[Channel Teaser]
How A Humble Pacifist Ruined My Evil Plans
Hi everyone.
All Things DnD is back with another story.
Generally playing an evil character doesn’t
work out well for anybody.
Especially when one of the party is a good
aligned pacifist.
But what transpires will surprise you!
We’d love to hear about the time you played
an evil character after listening to this:
To this day, I'm still amazed at how all of
this transpired.
My buddies and I had just started the 'Legacy
of Fire' campaign for Pathfinder, and I had
decided to roll up a pretty simple character
concept: I would play as an evil orc barbarian
named Grimjaw who was hellbent on gaining
power and becoming a ruthless warlord.
My backstory for Grimjaw was that he had been
captured and sold into slavery at a very young
age to be used for hard labor, and over the
years of his life, he had developed a cynical
outlook that filled him with both bitterness
and rage.
He hated being subservient to others, and
due to the abuse he suffered during his captivity,
he was often very distrustful of other people's
intentions.
Because of this, Grimjaw had secretly become
a worshiper of Rovagug, the God of wrath,
destruction, and disaster, hoping that through
his devotion he would eventually become strong
enough to gain his freedom and unleash a plague
of carnage against all the peoples of the
world.
Now, before I go any further, I realize that
this character concept sounds very incompatible
with most traditional parties, but I can assure
you that I had no intention of causing conflict
with my fellow PCs.
While it was true that Grimjaw was a selfish
cold-blooded killer, he still saw the value
in fighting alongside powerful, or at the
very least 'useful', allies.
He wouldn't betray his comrades unless they
gave him a very good reason to, and he would
happily work with the party so long as they
helped to increase his wealth, notoriety,
or overall prowess in battle.
Earning his freedom was his first priority,
and once that was achieved, he would continue
to travel with the other PCs in the hopes
of becoming stronger and finding more opportunities
to indulge in his blood lust.
As it turns out though, most of my party members
ended up being rather 'unsavory individuals'
as well, with one of them being a devil-worshiping
tiefling fighter who specialized in making
drugs, while another was a human trader who
later died and was replaced by a ninja kasatha
(which is basically a four-armed alien with
a secretive nature and very dubious motives).
Grimjaw, as you might imagine, didn't trust
either of them, but he figured that so long
as they didn't interfere with his goals, he
would be willing to tolerate their presence.
However, the fourth and final member of our
party was another issue entirely, for not
only was this particular character the only
good-aligned PC in the group, he was also
a devoted follower of Sarenrae, the Sun-Goddess
of redemption, healing, and honesty.
Yes, as luck would have it, the official 'healer'
of our party worshiped a deity who was renowned
as one of the most kind and generous Goddesses
throughout the entire multiverse, and her
followers by extension were also encouraged
to be compassionate and forgiving, even when
dealing with evil-aligned people.
Yet despite this benevolent outlook, there
was one God that Sarenrae despised above all
others, and as such, she openly urged her
followers to hunt down and kill any worshipers
of this particular deity.
And this deity was none other than Rovagug
himself.
This essentially meant that Grimjaw was immediately
repulsed by this cleric, for the animosity
between the followers of Sarenrae and Rovagug
was legendary indeed.
However, his disdain for this PC didn't stop
there, but in order to explain why, I'll need
to give you all a little bit of context.
And so, without further ado, allow me to introduce
Imhotep, the duergar cleric of Sarenrae.
The backstory for this character was that
unlike most of his kin, Imhotep did not enjoy
the brutal and wicked demands of duergar society,
and had thus decided to abandon his clan in
order to make the perilous journey up towards
the surface world.
Now, for anyone unfamiliar with how duergar
society operates, they are essentially gray-skinned
dwarves who live deep in the Underdark, and
their entire culture is built around slavery,
toil, and an extreme xenophobia towards all
other races.
And while most duergar would scoff at the
notion of venturing up to the surface world,
Imhotep himself had no such issues.
