How do you roleplay a Paladin or Cleric of Lymnieris

[xavier c]

how do you roleplay a Paladin or Cleric of Lymnieris

[Mikaze]

There are so many ways it could go, honestly. It's easy to say "think Companions from Firefly", but that's selling them a bit short.

Some Lymnieran paladins and clerics might very well be chaste, having embraced that aspect of their patron. Others might be promiscuous as hell, but always ethically so and intending to leave their lovers better off than they were before.

That last bit would be a big deal for them. They're big on transitions and ensuring that people go through them right and when they're ready. They won't stand for someone having a major life change forced on them. They'll also keep eyes open for those who are going through huge changes and turning points in their lives, to try and guide them through those rites of passage.

Some Lymnierans might be prostitutes. Some might be life counselors. Some are probably both at the same time.

They have the same "protect the weak" thing going on that other good faiths do, but they also exttend that beyond protection from obvious dangers to matters of love, sexuality, marriage(unhappy members of arranged marriages are among those they seek to aid). They'll step up to the plate to protect Bob the Farmer from an ogre, but they'll also come around and talk to Bob the Farmer about how things are between him and his wife. And some of them might offer a "couple's night" special, because that's how they roll.

They won't make value judgments about the sexual proclivities of others as long as what they're doing is safe, sane, and consensual. Not every Lymnieran is going to be an omnisexual, but they aren't going to get bothered by the relations of others as long as they're good to each other.

They would definitely be mindful about (possibly fellow) prostitutes, always ensuring that they're in that trade because they want to be before sampling wares and never doing so with those who have been forced into such a life. Those, they would seek to help out of those circumstances instead. Lymnierans might very well play the part of Health and Safety Inspector when they walk into a brothel.

For Lymnierans, sexuality is sacred. And those that try to supress it, turn it into a tool of oppression, or worst of all, turn it into a weapon, are among those that the Lymnierans fight against the most fiercely.

Honestly, there's a lot of crossover between them, Shelynites, and Arsheans. Taking a look at where they and Calistrians agree and disagree on different matters might be a good thing to try as well.

[Umbranus]

I guess they would preach about how bad arranged marriages without love involved are and frequently clash with clerics/followers of erastiel about this topic.
This clashing could take a lot of forms, from verbally opposing them, to chiding, to rescuing the damsel in distress with (most likely) non-lethal force of arms.

[minoritarian]

Mikaze, was it you who wrote up a pretty wonderful backstory for a tiefling cleric/paladin of Iomedae who had been helped to come to terms with their heritage and appearance by a Lymnerian? It was somewhere in the Wrath of the Righteous forums but I can't find it right now. I reccomend giving that in character background a read Xavier it was really good. I'll see if I can find a link later on (just catching a 5 minute breather at work)

[Mikaze]

minoritarian wrote:

Mikaze, was it you who wrote up a pretty wonderful backstory for a tiefling cleric/paladin of Iomedae who had been helped to come to terms with their heritage and appearance by a Lymnerian? It was somewhere in the Wrath of the Righteous forums but I can't find it right now. I reccomend giving that in character background a read Xavier it was really good. I'll see if I can find a link later on (just catching a 5 minute breather at work)

Hmm, that one wasn't me but I am really curious now. That definitely sounds like a Lymnieran thing to do. :)

The closest I've got to that description was an in-character post for a tiefling paladin of Iomedae talking about how a Lymnieran helped him come to terms with his sexuality and other tiefling stuff.

[LazarX]

Mikaze wrote:

Some Lymnierans might be prostitutes. Some might be life counselors. Some are probably both at the same time.

Perhaps, but those wouldn't be Paladins as opposed to clerics. Maybe even Cloistered Clerics. No matter which diety sponsors them, Paladins are first and foremost, combat characters. The roles you're thinking of are pretty much the opposite of a Paladin mindset.

[minoritarian]

Mikaze wrote:

Hmm, that one wasn't me but I am really curious now. That definitely sounds like a Lymnieran thing to do. :)

The closest I've got to that description was an in-character post for a tiefling paladin of Iomedae talking about how a Lymnieran helped him come to terms with his sexuality and other tiefling stuff.

That's what I was thinking of. Thank you for the link :) (shame it's principally about Arshea but I think Arshea's and Lymnieris' interests closely align).

[minoritarian]

Argh post deleted by trying to write on a phone on the tube. The general gist was "I can't disagree more LazarX and I'll write more when I'm not worried it will get swallowed by the beast that is signal loss on the London underground.

[Doctor Kash]

Mikaze wrote:

That last bit would be a big deal for them. They're big on transitions and ensuring that people go through them right and when they're ready. They won't stand for someone having a major life change forced on them. They'll also keep eyes open for those who are going through huge changes and turning points in their lives, to try and guide them through those rites of passage.

I agree all over this.

Lymnieris is a fascinating patron, really, because of the fact that the portfolio doesn't make sense under typical societal views, but it works perfectly under a certain philosophy.

I tend to think Lymnieris's portfolio is a commentary on the virgin/whore dichotomy commonly applied to the concept of sexuality, and the nature of consent.

A simplistic view is to think that prostitutes exchange sex for money, but in reality they're trading consent for some sort of gain. Under that view, a lot more things become prostitution, most notably arranged marriages. In many cases both parties of an arranged marriage had no choice in the matter, essentially being pimped out by outside authoritative forces (family, nation, etc).

At the same time, virginity is treated as a commodity, and that allows control by outside forces.

Ultimately, to me Lynieris is a patron of Consent unbound by the strictures of restrictive sexual practices, of sexual freedom without judgment. To a Lymnieran, society has made prostitutes of us all, and it is critical to empathize with the victims while seeking to change society's harmful perceptions.

Massive props to whoever thought up this particular Empyreal Lord.

