimately be, but it should be - by this level - something that could negatively affect the entire region or even the entire continent).</blockquote>

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