Here's the code I put together for my current paladin of Myashar, a homebrew goddess of Retribution and Law.
The Code:
The List of Fealties: The Lady of the Gallows, The Order, Law, Justice
The Three Tenets - Punish the Unjust, Enforce the Law, Protect the Just
Death Song of the Myasharans:
If we should fall in duty's cause,
Speak but this 'bove our pyre -
They fell and fought for Justice sake,
And turned not from Law's fire.
Myasharan Paladins and the Virtues:
Charity:Myasharans do give money and goods to charity as other paladins do, but it is not a virtue they focus on. Itinerant Myasharans tend to be less charitable, since they rarely have much money to spare beyond their immediate upkeep.
Chastity/Celibacy: This virtue has no real role for Myasharans. Sexual activity is neither recommended, nor frowned upon. However, like most paladins, Myasharans do not usually have much interest in (or time for) casual relationships, and few are willing to wed one of the butchers in black.
Chivalry (Courtly Love): The Myasharans are usually much too serious to waste time upon such frivolity, and if one does indulge in it, that is purely a personal choice.
Courtesy: Another virtue that is practiced by, but not particularly important to, Myasharans. While courteous enough to those that they meet, a Myasharan’s duties are usually such as to require leaving social graces by the wayside.
Fealty: Unlike many other paladins, Myasharans owe their fealty to no material institution, but to the law and to justice. This may lead to a travelling Myasharan temporarily following the edicts of a secular government or authority, his final allegiance lies to the letter (and sometimes the spirit) of the law.
Honesty: Since the law is usually enacted in public surroundings, a Myasharan will usually emphasize honesty and openness in his dealings. Similarly, a Myasharan will seek to punish crimes openly and preferably in a public place after due process of law. However, if it is necessary in order to secure just retribution, a Myasharan may take to some degree of subterfuge, although he will minimize this as much as possible.
Honour: A Myasharan’s attitude to honour is similar to his attitude to honesty, emphasizing it as much as is possible with regard to the cause of justice. While a Myasharan will not take recourse to poison or similar dishonourable approaches, he is likely to accept that evildoers do not deserve the highest level of honourable treatment.
Hope: A Myasharan is usually not the best paladin to engender hope in others, although he may uphold and express the idea that those who are just and good will always be protected from those who are evil and unjust.
Humility: This virtue is rarely upheld by most Myasharans. Their roles as enactors of the law, and as a combination of judge, jury, and executioner in wilder areas, actually tends to engender some degree of pride. The Myasharan emphasis on wearing easily identifiable armor and weapons is a pointer to the same.
Industry: The Myasharan ethos does not either particularly uphold or condemn the virtue of industry. In practice, most Myasharans do tend to be fairly industrious, mostly due to their emphasis on self-reliance.
Justice: This is the ultimate virtue for a Myasharan, with some emphasis on retribution. He strives to simultaneously uphold the letter of the law, as well as the spirit of justice. He prefers to be an instrument of justice, rather than its final arbiter, enacting the just decrees of a higher power or institution. He is not a supporter of vigilante justice. Only in the rarest of cases does he serve as judge, jury and executioner. He only does so in the rare situation where the social system is unable or unwilling to act, and where the crime is too grievous to go unpunished. In most cases, he simply seeks to uphold the concepts of justice in his surrounding society through his own speech and actions.
Moderation: While moderation is common enough among paladins, it is not a virtue particularly practiced by Myasharans. The quest to bring justice and retribution to the lawless does not encourage moderation in thought, action or speech, and most Myasharans tend to be extremely forthright in the pursuit of their goals.
Poverty: Poverty is another virtue neither emphasized, nor shunned, by Myasharans. Itinerant Myasharans often have to depend solely on themselves, and spend their wealth on better weapon, armor, horses, and a few magical items, if possible. Hence, while they may possess costly items, they rarely have liquid wealth in excess.
Tolerance: In some ways, this virtue is anathema to Myasharans. Tolerating a crime (or even worse, forgiving it) is totally against their code, and it is the role of every Myasharan to ensure that criminal acts are speedily punished. At the same time, less than good acts which are nevertheless legally acceptable are often accepted by Myasharans, and arguably this is another form of tolerance.
Valour: Membership in perhaps the only unpopular paladin order, coupled with their explicit role of bringing justice to the wicked, often leads Myasharans into dangerous situations. Most of them strongly uphold this virtue, and are unflagging warriors in the cause of just retribution.
