Failure, and how to respond.... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Failure, and how to respond.... [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Ferol, Debtor of Torm
02-26-05, 09:12 PM Recently our FR campaign came to the end of its most recent chapter. We confronted the BBEG in the final climactic battle and we failed. As a result the realms took a turn for the worse and a large chunk of the world will never be the same.

After escaping with the surviving party members (and a few corpses) we regrouped. A few days later we are supposed to do what we can to slow the BBEGs eventual take over of the realms.

My problem:

I'm not sure how my character should respond/change as a result of this failure. He's made mistakes before but never anything of this magnitude.

For the record Ferol is a Lawful Good cleric of Torm. He is passionate and believes strongly in his convictions. He is always positive and trys to keep the partys morale up most of the time. He is also exalted and believes that through perseverence and unity good can overcome any adversity (yeah yeah complain all you want).

Aside from the all too cliche "falling from grace" how else should a character like this respond? Any suggestions would be appreciated and if any more info is wanted/needed it can be provided.
Chedders
02-26-05, 09:54 PM from what you posted there, i would say you'd be in the "grieving" mode for now...

you failed...

you let down your party, your people, your diety, and all of Faerun...

but being Pious as you are, you would eventually turn it around... into a test that your god has placed before you, to test your faith.

so there you are, faced with insurmountable odds, no chance of succeeding, the world as you know it doomed... you either suck it up, and do what you can to turn it around, or start digging your own grave... You believe in your god, and he believes in you. ask yourself (in character, of course) What Would Torm Do?

don't know if you read the Avatar Series, but Torm failed once before as well... (if i remember correctly, from the time of troubles)
Nuntius128
02-27-05, 09:54 AM Chedders is right, you'd be mourning your own weakness(relative weakness, I mean), and you'd either want to give up completely, seeing no hope as you couldn't beat the BBEG before, you can't possibly hope to get strong enough to save the world. Or you'd want to prove that you are indeed worthy of Torm's blessing. But honestly, I think Chedders has the best idea for immediately after the battle.
Draco Strang
02-27-05, 10:06 AM We could use more particulars about what happened to the Realms, too. That'll help us give you advice on what actions your character might want to take to set things right again.
Board_Rider
02-27-05, 01:00 PM All three of the above are very good ideas.

So there really is not a whole lot I can add.

If that were my character I would get some Elemental gems, a staff of some kind....and a six pack of whoop booty.
Pay a visit to the BBEG crib and begin the man dance anew.
Probably die epically.
Get a Bronze statue and chill "upstairs" with Torm.
Aaaahhhhhhh theres my Scorscese........

Since "every failure of duty diminishes Torm..." and your only "salvation may be found through service"....you need to go get them buddy.
fdnickerson
02-27-05, 01:20 PM One Word. Chronomancy.
Ferol, Debtor of Torm
03-01-05, 02:48 AM Thanks for the responses so far. Sorry about the long reply. I've been busy with school.

<quote>One Word. Chronomancy.</quote>

Unfortunately I don't think my DM will allow any sort of that thing.

<quote>Since "every failure of duty diminishes Torm..." and your only "salvation may be found through service"....you need to go get them buddy.</quote>

Thats not really an option either. See below.

Our parties job was to slay a Wyrm Blue dragon and his psion cohort before a certain amount of time so we could stop the daughter of Loviatar from killing Sharess (yes I know it sounds obsurd). The dragon got away and the psion did this cheater trick where she is immune to magic, but she could continue to wail on the party with her powers.

As a result the daughter of Loviatar (the BBEG) killed sharess which completed some prophecy and opened a portal to the Barrens of Doom and Despair and let a huge army of devils into the realms, specifically Mulhoround. We escaped but not before losing some of our group.

So in the end the BBEG is now a full fledged god, Sharess is dead, the realms is threatened by an army of devils, and we are short several party members.

Sigh so depressing...

Anywho thats the story more or less. If anyone wants any more info just let me know, perhaps I'll get my DM to do a full plot write up. Hmmmm.
Board_Rider
03-01-05, 02:03 PM So you suit up with other Paladins of Torm. I stand by my original post. I don't know the kind of Pally you're playing but this SHOULD be right up your, and your churches, alley. You CAN continue on. Re-read your Diety's dogma...seriously you would want to be in the fight.
DM Denubis
03-01-05, 08:35 PM A similar thing happened to my goblin paladin, once. Yes, you read that right. Goblin paladin. He didn't exactly fall into evil, as much as become so dedicated to destroying his enemy that he became neutral. Of course, after his deed was accomplished (I originally fought him, a blackguard, alone. The second time, although I was weakened by not having my abilities, I had the party wizard with me. The two of us were more than a match for him.), he got an atonement spell, and went back to his ways of good.

