Good Antagonist

[Tahlvin]

I keep thinking about an for a campaign setting where the primary antagonist is a lawful good aligned organization. A group whose intentions are noble(ish) of sorts, in their minds, but unyielding. Who thinks they know what’s best for everyone and doesn’t stand for anyone thinking differently.

The protagonists are NG/CG (or even LG) who seek to overturn this order and allow freedom and individuality. The moral delimma for them is that the foes they will be facing are good-aligned as well, but want to force their definition of goodness on everyone else. Sort of a “greater good” type thing.

Just looking for a bit of change up from the typical good vs. evil type campaign.

[Mike]

That sounds amazing. It's possible for truly good people who are working for the betterment of all to disagree on the the best course of action. It's even possible that they will have mutually exclusive goals. And in a world where you can magically detect alignment, you can't easily label your opposition as evil.

My groups generally play more to the chaotic side, so I have occasionally given them LG antagonists, but I've never explored it with that much depth. I am intrigued.

[Tahlvin]

Trying not to make it seem like just a rip off of the medieval church, but that’s kinda what it’s going to end up being. So here’s the background that’s rolling around in my head so far.

About 1,200 years ago, there was a small band of faithful servants of a minor lawful good deity, a mix of paladins and clerics. One of the clerics happened to befriend the king of a mid-level kingdom in an area with a number of small to medium sized kingdoms. Things were going along well until there was an invasion of demons, called the Demonfall. With neighboring kingdoms being overrun by the evil demon hordes, the king turned to this order of clerics and paladins to help save the region and his kingdom. Taking control of a multi-kingdom force, they were able to drive of the demons, and thus began their ascent to power. The population flocked to them in thanksgiving for their leadership in defeating the demons and the aid they helped provide in the aftermath. And the used the opportunity and their new found fame to proselytize their faith, spreading beyond the borders of the original kingdom and quickly growing in worshippers and power. Before long, the had pretty much a monopoly on worship in the region, and began spreading their faith further throughout the world.

Eventually, the faith became more and more controlling over everyday aspects of life. And with an army of clerics and paladins at their command, and a lot of support from the populace, the secular rulers soon found themselves powerless to resist. While the kingdoms were still nominally independent and ruled in the name of a secular ruler, the faith had the true power throughout its domain. They were responsible for recognizing royal and noble marriages, who could inherit the throne in the kingdoms under their control, and therefore had control over the policy makers.

Their exercise of control was not limited to the royalty and nobility only, but soon began to impact the commoners as well. Marriages needed to be blessed by the faith (for a fee, of course) in order to be valid. The faith would control what profession a child would take up when the time came, selecting the strongest and smartest to become paladins or clerics in the faith itself.

As things stand right now, the faith holds annual gatherings in each of its local parishes, usually shortly after the annual harvest. During these gatherings, they do The Selection. Not only do they review the children who are of the appropriate age, to decide what career they shall take up. Every follower of the faith will also pay their annual tithe to the faith. In addition, everyone must undergo the scrutiny: the clerics and paladins of the local church will detect alignment on the faithful. Only those who are deemed to be within one step of lawful good (LG, NG, or LN) are granted full rights of citizenship and benefits of the faith: ownership of land, ability to enter contracts (and all contracts must be authorized by a representative of the faith, for a nominal fee), etc.

The faith itself is ruled by The Council of the Divine Chosen, a council of seven high level clerics and four paladins of the faith. All council meetings are held in secrecy, following which all decisions of the faith, the direction of the church and its faithful, etc., are announced in formal decrees and spread throughout the realms.

All of this is, of course, done for the greater good of the faithful, the realm, and the deity.

Our protagonists could be outsiders visiting the realms who are pressured to convert to the faith before being able to do any business in the region. Or perhaps they are disgruntled citizens who resent not passing the scrutiny and getting their full benefits. Or perhaps they are clerics or paladins of the faith who, after getting a peek behind the curtain, think there is a different way to holiness and happiness. Or they could be citizens of a neighboring region the church is beginning to spread into.

[Zen]

Fascinating! I'd love to play in this world!