The Joybloods
"I have been asked many times now why I founded this group - or sect, as people seem to like calling it, for whatever reason. Everytime someoneasks me, I shake my head and wonder what's so hard about understandingit. The one and only reason is, of course, happiness. It's what life isabout, what EXISTENCE is about.The Joybloods are yet another attempt at bringing this happiness toeveryone. As I know things in the multiverse aren't as perfect as theyshould be, I decided it was important to gather more people working onright that perfection. I got the idea after a trip to Mt. Celestia.See, people there tend to be quite happy - they feel safe, and they workfor the good of everyone. Yet, even there things don't run perfect. Heck,even in Arborea itself things don't run perfect. I've seen two paladinson Mt. Celestia who nearly killed each other just because of a ratherlittle difference in philosophical views. And on Arborea, I've seen somany times that beings were harmed or cursed just because they didn'tpay perfect reverence to a nature spirit. That just ain't right.Good folk always tell that the creatures of evil are so vile and corrupted,and want them to get rid of their corruption by following the examplesof the beings of good. But I wonder, if good folk themselves are soimperfect, how can they truly hope for beings of evil following theirideals? As hard as it comes to me, I have to say that even good peopleare nearly always at least slightly corrupt themselves. And the reasonfor this is simple: They lift their own ideals above the one basic thingthat makes life good: Happiness.That, my friends, is what the Joybloods are about. We want to bringhappiness all across the planes, for that is the only one perfect wayof turning everything in the multiverse to perfect goodness. And no,I'm not just talking about Arborean happiness. I've seen happy peoplein Elysium and on Mt. Celestia, as well as in Ysgard and even Limbo. Theimportant things are to make sure your own way to happiness doesn't messup the happiness of someone else, and that your own way to happinessdoesn't get messed up itself.Unfortunately, this ideal is extremely hard to reach. Only in a perfectmultiverse, filled with tolerance, understanding and wisdom could thisreally be achieved. Until then, there is but one way we can go: Fight thosewho try to take other people's happiness away, but attempt to fight themin a way that eventually makes your foes embrace happiness and goodnessthemselves. For example, when fighting tanar'ri (something I have donemany times already), I don't just battle them with all my might. I dowhat I can to give them a real challenge, but also leave a chance forthem, even to something as lowly as a manes. And if I win over them, Idon't simply kill them: I let them live, but make sure they understandhow happy - right, how HAPPY - they can be to have survived. I try tomake them understand the value of life.Of course, in this imperfect multiverse, such an action could lead tomore evil than was intended. After all, a tanar'ri, even one happy tohave survived his last battle, would still go spreading evil afterwards,right? True, and thus I always make sure that my evil foes don't haveanother chance to spread even more evil. As another example, I oncewon over a barbazu, wounding him badly but again making clear to himhow barely he escaped true death. I then took him with me and handedhim over to the forces of Mt. Celestia. He was utterly frightened, butwas so aware of how much he treasured his own life that he didn't tryto fight. This was about six centuries ago, and when I asked the archonsof Mt. Celestia the last time, I heard the barbazu slowly started tolearn the lessons of goodness they teach to him.Trust and understanding, tolerance and hope - that is what the Joybloodsare about. We are a young group fighting for the oldest of ideals. Inthe end, everyone searches for only one thing: Happiness. It is ourtask to show the multiverse the right way towards it."- Myharial Blazingstar, Tulani eladrin, founder of the Joybloods*Happiness: The basic goal of all life, and the most complex thing inthe multiverse(Excerpt of Myharial Blazingstar's speech when founding the Joybloodsin Sylvania, hold in the Dipping Dragon Inn)The Joybloods, my friends, aren't just about partying. I personallylove to party, sure as the Spire, but there's more to life, and otherpeople like other aspects of the multiverse. If I should say one sentenceto define the Joybloods, I'd choose the following: We've got the taskto battle all things that hinder happiness. This sentence, though, isfar more complex than it seems. No, you don't need to worry, I'm noGuvner going to analyze every detail now - I just wanna go sure you trulyunderstand what I mean.See, many people believe that there can't be happiness