Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Doc225 04-07-04, 04:11 PM	One of the guys in the group has decided to try his hand at DMing. I am very excited about this. The game will be set in the Realms, and I want to play a half orc cleric of Lathander. My dilemma is this, how do i take the grubby little bug and lizard chaser that I envision him as at 5, to the 19 year old cleric that i rolled for age? I figure he was raised by his grandparents. His mother died during childbirth, but his Grans are good people, and weren't going to hold anything against him. They view him as just as much of a victim from the orc raid that spawned him as his mother was. I picture him at 5 as the always dirty little kid, chasing lizards, bugs, frogs...anything that crawled, slithered, or hopped. At around 7 or 8, I see his grandma taking him in to town every week or so, to visit the temple, and somehow that leads to him being a cleric. I guess what I'm looking for is the "epiphany," the trigger. What made him want to be a cleric, and what made the human clerics take this half-ord seriously? any help would be great, thanks in advance. I'm not looking for ayone to finish writing the story for me... just some ideas to get my wheel turning again.
DanChops 04-07-04, 06:12 PM	Perhaps the rest of the villiage isn't as accepting of your character's origins as his grandparents. Maybe they revile him for being an orc. However, the priests of Lathander were always kind to him. An epiphany could take the form of the temple providing protection to another half-orc who is being pursued by a mob of bigoted villagers or something.
Metis 04-07-04, 10:20 PM	If he takes a liking to the kind priests of the temple perhaps he could've begun offering to help at services and such, eventually becoming a lay servant. From there he could've learned more of the teachings of Lathander and so became a follower of the Morninglord.
Doc225 04-07-04, 10:43 PM	I was thinking the simple approach as well, but wasn't sure if there should be some decisive, life altering event, or anything. I guess being the result of a rape and then having your mom die in labor isn't enough of a hard start to life.... I dunno. Seems like something is missing. The half-orc stranger and cruel town sounded ok for a sec, but I like the idea of the town supporting him in his endeavor. Maybe even have other little half orcs that are the offspring from the same raid... I dunno.
Mr. VanderMeer 04-08-04, 07:45 AM	Maybe the kids' grandparents die when he is about 14 years old. At that moment, without their protection, life starts getting rough. The boy doesn't have a home and it turns out nobody else in the village wants to have anything to do with the half-orc. He is a filthy creature after all. They all kick him out, call him names and abuse him. Then something happens, some kind of threat to the village. (maybe an orc tribe comes raiding). The half orc boy sees this and despite his dilike for the villagers her rushes to the nearest temple to ask for aid. This is a tempel of Lathander. The priest aid the village and the villagers are rescued. Yet, even now they will not accept the boy. They thank the priests but ignore the half orc. The priests see how well the boy deals with this and how he remains fighting for good despite everything. They decide to take him in and initiate him into their order, knowing that he will do well.
Andrinor SwiftFoot 04-08-04, 10:08 AM	Originally posted by Doc225 The half-orc stranger and cruel town sounded ok for a sec, but I like the idea of the town supporting him in his endeavor. Maybe even have other little half orcs that are the offspring from the same raid... I dunno. Perhaps the town wasn't very supportive for a while, except the priests. Then, soon after he turns 15, there is another Orc raid, (or other stinky race). Perhaps your character, already large for his age, was a large factor in saving the Town, more particularily, the Temple. Perhaps Lathander used him as a vessel for his power to heal someone or to drop a flamestrike on the enemy. Whatever happened. this led him to an honored place within the town and a place in the ranks of Lathander's priests.
Doc225 04-08-04, 01:55 PM	The Dm told me last night over messenger, that i had enough story. I have it that after he is about 10 or 11, he starts making daily trips by himself in addition to the weekly trips with his grandma. He starts performing small chores, (sweeping, washing, stuff like that) and by the age of 12 gains the Clerics' trust. DM wants me to stop there, so that he can fill in the major event and keep it with the story line. Thanks, everyone, for your input... some very good ideas. I think I woulod have used the "second raid" path, whther it was with orcs again, or with another race, like Trogs. Looks like I did a good enough job for the DM, so kool. I hope he doesn't cheese it up though. I told him I like the idea of the town supporting him, and maybe even having other half orcs his same age. We'll see how it turns out. Thanks again for the responses.
Brillock of Ithicus 04-10-04, 02:51 AM	shame, that you got it, i could see something very "land before time esque" with your character. where he curiously chases a lizard to perhaps the temple, where a very musty old wizard is talking with his friendly cleric buddy, the boy sees the healing of a great hero and decides that he wants to do that, so maybe one day he can bring back his mom. So he not telling the cleric his true intentions tails the cleric for 6 or so years. As time goes on the cleric and the musty wizard (similar to Father Tully, and Kulgan from Magician series) and he learns the most simple of things. But you already have it down, good luck to you.