Brainstroming Session part 3: The Peace War

So we have our Peace War - and the real trick here is "Evil as Defined by the Primary Caster". Now, we're going to have a couple real splits here - let's go with Three, after all.

Now here's an interesting bit. This Peace War is actually going to get the Celestials on their toes - it's going to call them into new beliefs and make them take *more action*. Now, belief is power, and this is going to spreads to more and more planes - not to mention more believing planars.

This is going to make these factions *stronger* - so the Celestials, while divided, will actually be individually more powerful.

But let's get back to the groupings.

First off, we're going to have the vengeful 'smite guys'. Let's call them the "Heralds of Light.", something like that. You know, the ones from the Book of Exalted Deeds who like to think that Evil to the (-1) power is Good, and that their primary duty is to kick ass, take names, and wipe the 'Loths, Devils, and Demons off the Planes. Which most celestials are pretty much fine with, considering they're the embodiments of Evil and all.t

But they go farther. "The Wages of Sin are Death", after all, and they're totally willing to take one of their best buddy spellcasters, toss him with a Celestial who's devoted to the cause, and wipe world after world clear of Evil, Fiends, Mortals, and all.

These guys are mostly Archons of the most Vengeful sorts, and Asuras, but there's a surprising number of Eladrins and Guardinals on their side. After all, they are Good, they've spread Good, and it's been millenia and people still haven't gotten the clue, so maybe they need to take action.
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Then you get the second group - the ones who don't want to use the weapon at all. Some of them are afraid of the consequences, some of them are just big on redemption, some of them point out the fact that "Hey, it's Evil and Good in the definition of the CASTER. See a problem?"

While a lot of the more moderate Celestials and other Good people are on their side, at least unofficially, the leaders of this second sect have initiated some of the "callings-out" and general contests - not to mention more subtle things. They want to get the Weapon issue dealt with right now - they don't want to ignore it and let some Rogue Asura and her caster buddy Holy-Nuke an entire prime world, after all. They're young and idealistic, and they don't want to see a jaded Celestial, to their eyes, 'ruin it all' - or make a bunch of people who aren't actually all that good suddenly invulnerable.

These guys want to take action, and they're willing to stride up to the Court of Stars to make sure this weapon doesn't happen. Which is going to garner them a lot of odd looks, but they don't care - they're 'saving the world' - or at least those evil beings that can, in fact, be converted.

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The Third group here is still kind of nebulous, but let's take a look at the first spell defined here. It purifies people, making them 'Good', and it makes them invulnerable. Now, this weapon hasn't been around long enough to test if it actually makes them immortal , but this third group, the Purifiers, doesn't really care. It's win-win. Every single volunteer they get becomes perfect and powerful. So these guys, the Sign of Purity , are looking around to find Judges. These are Mortals and other spellcasters which have a true view of what is Pure and Good - and they use them to start on volunteers.

That's the thing. They've already started, and the First Two Groups don't like it. Should Mortals be invulnerable? What if the Judge is flawed? What will the long-term effects of the spell be? In short, the feces have hit the Air Purifier.

Obviously the Fiends will be trying to turn the whole thing to their advantage. Either by devising ways to to counter the spells, use them to their own ends (if a spell can kill only evil, it shouldn't be too hard to get it to kill only good), or simply corrupt those who weild them.

Personally, I would revise the "invulnerability" spell. It would make sense that a spell that "purifies" them will make them less powerful, mentally at least, because they have been robbed of part of their identities. People who have been purified in this way would likely have an extremely rigid definition of good drilled into their minds and would be unable to comprehend the subtleties of allignment that actually shape the planes. Basically, the spell would turn people into intolerant zealots enforcing their own or others' notions of good on the multiverse.

so what besides arbitrary limits on where a spell can be cast will stop goodies from going to the lower planes and decimating billions of fiends with a cost of a mortal and a celestial? whats to stop them from going to sigil and trying to bring it to good? what is to stop the game from becoming a tea party because evil is too easy to kill?

Hi, I know that this is a bit of a tangent but I've noticed a few biblical verses being thrown about and I thought that this one might raise a good subplot/ new faction -

"I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

Thought it might be plausible to have a faction of celestials who are trying to force those from the neutral planes (on the good/evil axis) to pick a side - good or evil. It just makes a nice change to the law/chaos battles that you see so often in planescape and the good/evil battles from everywhere else. It also lets players explore what good means in the game - is balance good? If not what defines goodness?

There could be some good opportunities for Fiend/Celestial alliances (or at least co-operation) in this too and they're always fun.

As a great man once said-

"With enemies you know where they stand but with neutrals? Who knows! It sickens me."

why not something more like the lawful types get into an industrial revolution start making massive armies and march on the chaotic planes to make them lawful. Not in the fiendish way of just annihilating everyone but Occupation style like what we did with Germany after WW2 and are doing to Iraq.

Just another aside on this... Wouldn't the primary caster's line of sight be terminated when he/she dies? I mean, it's permanent, so the victims don't get back up after the casting, but it's not like this thing would prevent evil people from repopulating.

Though the faction war may have end in Sigil it was only the beginning.
The war for hearts and minds had begun.
And it's battlefield the multiverse, indiscriminately used weather it be in the upper planes to the lower, from elemental planes to the prime.
No where is safe from the new thought police.

Just an idea....

Also another for Ather speficily (inspired by findish codex two)
They say in the begining that the Devils drew there power directly from the gods.
The truth of this is unknown.
But not for long.
The Ather have long wanted to prove that gods are just guys with the best high score not some beings to forced into worship.
So a radical group after study of the various relgious/histortrical text has stumbled upon an idea.
To force the power out of the power, clerics can gain spells from there deity however if all is said and done and is true in regards to the anicent myths.
Then power can be driven from a diety and channelled to another beign.
If this is a success then, the whole faction may turn it's efforts to directly removing powers.

(Ather have a base in X upper plane where there presence is tolerated as there flock should be able to decide for themselves however recently there have been more and more people coming to this out post from other planes.
Is something foul a foot or are the clergy simply scared of losing there flock)

Some ideas...