without unhappiness,love without hate or good without evil. It is a quite common concept, butone that I question. Let's take a love relationship as an example: Abariaur friend of mine once told me that his first love was strangelyboring, filled with much emotion but little understanding. Only as itbroke up did he realize what he lost, and only now did he truly understandhow much he missed that happiness. Later on, he found another girl, andhe told me that was when he found out about real love. Now, does thatmean that real, deep love can only be achieved after the pain of a brokenlove? I say no - I say that it is nothing but insight that lacks here,true understanding of happiness. It can be achieved by experience, right;but I ain't no Sensate, and believe that there are also other ways. I'mconvinced that if we truly strive for happiness and joy, working to bringit to each and every being of the multiverse, we will be able to graspits real meaning without the need to lose it first. I believe in thepossibility of true innocence.Yet, I consider my bariaur friend's experiences very good, as well.After all, he has felt pain and misery, but instead of giving in tothis, he used it as a key for a greater understanding of goodness andlove. These two concepts are hidden everywhere. We just need to lookfor them.We've got a hard way in front of us, friends. Look at the baatezu; they'vegot a whole subrace specialized in torture, the kocrachons. If one fallsinto the hands of such a fiend, how shall one still believe in happiness,how shall one still FEEL happiness? I've experienced that myself once. Thefiend tortured me for about a decade, but he has left not one single scaron me, be it physical or mental. How did I manage that? By believing, byhoping. I did not hate the fiend, nor fear it; I just felt pity for it andits lack of understanding. Every time I could I talked to him abouthappiness and love, I made him understand that I would never, ever giveup my hope of getting free one day, and not even my hope that he, too,would understand one day. Okay, he laughed at me, but half of what I saidalready became true. And the more time passed back then, the more I noticedthe kocrachon becoming unsure if he would ever manage to break me.I realized that the first spark of insight had entered his mind, and thatbrought me so much hope that I had a rather easy time standing all the pain that he brought me. Not to mention that, despite the pain, I enjoyed thechallenge he gave me. It was a test for my physical and mental strength,and I was delighted to experience I had enough of both not to give up.I did not enjoy the pain, but I enjoyed that it showed me my ownstrength and hope. Oh, and the kocrachon was very confused indeed whenI told him that his torture only strengthened my goodness.Maybe you've noticed the meaning of my story: What we so often lack forunderstanding joy is looking at the details. There is happiness everywhere,and potential for creating more happiness and joy as well. We have to lookat that, not at the pain and fear. As long as not all is lost - and aslong as we live, we've still got our life -, there is no need for fear,no need to give up the hope for improvement. Only if the multiversemight one day blow up all hope is lost; it is our task, our FATE to workfor the opposite extreme. The multiverse WILL not blow up, I'm convinced;it will become a place so full of joy and happiness that we cannot evengrasp the slightest spark of it nowadays.There is potential joy in everything; we just need to be able to separatethe dark side of it, and embrace the shimmering white one. And when thatspark of light starts to shine in your eyes, you will be a torch slowlyablazing all beings in existence with the love and hope that we allstrive for. You will be a real blood, so to say. A real Joyblood.*The Dipping Dragon InnProbably the most prominent inn of the gate-town of Sylvania, thisinn is also the place where the Joybloods have been officiallyfounded. Myharial Blazingstar, the tulani founder, simply went intothe inn during a great party (that is, during a normal day inSylvania), and put a strange white candle into one corner of a room.He then cast a spell, after which the candle was consumed by abeautiful white flame which became larger and larger until it hadthe size of two human men standing besides each other.Getting quite much attention this way, Myharial climbed upon a nearbytable and began his historical speech, explaining his ideas and theJoyblood philosophy, answering the questions of anyone nearby, andtaking part in the party at the same time.The Dipping Dragon Inn consists of a more or less regular buildingcovered in vine, with its upper floors shaped like a 100 feet largegreen dragon, mounted on a pivot and tilting forward and back allthe time. This not