Important Attributes (2nd Edition):
Male Human; Lawful Good; Cleric 6 of Mishakal; HP 33; AC 4; THAC0 18; Str 13, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 13; Saves PPDM 9, PP 12, RSW 13, BW 15, SPL 14.
Weapons:
Horseman’s mace (THAC0 18, W/s 6, N/a 1, Dmg 1d6)
Possessions:
Chain mail, potion of polymorph self, robes, rope of climbing, shield.
Personality:
Adam, throughout his life is modest and quiet. He would never see himself as a hero or great leader, but someone just bringing the truth of the gods too those who have it not. When he befriends someone, they are in his heart for life and would defend them or sacrifice himself to protect them. Whenever he is forced to defend himself with the death of his enemy, he is always mournful and prays for the soul of the fallen to find peace in its final resting place.
Background:
The Light Hand, as he was called, didn’t start out the legendary sainted hero that the Solamnics of his village would sing songs about. Adam Honorson was born to a simple farmer in a village along the Vingaard River in 331 AC. He was a thin quiet boy and a subject of many torments by the larger bullies, but after a while even they would befriend him due to his good nature. When he was ten he went to a Yule Festival held on the River, a carnival atmosphere where Knights of Solamnia would joust and tournaments of strength would occur. As the young Adam went from the various tents he found on the outskirts of the festival a fortune teller’s tent with an infinity symbol over it. He went in and found a kindly old woman behind the small table, she addresses him as Adam and offers him a reading. Adam first refuses due to not having any money and returns to the main camp. As he reaches the center of activities he is startled to find the same fortune teller’s tent there. The old woman smiles and again offers him a reading, Again Adam’s modesty forbids him from agreeing, however the crowd of his fellow villagers steps up and offered the money for the reading. The boy embarrassed finally agreed and is subjected to a public reading. The fortune teller lays out the cards and suddenly leaps from her chair so fast it startles the boy. She calls him the Light Hand – he will be one of the many that will discover the true gods again and bring healing to the suffering; and he shall one day save his village through the goodness of his heart. Adam is stunned by this as well as those around him and scoffed at the idea, despite liking the young boy, most of the townfolk present had little faith in Adam becoming anything more than someone average. Adam turned back to the fortune teller to ask the many questions boiling up, but suddenly the fortune teller and her tent vanishes as if it was never there.
As the years went by the boy tried to learn as much of the old legends of the gods as he could, but with the minimum means he has as a poor farm boy from a less than thriving community, information came few and far between. When he turned twenty, it marked a year of dread, as the rumors of the invading armies from the east has become to come true. As tales were being told of dark armies attacking Silvanesti and the other free people of the east, so were the stories of actual dragons seen and attacking these peoples. Disbelief in dragons led into confusions over the tales and the discounting of them, until these dark armies turned west. Suddenly talk of dragons sprang up everywhere, from travelers and merchants who saw the blue scaled beasts flying advance to armies on the ground. Soon enough the stories and tales that were once laughed upon would become the terrible fact of life, as the Blue Dragonarmies crossed the Vingaard and sacked Adam’s village.
Adam, who prayed for just a simple life saw the destruction of the village, and was a part of the hurried evacuation west. He lost track of his family and friends as hobgoblin patrols on the backs of worgs chased down many of the villagers. Adam hid in the ruins of an ancient structure. He saw a number of hobgoblins follow him to the ruins, but for some reason neither the humanoids nor their worg mounts could enter the building, and rode off repulsed. Adam searched the ruins, and saw a curious thing, the same infinity symbol on various statues, and a tapestry on one of the still existing walls that he saw on the tent of the fortune teller when he was ten. Then something caught his eye in the corner, he went over and saw a necklace and book. Both items seem to have been left there by someone else recently, for their condition seems far better than the environment they rest in. When he touched the necklace, a curtain of light pierced through the dark clouds of smoke overhead and showed through the ruins. A mother’s voice spoke to Adam, telling him that she had awaited him to find her and wanted him to spread the word to his troubled people, be the healing hand of Mishakal and bring the truth of the true gods across Solamnia. The necklace Adam found was a Medallion of Faith, the book he found was a book of Mishakalan prayer. Adam, who feared his own destiny because of his modesty now was given a purpose in life, he had become a cleric of Mishakal.
Adam found his way to the rendezvous spot of where the villagers said they would meet up. He reunited with most of his family and friends but then saw how many of the villagers including his kin were both badly hurt and ill due to the hard travel and the cruel pursuit of the hobgoblins. Adam offered to help, claiming to be a cleric of Mishakal, but once again the villagers just scoffed and told him not to play games. Adam went to the herbalist who was tending to a man who suffered the affects of a poison tipped arrow. When he was about to help the man, the herbalist slapped him away but before he could insult or dismiss him, Adam rushed ahead, spoke a prayer to Mishakal and laid his hand upon the wound. The wound closed up and the poison disappeared from within, he had healed the man before the eyes of all. The villagers watched in awe as Adam went from one wounded man to another, curing wounds, easing the suffering and removing the illnesses. Adam himself then fell to his own fatigue, and those around carried his body to a soft glade and gave him peace, appreciating that not only he came back with the proof of one of the true gods, but he spend nearly all his energies in helping his family and friends.