He was tired of dealing with the hateful nature
of his people, and had thus resolved to try
and find a better life for himself.
Although his journey was long and difficult,
Imhotep eventually managed to emerge from
the Underdark and get his first glimpse of
the brilliant sky above, and when he saw the
glorious ball of fire burning brightly in
the Heavens, he immediately fell to his knees
and extended his hands in awe.
Never in his life had he seen something so
breathtaking and grand, and although the rays
of sunlight initially stung his eyes, Imhotep
found himself strangely invigorated by the
warm and cleansing light.
With a new resolve in his heart, he quickly
set out to learn more about the sun, and after
several days of searching and adjusting to
life on the surface world, his travels eventually
led him to a temple of Sarenrae.
After speaking with the high priests and educating
himself with the Goddess's doctrines, Imhotep
soon became an official cleric for the Lady
of Healing Light, and vowed to embark on an
epic quest to spread Sarenrae's teachings
and make the world a better place.
Now, when Grimjaw first met Imhotep, he really
didn't hold him in very high regard, for the
duergar simply came across as just another
misguided fool serving a weak and pathetic
Goddess.
However, he couldn't deny the value of having
a healer in the party, and from Grimjaw's
perspective, his other two teammates were
basically useless by comparison.
In the end, he figured that so long as he
could keep his devotion to Rovagug a secret,
the cleric would have no reason to ever act
against him, and even if he did, Grimjaw was
confident that he could kill Imhotep if they
ever came to blows.
Ironically though, any concerns he had about
fighting this duergar were quickly thrown
out the window when Grimjaw learned of a terrible
and horrifying truth: this idiotic cleric
was a pacifist as well.
That's right, this delusional servant of Sarenrae,
who hailed from a people who were normally
renowned as some of the most ruthless and
brutal denizens of the Underdark, refused
to inflict harm upon any other creature.
It didn't matter if they were demons, undead
abominations, or mindless golems: Imhotep
would not attack any of them with either weapons
or magic, not even to defend his very own
life.
'The Gods must truly hate me,' Grimjaw thought
bitterly, as he gazed upon his so-called 'companions'
with a look of utter disdain.
'I'm stuck with a coward, an alien, and a
drug-dealing degenerate.
Knowing my luck, we'll probably all end up
dead within a week.'
With a frustrated growl, Grimjaw hefted his
mighty great ax and resolved himself to his
fate, for he knew that it would only be a
matter of time before this rag-tag group of
adventurers ended up turning on one another.
After all, the party basically lacked any
semblance of unity or trust, and although
Imhotep was willing to work alongside us,
the duergar wasn't naive enough to think that
he was traveling in the company of altruistic
heroes.
As you might imagine, our first few sessions
together weren't exactly easy, for it quickly
became apparent that the only person suited
for combat (aside from Grimjaw) was the drug-dealing
tiefling, while our ninja was mostly meant
to act as our skill monkey and 'occasionally'
deal damage with a lucky sneak attack.
In reality though, our ninja spent most of
his time going invisible in combat and graciously
allowing the rest of the party to soak up
all of the damage.
To make matters worse, as we progressed further
in the campaign, Imhotep (in the hope of building
up his defenses) eventually started wielding
a tower shield and also began wearing a set
of dwarven stoneplate armor as well (and keep
in mind that the stupid duergar wasn't even
proficient with either of these items)!
This essentially meant that after taking his
enormous penalties into account, any hope
we had for using 'stealth' as a group became
utterly impossible, for the sound of Imhotep's
clanking boots could probably be heard from
over a hundred yards away.
Yet despite all the adversity (which was admittedly,
mostly self-inflicted), we somehow managed
to work together and overcome every encounter
that the DM laid before us.
Now, it was around the half-way point of our
campaign when Grimjaw finally got the chance
to act out on his own, for after earning his
freedom and openly declaring himself as a
follower of Rovagug, he immediately began
recruiting allies and gathering his power.