Revenge is always a nice thing.
Darth K'Trava
03-03-05, 08:55 PM I'd say he'd feel alot of remorse, especially if he lost his "contact" with Torm. I had a cleric of Torm (NG alignment, more the destroy evil aspect of his dogma) who, with her party, ended up failing to kill a BBEG and ending up 1,000 years into the future, only to find out that she'd lost contact with him from her gauntlet artifact/holy symbol she wore feeling cold to the touch. She was unable to gain anymore spells or do anything other than being a so-so fighter, which she did quite well at for a cleric. She was glad, when we were able to return back to our time and regain her connection with him. She basically, in her own mind, spent time in "hell" as she wasn't near her god like she normally is. She saw herself as less than useful as she lost alot of her abilities as she only had what spells she'd already had prepped before that time... so she had to use them carefully also so that Shar wouldn't pick up on anyone other than her worshipers casting spells and wreak havoc on the party more than she did.. (future had Shar in total control of Faerun, most deities either dead or her subjects, even Kelemvor)

Granted now she's happy residing in his Realm as, when the DM ended the campaign, he had three of the four PCs blown off the face of Faerun by an epic counterspell to the Drow sorceress' epic spell she was trying to cast on my cleric to make her into a Force Dragon to fight this huge demon horde sent by Shar to kill the party. (back in the current timeframe)
Darth K'Trava
03-03-05, 08:59 PM Thanks for the responses so far. Sorry about the long reply. I've been busy with school.

<quote>Since "every failure of duty diminishes Torm..." and your only "salvation may be found through service"....you need to go get them buddy.</quote>

Thats not really an option either. See below.

Our parties job was to slay a Wyrm Blue dragon and his psion cohort before a certain amount of time so we could stop the daughter of Loviatar from killing Sharess (yes I know it sounds obsurd). The dragon got away and the psion did this cheater trick where she is immune to magic, but she could continue to wail on the party with her powers.

As a result the daughter of Loviatar (the BBEG) killed sharess which completed some prophecy and opened a portal to the Barrens of Doom and Despair and let a huge army of devils into the realms, specifically Mulhoround. We escaped but not before losing some of our group.

So in the end the BBEG is not a full fledged god, Sharess is dead, the realms is threatened by an army of devils, and we are short several party members.

Sigh so depressing...

Anywho thats the story more or less. If anyone wants any more info just let me know, perhaps I'll get my DM to do a full plot write up. Hmmmm.

Perhaps you can see if you can gain an audience with Torm. I presume you're high enough level to Gate to his Realm..... (my cleric was epic level at that time period I posted above) and see if he can send you back in time so you can fix the screwup that your party did and get the job done right. We were able to do just that to fix that "little" problem..... Torm should be willing to grant you that boon so you can finish your quest.
ShadowDragon8685
03-03-05, 09:17 PM Well, your first task is to track down that psion and turn the tables on her. Research a spell that will blanket down Psionics, while letting Arcana run rampant. Then rampant-run it straight up her cheating little derriere. (There's gotta be a double-entendre there, but damned if I can find it...)

Then, you just do the opposite. The enemy is playing the Horde of Demons card? Rip your own new one in the fabric of planar continuity. See how the demons like it when you dump an army of Solars and Archons and Battle Dragons on them.

THAT will put a wrap on the demons for a bit. Oh, and as an aside, property values in Mulhoround are about to take a major crapper-drop, so you might want to be prepared to buy while it's low. Then you need to immideately start questing to find some way to restore Sharess. If your DM is letting Goddesses die, he's gonna let 'em come back. As long as you *cough*gloss over*cough* the part wherein you were the one who screwed the pooch and let Sharess be killed for the first place, there's gotta be a WHOOOLE lot of angry ex-Paladins and ex-Clerics with an axe to grind who'd trade their left nut or right *** to help you on this quest.