only gives the impression of the dragon "drinking"from a nearby pool, but also makes balance quite a problem for thoseinside the upper rooms of the inn. Usually, this is a source of muchfun and laughing, and during the speech of Myharial, it was essentialin taking a bit of the seriousness of the whole situation away, sonot to break up the great party mood in the place.The inn is relatively old for a Sylvanian building - about fifty years,as far as people remember. It's owned by the bariaur Filyir Fasthoove(Pl/male bariaur/Ranger 12/CG), a ranger who's seen more often travelingthe wilderness of Arborea than tending his inn. The latter is usuallydone by his former adventuring companion and friend, the halflingWithir the White (Pl/male halfling/Fighter 7/Sensates/CG), aided by ahalf-dozen barmaids (two halflings, three humans and one half-elf) aswell as Withir's son, Chandral, one of the most talented cooks inSylvania. Chandral, charmed and fascinated by the ideas of the tulaniMyharial Blazingstar, was the first to enter the Torch of Hope, thestrange white flame within one corner of the upper level of the inn.Since then, it's Chandral who explains all those interested the darkof things about the Joybloods.Chandral WhitesonMale halfling planar0-level, cook of the Dipping Dragon InnChaotic GoodStr 12 Int 14 HP 4Dex 11 Wis 16 AC 10Con 15 Cha 14 THAC0 20Equipment: Dagger+2 (forged in Arborea), cooking equipmentSpecial: Chandral has got the typical Joyblood abilities, and haschosen the Druid Joyblood ability to purify food and water by touch,up to twice per day. He currently has 157 Hope Points.What strikes people first about Chandral is his wild blonde curlyhair, even before the Joyblood's spark in the eyes (see "JoybloodMembership"). He's an extremely friendly person, so convinced ofthe Joyblood concepts that even the presence of a fiend would notaffect his good mood, nor make him really afraid.Chandral wears light brown leather clothes, though these are usuallyhidden under his large creamy-yellow apron. He often brings the foodhe's cooked to guests personally, especially if he sees a chance theymight be interested in the Torch of Hope, or the Joybloods in general.Despite all his happiness, Chandral is a bit lonely, waiting for theday he might meet the love of his life (which he's convinced willcome to him one day). He's convinced that it's a test of his strength,although he also has thoughts it might be a test of his abilitiesto work for happiness: He's already considered leaving Sylvania forsome time, to search for a girl to share his life with.*Within the RanksRole-Playing the JoybloodsIt would be wrong to view a Joyblood as a simple party-lover. Theymight be, right, but it doesn't end with that. One could consider theJoybloods hedonists of most extreme attitude, seeking the spark ofhappiness in even the darkest evil, and working to turn it to good.They want to enjoy everything they do, the more the better, and theyknow how to do it. Looking at the details, actively searching for lightwhere only darkness seems to be, that's what a Joyblood does; that, andtrying to be such a light himself.Of course, light is what creates shadows, and the Joybloods know. Theyare aware the multiverse isn't perfect yet, and that any action, nomatter how good the intention, can lead to horrible evil. Curing thewounds of a fiend will most probably lead to the fiend bringing even moreevil to the planes, and that's not what a Joyblood wants. TheJoyblood might still go curing the fiend's wounds if he can, but he'dwant to go sure the shadow created by that action of light is as smallas possible - like handing over the healed fiend to Celestial forces then,so his soul will be healed as well. The Joybloods live by an attitude ofchoosing the least evil combined with the greatest good. Sometimes, thedecisions needed would make a Solar stumble, and the (mainly mortal)members of the Joybloods don't always decide for the right thing. Yet,they take a great responsibility for all of their actions. As a generalrule, a Joyblood would always try to make up for any evil or misery hisactions have created, no matter if directly or indirectly.A Joyblood finding out the fiend they healed now travels the Outlands devastating everything he finds, the Joyblood would again try to dispelas much of the darkness he brought as he can. He'd travel to the fiendhimself, hoping to stop the creature, and "convincing" it not to continuewith its evil deeds. In a realistic scene, this would most probably meanthat the Joyblood would give the fiend over to the planeborn forces ofgoodness, banish the fiend back into the Lower Planes, or, at worst, killthe creature. That, though, would be something a Joyblood would only do ifthere was no other way of defending happiness against that fiend, and itwould still be an