When It's Time For a Character to Leave the Party

Last night something interesting happened.  My character Sidwin the Sharp walked off the stage of play after assassinating a vile knight.  Seems strange, but let me back-up.

Sidwin is a rogue, a charming guy, who enjoys a good adventure, making money, but has a soft spot for helping others.  Not in a Robin Hood kind of way, but rather manipulate the existing system into ways that favor his situation.  The only time he's went bloodthirsty was when a mage fireballed a kid he knew.  Sidwin kinda went a little psycho then.

Recently, the surrounding area has been taking sides on religious and political levels (in this case these is very little difference).  The village that the party aided took it upon themselves to overthrow the existing government, but did not think of the retaliation.  Sidwin was thrown back by this, he had plans in the work and a revolution was going to make things difficult.

The party then was infused with a cleric of Mitra, a goddess that one side of this conflict rallies behind and a paladin from a another god.  Sidwin was not pleased with the changing attitude.  The party went from helping out folks to get from beneath the murderous bandits, to a godly and political purpose.  Taking a side they saw as the 'right' or 'good' side.  Sidwin, being from City-tate knows both sides are filled with murderous psychopaths.  And taking a side is bad for business.

Sidwin was traveling to a larger town, but got distracted by saving a couple of farmers from bandits again.  He then got distracted by a side adventure that had him fighting two ghouls that nearly killed him.  So he started back to the village.

This is where last night's adventure begins.  The village was about to be attack by two knights and a cohort of yeoman.  The knights' reason for attack wasn't out of any political or religious purpose, they saw an opportunity.  The party ambushed the knights, killed all the yeoman and one of the knights.  They captured one knight.

This is when Sidwin arrived.  He didn't like that happened, but warned them that it would happen because the village revolted.  We took the knight back and they questioned him for a short time and killed him.  Sidwin saw another opportunity slip away.  The party had now slipped into a fanatical posture.  They were good, the knights were evil.  They aren't wrong, the knights were evil shits.  But in this backwoods area its not surprising those the represent the 'other side' are not going to be the most virtuous.  And that the party going out of their way to kill the yeoman was not much different than what the knights planned to do.

Despite all that, Sidwin was good with the party stopping the razing of the village.  No doubt the two knights would have left it in ash.  But, what did it for Sidwin was the killing of this vile knight.  The reason, the knight is worth money.  Sure he denied us the opportunity to ransom him, but there would have been other ways to gain money and information, but the party was quick to deliver death which is exactly what the knight wanted.

Sidwin took this as his services were no longer needed.  He could not back fanatics, again bad for business.  And it put the people of the village in harm's way.  The information and money gained from that one knight could have helped supply and equip the village.  He left to fight his own fight.  One of his own choosing.  Helping the village is his way. 

It was interesting to see the change in direction of the party and how it became more difficult for Sidwin to do much.  With the incident and the previous session, it seemed a perfect time for Sidwin to begin his own adventure.  Meanwhile, I'll roll up a new guy.  Someone with a similar philosophy as the party.