Using nothing but his wits and strength, the
clever orc soon amassed a following of criminals,
slavers, and outcasts, and shamelessly began
converting them to the worship of his God.
Over time, Grimjaw eventually established
himself as the leader of this new cult, and
had even acquired a sizable dungeon/temple
to act as his base of operations as well.
Whenever the party had any downtime, Grimjaw
would use the opportunity to raid local caravans,
pillage nearby tribes, and establish new crime
syndicates within the regional cities.
Soon enough, slaves, drugs, and stolen goods
began to fill his coffers, and with many of
the monstrous races rallying behind his cause,
Grimjaw's dream of having his own army was
slowly becoming a reality.
With any luck, by the time the campaign finally
concluded, Grimjaw would be strong enough
to unleash the full force of his power and
drag the entire countryside in a brutal and
bloody war.
It was only a matter of time...
Thankfully the rest of the party remained
blissfully unaware of Grimjaw's ultimate intentions,
so they decided to tolerate his antics so
long as he didn't cause any trouble for the
group.
To be honest though, Imhotep was the only
person who seemed mildly concerned about what
Grimjaw was doing, yet to the orc's surprise,
the duergar never once made a move to try
and act against him.
Instead, the cleric simply began preaching
to the masses and spreading the 'good word'
of Sarenrae's teaching, while at the same
time establishing his own organization that
was designed to buy up slaves and grant them
their freedom.
Needless to say, it didn't take long for Grimjaw
to realize that many of the slaves he had
captured were now being purchased by a certain
duergar cleric, and if that wasn't enough,
almost all of the people that Imhotep freed
immediately became followers of Sarenrae as
well.
To say that Grimjaw was annoyed by this would
be a mild understatement, yet he honestly
couldn't find any fault with what Imhotep
was doing.
The fact that the freed slaves were joining
the church wasn't exactly something that Grimjaw
could control, and as much as he hated to
admit it, part of him did....admire the fact
that Imhotep was freeing all the slaves regardless
of their race: dwarves, humans, elves, and
even the lowly half-orcs.
Every last one of them were being granted
their freedom, the freedom that Grimjaw had
craved for most of his natural life.
For the first time, the mighty orc began to
feel something akin to guilt growing inside
his soul, yet he refused to allow himself
to succumb to such weakness.
After all, why should he give a damn about
those other people when no one had ever bothered
to give a damn about him?
No, freedom was just a luxury that was granted
to the strong, and he would not allow some
stupid duergar to make him doubt his path.
But still.....
Out of a mixture of desperation and arrogance,
Grimjaw decided to try and convince Imhotep
to abandon the worship of his worthless Goddess
and devote himself instead to the glories
of Rovagug.
He knew that this plan had almost no chance
of success, but he hoped that it would cause
Imhotep to lose faith in his cause, or at
the very least, make him give up on his pacifistic
ways.
When the two of them finally sat down together,
Grimjaw carefully laid out a rather compelling
argument, stating that if Imhotep truly wanted
to change the world, the inevitable use of
force would be his only option.
Words alone would never be able accomplish
his goals, and no one would respect him if
he continued to pursue his cowardly beliefs.
"Your achievements will be small and your
suffering will be great," Grimjaw explained
firmly.
"The only reason that you are still alive
is because I have protected you, and given
the growing strength of our enemies, the odds
of your continued survival diminishes by the
day.
So heed my warnings well Imhotep: abandon
your suicidal ideology, for you will only
end up wasting your life as a martyr for the
weak.”
Satisfied with himself, Grimjaw allowed a
confident smile to gently grace his lips,
for he was certain that his compelling speech
had rattled the foolish duergar.
After all, he had used this same tactic many
times in the past to convince the weak-minded
to join him in his cause, and his clever (if
somewhat brutish) logic had never failed him
yet.
However, as Grimjaw would soon learn, Imhotep
was nothing like the crazed and desperate
cultists that he was so accustomed to dealing
with.
