Author Topic: Aeridin - the truth behind the Dogma? (Read 1781 times)

Stephen_Zuckerman · « **Reply #20 on:** March 21, 2007, 07:55:32 pm »

I've got forum access, and can't really tell what you're talking about on that one, Dorg. There was the deity relation shift, but that's all I can figure - not any real dogmatic changes.

Hellblazer · « **Reply #21 on:** March 21, 2007, 08:03:40 pm »

Same here i have read them board and never saw that changes for myself. Only a notice of a complaint made about the church it self and the last edit to teh lore page was in october.

Dorganath · « **Reply #22 on:** March 21, 2007, 08:16:38 pm »

*sheepish grin*

Sorry...I'm thinking about something else... :\\

There's some updated info in the release of the upcoming handbooks, and that's what I was thinking about. I had thought that it was in part released to the Aeridin forum, but I got it confused with the deity relationship change.

Terribly sorry for any confusion.

Hellblazer · « **Reply #23 on:** March 21, 2007, 08:30:28 pm »

Happens to the best, and since your one of them we shouldnt hold it against you:)

Pankoki · « **Reply #24 on:** March 21, 2007, 08:43:02 pm »

The statue in North Point has the latest dogma, however this is greatly extended in the Aeridin writeup in the next handbook. So yes, that which Hellblazer posted is accurate of the changes made to Aeridin.

Witch Hunter · « **Reply #25 on:** March 21, 2007, 08:48:20 pm »

If that's the case then it's simple!
"Violence is the last option; use it only on those who defy these teaching."

Any baddie that is hostile and kills people is defying those teachings, no?

Tanman · « **Reply #26 on:** March 21, 2007, 09:21:52 pm »

I have always RP my thought that we one should leave that as a last resort. Which means I do not purposely go to hunt bandits, whereas I would do so for undead.

While my character would help even if he has an issues with the people that were gathering and such, he also focuses on worldly matters any chance he can get.

For me Aeridinites always have a feeeling that they would help anybody even those that they don't like. They may act begrudgingly but they would help. They don't say "I'll not help him/her because I don't like them.

EDIT 4:34pm NZ Time: there are circumstances and situations because of race and such that will make things complicated. For example, my character who is an Aerdinite woodelf would have a hard time helping with Drow no matter what the case because of the deep seated hatred between the two. Common sense is required here.

When I say that they don't like someone, I mean on a personal level...so say my character doesn't like someone because he was annoying...that doesn't mean that he wouldn't help in their endeavours depending on what it was.

Hellblazer · « **Reply #27 on:** March 21, 2007, 10:15:51 pm »

Exactly. We think alike.

Witch Hunter · « **Reply #28 on:** March 21, 2007, 11:28:53 pm »

I was also wondering about the following: Golems, Demons and Elementals... how does the faith treat those?

Tanman · « **Reply #29 on:** March 21, 2007, 11:43:46 pm »

IMHO, Aeridin's view on constructs are pretty much the same as undead. This is the reason why...a Golem is a construct...which means that it is an animated being brought to life by magic. This to me sounds like animated dead.

Elementals are fine....in fact one of the summons for an Aeridinite cleric is a Water Elemental and a Fire Elemental.

Demons across the board (not just for Aeridinites) but I think are hated just by their very nature.

Witch Hunter · « **Reply #30 on:** March 21, 2007, 11:51:59 pm »

But it's not like a construct was once part of the cycle, no? unless we're talking about a flesh golem/brain golem/bone golem or anything that uses the remains of the dead.

So how do they treat golems?

Dorganath · « **Reply #31 on:** March 22, 2007, 12:00:47 am »

Constructs are not alive. They are animated.

Tanman · « **Reply #32 on:** March 22, 2007, 12:01:33 am »

This is the thing...any life that is artificially constructed would be *frowned* upon. For me, depending on what the construct does, an Aeridinite may start whinging, but if it started attacking, then the normal drill of battle goes.
*grins*

*EDIT* rephrased to what Dorg said. Any *construct*....

Thanks Dorg

Witch Hunter · « **Reply #33 on:** March 22, 2007, 12:12:22 am »

Alrighty, still waiting for a final word on the three main problems (And yes I've now read the Aeridin fourms... didn't shed too much light on the situation

)

Acacea · « **Reply #34 on:** March 22, 2007, 12:31:27 am »

Disagree with stance on constructs, really...mechanical creations are pretty different from anything concerned with the Lifegiver... if you can make a box that can wave a metal arm, why should Aeridin care? It has nothing to do with undead without stretching it way too much, especially for a deity that is already rather restrictive.

Edit- Except as stated, when using the remains of the dead and such.

stragen · « **Reply #35 on:** March 22, 2007, 02:02:36 am »

One aspect of Aeridin, and an important one at that is the greater cycle of the natural world. I'm not talking about trees, and animals here. I talking about the seasons and the elements, earth, water, air and sun.

Aeridin appears to be the primary god concerned with the cycle of these elements. This can cleary be seen by the domains avaliable to clerics of The Lifegiver.

Speaking to the sun archer in game would give a different view of Aeridin.

Quote

Domains
# Air
# Earth
# Healing
# Sun
# Water
# Good
Clerics of Aeridin often combine the healing domains with one of the other domains.

