The Paladin Code
Paladins are by
definition holy warriors of their faith and loyalty to Severan,
their god. They are paragons and heroes of all that is good and
right. Whoever is to join their ranks, has to know that he or she
will be committed to a life of seeking, upholding and promoting
truth, charity and above all, justice. Along with their allies,
the priests of Severan and the members of the Order of Light,
they are granted with the support of Severan's mighty hand in
every good deed. Righteousness, benevolence and courage in
defending good and punishing evil throughout the realms is
greatly rewarded by their Lord. Severan will be with them when
they are in need and when the prayers of the righteous knights
seek for His help. Paladins are not only extremely religious, but
also impecably moral. Refusing to stray from their path of honor
and morality, these knights' rarely enjoy a moment of comfort in
life. Duty is the knight's life, and often it is his death.
The Holy Knights of Severan are accomplished fighters, highly
trained in the battlefield. They possess impressively destructive
power when used effectively against their enemies. Their swords
always ready to be drawn to be used in combat, their minds taught
to seek jusice but mercy alike, their efforts to be good are
never an easy task. Apart from being expert swordslingers though,
they derive most of their powers from their blindly worshipped
god Severan. He has given them defensive abilities, that will
protect them in their quests among the evil of this world and
help them ride fearless against their enemies, always with three
ideals in their minds, Faith, Justice and Mercy.
The task of being a true Paladin is never easy, the greatest
problem a knight faces is the judgment of honor. Every day, it is
his/her lot in life to figure out what is honorable and what is
not. For example, a Paladin is to uphold both Justice and Mercy.
So say a man commits a crime, but the Paladin senses that the man
is truly sorry for his actions. Should the Paladin forgive him?
Questions such as these are never easy to answer, because there
is no right answer to them. If the Paladin were to forgive the
man and let him go, then the criminal would be free to commit
other crimes, or even the same crime over again. On the other
hand, if the Paladin had the man punished, then the criminal
would be denied of the Paladin's duty to show mercy to any and
all adversaries. In cases like this, the Paladin must choose the
lesser of the two evils.
The whole point is, either way, a Paladin's actions can be looked
at as dishonorable, because the true rules for the Paladin are so
broad. A Paladin's honor comes from obeying the Lord's commands
and from his own heart and conscience, to do what he/she knows is
right.
In the years that the paladins lived in the realms, there are a
few virtues that were proven to be the ones to characterize what
is called a true Paladin...
Courage - Paladins must know when to choose
the more difficult, and more personally expensive path. They must
be ready to make personal sacrifices in order to serve the ideals
and people that they cherish. It involves choosing to uphold
truth at all costs, rather than allowing a lie to pass. Courage
does not mean being stupidly arrogant, but having the will to do
what is right.
Defense - Paladins swear to defend their lords
and ladies, their brothers, and the church. In defense of these
ideals and individuals, there can be no compromise.
Faith - Paladins hold strong faith in
Severan giving them strong roots and hope against the evil
tidings of the world.
Franchise - A Paladin must never forget himself.
A paladin must remember his bearing and conduct himself as befits
his station. Consistency is then the key to franchise.
Humility - Humble paladins are the first to
tell of another's deeds before their own, giving them the honor
they deserve from their good deeds. They let others proclaim
their own deeds. Paladinhood is glorified by the humility of its
members.
Justice - In courageously seeking the truth,
and the path of righteousness, paladins strive to escape their
own bias or personal gain and instead be just. Justice untempered
by mercy can bring grief, however. Valorous Paladins seek out
justice without bending to temptation or expediency, and thus are
men of renown.
Largesse - Generosity is a chief
characteristic of a paladin. In order to counter the weakness of
gluttony, paladins are as generous as their resources would allow.
A generous paladin is better able to walk the line between mercy
and cold justice.
Loyalty - Good paladins are unbending in
their commitment to those they are sworn to defend: Their guild,
their brothers, and the weak. Temptation could, therefore, hold
no sway over their lives
Nobility - Nobility is the beginning of
courtesy, and thus paladins are to be polite and equitable to all
as they develop and maintain a noble character through the ideals
of chivalry. A paladin is forever an example of what it is to
serve righteousness.
Prowess - Paladins seek to be masters of
their minds and bodies, and thus seek excellence in matters
mental and martial. From this prowess they seek to serve justice
humbly.
The paladins have been following a certain code of honor with
immense pride, courage and determination through the years of
their glorious history. This code, stands unchanged today as
shown below.
The triad code:
A Paladin serves
by the grace of our god, Severan.
A Paladin lives
to champion the cause of good.
A Paladin
strives to be honorable at all times, but not at the cost of
faith or goodness.
The amendments:
A Paladin only kills those proven to be evil, such as those
spawned from the nether regions, or those who have committed
evil,those who seek to kill or have killed for evil or unlawful
purposes and those who desecrate or seek to desecrate our god,
Severan.
A Paladin aids those of good
if they need aid and protects those of good who need protection.
A Paladin may never knowingly
tell a lie.
A Paladin honors his Lord
Severan each day, he lives by his rules and strives for his glory.
A Paladin is always there to
protect the weak, to defend the defensless.
A Paladin is the fortress for
those who cannot fight and for those whose faith is too weak to
strengthen their will against the forces of corruption.
A Paladin always shows
gratitude to the church and to the believers.
A Paladin gives freely of his
or her belongings to the poor and the church to further the goals
of the Lord.
A Paladin is to always show bravery before the foe never leaving
the side of his or her companions and brothers in times of need.
A Paladin however will not
fight for the sake of fighting. If nothing can be won by a fight,
he is to retreat.
A Paladin lives, fights and
dies always with honor. Facing his or her opponent honourably, he
does not hide in the shadows like a murderer or strikes from the
back. There is no honor in striking a fallen foe, a paladin
always waits until he gains footing again.
A Paladin spreads the word of the Lord, strenthening the faith of
those he or she protects, so that their faith will protect the
brethren and the church.
The newly recruited knights of Severan will be asked to give the
following oath of service to join the paladin guild. This is, in
a way, everything a paladin stands for and it is what every
knight should keep in mind in his every day life as well as in
his battle for upholding justice in the realms. It is in this
oath every paladin should find guidance when the task of
righteousness becomes difficult or unbearable and it is through
prayer to his Lord that the paladin should find hope and
confidence to continue.
Oath of
Service
I do wholly and solemnly swear to dedicate
all that I am to the service of Severan.
To represent all that He stands for and live
as an example for others to follow in His Light.
To be Truthful in all things,
To dispense Justice with a firm, yet calm hand,
To grant Mercy when such can be given,
To bring Hope to those in need,
To be ever Faithful to Severan's teachings.
As a Holy Knight of Severan, I will not forsake
The Faith or My Bretheren.
I shall serve with my Brother and Sister Knights
faithfully as a family, never putting myself above
Knighthood. I shall never abuse the powers bestowed
upon me by Severan, or use such for selfish or
unscrupulous purposes. I shall ever seek the courage
to do what must be done so that Severan's Light
may always shine upon these Realms.