[MMCJawa]

A Paladin of Lymnieris seems most likely to be a paladin that would specifically go after rapists, child abusers, slavers, and pimps. Think Law and Order SVU: Golarion edition.

[Luthorne]

Well, one thing to keep in mind with Lymnieris is that you don't necessarily need to get too stuck on the sexual aspects. Yes, it certainly is an important part of his portfolio, I'm not advocating we just ignore it (especially not given his obedience!), but there is more to him. He's the empyreal lord of rites of passage as well, and it's good to consider what all that means.

First, let's consider both rites of passage. Chronicles of the Righteous states that, "Lymnieris teaches that the passage from one state of being to another is a sacred time in every mortal's life." Furthermore, it lists graduation ceremonies and sacred areas where rituals of adulthood take place as areas where his temples are. So we can gather that for Lymnieris and his followers, that transitioning through various stages in life (and death?) are all important. Furthermore, the examples listed are social institutions for the most part, and thus society itself is important, which certainly explains the Community domain. Yet that society and its transitions must also be good ones, for it also notes that when culture and tradition becomes restrictive, that Lymnieris and his followers are also compelled to aid.

So, let's consider some other transitions that are often important to humans, shall we?

1) Being born. Some might instead go with conception, but this particular state can be difficult to discern until pregnancy progresses further, so I would usually think most societies would put this as the first passage from one state of being to another.

2) Walking and/or talking. Baby's first steps and baby's first words are important, not just for ecstatic parents, but because the child is becoming capable of both participating in language, something often sacred in and of itself, and by performing that method of locomotion humans pride themselves on. There are other possibilities in this general line, such as a child being weaned from their mother's milk and bowel control.

3) Adolescence and/or the advent of sexual maturity. The human form begins to display secondary sexual characteristics, showing signs of the adulthood they will grow into. Menstruation for women and ejaculation for men might also be related signs worthy of notice or celebration. Perhaps not adults quite yet, but certainly they are no longer children.

4) The loss of virginity, or the first sexual encounter. As human beings, we are part of a cycle of life, and sex is an aspect of continuing on as a species. This may also mark the moment of adulthood in some societies, though in others it might be earlier or later.

5) Adulthood, if not earlier, when men and women are accepted by adult members of their gender as being an adult as well. Often there are ceremonies, the passing on of lore and secrets, and other such things that allow people to count themselves as having passed through the gates to adulthood.

6) I'm just going to label this one as accomplishment. This can be compacted into adulthood with some societies where you have to perform a certain deed or in some other way be recognized as a stable adult, but you have essentially proven yourself a viable part of your community, whether by your first successful hunt, your first successful kill in combat, stealing your first horse or cow, building your own home, or something else along those lines.

7) Marriage. This could easily be part of the above, mind you, but someone who chooses to settle down with someone else, often in a stable position, and begin contributing to society via the act of procreation. This of course is not universal (indeed, I doubt any of these could be considered universal), but it is fairly common. This often has elements of leaving your current family to start your own, though some remain more tight-knit.

8) Procreation. The act of becoming a mother or father is often seen as sacred, both the act of childbirth itself for the mother, and the fact that both are now responsible for new life entering this world, and for disciplining, teaching, and training that new life.

9) Becoming an elder. Often after no longer being capable of procreation, particularly in the cast of women, but usually after one's children have become adults themselves, regardless, you are old enough that many of the exploits of youth are no longer available to you, yet you are also a reserve of (hypothetically) wisdom and teachings that can be passed onto younger people, and are often to be cared for by younger generations.

10) Death. The final transition as you leave this plane of existence, whether you are believed to be reborn, to go to some form of afterlife, or simply to cease to be.

These are just a handful of some of the more basic possibilities, not counting other cultural artifacts, such as apprenticeships, schools and graduation, guilds, retirement, and more, a number that expands or changes even more when you consider the possibility of racial variations, whether due to faster sexual maturation, different methods of movement, or even innate resistances to energy types. It's also important to remember that Lymnieris, while believing these cultural landmarks are important, is also sympathetic to those who are either not ready to pass through that threshold (such as those being forced into marriage), or even plan to take a different path than society usually favors (the avowed chaste, arguably prostitutes), so long as doing so is a good thing, of course.

So, ultimately what I'm saying is that while sexuality and the transition to and from it is important to Lymnieris, don't feel you need to have a character be trapped in that kind of role. There are lots of potential transitions you could take inspiration from, or even simply make a character who takes great joy in these little, seemingly unimportant steps in other people's life, seeing the touch of the sacred as people grow, move, and change in perfectly mundane but wondrous ways.

I would also consider the society your character comes from, it's quite possible that they have their own particular concepts about these transitions.

Perhaps they are someone who holds their own society's rites of passage exclusively as sacred their mind being opened more as they come into contact with other societies that have different practices.

Perhaps they have chosen to evade one of the transitions expected from them in their own society, whether escaping or being rescued, whether it be circumcision, marriage, sex, or something less wholesome, like being expected to kill or steal, resulting in them being lost and unsure, seeking to find their own path, or at least join the path of another group. Or, of course, simply seeking to make that transition at a time and situation of their own choosing.

Perhaps they are even actively unable to make one of those transitions...sterility, a disabling injury, or some sort of disorder preventing physical maturity, though some of these can be difficult to properly portray. Bereft of the normal transition they expected to make in their society, they must ponder their own path.

Of course, you can easily just be someone who values all non-harmful transitions regardless of the culture, and finds it all both fascinating, uplifting, and spiritual, that's definitely suitable as well. Ultimately, there's a lot to think about if you choose to delve into it, and I tend to think that his promotion of these uplifting progressions through different positions in society (presuming they are uplifting) is what really helps distinguish him from similar divine figures.