Been mulling over something for a home campaign. I've got this Antipaladin I want to be a major, end-game antagonist. Mechanically, he's sound. But for the life of me, I can't figure out his backstory. Let alone his name.
He's a human male Antipaladin of Haagenti. Through the Cult of Haagenti, the Antipaladin is performing the Rituals of Fiendish Apotheosis from the Demonic Volume of the Book of the Damned. Towards the mid-end portion of the campaign, he transforms into a Half-Balor. So he has to be a particularly vile person.
Since he becomes a Half-Balor before the campaign is over, he has to be performing all kinds of sins in order to trigger such a transformation. Off the top of my head, I see a heady mix of Lust, Wrath, Envy, and Pride to trigger the change.
Antipaladin's of Haagenti are relatively rare. But this particular cult of Haagenti has a Succubus who is one of the leaders the faith. She's been producing half-succubus Antipaladins of her own as a means to bolster the cult's standing armed forces. These Daughters of Sin could be a stepping stone to how this Antipaladin came to be. But I'm drawing blanks on how that can work.
I was toying with the idea that the Daughters of Sin would go out to corrupt someone into furthering the designs of the Whispers Within. But the idea seems to be going nowhere fast. After all, Alchemists are the primary targets for the cult. The cult itself is based in Oenopion but has dispatched several key agents to Cheliax, where the campaign takes place.
If the Antipaladin used to be a proper Paladin, then what faith was he a member of before his fall?
Why would he be targeted by the Cult of Haagenti? Why would he want to undergo the Rituals of Fiendish Apotheosis?
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Perhaps he was a paladin of Bharnarol, one of the Empyreal Lords. He was fascinated by alchemical inventions, but headstrong and did not heed the warnings of his god as he pursued a particularly dangerous formula (Pride). Another member of his sect seemed to find only favor in her inventions, no matter what she created, it was blessed and celebrated (Envy). Add the gall of his research being rejected to a latent attraction (Lust) and you have a moment where he smashed her laboratory (Wrath). Driven out of the sect, he continued his alchemical pursuits, delving into all manner of dangerous lore. Each new formula, each new drug or poison, led him unknowingly closer to the cult of Haagenti. Eventually, they found him and by then, his original motivation of seeking new knowledge and invention had been utterly replaced by self-perpetuating sin.
Just a thought.
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quibblemuch wrote: Perhaps he was a paladin of Bharnarol, one of the Empyreal Lords. He was fascinated by alchemical inventions, but headstrong and did not heed the warnings of his god as he pursued a particularly dangerous formula (Pride). Another member of his sect seemed to find only favor in her inventions, no matter what she created, it was blessed and celebrated (Envy). Add the gall of his research being rejected to a latent attraction (Lust) and you have a moment where he smashed her laboratory (Wrath). Driven out of the sect, he continued his alchemical pursuits, delving into all manner of dangerous lore. Each new formula, each new drug or poison, led him unknowingly closer to the cult of Haagenti. Eventually, they found him and by then, his original motivation of seeking new knowledge and invention had been utterly replaced by self-perpetuating sin.
Just a thought.
This is very intriguing. I must elaborate on this. Thank you for your input.
Taking into consideration both what's been said here and on the Giant in the Playground boards, I think I have something. My Antipaladin shall have a personality somewhat like one Major Frank Burns. Except that the Antipaladin is competent. He was once had an affair with a cleric of Bharnarol (a Major Houlihan expy), but was constantly shown up by a very skilled alchemist (Dr. Hawkeye Pierce).
After a while, the cleric began to see the future Antipaladin's flaws more easily when compared to the alchemist, and X-Burns (a placeholder title until I give him a proper name) and he snapped. His behaviour became more and more erratic until he finally fell from grace (he went from LG to NG).
The final straw was when the Succubus from the Cult of Haagenti set her sights on X-Burns. She sent out a pair of her Daughters of Sin to emulate that X-Houlihan and X-Pierce were finally consummating the relationship that X-Burns imagined them to be in. X-Burns slaughtered the Daughters of Sin in a rage after seeing them together. That event pushed him into evil out of spite instead of admitting his flaws (going all the way from NG to CE).
The M.A.S.H based story works but does not really give all that much reason for him to worship Haagenti. He agents may have caused his downfall, but why would turn to Haagenti after he fell. Also why would he take up the mantel of Antipaladin? It also seems like the paladin falls too fast.
Looking at Haagenti I am thinking a corruption by addiction. Maybe a follower of Haagenti is able to create potions and alchemical items that contain some addictive substance. Once the person starts using the items they soon become addicted to them and thereby fall under the control of the cult. The cult sells these items at a very low price so as to gain control over more people.
The leader of the cult claims to be an atheist from Rahadoum and a follower of the first law. She also claims that the reason she is able to create the items so cheaply is because of techniques she learned in her homeland. She left Rahadoum because she wanted to help others. She has a very good reputation in the community as most people see her as someone who wants to help. She gave the paladin and his party free potions and alchemical items because she “believed in what they were doing, even if she did not think worshiping a god was proper”.
