paradox42 said:
No, technically she just broke it wide open and left its shattered chunks bleeding on the floor.
Hold on... I didn't say that she wasn't doing things that would turn into an ex-paladin, but that's she's very strictly and inflexibly following the Paladin's Code while wearing a big set of moral blinders.
1.
A paladin must be of lawful good alignment. I think it's safe to assume has been and still is, technically, Lawful Good, though her DM is likely considering changing that in the near future.
2.
...and loses all class abilities if she ever willingly commits an evil act. Thus far, Miko has never
willingly commited an evil act. She has acted against good aligned characters, she has commited acts that have unwittingly furthered the evil plans of others, she has acted out of vengeange, anger and hatred, but she has not, technically, done anything evil... yet.
3.
Additionally, a paladin’s code requires that she respect legitimate authority... Up until now, she has. Even now, it's highly debatable whether or not has broken this tenet by attacking Shojo. Consider: Shojo was the legitimate authority. Hinjo has refused to step up to take over. Miko is currently the highest ranking Paladin (yes, she outranks Hinjo until he takes Shojo's place). As far as Miko is concerned, with Shojo's loyalty compromised, she
is the legitimate authority in Azure City.
4.
...act with honor (not lying, not cheating, not using poison, and so forth)... She's hasn't done any of the explicit examples in the strip. Some people might consider attacking a defensless old man dishonorable, but that's not what she was doing... She was executing a proven traitor.
5.
...help those in need (provided they do not use the help for evil or chaotic ends)... There any real examples of this one way or the other. The closest we come is her agreeing to help the watchtower guards with their supply problem.
6.
...and punish those who harm or threaten innocents. Such as anyone who sells out Azure City to an Evil Lich and his hobgoblin horde.
7.
...a paladin will never knowingly associate with evil characters... Like Belkar.
8.
...nor will she continue an association with someone who consistently offends her moral code. Like Lord Shojo (years of lying, at the very least, high treason at the worst) and the rest of the Order of the Stick (for a myriad of reasons).
See what I mean? She's taking it to an extreme that'll ruin her in the end, but from her (or perhaps her player's) perspective, she's still following the Code, and she is, ostensibly, doing it for the good of Azure City and the Sapphire Paladins.
I'm certainly curious to see how it turns out.