Once the villagers found the knights and took refuge, Adam left them and offered his assistance to the Knights. Of course the Knights of Solamnia disbelieved his tale of being a cleric, until he performed his healing on their wounded. He was accepted and offered a position as a chaplain to his goddess for a young troop of Crown Knight Cavalry. He was preparing his life for Missionary work in bringing the word of the gods to the people of Ansalon. He found out quickly that it was easier said than done, when his cavalry troop was ambushed by draconians. He backed off, not wanting to inflict harm, but the draconians attacked him nonetheless and badly wounded him. He awoke sometime later as the sergeant of the unit took care of him using his field experience at wound treatment. The sergeant humbly suggested that perhaps Adam need to learn how to defend himself. Adam, at first opposed the concept of harming another living thing, however in prayer to his goddess on this matter, he was given a sign of the mace and a voice saying he must be both the healing hand and the defender of the suffering. Adam was then trained in using a horseman’s mace (the only non-edged weapon available from his unit, as well as how to wear armor and hold a shield), Although he was still adamantly against slaying, he understood that it may not be unavoidable. He continued throughout the war with this Cavalry unit seeing many a skirmish, but thankfully was never in a major engagement.
By the end of the war, and the political lines of territory was drawn, Adam realized it was now time to truly travel the length and breath of Ansalon, he hitched up with an adventuring group that is bent on looking for fame and treasure. Adam didn’t need for either, but he befriended these strong willed men and women and he wouldn’t feel right to not be there if they get hurt. His travels with the party brought him out of Solamnia, covertly through the Blue Dragonarmy territory and all the way out to eastern Ansalon and onto the coast of the Blood Sea, throughout all this he spread the word of Mishakal and the true gods, bringing her healing hand to towns dominated by the dark gods of the dragon armies. Adam the Light Hand would be one of many responsible for sparking revolutionary groups all believers of the gods of good and bent on breaking the oppression. His traveling days however ended only five or so years after the end of the War of the Lance.
While visiting with a clergy of curious kender clerics of “Fizban” in Port Balifor, Adam’s party and the kender were ambushed on the docks by minotaur pirates and draconians working for the black dragon Choric. The party mates fought off their adversaries, but the black himself swooped down from behind his observational spot within the clouds, he breathed over the party, his acidic breath enveloped two of his party members, one being Adam’s love Clarissa a white robe mage. While Adam easily treated the less serious wounds of his friends, he had the strength for only one of the more potent healing spells. He knew the two victims of the acid needed the spell to survive. Adam agonized over which to heal, and then finally deduced that he had to save Gerek, the strong armed Knight of the Crown that was the warhorse of the party because with Gerek healthy they could take Clarissa far enough to find another cleric or perhaps a potion to save her. Adam healed Gerek and fell unconscious. He awoke several hours later and saw they were in the same spot they were at after the battle. He saw the party look at him mournfully and walk pass. Adam hurried over and saw the body of Clarissa ceremonially wrapped up in preparation for a funeral pyre. Gerek with tears in his eyes told him that Clarissa was too far gone to be brought anywhere and died moments after Adam gave out. Adam broke down pitifully over the body of his lost love, cursing his inability to save her and his lack of experience and wisdom to bring her back to life. Seeing how there were no friendly clerics of any more power than him in this part of the land for hundreds of miles, the party regretfully lit Clarissa’s pyre and her soul went to Paladine and Mishakal. After that Adam lost the taste of missionary work he made his emotional farewells to his friends and offered them a life of peace in his village, but regardless he was going home.
When Adam returned home, he went back carrying with him his armor and weapon as gift of the knights, a potion of polymorph self that Clarissa had gave him that he never bothered to try, and a rope of climbing that Gerek gave him in order to assist him in traveling the rocky paths of the mountains. Adam was heralded as a hero by his family and the people of the village, but Adam was still melancholy over Clarissa’s death. He didn’t see himself as a hero, but someone who made a fatal choice that cost Clarissa her life because he was trapped too long in indecision. One thing that kept him going was his faith in Mishakal, and if he wouldn’t do missionary work he would teach her ways to his kin and friends. He built a modest church of Mishakal and held services every week. This life suited him and was thankful for being home, and for many years after he would feel more at peace now than he did before he became a cleric. He put away the items he came home with;, the mace, armor and shield were kept as trophies of his travels and were maintained and cared for, almost out of habit, but was no longer worn or used.
Adam grew to a respected elder gentleman, his church expanded with many of his former acolytes now full clerics and priests taking on the responsibilities of running the Church and being the missionaries that he once was. At the time of the Knights of Takhisis’s invasion of Ansalon, Adam is fifty three years old. He didn’t wish to believe that such an evil force could defeat the Knights of Solamnia again and again, but as word spread of this dark army led by the knights and with ranks of strange tattooed men, Adam realized that again his home was being threatened. The people of his village built a wooden palisade and treated it with inflammable pastes to prevent its burning, but Adam saw these measures of protection as pitiful at best, these Dark Knights surely would have evil wizards of clerics to batter down the walls without much trouble. Every night he and his clergy would combine their spiritual power in detecting evil, sending out the stronger force, they locate the large band of evil approaching closer and closer to the village from the river. When the day came when the enemy was at the gates, Adam prayed for assistance in saving his town.
