Of Fists and Faith - A 5th Edition D&D Quest

Grace and Love International wasn't always the second largest church in Texas. In fact, it started from humble origins in a high school gym in 1989, as the Fellowship of Las Colinas. A satellite church of the First Baptist Church of Irvine, it would probably have remained that way had Charles Goodfellow not arrived.

Mr. Goodfellow, who'd just graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary, had just so happened to catch the attention of Pastor Greg Lucado, the original founder of the church. After hearing nothing but good things about the young Goodfellow, Lucado took a chance on the young pastor, hoping to mentor him and build on his natural speaking ability to become a successful minister for Christ.

What Pastor Lucado didn't realize was that Goodfellow's aspirations was to be a successful minister for his bank account. Nor did he realize just how much natural charisma Charles had, being able to smoothly talk his way into power, wallets, and panties like few others. Not until he found himself on the wrong end of a power grab by Goodfellow in May of '96…

Soon enough, Grace and Love would grow, eventually becoming the second largest church in Texas, with the now-Reverend in charge. Thanks to Charles' charismatic preaching style, the ever-growing cash flow of donations from wealthier members, and a growing media ministry that made sure everyone knew who he was, the church would be successful enough to negotiate a split from First Baptist in '01. From there, the sky was the limit for Goodfellow and the newly christened Grace and Love…

Of course, the larger the church grew, the more like-minded people he was able to pull away from other groups. A worship leader from Hillsong here, a junior pastor from Lakewood Church there, and soon enough he had an All-Star cast at his side to help grow the ministry and hide his ever-growing vices from the public.

Of course, it went both ways. When a former deacon was found to be molesting college undergrads in '22, it was Charles who reminded those victimized that it'd bring more harm to the cause of Christ then would be helped by revealing the scandal. Besides, he was honestly sorry. And the Bible says you have to forgive anyone who asks for forgiveness. You'd go to Hell otherwise!

Anyone who spoke out was silenced. Shunned. Spoken out against. Anyone who disagreed but did not want to deal with the mobs the Reverend could whip up, such as Pastor Jeremy McLean, simply left…

You have been laying on the bed for the last thirty minutes, trying to digest all of the information you've read.

While you were still angry with what Reverend Goodfellow did, there was still a small part of you hoping he'd just made a horrible mistake. Fissures to other universes would be the perfect excuse to make lapses in judgment, right? At the very least, he could have seen the error of his way and tried to make amends.

But nope. Apparently he was never a true Christian at all. He was exactly the worst sort of person that the Bible warned against. There were special parts of Hell just for the kind of false leadership that Goodfellow was. How many people did he lead astray? How many lives has he destroyed?

And you want to wish this wasn't true. That Codex has simply gotten it wrong…

(History Check (Advantage): 17, 18. 18 + 3 (History) + 2 (Guidance) = 23. DC: 15, 25. DC 15 Passed.)

But if you're being honest, you have overheard whispers from some former members of the congregation. Rumors of wrongdoing by certain leadership of the church. But nothing ever truly came of those rumors.

Of course, you defended the leadership from the slanderous gossip. The Reverend surely wouldn't have let anyone under him actually stay on staff if there was even the hint of impropriety. At bare minimum, they would place the person on leave while they investigated. Every member of staff knew that.

Except now you know better. And even if the gossip was proven wrong, and Codex was getting information from another timeline's Charles Goodfellow, the fact that he has personally betrayed your trust and destroyed your life feels like proof enough to accept the claims.

What you needed was a guiding hand at a very traumatizing time. What you got was a man who said one thing, then did another. He said it was just an attack from the Devil, but immediately called people to brand you a heretic. Claimed this was a test of faith, but never even let you take that test. You wonder if he even mentioned the portal to anyone.

Wait, did he ever report those two people dead? You didn't know who they were. Which was not a surprise, in a church of over 20,000. Wait, is he going to try and pin this on you?

Then you remember the Stat Block of Goodfellow that Codex showed you.


—


—

You may not know the exact details of the spell Charm Person, but you can guess what it does. Which means he possibly could try and pin this on you. In fact, that might be how he turned the church against you so quickly!

The only good news was that Codex assured you that he had no Objects or Entities - of which Codex was both - on him. At least, as far as they could tell. But that means he was right near the Microfissure himself. Which makes sense, as he got to you rather quickly.

But dealing with the fact that your church was corrupt up and down the chain, and that your former pastor now can just mind whammy people at will, is a bit more than you could handle. So you laid down for a bit. Try and relax yourself. Plan your next move. Wishing you had bought more ice cream last night.

