tarquin and lies

[King of Nowhere]

Maybe something escaped me, but i noticed that tarquin never explicitly lied, despite using a lot of misdirections in his speeches. Every one of his word has been technically true, aand he lies by omissions, half truths, and implications.
For example, when he said that he sent 500 dragoons to join the battle (without telling which side), or that he and malack have been working for various overlords (without mentioning that they were always the power behind the throne).
Like an aes sedai, if you read the wheel of time.

I'm wondering if that is just coincidential (the best lie is the one that contains much truth, so maybe tarquin simply lied that way because it was convenient), or if he follows some kind of moral code about not explicitly lieing. And if that could be used against him.

[Swordpriest]

Well, he's lawful. A lawful character would presumably prefer misdirection and "sins of omission" to out and out lying, when possible.

[suszterpatt]

Alignment semantics debate in 3... 2... 1...

But in all seriousness, those "lies" were most likely the best ones given the situation. Afterall, nobody's gonna ask "oh I see, and did you happen to be involved in an elaborate plot where you were controlling your so called masters?".

[Sylthia]

Yep, being LE often means trying to stick to the literal truth as often as possible, while not following the spirit of what one says.

[Porthos]

Afterall, nobody's gonna ask "oh I see, and did you happen to be involved in an elaborate plot where you were controlling your so called masters?".
Yes, this is the trouble when dealing with someone who Lies by Ommission. It can be very difficult to try to think of every single possible question/loophole when dealing with someone who is intentionally trying to decieve you. Especially in casual conversation.

[King of Nowhere]

as i said, it is the most efective way to lie. If someone checks, he will find that you told the truth, and even when he catches you on a lie you can often say that you kjust were misinterpreted.

[hamishspence]

Yep, being LE often means trying to stick to the literal truth as often as possible, while not following the spirit of what one says.

Often- but not always. Some LE beings have no qualms about telling outright untruths, and there is even an Archdevil (LE outsider with Lawful and Evil subtypes) who is "Lord of the Lies"- Baalzebul.

That said, carefully avoiding outright untruths, while telling truths calculated to mislead, or omitting things, is pretty traditional for LE, and the master liars do tend to be the exception.

[cho_j]

That said, carefully avoiding outright untruths, while telling truths calculated to mislead, or omitting things, is pretty traditional for LE, and the master liars do tend to be the exception.

And what's great about Tarquin, I think, is that he does such a masterful job of that traditional LE lie by omission thing. It's what makes him great as a villain and fun to watch; you get to try to puzzle through what he left out or phrased cleverly without the emotional or time constraints of the characters he's lying to. Even a character as talented with deceit as Haley is going to find it hard to call him out on his tricks with even just one other distraction (e.g. worrying about how to save Elan from hurt, or how to reunite with Roy and Belkar and get back to the gates).

[Procyonpi]

I don't think Lawful Evil characters IN GENERAL are barred from outright lying. Rather, they just choose to bend the truth to their will because it's more believable and helps them build order. If they have to lie to achieve their Lawful Evil ends, they will.

Lawful evil characters CAN have a compunction against lying, and are likely to honor the letter of contracts.

That being said, Tarquin in specific has made an actual lie:

Altering the deal (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0735.html) With Gannji and Enor.

[Mecharious]

I'm sure he's not beneaths lying whenever he needs to. He just finds it more dramatically appropriate to tell half-truths