Also, whichever side is dumping their people into the Prime Material - Tanarii or Baaetezu - they've gotta be starting to feel the stretch on the home front. Rip a hole for the blood war to pour through to their ghetto-locale of the lower plains. When their ancient enemies are flanking their armies, they'll pull back, and let your army of celestials reclaim the Prime Material.
Tiddles
03-03-05, 11:43 PM "So in the end the BBEG is not a full fledged god, Sharess is dead, the realms is threatened by an army of devils, and we are short several party members.

Sigh so depressing..."

Thats no way for a cleric of Torm to act soldier. You just pick up your mace, raise your dead, and figure out a way to seal that hole. Yes, you failed your mission, that doesn't mean that all hope is lost. Yes, you're currently horrible outmatched, that doesn't mean you give up. It also doesn't mean to needlessly sacrafice yourself either. Its time to start praying asking for spiritual guidance. If nothing else Torm helps those who help themselves. Time to start gathering up some allies. Whether you have to travel around the world or across the planes its time to find someone or something that can help you overcome the threat.

Roleplaying wise you might be depressed for a couple of hours. However, perhaps after praying asking for guidance/new spells you give a rousing speech to your comrades. If they see you, a cleric of Torm, give up then all hope is lost.

You gave a great speech in your first post. Although you said it was cliche I thought it was very good. However, if what your looking for is to fall from grace then I think you'll never find a better oppurtunity. Basically it seems as if the world is about to end and its your fault. You could have stopped it. You've failed your god, and your god has failed you. This is exactly the time that a cleric might change to an evil more powerful god that might have been able to stop the tragedy of the gate. Perhaps one that would give him the power to seal it. As a DM I'd probable allow such a devastating defeat to have a major effect on alignment.

The question you have to ask yourself is: What do you want to do?
Ferol, Debtor of Torm
03-04-05, 03:27 AM I really appreciate all the support and I've settled on something for now. In response to the events that transpired Ferol blames his complacency and cautiousness for his failure.

As a result he has made changes to the way he looks at life and even his spell list is different. Gone are the days of the mace/shield in exchange for the greatsword (Torm's favored weapon), forgotten are the times when Ferol prepared protection and enhancement spells; Ferol now embraces his attack spells (Destruction, harm, etc.) He's even become a bit of a fatalist.

During our last session Ferol was in his chambers deep in prayer and meditation when he was greeted with a vision of Torm. In this vision Torm told Ferol that although things looked dark not all hope was lost and that as long as Ferol remained true to himself and his friends he would never fail Torm. Although this was a huge relief to Ferol Torm also reminded him of an oath to a slain ally, an oath to return a holy relic to a fallen celestial deep within the nine hells (Reinforcing Ferol's belief that no one was beyond redemption).

Ferol told his companions what he had to do thinking they desereved to know why he was leaving. One by one they voluteered their services and much to his surprise eventually the whole of what was left of his companions agreed to come.

Another pleasant surprise occured when the high priestest of sharess came to greet the group. She told them that she did not hold them responsible for what had happened and that we had her blessing in our next quest. She mentioned something about a plan in the works, but that there was nothing else we could for now.

So we left for waterdeep to gather supplies before heading to Silverymoon. It was in waterdeep that we met two other adventurers. A burly brawler who specializes in battle without weapons and a strange woman with unknown powers (as far as I know the only talent she has is that she makes really tasty baked goods). They mentioned knowing of some of our more well know exploits and expressed interest in joining us. After a couple divinations it seemed we could trust them, and so we had 2 new party members. Although it was nice to see new faces in the group it was a bittersweet moment as the brawler reminded Ferol of one of the friends who was lost during the previous battle.

After a little time gathering info we determined the first step in our new quest involved some place called "Hell Gate Keep". Hmm... that name seems really familiar.
Darth K'Trava
03-04-05, 10:57 AM Goes to show that you don't keep a good cleric of Torm down..... I think it'd cause more consternation amongst the enemies when the party "fighter" (the cleric) pulls out this huge greatsword and challenges them. Then suddenly, out of the blue, hurl a spell at them. And now they're going "what the hell....?!?!" My cleric could do that, hurl spells and then hack them into little bits when she closed in melee with that greatsword (granted it took feats to use it well...) and start chopping away. You're out to destroy evil, so DO IT! Goes to show that your allies will stand behind you, no matter how you felt about them in your "gloom and doom" state of mind. It'll probably take time to undo the mistakes you've made but hang in there! Torm would expect no less from one of his clergy!
ShadowDragon8685
03-04-05, 11:15 AM Sounds like you're about to make one hell of a come-back.

