D&D 5E worthy quest

[Jester David]

It just needs to be something worthy to the clerics. Or the church's clergy, who may not all be clerics.

Imagine if one of the deacons or other members of the hierarchy needs something done and can't ask the clerics he commands because it's iffy. If the PCs do the task, the restoration is their reward, but the great cost also buys their silence. And the church official just orders a cleric to cast the spell and works out the cost in the church's books.

It could be something as mundane as high-jacking the supplies of a rival church, taking care of the deacon's bastard child, removing a problem individual, silencing a heretic, or getting some supplies from the black market. Anything that is better off the books.

 

[pukunui]

No need for them to meet the king; how about having them go to the village of Altand? They could get to know it before the dragon attack, which would give the PC some personal investment when it later gets hit. Maybe Galin's wife could be the healer.

That's a possibility. I'll have to reread that part of RoT.

It just needs to be something worthy to the clerics. Or the church's clergy, who may not all be clerics.

Sure. Got any ideas that might fit the context of elven clergy?

 

[Jester David]

Sure. Got any ideas that might fit the context of elven clergy?

Okay, not much on that city:
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Elturel

Looks like the two main gods are Helm and Chauntea.
Helm is a militaristic faith. Lots of paladins and soldiers, while Chauntea is almost a druid goddess. Not a lot of worshipers that scream out "bookkeepers" or "temple maintenance". Someone has to do the day-to-day stuff.

As the god of paladins, Helm strikes me as the least accepting of questionable goods, even ones acquired for the greater good. But the temple needs to still feed the clergy and maintain the armour and weapons of its military followers. It's easy to imagine a managerial member of the church having to buy supplies from the Zhentarim or Thayans, but not wanting to let their superiors in the church know where the goods came from.

 

[pukunui]

Okay, not much on that city:
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Elturel

Yeah. As I said above, the player in question decided his elf PC wouldn't want to be beholden to human gods. They've since moved on from Elturel to Baldur's Gate. I'm thinking, though, that he might need to wait until he gets to Daggerford, since that town is quite close to the Misty Forest, where he is more likely to meet some elf clerics.

 

[pukunui]

Just a brief update: The PCs are still in Baldur's Gate, and the PC in question is wanting to track down an elf priest. The Murder in Baldur's Gate campaign guide says that there are shrines to all sorts of gods in the Outer City suburb of Twin Songs, so I figure there might as well be one dedicated to the Seldarine there as well. Perhaps it's an outdoor chapel of sorts, rather than a building.

Anyway, I was thinking that since there aren't many elves in Baldur's Gate, it's unlikely the clergy tending the shrine would be particularly powerful. Certainly not powerful enough to cast greater restoration. But perhaps if he proves himself worthy somehow, the Seldarine will intercede on his behalf. Maybe the priests in attendance at the shrine could test him on his dedication to elven ideals - according to the DMG's entry on elven moonblades, these include "courage, loyalty, beauty, music, and life". I'm not sure how I'd go about testing him on any of those things, though.

Anyone got any ideas?

 

[EzekielRaiden]

A city full of paladins and clerics, you say?

Sounds to me like a "worthy quest" would be something they need done...but they cannot accomplish themselves. Consider, for example, the quest from Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, undertaken for one of the churches in Amn. Depending on your alignment, you're sent to one of three churches, to recover a stolen religious item (I played an LG character, so I was working for the Church of Lathander and had to recover a ring or something like that). The church itself could not conduct such a mission, because the thieves know all the members of that church and would be spooked immediately if they tried to do something.

So, consider for yourself: what could be a serious issue, that would be even *more* of a problem if one of the city's paladins or clerics tried to solve it? For example, being from one of those classes *probably* makes you shine like a beacon to the eyes of demons, devils, and other outsiders. Whereas someone who ISN'T from one of those classes could pass without notice--when the whole city is bright lights, a small shadow may flit through unseen. Or, perhaps there is an evil cult known to be lurking in the city, but it is wise to the maneuvers of the city's residents (perhaps through a ritual). An outsider could be warded against this, and sent to find information--minimal risk to life and limb, but an essential service to the temple-city.

Hope that helps!

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

Conversion to their religion ought to do it with the injunction that he has to convert three people more in a year and a day, give him a holy symbol that cannot be removed by any means as a tracker.

 

[pukunui]

[MENTION=6790260]EzekielRaiden[/MENTION] and [MENTION=6788652]The Grassy Gnoll[/MENTION]: Thanks for the responses, guys. I should've updated my original post, though, as the PCs have moved on to Baldur's Gate. See posts #7 and #15 for more up-to-date info on this.