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Message: <blockquote data-quote="el-remmen" data-source="post: 9572968" data-attributes="member: 11">PaladinPaladins are united by the vows they make in the name of one of the 13 Gods to uphold an oath. The origins and motives of this vow are their own, but the force of it binds them and manifests as divine power to be used in pursuit of that oath’s promises. Paladins train to learn the skills of combat, mastering a variety of weapons and armor. In addition to their martial skills, they can channel magical power granted by their chosen god: the power to heal the injured, to smite their foes, and to protect the helpless and those who fight at their side.Paladins are figures from stories and songs and are so rare that a person might go their whole lives or a family multiple generations before meeting a paladin in the flesh. It is said that in times of great crisis more paladins are called to take holy vows by the gods.Unlike clerics, whose devotion to the gods subsumes who they are and becomes their primary mode of engagement with the world, paladins revere their gods for recognizing and empowering their vow. In other words, the vow often comes first. In fact, while the vast majority of paladins’ own philosophies and values align with their god, there is no requirement this be the case. The only requirement is that the tenets of the chosen oath are fulfilled. The oath itself is a two-way street, for it is said that a god will not accept the vow of someone who would egregiously violate their heavenly edicts.Paladin OrdersWhile some paladins are solitary in their pursuit of justice, many others realize that working with others of their calling is more effective and efficient in achieving their goals. These paladins establish orders, sometimes sponsored by a church, but also sometimes by a sympathetic wealthy patron. The rites of initiation and rules for membership can vary widely between groups, but often are more strident that the paladin’s oath itself. Because paladins are so elite a position, however, most paladin orders have very few members at any given time. Even in legends, the most ever in an order at once was 13, but it is much more likely to be four or five at most. Some orders grant titles to their members, and in some cases these title are hereditary. Paladin AlignmentPaladins are commonly Agents of Law, bound to fulfill oaths made to maintain order and mete justice, while in some cases serving as a buffer for the powerless and innocent against the harsher edge of institutions and lawful rigor. Even the vow they make itself is an expression of the power of Cosmic Law to bind mortals and immortals alike to their word. However, this tempering of the force of Law in the name of compassion and a more smoothly operating society, might cause a paladin to latch on to the necessity of Cosmic Balance, or the importance of personal freedom as a virtue.In terms of ethics, paladins are expected to be virtuous and pursue justice, and in those terms, paladins must be good in alignment. However, more than one paladin has strayed from the good in pursuit of fulfilling their vow. Ultimately, it is adhering to the vow they made that keeps a paladin in good standing with a god. Typically, the precepts of the vow are already in line with the expected ethical conduct of a paladin, so to violate one is to violate both, but when they are not aligned or unspecified, it is the fulfillment of the vow that takes precedence.Paladins in the Inchoate EmpiresThere is an old saying “There are no paladins in the Empires,” which is another way of saying no one there can be trusted to tell the truth or keep their word. This may be an exaggeration, but there are few paladins among the warriors and holy people of the Inchoate Empires and fewer still that leave that corrupt place for adventures in Makrinos and the East. Most paladins find themselves on the wrong side of autocratic corruption and thus are prosecuted and put to death. Still others may even work for an upstart king who professes benevolent ideals, but for the common folk these holy warriors still represent the crushing boot of oppression. A paladin who leaves the Empires for Makrinos, may not have determined the nature of their vow yet, or has decided to abandon the Empires to their chaotic rot and corruption and serve where order and good might yet prevail. Paladins in the Republic of MakrinosPaladins are highly respected in Makrinod society, and many ancestral paragons are paladins, making them notable ancestors to include in prayers to the 13 Gods. They are the subjects of songs and poems, and the culture has even developed their own paladin order, the Aurum Drakon, who take the Vow of the Union, promising to defend the Republic against all threats foreign and domestic, and those who would seek to exploit its citizens.There was a tradition among those families descended from the theoretically defunct noble lines of Makrinos to give succor to a traveling paladin for fear of coming under their scrutiny for refusing. It is not so commonly invoked these days, but the memory of it resounds through the culture.</blockquote>

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