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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nazerel" data-source="post: 2068239" data-attributes="member: 24002">I'd be careful associating poison use with any alignment. A mafioso can be the epitome of lawful evil, for example. It's not that such a person follows the law of the land (which he doesn't, otherwise he wouldn't be involved in organized crime in the first place) but the fact is he follows the (unwritten) code of his gang, guild, family, etc. or even his own code of ethics (however twisted they may be). Therefore, a lawful evil mob boss (or tyrant) poisoning a rival isn't unlawful by way of alignment, though it certainly can be by way of the judicial system in his homeland, city, or what have you. Lawful alignment does not mean you always follow the law of the land.Poison use can be considered sneaky, dishonorable, or cowardly but it largely depends on the society and culture. Like another poster said, poison is merely a tool, just like a sword (or a gun, but let's not go there, heh) is merely a tool. A jungle tribe whose members make frequent use of blowgun dart poison for hunting and warfare wouldn't consider it dishonorable or a criminal act. Or for a more modern context, animal control officers use tranquilizers to subdue possibly dangerous beasties from harming the public, often in the hopes that the animals themselves don't come to harm. Are the officers evil by association with "poison" then?Put it this way, it's all about perspective. Heck, at one point, archers back in the day were considered cowardly and dishonorable by some European societies. Shooting a man from a distance was seen as less noble than facing your enemy in straight up "honorable" hand-to-hand combat. Captured enemy bowmen would often have their fingers cut off as a result of this perception. Why? Because in a feudal system, the knights (armored and favoring melee tactics) were in charge. Those in power make the rules and write the history as they see fit. It's no less true today. Women make up a larger percentage of those convicted of poisoning their victims than men. What does that say? (Not that I want to get into a gender debate, but draw your own conclusions.)</blockquote>

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