action many Joybloods would regret."Regretting" doesn't mean becoming a Bleaker, though. Again, it would havebeen a choice of the least evil and the greatest good, and the Joybloodwould still see that his action was another imperfect step in an imperfectmultiverse, a step towards the perfection that still lacks. He would hope,though, that as soon as the multiverse becomes perfect, all the faultsand wrongdoings would be turned towards light and joy, as that is, inthe end, the fate of existence.Talking of fate, this sentence can be taken literally. They believe it'sthe fate of every little thing in existence to ascend to purity, innocenceand goodness one day. A Joyblood might even see aesthetic sparks in aBlood War battle field; he pities all those murdered, fallen souls, butdoesn't forget the potential of honor and passion that was shown here:After all, the fiends here have fought for something (even if it onlywas their own life), and that action thus consisted a spark of love, alove for their own existence, or maybe even for their twisted ideals.A Joyblood on such a battlefield would not be disgusted; he would shedall the tears he has on the wasted potential, and gather even more strengthfrom it, hoping to defend such potential whereever else he can.Now, the Joybloods are not just about happiness and potential, but alsoabout tolerance. They believe in the absolute truth of the concept ofGoodness; thus, every concept that embraces Goodness holds at least aspark of truth. A paladin fighting for innocence and truth is as good asan artist creating a wonderful poem or picture. A great party has asmuch potential for happiness and joy as reading a passionate novel ordiving into the experience of understanding when reading a scientific work.The perfect Joyblood would love all concepts related to Goodness; but asthe multiverse isn't perfect, it is okay for now to embrace as many asthe Joybloods honestly can. But it's important to keep on searching;if you've not yet found the joy in chaos, you shouldn't just abandon it,but instead keep on trying to understand; if you've not found the joyand feeling of safety and strength that law can bring, it again doesn'tmean it's not there.Don't think now that means no paladin could join the Joybloods, notbeing allowed to embrace chaos. A Joyblood paladin might watch a wildparty from a distance, enjoying the happiness of people over there. Hehimself would stay away, though, as he knows he's not ready yet for sucha thing. In this imperfect multiverse, we have to chose the least eviland the greatest good; if you believe the greatest good lies in law andgoodness, you don't have to give in to chaos. Just don't forget there'shappiness in chaos (and in wild partying), and tolerate it with others.Alignment. All alignments are allowed for the Joybloods. The first fewdozen members that joined were all chaotic good (as the group wasfounded in Sylvania), but as time passes, more and more neutral goodmembers join. Most beings of evil alignment, and many of neutralalignment, are rejected by the Torch of Hope, though (see "The DippingDragon Inn" in the Joybloods description). To be accepted, a beingneeds to have a real spark of goodness and joy inside, a will to seekunderstanding of these concepts.Members of non-good alignment are restricted in several ways; first,they don't get any abilities from being a Joyblood member. Second,all other members instantly know their alignment when meeting them,due to the initiation ritual. Third, if they ever want to become a "real"Joyblood, they need to return to Sylvania and enter the Torch of Hope,and if they have become good by then, the Torch's fire purifies them,but they do not keep the "Hope Points" they have gathered up to now(see Faction Membership).Race. There is no race restriction for the Joybloods, but nearly allfiends are rejected by the Torch of Hope.Class. As there is happiness and joy in everything, all classes are allowed to join.Joyblood MembershipTo become a Joyblood, one needs only to travel to the Dipping Dragon Innin Sylvania, the Gate-Town to Arborea. There, the tulani founder ofthe Joybloods somehow created the Torch of Hope, a flame of purest whitewhich burns passionately, but harms neither beings nor objects. It seems to be impossible to wipe out that flame (some sneaking fiends have tried),and those who step inside for curiosity are struck back by a weird wave ofheat before they even touch the fire.Those who enter the Torch because they want to become Joybloods, though,step inside the Torch and vanish. Noone remembers where he has gone,but they all come back with a smile on their lips. Those who have atleast a spark of good and happiness inside find a strange, passionatespark in their eyes, a fiery light that can be more felt than seen. Ifthey ever decide to leave the