The battle came, the Dark Knights were a regiment of Knights of the Lily with a support regiment of Tarmak barbarians. They didn’t have Thorn or Skull Knights to batter the walls, however they did have something just as powerful – the Tarmaks brought with them a mammoth! The villager archers tried shooting the great beast dead before he could reach the walls, but the mammoth was well armored and rammed its armored protected head again and again into the gates until the simple wooden barrier broke apart and fell from its hinges. The mammoth was pulled back and the knights stormed the gates with their commander in the lead lancing the first defender then drawing his sword on horseback and attacking the farmers and militamen. The Dark Knights pushed back the villagers, but the Tarmaks were forced to hold back, as if the Dark Knights didn’t want to totally annihilate the populace which would result if the Tarmak warriors waded in. The commander reeled back and was about to call a halt to his knights, when a hidden archer fired and scored a lucky arrow shot that hit the commander through the neck from under the helm. The commander fell off his horse and landed to the ground. With their commander down, the Tarmak barbarians howled with rage and charged forward. They shoved past the Knights and started to attack every living thing not wearing dark armor.
While all this was happening, Adam was in the church overlooking the battle with his clergy. He saw the commander go down and the bloodthirsty barbarians charging in after. He once again prayed to Mishakal asking how to save his people, then he was able to divine that the commander was the one that was holding back the onslaught, and perhaps wasn’t there to kill them but just to conquer them. Being dominated is better than being slaughtered Adam thought and he went into the trunk and donned his old armor and weaponry. He felt the chain mail snug a bit more around the midsection than he remembered when he last wore it, but it couldn’t be helped. He used the rope of climbing to swing his way to the top of the steeple to another building, then with the potion of polymorph self, he envisioned the last time he saw a bronze dragon and quaffed the liquid. POOF! He was a bronze dragon atop the roof. The sight of the dragon was enough to stun and confuse the barbarians. Adam took flight and circled the village, unable to cause the same dragon fear as a real dragon could, but the effect was still there as the barbarians and knights alike pulled back outside the gates, even the mammoth seeing the flying beast felt its own self preservation more important and fled. When Adam was satisfied that most of the combatants were momentarily out of range he landed and shifted back to his form.
He quickly pulled the dying body of the knight’s commander to the side and broke off the arrow. He began to pray, when the knight looked up with confusion and some shock, saying, “Why are you trying to heal me?”
Adam looked down intently and said, “If it takes saving your life to save my people from your men’s rage, then it is not a difficult choice. I will save my enemy to protect my people.” Adam raised his hand gathering all his divine power in his prayers to Mishakal. His hand started glowing with brilliant light, as he laid it upon the commander’s throat. His healing spell quickly worked in taking the commander from being mortally wounded. By this time, the enemy troops saw a cleric of their hated enemy kneeling over what they thought was their dead commander. A Tarmak warrior charged up and impaled the cleric from behind with his spear! Adam fell to the side, the warrior withdrew the spear to thrust again, but the knight’s commander arose and slapped away the Tarmak with his gauntlet hand. He then called the halt of the slaughter and forced a surrender of the villagers promising by his honor that no one shall be harmed. When the village finally gave in, the knights started to process the villagers, taking their arms and ordered them back to their homes. A few of Adam’s friends and family was allowed permission to be by his side. The Knight’s commander, one Lord Dane Falco, was also there, he offered the dying cleric his skill at patching up battle field wounds, much like the Solamnic sergeant did so many years earlier. Adam declined, saying it was his time. Adam started to drift off when he saw among the villagers was the same fortune teller that he met when he was a boy. But this time the form of the fortune teller melted away and in its place was the beautiful form of Mishakal herself. She tells her follower that she is proud of his accomplishments and thanks to him many communities he had past in his travels now have churches devoted to the gods of good and neutrality. She then tells him it’s time to come home, and that Clarissa awaits him. No one sees this transpire as Adam fades away and dies with a restful smile on his face.
The villagers recounted seeing his hand illuminated in blinding purifying light. They forget the young skinny boy they knew all his life, but remember a gallant adventurer, a chaplain of the Whitestone Armies, a missionary that preached the word of god, and a man who sacrificed his own life to save the lives of his village, and in doing so fulfilled his own destiny. He despite himself has become a figure of legend.
Lord Dane Falco, Knight of the Lily and the leader of the Dark Knights that Adam had healed, ordered the town to be unburned and allowed to go about their lives as long as they pay annual tributes to the Knights of Takhisis that will govern them. Before the incident, he was planning on burning the Mishakalan church to the ground, but now he begrudgingly decided to simply close the church leaving all the holy relics within unharmed, and the grounds unspoiled. He allows the clerics within the option of renouncing their faith and living within the village, or given safe passage on his honor to the nearby Knights of Solamnia. All of these uncharacteristic respects are in honor of the head cleric Adam Honorson for his sacrifice in saving Falco’s life.