Hellblazer · « **Reply #36 on:** March 22, 2007, 03:44:05 am »

Quote from: Acacea

Disagree with stance on constructs, really...mechanical creations are pretty different from anything concerned with the Lifegiver... if you can make a box that can wave a metal arm, why should Aeridin care? It has nothing to do with undead without stretching it way too much, especially for a deity that is already rather restrictive.

Edit- Except as stated, when using the remains of the dead and such.

that what they mean. It is not alive then it is not frown upon for an aeridinite to terminate its "artificial" life.

Hellblazer · « **Reply #37 on:** March 22, 2007, 03:46:06 am »

Quote from: stragen

One aspect of Aeridin, and an important one at that is the greater cycle of the natural world. I'm not talking about trees, and animals here. I talking about the seasons and the elements, earth, water, air and sun.

Aeridin appears to be the primary god concerned with the cycle of these elements. This can cleary be seen by the domains avaliable to clerics of The Lifegiver.

Speaking to the sun archer in game would give a different view of Aeridin.

i think the reason for that is, take away any of these lements and you have no life. Thus no circle of life.

Acacea · « **Reply #38 on:** March 22, 2007, 04:32:46 am »

*Grumbles something about Grannoch being the elemental goddess*

Edit - And Hellblazer, not objecting to a construct being destroyed is much different than stating Aeridinites see constructs in the same manner as they do undead, frowning upon their creation and presence if not outright going after them etc, which is what was stated, and what I was disagreeing with.

Weeblie · « **Reply #39 on:** March 22, 2007, 04:50:14 am »

Please note that the following answers are from my and my thoughts alone. It's the answers I have come to conclusion after asking them to myself during the time playing my own cleric of Aeridin. It's most probably not the "stereotype/official" view.

Problem number one: death and raise dead

This was so much simpler before, when everyone was called by Ozlo. The calling set forth a purpose in a character's life, which also could be used to define "untimely death" and the permission to use the Raise Dead/Resurrect spell.

Now, with that gone, it's much, much more difficult to tell. If a group of people are traveling through the forest and some bandits ambushed them, killing one before withdrawing. What gives you the right to decide "this should not have happened". Maybe "it should have happened"? If it was a PC that died, the first is most probably true. If it was a NPC that died, the second is most probably true instead. But, as one's character have no way of telling whether someone is a PC or a NPC, it's most probably better to stay inactive in this case.

Raising someone that shouldn't be raised is one of the biggest crimes, if not -the- biggest crime, according to the dogma of Aeridin. A cleric of the Lifegiver would most probably not dare to perform the raise, if there would be any doubt of doing wrong.

Heh, to put it simply, if one did wrong and Aeridin was specifically watching one, do expect a lightning-bolt from the sky or withdrawal of all gifts!

My general policy (which... isn't 100% followed nowadays, as Alleina is slowly drifting away from her faith):

1. Raise only people I know that are Dragoncalled.
2. Raise only people with soulstones present.
3. Do not raise people following an enemy deity unless there are some extraordinary reason which hasn't happened yet.

Problem number two: following groups

No where in the dogma says that one has to stick to the local temple for the rest of one's life because one is a cleric of Aeridin. One is allowed to travel. One is allowed to defend oneself if being attacked, though it should be used as a last resort, preferable talk the way out or flee first.

It does touch the border of "excuse" instead of "reason". Walking into the big mine with huge signs saying "Warning! Danger! Ogres attacking on sight!" would most probably be... kind of... double-moral ("I cannot start the fight... but... what if... I taunt them into fighting me...?"), though, even that can be fixed with a completely valid IC-reason also:

"*She looks impatiently at the others present.* We can't just let the ogres terrorize the poor townspeople here! We have to do something! I know... We go in... and we tell them this is wrong and ask them to leave! What do you think about that?"

Same goes for CNR spawns:

"*She takes a firm grip of her amulet and glances at the cave opening before turning back to face the others.* How many coins do we have? I have heard that the bandits here are very greedy ones. Maybe if we can negotiate with them? Coins for the coal they have no use of..."

Simply use one's imagination! The dogma leaves a lot of wriggle-room and isn't half as strict as one can believe. It's surely a lot more effort to play a cleric of Aeridin in these situations than the Barbarian Half-Orc of Vorax ("BATTLE! FOR HONOORRR!! RAAAAWWRRR!"), but that's what one has signed up for, if one wishes to play the first, right?

Point number three: the fun factor

As a cleric of Aeridin, one -is- going to level slower. The "XP dry" periods are much, much longer and more common than what could be with any other class/deity combination. One -is- going to get less XP from combat, simply because one -is- going to attend fewer of them.

If one is a very level/XP oriented person, then I would suggest one not to play a cleric of Aeridin, as it will most probably going to give out a "boring" feel. One's mouth is most probably going to be one's primary weapon and not one's sword/claw/teeth/spellbook/whatever!

Is it less fun than the other class/deity combinations?

Absolutely not! The theological crashes stemming from this is something I would never want to miss. I've spent hours (in game)... not just one hour or two, but to the level of 50+ hours arguing back and forth on this topic. It surely gives one's character an aura of arrogance around him/her. Yes! Even for Alleina if she's in her really, really preachy mood! Though... that's how it should be. Aeridin is an elven god, after all.

---

I don't want to reveal too much, but please note that there are some changes to the dogma of Aeridin that might out-date the responses about the elements...