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Thanqol 08-17-06, 06:56 AM

Heyas! I was reading Keith Baker's spiffing novel, Shattered Land, and I recently clicked with an idea how to make a fully xenophobic drow into a viable PC Paladin - without losing the wonderful flavour of Eberron Drow and keeping them away from Drizz't Klone'munchkins. I expressed this by way of writing up the Paladin's code of conduct, and random beliefs and quotes that flesh out the character and his definately unusal outlook on life. I believe this is role-playable as a PC with relative ease, as long as he maintains a consistant quest to justify being away from Xen'drik (Collaberation with a DM to have the BBEG possessing a Qalatesh relic that he has to restore is relatively simple). It includes the simple style I use to define a character's overall outlook/home culture before I get to the individual himself. Lots of talk about honour. *Lots* of arrogance. A big superiority complex. The end result is that they believe, by virtue of being Blessed Qalatesh, they can bypass the aeons of metitation that the Deathless Councilors of Aerenal must undertake to become as gods. They achieve this by peforming honourable deeds (and perhaps persuing such PrCs as Illumine Champion from Magic of Incarnum). By no means is this all their culture, but this is a taste of one order of drow Paladins that could exist in Xen'drik. Code of the Qalatesh "Luxury, and the temptations of cities, smother the spirit, advocating complacency and corruption. They are to be denied." "Fear corrupts the mind, disease despoils the body. They rot the souls, and must be fought with every breath of every day." "Life is sacred, for each moment gives each being another chance to ignite their flame of honour. Preserve, heal, live." "Battle is the canvas of the Qalatesh, and our movements displays of our spirits. Do not, though, grow to love the battle - it is a mere outward reflection of the honour in our hearts." "Never speak the name of any living creature, and never speak thy own name. Names contain the soul, and each is a treasure beyond worth." "Veil not thy spirit, through lies, stealth or deciet. Though it may be benificial at the time, the worth of thy Spirit-Fire should never be hid." "If great evil looms, but in preventing it you must dim your own Spirit-Fire, it is better to let evil take it's course - no mortal horror is worth the Spirit of a Qalatesh." "If great evil looms, and thy can prevent it without dimming thy Spirit-Fire, let no force on Eberron stop you from doing so!" "All beings have the potential for great honour. Every truely honourable deed one peforms sets alight thy Spirit-Fire, and it ever burns brighter as they continue down the path of Honour. When their spirit returns to the Bastion of Souls, their soul takes the form of a seed growing upon a sacred crystal tree. How long their Soul-Fire burns for determines how long the seed will grow, and how long the seed grows determines what form the spirit shall return to when they re-enter the world. A fully grown Soul, fed by a Spirit-Fire that blazes like a becon in the night sky, shall return as a Qalatesh, most sacred of people, while a Soul without honour shall return as one of the Lost or a monster, until it's flame is re-kindled - which is most often done by exposure to a Qalatesh that slays it. Undead are denied the chance to be reborn until destroyed, and thus a true Qalatesh shall slay them at any chance..." "You may not agree with my ways, but I am bound in Honour. I am Qalatesh, and rather than simply accept my blessing of being so, I honour this gift. If I simply squander this oppertunity, I may not be reborn Qalatesh. So i live by a system of honour too old and great for you to understand. I venerate my ancestors, aid my kin, fight for my battle-brothers, live by my word, my deed, and my sword. I expect to die with honour. That is my path. That is all you need to know." "Armor is not a blessing or protection - it is a curse. The Qalateshi of Xen'drik do not wear armor of any form, as their spirits are protected by the land. If we travel amongst human lands we don our sacred armor, the bulkiest sorts possible, to hamper our grace and harden our hearts. We Imprison our souls and bodies within steel so we may return untainted." "Shields, however, are sacred symbols of the Qalateshi, and we use them within and out of Xen'drik. We craft our shields out of magical woods that grow amongst us - livewood, darkwood, densewood, and so on. We craft weapons out of wood or mithral - never steel. We do not use maces, as they are barbaric weapons of the unblessed masses. Spears of Soarwood, axes of adamantium for cerimonial purposes, blades and spear-tips of graceful mithral are our weapons. We do not wear leather, the skin of a creature that bore a soul. We may take the gear of dead warriors and re-use them endlessly down the ages, as honour to the departed - however, we do not go out of our ways to rob the dead out of greed." "The Qalateshi associate most with inspirers of emotion, the kind that can ignite the Spirit-Fires. Bards are renouned for inspiring courage, burning the flames of honour brighter. Barbarians can blaze their own fires ever greater, sorcerers draw magic from their ancestors and are blessed, and Paladins not of the Qalatesh are often on the right path. Spirit-casters, such as the Incarnates, are blessed souls and are granted the title of "Qalathonar", meaning "Seeker of the Way of the Qalatesh". If they draw on their soul for evil, they are no better than the soulless Lost. Rogues voluntarily dim their Spirit-Fires, and are doomed to cursed lives in the next realm. Wizards go their whole lives without developing their own spirits, instead casting of the magic of others, and are likely doomed to the same fate as Rogues - it is the duty of the Qalatesh to stear them to cast from their Souls, or illuminate them by slaying them. Druids care for the spirits of others, and are blessed with great souls. Clerics are vessals of other powers, but have the chance to improve their own soul - particularly through their channeling of Positive Energy to destroy the Dead. Other warriors must make their own path, use their own mind to show their own Honour (or lack thereof)." Thoughts or comments?