“I am grateful for your concern my friend,
but you must understand that it is not out
of fear that I choose to do no harm,” Imhotep
stated softly.
“Back in my homeland, the very concept of
compassion is scorned by my people, while
violence and cruelty spread like a plague.
It is a wretched existence that leads to a
joyless life, and I knew that if I stayed
there, my fate would be the same.
Yet after traveling to the surface world and
learning about my Goddess, I was finally given
the noble purpose that my soul had always
craved.
I am thankful for this, and I am also thankful
to you for helping me stay alive.
You are truly a powerful companion, and as
long as we continue to journey together, I
promise to do all that I can to ensure your
survival as well.”
As much as he might wish to deny it, Grimjaw
knew that Imhotep wasn’t trying to deceive
him, for he had spoken with such an earnest
sincerity that the orc actually found it difficult
to hold on to his hatred.
In spite of their numerous differences and
the countless reasons to hate each other,
Imhotep had still chosen to treat him with
both dignity and respect, which was something
that almost no other person could ever claim
to have done.
For the longest time, Grimjaw said nothing
as he simply stared at the cleric with a cold
unreadable look reflected in his eyes.
Then, with a sudden abruptness, the orc stood
up from the table and promptly walked away,
cursing under his breath with every step he
took.
He knew that in that moment, nothing he could
say or do would change Imhotep’s mind, and
if that wasn’t bad enough, that gnawing
sense of guilt he felt was only growing stronger.
From that point forward, Grimjaw’s desire
to raid and pillage was noticeably reduced,
and even the prospect of owning new slaves
no longer held his interest.
He would still orchestrate gruesome deathmatches
and blood sports among his followers, and
he even acquired a magical amulet that allowed
him to imprison the soul of a recently slain
enemy once per day.
However, any urge he had to inflict harm upon
the ‘innocent’ had all but disappeared,
so he mostly ended up capturing the souls
of powerful ‘evil’ people in order to
bargain them away to a devil or a demon.
When the campaign finally continued, Grimjaw
also began to pay closer attention to Imhotep’s
actions as well, and he quickly began to notice
that the foolish little duergar wasn’t nearly
as cowardly as he initially believed.
On many occasions, the cleric would purposely
put himself into the thick of a fight, holding
up his massive tower shield in order to defend
his comrades, while constantly imploring his
enemies to abandon their wicked ways.
Many of his pleas fell on deaf ears of course,
but for anyone who listened to Imhotep’s
words, they were always granted mercy and
a chance to redeem themselves.
Over time, Grimjaw’s bitter annoyance towards
the cleric was gradually replaced with a grudging
respect, for he knew that without Imhotep’s
aid, he surely would have perished in battle
a long time ago.
His other two party members could burn in
a fire for all he cared, and he would happily
watch them scream in agony as the flames slowly
consumed them.
However, when it came to Imhotep, Grimjaw
realized with a startling clarity that the
thought of watching the duergar die did not
seem to bring him any pleasure at all.
He wouldn’t exactly say that Imhotep was
his ‘friend’, but he was willing to acknowledge
him as a comrade in arms.
As the campaign neared its conclusion though,
the tension in the group swiftly began to
reach an all-time high, for while everyone
agreed to work together to overcome the primary
villain, a noticeable degree of paranoia was
now brewing among the party.
Grimjaw wasn’t surprised by this of course,
for he fully expected treachery from both
the ninja and the tiefling.
However, what concerned him the most was how
Imhotep might react once the primary villain
was dealt with.
You see, although the humble duergar had never
shown any signs of aggression or deceit, Grimjaw
realized that as soon as the larger threat
was dealt with, the party would have no need
to cooperate anymore.
This essentially meant that if Imhotep truly
wanted to have Grimjaw killed, all he would
need to do is withhold his healing magic during
the final encounter and simply allow the orc
to succumb to his wounds.
“He’s been planning this outcome from
the very start,’ Grimjaw thought furiously.
