You Judge Miko (OOTS)

[Vanuslux]

I want to point out, since it's something that some people seem to have lost sight of, but there's a difference between a persons alignment and the alignment of an act. While I'm confident that Miko's actions were definitely a violation of her alignment, but that doesn't mean she's stopped being Lawful Good even if she did lose her powers (paladins have a much higher standard to live up to). Miko's been nearly non-stopped provoked since she met the OotS, her feelings have been hurt ever since Roy told her off after the Inn was torched, Belkar killed another paladin and would have probably killed Belkar in rage if Shogo hadn't told her to suck it up, and frankly fate has been poking Miko's bruised ego and feelings of injustice for quite a bit. So yeah, she's become a bit emotionally unhinged, which doesn't save her paladin powers (until she atones) but I think should be taken into consideration where the whole Miko should now be a chaotic evil blackguard thing is concerned.

The question now is whether being bitchslapped by the gods will humble her or drive her deeper into her self-righteous anger.

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

Her feelings got hurt? Emotionally unhinged?

I'm just not seeing paladin material. She may have been a good paladin at one time, but that was before she became unstable. I think that paladinhood may be too much of a responsibility for her. She'll still make a darn good fighter, though, if she works to make up for her incompetence.

 

[jeffh]

YES!

I wouldn't totally expect party members to adhere to "OMG due process!!11!!1!" all the time either, however.. a few stipulations apply.

1. He was defenseless. Striking down an old, unarmed guy like that? Evil.
2. She's a paladin, within her home city which has clearly-defined laws. Out in the forest, desert, dungeons, or whatever.. it may not be prudent to take prisoners. Right in town? She broke the law out of anger. Evil.
3. Ignoring the safety of the city for her own personal emotions. Chaotic.

The gods struck her down! It's glorious! Good-bye Miko! All that's left is for Belkar to make a hat out of her skull.

On #2 and #3, you've got which one is evil and which is Chaotic exactly backwards. (Actually, #3 is really neither; "depraved indifference" doesn't quite seem like enough for D&D Evil to me.)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Her feelings got hurt? Emotionally unhinged?

I'm just not seeing paladin material.

If you don't expect a paladin's feelings to ever get hurt, is there anyone other than total sociopaths who are paladin material?

 

[takyris]

If you don't expect a paladin's feelings to ever get hurt, is there anyone other than total sociopaths who are paladin material?

There's a difference between expecting someone to never get their feelings hurt and expecting someone to act responsibly while dealing with matters in a professional capacity, even if their feelings are hurt.

A big difference.

 

[Klaus]

Don't you think there was an eensy-weensy bit of foreshadowing when she failed to harm the Monster Under The Umbrella? Like her Smite Evil wasn't working?

She's deservedly Fallen, but she's not beyond atonement. The first step will be recognition of and remorse for what she's done. If she's going to atone, we should see that in her next episode.

But she still had the service of a special mount back then.

 

[Kraydak]

So let me get this straight. Either:

1) The paladins are right and Shojo is wrong about how to handle the whole snarl issue: Shojo is guilty of hideously chaotic evil actions threatening the entire universe OR
2) Shojo is right, the paladins are wrong, and, in a world with COMMUNE spells to set the record undeniably strait, Shojo choose to leave the paladins (in ignorance) on a course to commit hideous acts threatening the entire universe. That choice is, itself, a hideously chaotic evil act.

I don't see any way to interpret the situation where Shojo (however high his charisma score) does not deserve death. Given that Shojo has ruled the city for decades and presumably has had time to suborn much of its bureaucracy (including the justice system) and an army of evil bearing down on the city, arresting Shojo is too risky a course of action as it would all but guarantee all out civil war. Acting as judge, jury and executioner here is (while not an ideal solution) probably the best route available to take to remove someone as manifestly evil as Shojo while allowing a chance at an organized defense of the city.

Given the gods' betrayal of Miko, I wish her well in her future Blackguard career, and hope for her eventual victory. False good, her ex-gods, must be destroyed!

-Kraydak

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm perplexed at a world where the gods let themselves be treated like a Magic 8-Ball by a simple commune spell, which explicitly says the god can withhold whatever information it wants. Gods of heroic types seem especially likely to say "suck it up, champ, you're the big hero with the stupidly overpowered sword, you figure it out."

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

There's a difference between expecting someone to never get their feelings hurt and expecting someone to act responsibly while dealing with matters in a professional capacity, even if their feelings are hurt.

A big difference.

No, you're still expecting perfection. Even Lancelot strayed from the path.

 

[Kraydak]

Which might be a reasonable attitude, if the entire universe's existance wasn't at stake. Note also that, if the gods don't feel like correcting an error at the core of a paladin's order set of beliefs, they hardly have the right to punish a paladin acting in defense of said beliefs. Which defense Miko was undertaking.

-Kraydak