Joybloods, though, that spark instantlyvanishes.Membership Abilities. It seems all Joybloods feel they shouldn't talkabout what they get, or maybe they aren't even aware of it themselves.If asked, they all answer that what they get is joy and happiness, andthat's more than any faction could ever give them.There's more to it, though. Even members who've just become Joybloodsare completely immune to all effects that drain hope, be it spells suchas a "Symbol of Hopelessness" or even the hope-draining effects of theGray Waste.Further, being so infused with hope and goodness, they've got aparticular resistance to all effects that bring down their morale,gaining a +2-bonus to any such throw. This would, for example, affectany morale checks, saving throws against fear (taking their hope away),command, suggestion, geas and domination (if forcing them to act againstgoodness, or to give up), and all alignment-changing effects (even ifonly temporal). It wouldn't affect a spell such as "confusion" or"imprisonment". If no saving throw is allowed, then the Joyblood doeshave a saving throw with a -2 penalty now.One further advantage for the members depends on each individual'sclass; characters with more than one class can chose one. The followingabilities are available (note that, still, the Joybloods aren't awareof it):Fighter: A permanent hit point bonus; roll a d4 to determine theexact hit points.Paladin: Joyblood paladins can use one of their abilities as if theywere one level higher than they truly are.Ranger: Slowly understanding that their hated enemies still have thepotential of goodness in them, Joyblood rangers are able to keeptheir hatred towards their racial enemies down a bit more. Reactionrolls in such situations are only adjusted with a -2 penalty, ornot at all if the ranger manages his Wisdom check in each such situation.Mage: A mage can, once a day, cast a spell as if one level higher thanhe actually is, and any saving throws against such a spell get a penaltyof two points. This can only be used, though, if the spell is used forachieving or defending hope, joy and goodness.Priests: Priests of powers of hope, joy, and goodness are granted onemore spell of the first level to memorize, while all priests are grantedthe ability to heal light wounds once every three days as an innateability.Druids: Members of this class have understood the concept of purityso much that they can purify any food or water (as per the spell "purifyfood and water") by touch, up to twice per day. Also, they can achievegood alignment without losing their Druid class.Thief: Believing so much in hope, the Joyblood thiefs get a 5% bonusto each and every check for a thief ability they have to make.Bards: Gallant bards are the ones that embrace the concepts of theJoybloods nearly naturally; if they join this group, they permanentlyrise by one level. All bards long so much for life that, whenever theyget reduced to 0 or fewer hit points in a battle, they can fight forone more round before they fall. If they take more damage than they'veachieved levels before the end of that round, they fall suddenly. AsGallant bards get this combined with their own abilities, this oneworks first, then the Gallant abilities start to function (i.e. theyare considered to having been reduced to 0 or fewer hit points around later, and can take even more damage before they fall).Psionicist: Any psionicist who runs out of psionic power points cankeep his abilities up, gaining as many bonus points as he's achievedlevels, once a day.Those characters who have joined the Joyblood for some time andembrace their ideals more and more slowly learn that they do gain evenmore abilities, and can even become aware of these ones. AnyJoyblood can gather "Hope Points". Whenever bringing hope and happiness to other beings without any negative results (DM's decision), hegains such points. Whenever his actions result in hopelessness orunhappiness, the Joyblood loses Hope Points. A Joyblood who's gotzero or fewer Hope Points feels the need to go to the Torch of Hope,where he can purify himself again (if he's still of good alignment,he's "cleansed" and comes up to one Hope Point again). The followinglist can be taken as example for which actions could bring how manyHope Points; the second listed action is always a negative one, takingHope Points away:
- Helping a weak person carrying something/Screaming angrily at someone: 1-2 Hope Points
- Aiding as a guide through a city/Punching someone without the need for it: 5-10 Hope Points
- Catching an evil thief/Stealing money from an innocent: 10-50 Hope Points
- Overcoming (but not killing) a minor fiend/Killing unnecessarily: 50-100 Hope Points
- Turning a Bleaker into a Joyblood/Turning a Joyblood into a Bleaker: 100 Hope Points
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