BTW, a bit of tactical advice: If you're going to be a frontline fighter, I'd suggest you invest - HEAVILY - in an Animated Heavy or Animated Tower Shield. Shield bonuses to Armor Class, yet you can use both weapons. Nobody who has shield proficiencies should ever be without one. Ever. There's no excuse. If you don't have one, you're just robbing yourself of armor class. And since you've given up on your defensive spells, you're gonna need it.
psionichamster
03-04-05, 12:54 PM that's the spirit....

load up on them blasting evil spells

destroy the heretics and demons!

carry on soldier!

diiiiiiissssss-MISSED!

namaste,
the hamster

ps, sounds like you got an awesome group and great DM...:thumbsup:

h
Jaligard
03-14-05, 10:12 PM Rule #1 for clerics of Torm: What is your duty?

1. You summoned a trumpet archon to aid you in your quest. He subsequently lost his life. You agreed to return the spear to his fallen companion. That's a promise you have to keep.

2. There's a small army of Cormyrians, dwarves and Mulhorandi camped out in the mountains east of Skuld. If you do not lead them victoriously back to Skuld, someone needs to make sure they get some place safe, preferably home.

3. There's a gate to the Barrens of Doom & Despair in the middle of Skuld from which poured an army of devils now under the control of Set. They should probably be stopped and the gate closed.

4. The upstart daughter of Loviatar has killed Sharess and taken her portfolio. You need to make sure the heir of Sharess is safe and help her take back the portfolio.

5. The Deathbringer is still about, albeit presumably in safe hands. Find the sword and destroy it.

6. When all is well, remember the fallen.

If Torm had thought you had failed him, he would not have sent the solar to aid you at the end.

So, suck it up and press on. Evil has a foothold, but all is not lost.
Ferol, Debtor of Torm
03-16-05, 03:12 AM So, suck it up and press on. Evil has a foothold, but all is not lost.

How rude! If you weren't the DM.....