The paladin was the only party member drawing power from a divine source. He was the conscience of the group, always keeping the party on the right path. One by one she corrupted the paladin’s friends without him realizing it. Since the addictive items where readily available the paladin did not even realize he was addicted. She was also seducing him into believing they were in love. She augmented her own powers of seduction with her alchemy, often feeding him love potions, and aphrodisiacs.
When all was ready she used her alchemy to make it look like a plague was starting. Many people died of the “plague” and normal healing magic did not seem to cure the disease. She told the paladin that there was a way she could cure the plague, but it required a rare ingredient that was dangerous to acquire. Being a paladin he agreed to accompany her and protect her while she harvested the ingredient. Just before they leave she gets him to propose to her, but tells him that the wedding will have to wait until after the plague is cured.
While traveling she stops giving him the addictive substance, so he starts to go into withdrawal. The “dungeon where the cure is, is a complete setup. It has purposely been setup to make the paladin have to make questionable choices. None of them are enough to cause a fall, but they push the limits of what a paladin should do. Each choice leaves him feeling dirty and ashamed even though he thinks he is working for the greater good.
He is able to defeat the monster that is guarding the “cure”, but is badly wounded. The healing potion she gives him is actually a drug that knocks him out. He awakens is shackles stripped of all his gear. At this point she reveals who she is and what she has done. By now he is in full withdrawal from the drug she has been feeding him. She gives him an aphrodisiac laced with the drug and finishes her seduction of him. After that she waits for the drug to wear off and him to begin craving it again.
The paladin at this point is at his lowest point. He is still in love with her and is going through withdrawal from the drug. The final straw is when she reveals the reason she is able to make the alchemical items so cheaply is she uses demonic magic. She claims that in order to cure the plague she needs the blood of an innocent slain by a righteous warrior. She brings out a young child and tells the paladin to save everyone he needs to sacrifice the child so she can harvest the blood. She also tells him that when he does she will give him more of the drug and let him have her. If he fails to sacrifice the child she will leave him to die from the withdrawal. The paladin picks up the sacrificial dagger and slits the child’s throat and watches as she slowly dies.
Mysterious Stranger wrote: The M.A.S.H based story works but does not really give all that much reason for him to worship Haagenti. He agents may have caused his downfall, but why would turn to Haagenti after he fell. Also why would he take up the mantel of Antipaladin? It also seems like the paladin falls too fast.
Looking at Haagenti I am thinking a corruption by addiction. Maybe a follower of Haagenti is able to create potions and alchemical items that contain some addictive substance. Once the person starts using the items they soon become addicted to them and thereby fall under the control of the cult. The cult sells these items at a very low price so as to gain control over more people.
The leader of the cult claims to be an atheist from Rahadoum and a follower of the first law. She also claims that the reason she is able to create the items so cheaply is because of techniques she learned in her homeland. She left Rahadoum because she wanted to help others. She has a very good reputation in the community as most people see her as someone who wants to help. She gave the paladin and his party free potions and alchemical items because she “believed in what they were doing, even if she did not think worshiping a god was proper”.
The paladin was the only party member drawing power from a divine source. He was the conscience of the group, always keeping the party on the right path. One by one she corrupted the paladin’s friends without him realizing it. Since the addictive items where readily available the paladin did not even realize he was addicted. She was also seducing him into believing they were in love. She augmented her own powers of seduction with her alchemy, often feeding him love potions, and aphrodisiacs.
When all was ready she used her alchemy to make it look like a plague was starting. Many people died of the “plague” and normal healing magic did not seem to cure the disease. She told the paladin that there was a way she could cure the plague, but it required a rare ingredient that was...
This does give a reason to worship Haagenti but doesn't seem like it synchs up as well as I would like. How about... during or prior to X-Burns' downward spiral, he starts hitting the bottle. The only reason he considers this an avenue to deal with his problems is that he's been lured into it by a Daughter of Sin.
The drinks the Daughter provides him with are laced with the narcotic you mentioned (I'm thinking Demon Blood at this point). Slowly, but surely, he gets more addicted to the drink, and it impairs his judgement. Which is what leads him to assume about the relationship between X-Houlihan and X-Pierce. His behaviour becomes erratic, he interrupts the "consummation" of the "relationship" and kills a pair of Daughters of Sin out of malice and spite.
The thing here is that even though the Daughters of Sin are CE, he didn't know they were due to his loss of Paladin powers at this point. He had the intention to commit murder, and he went through with it. He didn't kill who he thought he was killing, but the intent to kill the innocent was still there.
As to WHY the Daughters of Sin single him out as a target... he's good practice, what with being a Paladin and all. But he's also a Paladin of Bharnarol, who is a rival to Haagenti over the field of Alchemy. That ties into the cult's primary motivation in the campaign, as Haagenti has sent them out to undermine one of his rivals. Namely, Asmodeus, since the Chelish Crown has been using research stolen from the Cult of Haagenti to create Hellish Supersoldier on the Isle of Shardstone.
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