Hexmage-EN
Legend
Has anyone brought up Jakandor? That was a mini-setting that prioritised Law vs Chaos over Good vs Evil, with two very different and opposing cultures that viewed the other's way of life as bizarre and inferior.
The Charonti live in ancient cities that followed a strict meritocracy, which included the stipulation that the state had the right to raise the dead as specialized undead laborers (creating these specific Charonath undead was not an Evil act). The Charonti desire Law because they want to hasten the restoration of their civilization after a plague that only effected magic-users laid waste to their civilization and caused much of their magical knowledge and technology to be forgotten. The Charonti view the Knorr as backwards barbarians with an inefficient and unproductive way of life. The Knorr also interfere with Charonti attempts to recover knowledge from their civilization's ruins, making the Knorr enemies of the Charonti.
The Knorr are a tribal folk with a great emphasis on personal honor and, to borrow an early 5E developer catchphrase, "rulings, not rules" developed by clan meetings to address situations as they arise and examine them individually rather than use standardized legal codes. The Knorr hate Law because they believe that a society that needs strict legal codes is a society full of dishonorable, untrustworthy people that doesn't examine cases on their own merits. There is a greater emphasis on ritual magic as opposed to spellcasting, with a specific set of honor rituals that Knorr characters can use to voluntarily commit themselves to honorable deeds (one example is basically a ritual in which you designate another, trusted person and allow them to place a geas on you). People who reveal themselves dishonorable and untrustworthy are shunned by the community and may be ruled as worthy of banishment by a council meeting. The Knorr oppose the Charonti, believing their civilization embodies everything the Knorr find abhorrent, and take actions to sabotage efforts by Charonti expeditionaries looking to find lost magic and technology from the ruins of Charonti civilization to stifle its reconstruction. The Charonath undead laborers systematically created and used by the Charonti government are especially seen as nightmarish violations of an individual's autonomy.
With all the emphasis on honor and personal codes, it's easy to see that the author of the three-part Jakandor series (Jeff Grub, I believe) did not believe that having a personal code was itself a sign of being Lawful. The core differentiator between Law and Chaos in this setting was "do you believe society should have standardized laws to enforce standards of behavior under threat of punishment and to handle disputes?" The Charonti believe that a society must enforce standardized rules on its citizens, including a requirement that the deceased become the property of the state for use as undead laborers, while the Knorr believe this is a violation of individual liberty and instead want to encourage a society of trustworthy people who can resolve disputes between each other honorably, with the only major authority being a council that makes rulings infrequently and on a case by case basis.
To try and sum it up more succinctly, Jakandor describes Lawful characters as valuing a greater authority that applies its laws equally to everyone with no exceptions, while Chaotic characters are more flexible and look to resolve situations on a case by case basis, turning to a higher authority (one that makes rulings for every specific situation rather than rely on an established standard) only as a last resort (and believing that having to bring in that authority is shameful to the community).
The Charonti live in ancient cities that followed a strict meritocracy, which included the stipulation that the state had the right to raise the dead as specialized undead laborers (creating these specific Charonath undead was not an Evil act). The Charonti desire Law because they want to hasten the restoration of their civilization after a plague that only effected magic-users laid waste to their civilization and caused much of their magical knowledge and technology to be forgotten. The Charonti view the Knorr as backwards barbarians with an inefficient and unproductive way of life. The Knorr also interfere with Charonti attempts to recover knowledge from their civilization's ruins, making the Knorr enemies of the Charonti.
The Knorr are a tribal folk with a great emphasis on personal honor and, to borrow an early 5E developer catchphrase, "rulings, not rules" developed by clan meetings to address situations as they arise and examine them individually rather than use standardized legal codes. The Knorr hate Law because they believe that a society that needs strict legal codes is a society full of dishonorable, untrustworthy people that doesn't examine cases on their own merits. There is a greater emphasis on ritual magic as opposed to spellcasting, with a specific set of honor rituals that Knorr characters can use to voluntarily commit themselves to honorable deeds (one example is basically a ritual in which you designate another, trusted person and allow them to place a geas on you). People who reveal themselves dishonorable and untrustworthy are shunned by the community and may be ruled as worthy of banishment by a council meeting. The Knorr oppose the Charonti, believing their civilization embodies everything the Knorr find abhorrent, and take actions to sabotage efforts by Charonti expeditionaries looking to find lost magic and technology from the ruins of Charonti civilization to stifle its reconstruction. The Charonath undead laborers systematically created and used by the Charonti government are especially seen as nightmarish violations of an individual's autonomy.
With all the emphasis on honor and personal codes, it's easy to see that the author of the three-part Jakandor series (Jeff Grub, I believe) did not believe that having a personal code was itself a sign of being Lawful. The core differentiator between Law and Chaos in this setting was "do you believe society should have standardized laws to enforce standards of behavior under threat of punishment and to handle disputes?" The Charonti believe that a society must enforce standardized rules on its citizens, including a requirement that the deceased become the property of the state for use as undead laborers, while the Knorr believe this is a violation of individual liberty and instead want to encourage a society of trustworthy people who can resolve disputes between each other honorably, with the only major authority being a council that makes rulings infrequently and on a case by case basis.
To try and sum it up more succinctly, Jakandor describes Lawful characters as valuing a greater authority that applies its laws equally to everyone with no exceptions, while Chaotic characters are more flexible and look to resolve situations on a case by case basis, turning to a higher authority (one that makes rulings for every specific situation rather than rely on an established standard) only as a last resort (and believing that having to bring in that authority is shameful to the community).
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