Help regarding Ilmater

[Zulmar]

Hello!

I have been reading about Ilmater and while it seems a very interesting faith to roleplay, I would like ask those who play them or know enough about them if it is viable to play a priest of Ilmater. Perhaps this might better asked IC but I haven't been able to meet any IC.

My main concern is their relation with violence, your average PC can kill many living beings (bandits, intelligent monsters) but can it be justified for a priest of Ilmater kill an undetermined number of evil intelligent mobs in order to level up? I really have a hard time imagining a priest of Ilmater spending 15 minutes in an area killing mobs to earn a level but perhaps there is something I don't know / I can't see.

Any insight on the matter will be appreciated, thanks.

[Katheryn]

Hello!

I'm the current Faith Manager of Ilmater, and I'm typically on and out and about in Waterdeep. Feel free to hunt me down at some point in time, we can even arrange a happenstance.

You're rather close in your assumptions, though. While there are certain Orders of the faith of Ilmater that will hunt down evil/enemies, I'm pretty sure there's no active players of that organization (if any.) Generally, they're a passive group of people. Healers, not harmers. But everyone has their edge, and a point, and certain circumstances will bring about certain not nice actions.

I pulled a lot of what I learned of the faith from the following links:
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Ilmater
http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Church_of_Ilmater
http://www.nj-pbem.com/data/Gods/humangods/Ilmater.htm

As well as IC info that's available.

I will say they are not easy to level absolutely due to the fact that you need to be far more aware of "Oh, man, I totally just killed that living, breathing, independently thinking being. Oops." Mindless slaughtering is so highly frowned upon. Enthusiasm to kill (anything, really) is so very frowned upon.

But, the RP's really rewarding and definitely interesting. You can always make the character, inquire, have lengthy discussions and get very involved in RP and less so in leveling. See if that kind of character's up to your interests. At worst, you find the faith's not for you and abandon the character, or they decide on another faith. You are not the first who would have done such, nor likely will you be the last.

But it's fun, and to me, worth it. Though I have been told once that not even Ilmater wants to play Ilmater. (Truth in that not proven) C'mon. Give it a try. What's the worst that happens? You like it, and never want to play any other character. Ever again.

[Harroghty]

I believe that Ilmater can be a very interesting line of role-play because being Ilmateri does not mean becoming a Quaker pacifist, but it does mean evaluating who and what you kill. The same could be said of any faith in the Triad, but the difference is that an Ilmateri is being compassionate, while a Tyrran or a Torman might want to only serve justice. That constant dialog and striving to ease the suffering of others does not preclude violence (Ilmater himself can be driven into a righteous rage when he encounters oppressors), but it makes it far less casual than it becomes for more adventurers. Further, unlike justice which is (unbelievably) more easily defined, it is hard to explain how one is being compassionate.