Post/Author/DateTime	Post
meto30 11-04-07, 12:29 PM	Hello. I'm a DM running a FR setting campaign. I needed some good/neutral chromatic dragons to drive the campaign plot forward, and to explain for their existence I've created this gold dragon cleric of Ilmater that looks for orphans and takes care of them. The following is what I've come up with. The Gold Dragon is a NG cleric of Ilmater(FR god of endurance, suffering, matyrdom, and perserverance). He believes all creatures are born innocent (as in Ilmater's dogma), and it is his duty to care for orphaned children that cannot benefit from the care of their parents. He is utterly unbiased in his care, and is known to take orphans of even the most evil of creatures or beings. When he sees an orphan in need, he picks him/her up and looks for a fitting foster parent. His standards for a good foster parent is one who will stop at nothing to protect children, has a stable and peaceful life, and can teach children to lead an honorable and fruitfull life. When the orphan in question is an intelligent creature, he favors the fellow faithful of Ilmater as foster parents, and since the majority of the faith is human, he often chooses human foster parents. A few major churches of Ilmater act as his agents in finding potential adopters, and in case of humanoid orphans the church itself will often adopt the child. After adoption, the dragon watches the rearing process, sometimes offering insight to the foster parent on important issues, and supporting the parent and child if he decides they need help. In case of powerful creatures, however, he takes the charge to himself, particualrily in case of dragons. He knows from his own experience as parent that dragons are unlikely to heed the advice of humanoid foster parents, and thus he rears all dragon orphans he finds in his spaceous lair. When the young dragon grows somewhat he sometimes sends the child to his consort (LG gold dragon), but he always keeps chromatic dragons in his personal care so that he may have further influence on the child's philosophy. He has reared and helped rear many children to this day. Of his many children, only those who were in his personal care or has grown up to be an honorable and good-intentioned beings know of their dragon godfather. He is very old, old even by gold dragon standards, and is troubled that his work will end with his death. His first child has died serving Bahamut in battle, and his second child, who is in her prime, is a paladin like her dead older brother and fights a constant battle against the evils of the world. She understands her father's duty fully, and would gladly accept the mantle of the Protector of Orphans, but her father thinks she is leading too dangerous a lifestyle to become a godmother to thousands of orphaned children. But that's all I've managed to come up with. I have a vague idea on how the dragon chose his path, but I'm not satisfied with it. So, please, help me flesh out the dragon. Ideas on what class he should have, how he came to be the carer of orphans, how he came to serve Ilmater (Ilmater's a human diety), what his consort is like, and such. Ideas on his children (I'm planning on featuring lots of his children in the campaign) are welcome too. Also, if you have ideas on plot hooks leading PCs to encounter this dragon (both sides of the good-evil spectrum), and other plot devices to help the dragon interact with the campaign at large, I'd be grateful to hear them, too. Also, I haven't named him yet, so feel free to give your own names. ;)
Terjon of the Blue Rose 11-08-07, 12:13 AM	I like having you on this board more and more with each post Meto. I'll start you off with a White out of my own game. I'm changing her story around to make her a good aligned and fitting to your own story. Her name is roughly translated into Blizzard in the tongue of men. She was taken from the frozen lands in the north to a warmer climate before she ever hatched. The captors who took and hatched her had wanted her for their wars. She was smaller than her brothers though and seemed less suited to battle. Her captors sent her brothers off into their war and each eventually died long before moving past wyrmling status. When __insert gold's name__ learned of their use he attacked and killed the captors bringing the frightened wyrmling to his home. She was still too young to understand then what had been done too her but she did feel loss as her brothers had failed, one by one, to come back. He promised her that would never happen again. Now Blizzard has grown older and roost in a cave just outside the edges of her adoptive parents territory. Unable to find another white in these warmer climes she has used her father's magic to imbue an abandoned wing of gargoyle eggs with a portion of her draconic essence (read half-dragon template, which stacks very, very nicely onto gargoyles). She watches over her family whom she tells often of loyalty to their wing and reads the sermons her father read her as a youth. __Insert Gold's name here__ wishes he could give her the mantle he has taken upon herself. She is a doting mother and cares deeply for her family which is neccessary in his replacement. Unfortunately she is not very bright and tends to give in to whims of favoratism amongst her children. She teaches them of kindness yet still favors the strongest. She also cares little for those outside her new family and he feels it unlikely she would seek out potential competitors for her children.
