#b) he is probably the most prominent cleric/paladin npc

[stone-stars]

actually it's. interesting to me the way clerics and paladins exist in naddpod. because divine magic isn't really ever about the divinity of it. it's about the devotion.

i'm going to loop back to beverly bc he's the most classic paladin naddpod has. but like. alright. you have erlin, who becomes a cleric not to serve pelor but to help people. he's so dedicated to bev, he wants to help the people he loves, and that's the way to do it. because he's not strong in the traditional sense, but he can be strong this way.

you have fia, who's a cleric because of her religious upbringing but mostly calls upon the trickster for her magic and if you really think about it the thing she is most devoted to isn't the trickster at all but irina. you have tarragon who becomes a cleric in repentance for her days as a soldier, but all of her cleric stuff manifests in dedication to her friends, to the bond they share.

and you have callie, who-- once she's freed from her tie to mothership-- has a paladin oath that is about her dedication to the wild and the serpents and her promise to help bring them home. her belief in and love and hope for them. and the idea that if she does she might redeem the memory of her mother.

and like. bev. who is very tied to pelor and the light. his oath morphs and changes with his worldview, and the way his powers manifest reflects what he cares about. in the end, when pelor is dead, he doesn't swear himself to another god. he swears himself to bahumia. the thing he's devoted to, the thing he's trying to protect.

it's like... divine casters aren't magical because some god chose them. it's because they chose to care. it's because they chose to look at something and say i am going to care about this so much that it becomes a source of strength.

#naddpod #it's very funny that i put erlin with a bunch of pcs here but like #a) sunny's influence #b) he is probably the most prominent cleric/paladin npc #except thiala but fuck her (lol) #anyway. thinking thoughts. #it's no wonder a lot of divine magic is healing #it's about love #hanbles #anyway it's 1 am i need. to go to sleep. my brain is broken