Thanks for putting things in perspective.
DM Denubis
03-16-05, 01:35 PM Remember. Fire is purifying. So light everything but yourself on fire, and claim it was to purify the world and bring it to your level on enlightenment.
Ferol, Debtor of Torm
03-17-05, 03:24 AM I'm confused. What exactly are you suggesting?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Ferol, Debtor of Torm 02-26-05, 09:12 PM	Recently our FR campaign came to the end of its most recent chapter. We confronted the BBEG in the final climactic battle and we failed. As a result the realms took a turn for the worse and a large chunk of the world will never be the same. After escaping with the surviving party members (and a few corpses) we regrouped. A few days later we are supposed to do what we can to slow the BBEGs eventual take over of the realms. My problem: I'm not sure how my character should respond/change as a result of this failure. He's made mistakes before but never anything of this magnitude. For the record Ferol is a Lawful Good cleric of Torm. He is passionate and believes strongly in his convictions. He is always positive and trys to keep the partys morale up most of the time. He is also exalted and believes that through perseverence and unity good can overcome any adversity (yeah yeah complain all you want). Aside from the all too cliche "falling from grace" how else should a character like this respond? Any suggestions would be appreciated and if any more info is wanted/needed it can be provided.
Chedders 02-26-05, 09:54 PM	from what you posted there, i would say you'd be in the "grieving" mode for now... you failed... you let down your party, your people, your diety, and all of Faerun... but being Pious as you are, you would eventually turn it around... into a test that your god has placed before you, to test your faith. so there you are, faced with insurmountable odds, no chance of succeeding, the world as you know it doomed... you either suck it up, and do what you can to turn it around, or start digging your own grave... You believe in your god, and he believes in you. ask yourself (in character, of course) What Would Torm Do? don't know if you read the Avatar Series, but Torm failed once before as well... (if i remember correctly, from the time of troubles)
Nuntius128 02-27-05, 09:54 AM	Chedders is right, you'd be mourning your own weakness(relative weakness, I mean), and you'd either want to give up completely, seeing no hope as you couldn't beat the BBEG before, you can't possibly hope to get strong enough to save the world. Or you'd want to prove that you are indeed worthy of Torm's blessing. But honestly, I think Chedders has the best idea for immediately after the battle.
Draco Strang 02-27-05, 10:06 AM	We could use more particulars about what happened to the Realms, too. That'll help us give you advice on what actions your character might want to take to set things right again.
Board_Rider 02-27-05, 01:00 PM	All three of the above are very good ideas. So there really is not a whole lot I can add. If that were my character I would get some Elemental gems, a staff of some kind....and a six pack of whoop booty. Pay a visit to the BBEG crib and begin the man dance anew. Probably die epically. Get a Bronze statue and chill "upstairs" with Torm. Aaaahhhhhhh theres my Scorscese........ Since "every failure of duty diminishes Torm..." and your only "salvation may be found through service"....you need to go get them buddy.
fdnickerson 02-27-05, 01:20 PM	One Word. Chronomancy.
Ferol, Debtor of Torm 03-01-05, 02:48 AM	Thanks for the responses so far. Sorry about the long reply. I've been busy with school. <quote>One Word. Chronomancy.</quote> Unfortunately I don't think my DM will allow any sort of that thing. <quote>Since "every failure of duty diminishes Torm..." and your only "salvation may be found through service"....you need to go get them buddy.</quote> Thats not really an option either. See below. Our parties job was to slay a Wyrm Blue dragon and his psion cohort before a certain amount of time so we could stop the daughter of Loviatar from killing Sharess (yes I know it sounds obsurd). The dragon got away and the psion did this cheater trick where she is immune to magic, but she could continue to wail on the party with her powers. As a result the daughter of Loviatar (the BBEG) killed sharess which completed some prophecy and opened a portal to the Barrens of Doom and Despair and let a huge army of devils into the realms, specifically Mulhoround. We escaped but not before losing some of our group. So in the end the BBEG is now a full fledged god, Sharess is dead, the realms is threatened by an army of devils, and we are short several party members. Sigh so depressing... Anywho thats the story more or less. If anyone wants any more info just let me know, perhaps I'll get my DM to do a full plot write up. Hmmmm.
Board_Rider 03-01-05, 02:03 PM	So you suit up with other Paladins of Torm. I stand by my original post. I don't know the kind of Pally you're playing but this SHOULD be right up your, and your churches, alley. You CAN continue on. Re-read your Diety's dogma...seriously you would want to be in the fight.
DM Denubis 03-01-05, 08:35 PM	A similar thing happened to my goblin paladin, once. Yes, you read that right. Goblin paladin. He didn't exactly fall into evil, as much as become so dedicated to destroying his enemy that he became neutral. Of course, after his deed was accomplished (I originally fought him, a blackguard, alone. The second time, although I was weakened by not having my abilities, I had the party wizard with me. The two of us were more than a match for him.), he got an atonement spell, and went back to his ways of good. Revenge is always a nice thing.