meto30 11-09-07, 12:42 AM	I thank you, Terjon, for your advice. It's been a great help. Her name is roughly translated into Blizzard in the tongue of men. She was taken from the frozen lands in the north to a warmer climate before she ever hatched. The captors who took and hatched her had wanted her for their wars. She was smaller than her brothers though and seemed less suited to battle. Her captors sent her brothers off into their war and each eventually died long before moving past wyrmling status. When __insert gold's name__ learned of their use he attacked and killed the captors bringing the frightened wyrmling to his home. She was still too young to understand then what had been done too her but she did feel loss as her brothers had failed, one by one, to come back. He promised her that would never happen again. Now Blizzard has grown older and roost in a cave just outside the edges of her adoptive parents territory. Unable to find another white in these warmer climes she has used her father's magic to imbue an abandoned wing of gargoyle eggs with a portion of her draconic essence (read half-dragon template, which stacks very, very nicely onto gargoyles). She watches over her family whom she tells often of loyalty to their wing and reads the sermons her father read her as a youth. I think this is a very moving story for the early childhood of my gold dragon, and I thank you. I'll be adopting it directly. What faction would fit the role of the captors best? Hm, perhaps the Red Wizards of Thay? They're evil to the core(at least, in my version of Thay), and has a strong interest in dragons, being wizards. Perhaps at about the time her first children (gargoyles) grew up a bit she encounters Ilmater's clerics and joins the faith... this is a very promising story. Thank you once again. :bow:
Terjon of the Blue Rose 11-09-07, 04:52 AM	I said I had adapted it. I didn't tell you that I had originally had her held back from battle specifically to breed the half-dragons for Thay. How did you know that? Are you reading my mind? I warn against it. I have that ability common to allips and the modified trolls from MM5.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 11-09-07, 06:13 AM	Sliptongue is still a young green but he is a constant worry to his adoptive father. Captured by adventurers as an egg and sold off as "treasure" he wound up in the care of the ancient gold and has been trouble since hatching. He has a scheming mindset that remains even in his good deeds. Having truly embraced his father precept that no creature is irredeemable he has already started moving among the less powerful races and putting into motion plans to teach lessons to any being he encounters with both power and might, as well as to raise into positions of power those he deems sufficiently responsible. A bane to tyrants, or indeed anyone he feels are abusing their power or station, he rarely involves himself directly in his plans. Rather he tends to lead the target into great failures through their own greed or lust. Sliptongue has already begun experimenting in magic and is clearly focussing on spells which disguise or change a target. His certainty in his own strength, cunning, and moral right seem destined to lead him into a path of either corruption or to an ignoble death.
Terjon of the Blue Rose 11-09-07, 06:49 AM	Emerald is __Dragon name here__'s greatest failure. If a creature can be evil from its birth then Emerald is such a creature, though __Dragon name__ refuses to admit the possability of such. The green was one of two bought as eggs from adventurers and like his brother Sliptongue is a manipulator. Unlike his brother Emerald has never cared for his father's teachings. He learned diplomacy and speech from his father but cared nothing for his lessons of morality. Indeed Emerald seems to care for very little save his own amusement. He has been a constant thorn in the rearing of the other dragons and is ever looking to manipulate his siblings into failing their father. He seems to take even greater delight in crushing his fathers dreams for his siblings then in crushing such hopes for himself. The ancient gold is currently unaware where Emerald is and this causes him much distress.
meto30 11-09-07, 06:58 AM	Green dragon brothers, one a success and other a failure. I thank you once again, this is another great idea. I think I have a group in my campaign that can be adapted to fit the role of the party that brought the eggs to the gold dragon...