Quote Originally Posted by Grey_Wolf_c View Post
That's not how Paladins work. They are bound to their own internal code, not to any external Law system. Oh great Banana, I invoke thee, can you please give us Rich's explanation on this? I'm fairly sure he wrote about it, and therefore I'm not going to embarrass myself by attempting to ape it.

Grey Wolf
Like this?
Quote Originally Posted by The Giant View Post
Interesting how you repeatedly assume that Shojo is a secular leader and that he is acting based on the legal procedures of a mortal nation. Instead of, you know, a direct servant of one or more gods granted a holy mandate that knows no borders. Generally, paladins and clerics can be following a divine law that is, in their eyes, superior to any law written by Man and still be 100% Lawful.

It's also interesting that everyone thinks Miko captured the OOTSers in another nation, rather than the lawless region just outside Wooden Forest, and that she is somehow breaking the law of the Kingdom of Somewhere when she just personally saved the king from a burning building. Generally, in an absolute monarchy, saving the king's life gives you a free pass to do whatever you want. The fact that the only thing Miko does with that freedom is enforce her Lord's will is about as Lawful as you can get.

If you want to argue that Miko is only borderline Good, go ahead; that is, in many ways the very point of the character and the main thrust of #251. But to say she's not LAWFUL? No. From the description of Lawful:
"Lawful characters tell the truth, keep their word, respect authority, honor tradition, and judge those who fall short of their duties."

Let's see...
• Tell the truth: Miko has never lied, to the best of our ability to tell.
• Keep their word: Miko risked her life to keep her word to her lord that she would bring those responsible to justice.
• Respect authority: She certainly respects Shojo's authority, as well as that of her gods. She probably also respected the King of Somewhere, though that was off-panel. She also respected Durkon, who while not strictly an authority does count as an "elder" to Miko. Note this does NOT say, "Obey every law you come across."
• Honor tradition: Such as the traditions of her homeland? Check.
• Judge those who fall short of their duties: Oh hell yes.

Remember, folks, being Lawful has NEVER meant you obey every law for every nation whose borders you cross. You can choose to have a character that acts like that, but it is NOT part of the alignment description. After all, such a character would be required to obey the mandates of an orc chieftain the moment she entered his swamp. They would be seen as wishy-washy and easily swayed, kowtowing to whatever person could assert themselves the strongest.

Most lawful characters, though, will pick a certain set of authorities that they respect and ignore all others as "illegitimate". An LG cleric of Pelor doesn't obey the authority of the High Priest of Vecna, for example. That doesn't make the cleric not Lawful.