‘He’s been using me this entire time to
help destroy his enemies, and now he means
to let me die as soon I’ve served my purpose.
That wretched little bastard!
If he thinks that he can take my life then
I will show him how wrong he is!”
After taking some time to equip himself with
an array of useful items (such as the boots
of teleportation, dust of disappearance, and
over a dozen healing potions), Grimjaw calmly
started to map out his strategy for surviving
the final encounter.
There was still no guarantee that the party
would be able to defeat the primary villain,
and if worse came to worse, Grimjaw wanted
to be ready to abandon his ‘allies’ as
soon as things went south.
Fortunately though, he should not have worried,
for despite all the odds and the mounting
adversity, the group somehow managed to defeat
the big baddie and save the entire country
from utter disaster.
This wasn’t to say that the fight wasn’t
incredibly difficult, and if it hadn’t been
for Imhotep, Grimjaw would have certainly
perished during the final encounter.
Yet the most shocking twist was yet to come,
for instead of turning on each other like
Grimjaw had expected, his party members carefully
eyed one another before calmly agreeing to
go their separate ways.
The ninja and tiefling wasted no time in heading
off on their own, yet before Grimjaw did the
same, he decided to have one last conversation
with the humble little cleric.
“Why did you not kill me?”
Grimjaw asked impatiently, as he gazed down
at the duergar with a scowl upon his face.
“You had the perfect chance to end my life,
and yet you did not take it.
Was it pity that stayed your hand, or are
you simply too stupid to realize that I will
never change my ways?
If it is my redemption that you seek, then
you can shove your feeble words right back
up your ass!
I care nothing for your Goddess, and I care
even less for you!
So answer me you degenerate dwarf!
Why did you even bother to save me at all!”
Several moments of silence passed between
the two of them, as Grimjaw angrily waited
to hear the cleric’s response.
However, nothing could have prepared the orc
for what Imhotep was about to say.
“It was never about seeking your redemption
my friend, nor did I ever save you out of
pity.
I helped you in part because you were a comrade
in arms, but mostly I did it because it was
the right thing to do.
So again, I thank you for fighting beside
me, and I am glad to see that both of us managed
to make it to the end.”
With a gentle smile, Imhotep extended his
hand and offered it to the orc, yet rather
than acknowledging the friendly gesture, Grimjaw
simply stared down at him for several long
seconds….before turning on his heels and
slowly walking away.
Several days later, Grimjaw returned to his
temple fortress where his legion of cultists
awaited him, and upon seeing the return of
their mighty leader, many of his followers
howled out in joy, for they knew that the
day of reckoning had finally arrived.
At long last, they would be able to unleash
Rovagug’s fury and bring glorious carnage
upon the world of men.
However, when Grimjaw finally addressed the
masses, many of them were shocked to hear
that there had been a slight change to their
leader’s masterful plan.
Rather than unleashing his army upon the surface
world, Grimjaw stated that he would lead a
grand crusade into the Underdark and slaughter
the wretched beasts that dwelled within the
earth.
Drow, duergar, morlocks, and troglodytes:
all of these evil races would suffer at his
hands, for the time of their destruction was
long overdue.
“But boss,” one of the half-orcs called
out.
“What about bringing ruin to the surface
world as well?”
In response to that question, Grimjaw merely
sneered before turning his gaze towards the
horizon and remembering a certain cleric who
had selflessly saved his life.
“They’re not worth killing,” Grimjaw
stated softly, as his lips gently curled up
into a barely noticeable smile.
And that, ladies and gentleman, is how a humble
and heroic pacifist thwarted my evil plans.
What a heartwarming story!
Do you think that maybe with a little bit
more time the cleric and Grimjaw could have
become actual friends?
Or do you think they are friends?
Please let us know what you think and comment
below!
Don’t forget to subscribe to our channel,
All Things DnD.
Our next video will be posted in 3 days, so
stay tuned for more amazing Dungeons & Dragons
content!