But then the Codex Gygax opens and the pages turn. You look over at it to see what your new… friend? Entity? Info gatherer? They are trying to tell you something.

A new Faction is being written in. Please Stand By…

You pause as the new factions' names appear on a new page. Faction Recorded: North-East Texas Aryan Brotherhood. Gang-Level. No other information is known. Do you know who they are?

THUMP!

"Ублюдки!"

"Ha! Not so tough now, are you ya old bitch?"

You immediately start heading to the door the moment you heard the thump. It sounds like someone needs your help. And for all that you're going through, you are still a Monk of Mercy...

–

Vote: Are You Wearing The Mask?

[] Yes

[] No

–

(QM's Notes: Prepare for Combat. You will have an ally (Angry Grandma) in this combat against the Aryan Brotherhood, though she starts bloodied and prone…)

A horrid sight greets you as you open the door. On the ground is an old lady and… oh Gods there is a lot of blood flowing from her face. She needs medical attention, and quickly.

"I told you you don't cross the Brotherhood!"

She probably also needs to be rescued from the what you suspect are members of the North-East Texas Aryan Brotherhood standing over her. Especially the one with the bloody baseball bat, who is way too pleased with beating a grandma in the face with said bat.

(Insight Test. 14 + 7 + 4 (Guidance) = 25. DC: 10. Pass)

It doesn't really take much to tell what their intentions are. They are very at ease, like they aren't expecting any resistance or problems, even if they are caught. The fact that there seems to be four of them means they probably planned to outnumber anyone who tried to interfere.

But when one of the skinheads, a tall bald dude in wife beaters and an 88 tattooed on his chest, looks at you, he seems very confused by your presence. Then he looks closer at your face, and seems even more confused.

"What the fuck is up with the bird mask?"

Wait, what is he going on about? You aren't wearing the…

But you are wearing the Mask. Your Raven Mask. Your Implement of Mercy. You don't need to put it on yourself. You know when it's time to wear it. The defense of another is always the perfect time.

"Never mind that. Bird bitch better back into her room and pretend she didn't see shit." The bat-wielding Nazi punk starts moving forward. "At least if she doesn't want to end up dead too."

You ignore him. He is no threat. You look down, to the lady, who seems to be reaching out to grab her cane. "I'll take care of them for you." You calmly tell her. Too calmly, for someone who is about to go one versus four for someone you've never met. Like you know what needs to be done.

"не волнуйся обо мне. я сражался хуже" The injured elderly lady manages to say, before spitting blood at one of their feet. You don't understand her, but she's rightfully angry at her attackers.

You turn to the Aryan Brotherhood. "Corvus oculum corvi non eruit." The raven does not pluck out the eye of another raven.

—


—

And before they can actually respond - probably to tell you they don't understand Latin - you make your move…

–

Combat Situation

Enemies: Three Punks (Faction: North-East Texas Aryan Brotherhood (NETAB)). One Punk Leader, (Faction: NETAB)

Allies: One Ally, bloodied, prone.

Initiative Order:

Alice
Injured Ally
NETAB Punk 1
NETAB Punk 2
NETAB Punk 3
NETAB Punk Leader

–


Time for a pretty big vote! What is your general combat style? This will help determine your general way you deal with combat, if no specific goal or plan is used.

Note, these are general styles, not absolutes. If someone is about to kill your ally, you'll try and save them even if Downing Your Enemies is chosen. Likewise, if you choose Protecting Your Allies, you'll have no problem going after an enemy if your allies aren't in danger at the moment.

Remember to vote as a Plan.

What do you prioritize?

[] - Your Allies - You will prioritize assisting your allies in general, keeping the safe.

[] - Your Enemies - You will prioritize making sure your enemies are no longer a threat.

What is your combat style?

[] - More Offensively - You will more than likely spend most of your turn using offensive options.

[] - More Defensively - You will more than likely throw in defensive options into the mix.

How willing are you to go lethal?

[] - Above All Else, Do (Almost) No Harm - Your attacks will mostly be used non-lethally, if possible. Less likely to use more dangerous tactics that would kill, if you can help it.

[] - What Happens, Happens - You don't try to kill outright, but you're not that broken up if someone attacking you dies. Most enemies will throw Death Saves when they hit 0 HP. You generally won't confirm kills.

[] - Exodus 20:13 Does Not Apply - You will go lethal in most fights. You will more likely use tactics that are dangerous. Most enemies die at 0 HP.