Darth K'Trava 03-03-05, 08:55 PM	I'd say he'd feel alot of remorse, especially if he lost his "contact" with Torm. I had a cleric of Torm (NG alignment, more the destroy evil aspect of his dogma) who, with her party, ended up failing to kill a BBEG and ending up 1,000 years into the future, only to find out that she'd lost contact with him from her gauntlet artifact/holy symbol she wore feeling cold to the touch. She was unable to gain anymore spells or do anything other than being a so-so fighter, which she did quite well at for a cleric. She was glad, when we were able to return back to our time and regain her connection with him. She basically, in her own mind, spent time in "hell" as she wasn't near her god like she normally is. She saw herself as less than useful as she lost alot of her abilities as she only had what spells she'd already had prepped before that time... so she had to use them carefully also so that Shar wouldn't pick up on anyone other than her worshipers casting spells and wreak havoc on the party more than she did.. (future had Shar in total control of Faerun, most deities either dead or her subjects, even Kelemvor) Granted now she's happy residing in his Realm as, when the DM ended the campaign, he had three of the four PCs blown off the face of Faerun by an epic counterspell to the Drow sorceress' epic spell she was trying to cast on my cleric to make her into a Force Dragon to fight this huge demon horde sent by Shar to kill the party. (back in the current timeframe)
Darth K'Trava 03-03-05, 08:59 PM	Thanks for the responses so far. Sorry about the long reply. I've been busy with school. <quote>Since "every failure of duty diminishes Torm..." and your only "salvation may be found through service"....you need to go get them buddy.</quote> Thats not really an option either. See below. Our parties job was to slay a Wyrm Blue dragon and his psion cohort before a certain amount of time so we could stop the daughter of Loviatar from killing Sharess (yes I know it sounds obsurd). The dragon got away and the psion did this cheater trick where she is immune to magic, but she could continue to wail on the party with her powers. As a result the daughter of Loviatar (the BBEG) killed sharess which completed some prophecy and opened a portal to the Barrens of Doom and Despair and let a huge army of devils into the realms, specifically Mulhoround. We escaped but not before losing some of our group. So in the end the BBEG is not a full fledged god, Sharess is dead, the realms is threatened by an army of devils, and we are short several party members. Sigh so depressing... Anywho thats the story more or less. If anyone wants any more info just let me know, perhaps I'll get my DM to do a full plot write up. Hmmmm. Perhaps you can see if you can gain an audience with Torm. I presume you're high enough level to Gate to his Realm..... (my cleric was epic level at that time period I posted above) and see if he can send you back in time so you can fix the screwup that your party did and get the job done right. We were able to do just that to fix that "little" problem..... Torm should be willing to grant you that boon so you can finish your quest.
ShadowDragon8685 03-03-05, 09:17 PM	Well, your first task is to track down that psion and turn the tables on her. Research a spell that will blanket down Psionics, while letting Arcana run rampant. Then rampant-run it straight up her cheating little derriere. (There's gotta be a double-entendre there, but damned if I can find it...) Then, you just do the opposite. The enemy is playing the Horde of Demons card? Rip your own new one in the fabric of planar continuity. See how the demons like it when you dump an army of Solars and Archons and Battle Dragons on them. THAT will put a wrap on the demons for a bit. Oh, and as an aside, property values in Mulhoround are about to take a major crapper-drop, so you might want to be prepared to buy while it's low. Then you need to immideately start questing to find some way to restore Sharess. If your DM is letting Goddesses die, he's gonna let 'em come back. As long as you coughgloss overcough the part wherein you were the one who screwed the pooch and let Sharess be killed for the first place, there's gotta be a WHOOOLE lot of angry ex-Paladins and ex-Clerics with an axe to grind who'd trade their left nut or right *** to help you on this quest. Also, whichever side is dumping their people into the Prime Material - Tanarii or Baaetezu - they've gotta be starting to feel the stretch on the home front. Rip a hole for the blood war to pour through to their ghetto-locale of the lower plains. When their ancient enemies are flanking their armies, they'll pull back, and let your army of celestials reclaim the Prime Material.
Tiddles 03-03-05, 11:43 PM	"So in the end the BBEG is not a full fledged god, Sharess is dead, the realms is threatened by an army of devils, and we are short several party members. Sigh so depressing..." Thats no way for a cleric of Torm to act soldier. You just pick up your mace, raise your dead, and figure out a way to seal that hole. Yes, you failed your mission, that doesn't mean that all hope is lost. Yes, you're currently horrible outmatched, that doesn't mean you give up. It also doesn't mean to needlessly sacrafice yourself either. Its time to start praying asking for spiritual guidance. If nothing else Torm helps those who help themselves. Time to start gathering up some allies. Whether you have to travel around the world or across the planes its time to find someone or something that can help you overcome the threat. Roleplaying wise you might be depressed for a couple of hours. However, perhaps after praying asking for guidance/new spells you give a rousing speech to your comrades. If they see you, a cleric of Torm, give up then all hope is lost. You gave a great speech in your first post. Although you said it was cliche I thought it was very good. However, if what your looking for is to fall from grace then I think you'll never find a better oppurtunity. Basically it seems as if the world is about to end and its your fault. You could have stopped it. You've failed your god, and your god has failed you. This is exactly the time that a cleric might change to an evil more powerful god that might have been able to stop the tragedy of the gate. Perhaps one that would give him the power to seal it. As a DM I'd probable allow such a devastating defeat to have a major effect on alignment. The question you have to ask yourself is: What do you want to do?
