Cleric of Asmodeus as a character

[Mavrickindigo]

I have a player who wants to play a Cleric of Asmodeus sent by Cheliax to scout out Varisia. I raised an eyebrow at this suggestion, but I want to double check with you guys before I go and say it's a bad idea.

Is it likely Cheliax would send a level 1 cleric to go do some spywork/subtle conversion?

How would the people of Magnimar and Sandpoint react to this?

Would this be a bad idea for the overarching theme of the game?

[Tangent101]

He could be sent there as a punishment detail. Someone decides to get rid of him because he annoyed someone, so he's sent to a little nowhere town called Sandpoint. He could even realize this is a fool's errand... and then realize in time he can gain a lot of power by Asmodeus' fortune and eventually return to take his revenge on his so-called superiors! ;)

[The black raven]

I totally see the Church of Asmodeus sending a young acolyte in such untested waters : not a big loss if he gets killed after all. And if it works, it will always be time to send a more experienced priest to take over ;-)))

[ajbaker]

SOME SPOILERS BELOW:

I agree that sending a relatively-disposable 1st-level cleric is right in line with what Asmodeus's hierarchy would see as appropriate in a case like this where success is difficult but possible. I could see this being an interesting challenge, but far from insurmountable. Some things to consider- aside from the normal pitfalls of playing a (secretly?) evil character, you've got a few things going on in Sandpoint/Magnimar:

1) Despite the proliferation of Chelaxian-ethnicity humans in Varisia, there's a strong anti-imperial undercurrent as part of the culture (note that Magnimarians disdainfully refer to Korvosa as "Little Cheliax").

2) There's very little that's asked of the PCs that would necessarily be offensive to Asmodeus- the PCs come in conflict with Lamashtu's and Norgorber's followers, but don't have goals that run counter to Asmodeus's aims in general.

3) Sandpoint is already pretty well-covered with the cathedral dedicated to six different generally wholesome deities, and it's settled largely by people who want a little bit less restrictive life than Magnimar allows. It doesn't seem to be a particularly fertile ground for infiltration, though Magnimar might be.

4) The demise or banishment of Justice Ironbriar presents some unique opportunities, and unique difficulties, for someone looking to infiltrate the power structure of Magnimar. If the Lord-Mayor considers himself in the party's debt, he might be amenable to recommendations for Ironbriar's replacement. And while there would undoubtedly be serious background checks made to ferret out any corruption in a potential candidate, an *openly practicing* Asmodean justice might be just the sort of iron-fisted law & order type to fill the shoes of the undermining Justice Ironbriar.