Wilcrim Stroivan's page

No, I'm fine with answering questions! :)

Wilcrim is evil because he was raised under a cruel and unyielding philosophy. The law is absolute. Society requires a rigid structure, and everyone has a role in it that must be fulfilled. Wilcrim's role just happened to be that of a slave, and never once did he question that. The very concept of true free will frightens him. He was born to serve; if he cannot do that, then he might as well not exist at all. And so he sought power so he could be eternally useful - the source of that power, of course, could only serve to blacken his soul. Whether he realizes it or not, he was chosen for this role, and he in turn chose to take on that mantle. He is on a path to damnation.

So in a sense, I suppose he is a victim of circumstance. He is what he is because he has never been anything else. What he knows, everything he has, he only possesses because of his masters. In a situation where he has autonomy - like on the party - he perhaps has an opportunity to realize these things about himself. With an agent of Hell constantly chaperoning him however, one could only wonder whether it's even possible for him to change his path.

At the moment, he would only be on the party because he has to be; because he was told to. The original idea was that he was a delegate of Cheliax, or at least a representative - he is obedient enough to serve that function. In the interest of his masters, and in the interest of maintaining world order, I can't think of any reasons why he wouldn't join the party, or at least be assigned to it. Right now, the party only seems to be together out of circumstance - I had kind of assumed that a consequence of the conference would be keeping them together, in which case, no one exactly has much choice in the matter. If that assumption is wrong, I don't suppose his reason for joining would be much different.

As for what Wilcrim wants for himself, asides from being the perfect zealot? He doesn't know. The only time he was ever in a state of mind to think about that question, Hell bailed him out and gave him an answer.

Sorry if that was a bit long-winded. :P

Hello! The GM invited me to mingle with you all momentarily, to present my case as Acharn put it.

I feel since we've got only good/neutral characters already, a diabolist might feel a little out of place in the group. That said, another full caster might be a good idea for the party dynamic when it comes to combat. A diabolist seems like a bit of a stretch for this party, but if we all think we can make it work I'm down for it.

Well, the premise of the campaign gave me the impression that people from all walks of life would have reason to band together... even if they do happen to be evil. I do agree that there might be some abrasion, but my hope was that it would be a cause for interesting roleplay rather than a cause of frustration for anyone. Honestly, the Lawful side is more of what I'd be focusing on - diabolism is all about law and order. He's just evil because his archetype requires it, and well, devils. :P

Worth noting that of the two, I feel that the Magus player's backstory has greater direct ties to the campaign world than the wizard.

I cannot really argue with this either, as it is a valid complaint. I chose to place the bulk of Wilcrim's backstory before the Apocalypse, to focus on how he became what he is. As broad of a concept as this utterly screwed world is, I didn't feel that a direct connection to the central conflict was necessary, per se. Though to be honest, I did neglect to elaborate more on his role after Cheliax underwent its change.

I figured that he would end up becoming a servant to House Thrune who, because of his talents and unwavering loyalty, acts as an autonomous agent for them. The empire is more like Hell than ever, much to his delight, but the Worldwound threatens to throw off the tenuous balance of power, hence why he'd be dispatched to Absalom.

As for his role in the party... almost everyone does seem to be armed to the teeth with magic, true. He has sacrificed a lot to improve his prowess with conjuration, particularly summoning, and perhaps devil binding eventually. That part could certainly rub the party the wrong way, I suppose.