Ferol, Debtor of Torm 03-04-05, 03:27 AM	I really appreciate all the support and I've settled on something for now. In response to the events that transpired Ferol blames his complacency and cautiousness for his failure. As a result he has made changes to the way he looks at life and even his spell list is different. Gone are the days of the mace/shield in exchange for the greatsword (Torm's favored weapon), forgotten are the times when Ferol prepared protection and enhancement spells; Ferol now embraces his attack spells (Destruction, harm, etc.) He's even become a bit of a fatalist. During our last session Ferol was in his chambers deep in prayer and meditation when he was greeted with a vision of Torm. In this vision Torm told Ferol that although things looked dark not all hope was lost and that as long as Ferol remained true to himself and his friends he would never fail Torm. Although this was a huge relief to Ferol Torm also reminded him of an oath to a slain ally, an oath to return a holy relic to a fallen celestial deep within the nine hells (Reinforcing Ferol's belief that no one was beyond redemption). Ferol told his companions what he had to do thinking they desereved to know why he was leaving. One by one they voluteered their services and much to his surprise eventually the whole of what was left of his companions agreed to come. Another pleasant surprise occured when the high priestest of sharess came to greet the group. She told them that she did not hold them responsible for what had happened and that we had her blessing in our next quest. She mentioned something about a plan in the works, but that there was nothing else we could for now. So we left for waterdeep to gather supplies before heading to Silverymoon. It was in waterdeep that we met two other adventurers. A burly brawler who specializes in battle without weapons and a strange woman with unknown powers (as far as I know the only talent she has is that she makes really tasty baked goods). They mentioned knowing of some of our more well know exploits and expressed interest in joining us. After a couple divinations it seemed we could trust them, and so we had 2 new party members. Although it was nice to see new faces in the group it was a bittersweet moment as the brawler reminded Ferol of one of the friends who was lost during the previous battle. After a little time gathering info we determined the first step in our new quest involved some place called "Hell Gate Keep". Hmm... that name seems really familiar.
Darth K'Trava 03-04-05, 10:57 AM	Goes to show that you don't keep a good cleric of Torm down..... I think it'd cause more consternation amongst the enemies when the party "fighter" (the cleric) pulls out this huge greatsword and challenges them. Then suddenly, out of the blue, hurl a spell at them. And now they're going "what the hell....?!?!" My cleric could do that, hurl spells and then hack them into little bits when she closed in melee with that greatsword (granted it took feats to use it well...) and start chopping away. You're out to destroy evil, so DO IT! Goes to show that your allies will stand behind you, no matter how you felt about them in your "gloom and doom" state of mind. It'll probably take time to undo the mistakes you've made but hang in there! Torm would expect no less from one of his clergy!
ShadowDragon8685 03-04-05, 11:15 AM	Sounds like you're about to make one hell of a come-back. BTW, a bit of tactical advice: If you're going to be a frontline fighter, I'd suggest you invest - HEAVILY - in an Animated Heavy or Animated Tower Shield. Shield bonuses to Armor Class, yet you can use both weapons. Nobody who has shield proficiencies should ever be without one. Ever. There's no excuse. If you don't have one, you're just robbing yourself of armor class. And since you've given up on your defensive spells, you're gonna need it.
psionichamster 03-04-05, 12:54 PM	that's the spirit.... load up on them blasting evil spells destroy the heretics and demons! carry on soldier! diiiiiiissssss-MISSED! namaste, the hamster ps, sounds like you got an awesome group and great DM...:thumbsup: h
Jaligard 03-14-05, 10:12 PM	Rule #1 for clerics of Torm: What is your duty? 1. You summoned a trumpet archon to aid you in your quest. He subsequently lost his life. You agreed to return the spear to his fallen companion. That's a promise you have to keep. 2. There's a small army of Cormyrians, dwarves and Mulhorandi camped out in the mountains east of Skuld. If you do not lead them victoriously back to Skuld, someone needs to make sure they get some place safe, preferably home. 3. There's a gate to the Barrens of Doom & Despair in the middle of Skuld from which poured an army of devils now under the control of Set. They should probably be stopped and the gate closed. 4. The upstart daughter of Loviatar has killed Sharess and taken her portfolio. You need to make sure the heir of Sharess is safe and help her take back the portfolio. 5. The Deathbringer is still about, albeit presumably in safe hands. Find the sword and destroy it. 6. When all is well, remember the fallen. If Torm had thought you had failed him, he would not have sent the solar to aid you at the end. So, suck it up and press on. Evil has a foothold, but all is not lost.
Ferol, Debtor of Torm 03-16-05, 03:12 AM	So, suck it up and press on. Evil has a foothold, but all is not lost. How rude! If you weren't the DM..... Thanks for putting things in perspective.
DM Denubis 03-16-05, 01:35 PM	Remember. Fire is purifying. So light everything but yourself on fire, and claim it was to purify the world and bring it to your level on enlightenment.
Ferol, Debtor of Torm 03-17-05, 03:24 AM	I'm confused. What exactly are you suggesting?