"The Annotated Paladin Manual"
original work by Sir Cleworth
annotations by Justinarius and Severl

Part I: The Virtues

First of all, allow us to introduce ourselves.

J: Hail and well met, my friends! I am Justinarius Al'Akabar the Unworthy, paladin and knight of Zoluren, former squire to Defender Angar Direlord. I am told I am supposed to share something about myself here, but there's not really much to tell, save that it is a privilege and honor to be asked to work on the new edition of this classic work.

S: And I am Severl Calibaan, squire to the Sentinel Tyrael, and anything else you've heard about me is patently untrue, and they never proved any of it. The reason you never see me around the guild is because soulstone gives me hives, and anyone who claims differently is cruising for a knife in the back. And I was framed, anyway.

A: Angar Direlord, warrior in the service of Phelim. I have nothing more to say.

We'll be providing the annotations to the Complete Paladin Manual for the edification of young and prospective paladins everywhere. And now, to begin, the very foundation of any paladin's career--the Virtues!

*~* Charity *~*

A true paladin must place the needs and desires of others above his own. He should never hesitate to offer his last crust of bread to the starving child, nor the very shirt off his back to the man who shivers with cold. He must give freely, with no thought of reward, for the giving itself is its own reward. Remember always that the Gods of Light, in their benevolence, have e'er blessed those that give of themselves.

S: Of course, charity begins at home--and one should never pass up the opportunity to allow others to practice charity. By donating generously to their local law enforcement, say. In all seriousness, I think that charity is definitely one of the most valuable virtues, and in that spirit, I'll offer the following alternate definition: Charity is an investment in one's reputation, and the best dumping ground for blood money to assuage the dictates of one's conscience. (See also "Conscience," removal of, dealing with, and manipulations thereof.)

J: I'm not even going to try to touch that...interesting...analysis. I've always envisioned charity as giving freely of yourself with no expectations in return. I also rescue kittens from trees on my leave time. To each his - or her - own, I guess.

*~* Compassion *~*

Without compassion, a knight shall never find love or respect, and will forever be alone on his journey through life. With compassion as his guide, a paladin will come to find these things and infinitely more; and not only from his allies, but from among his enemies as well. As we sow, so shall we reap - and the fruit of compassion is the sweetest fruit of all.

S: Who writes this sentimental crap?

A: Sir Cleworth.

J: Master Angar is correct, although I must confess that I think you are being a little harsh, Severl. As our recent encounter with your illustrious superior demonstrated, there is at least some measure of truth to these words.

S: If you think my illustrious superior was being moved by compassion, I have a bridge in Shard I think you'd be interested in.

J: I suppose it depends on which of your illustrious superiors we are talking about. In any event, he had a lot more efficient and expedient ways of dealing with the situation than the method he ultimately chose, and the other methods would probably not ended so favorably for us. Chalk it up to me being an idealist. I think he let us off so easy because he likes you.

S: In case my illustrious superior is reading this, please note that he said it, not me.

J: I take full responsibility. Of course, I reserve the right to deny having meant any particular illustrious leader. Oath of confidentiality and all that.

*~* Courage *~*

Let not a knight forsake his courage in battle or even in life, for how we choose to face death is at least as important as how we choose to live. Mistake not courage for foolhardiness, for a wise paladin will know when it is wiser to fall back and regroup, and when it is greater a virtue to stay the course. It is ofttimes true that the greatest test of courage is not in the willingness to die, but rather in the willingness to live.

J: I have always found courage to be one of the more overrated virtues. Too often what we call courage is little more than folly disguised as a just cause.

S: I like Courage. Courage is a nice, straightforward virtue, and I hope that the guys in front of me leading the charge have it in full measure.

J: As Angar pointed out in one of our many sessions on tactics, a wise commander never attacks the front ranks, but seeks to strike at the flanks or the rear. I realize this is off-topic, but I did feel obligated to point it out.

S: Brilliant tactics. By the way, Justin, was that you I saw leading the charge against the Keep from the front ranks?

J: Yes, it was. Need I remind you that my charge was a diversion for two flanking forces to get into position? I should probably also point out that my unit took the least casualties. Whatever happened to the unit that was supposed to capture Sirolarn, anyway?

S: It tripped over a set of scaly traitors and remembered it had an urgent appointment elsewhere. It's not an idiot. Courage is fine and good, but there are plenty of brave corpses out there.

A: I don't believe corpses are capable of bravery. Or cowardice.

*~* Diligence *~*

A knight lacking diligence shall never achieve his goals, for the path of righteousness is not one to be tread lightly. The duty of a paladin lies impossibly high, and it is only through constant diligence that he can e'er hope to achieve even the smallest portion of his full potential.

S: Nothing like setting yourself up for failure, is there? The duty of the paladin is perfectly achievable, provided you don't actually believe crap like they write in the manuals.

A: Severl, see "Honesty" below.

J: I tend to agree with Sir Cleworth for the most part, although I will concede that Severl does have a point. I prefer to think that the ideals of a paladin are not unachievable. My master taught me that the only limitations imposed on us are those we impose upon ourselves.

S: Or those imposed upon us by people with sharp objects and a real passion for their work.

A: Get larger sharp objects and wield them more passionately yourself. Or a large blunt. I prefer the mattock.

J: Or allies more dedicated to you and your cause than the people with the sharp pointy objects. In any case, I think we are getting a little off-topic again.

S: Diligent of you to drag us back on topic, brother.

J: Thank you.

*~* Faith *~*

A paladin's faith must be absolute. Not merely his faith in his god, but in himself, his duty, and his fellow beings. Without faith comes doubt, and with doubt, courage fails. Honesty wavers. Of all virtues, the one surest to hold a paladin true to his course is faith, as it is the surest to lead to his downfall should his faith fail him.

S: Well, at least they admit honesty wavers. I don't know--have you met some of our fellow beings?

J: Unfortunately, yes. I guess I have to fall back on Angar's teachings again. Have faith in your allies, definitely. Have faith they'll find every possible way to screw up and plan accordingly. Seriously, I know it's hard, but sometimes faith is all we have to sustain us. I don't know about you, Severl, but my faith in us, you and I, was the only thing that kept me from giving in to despair during the latter half of the Sirolarn affair.

S: Construct an idiot-proof plan, and they'll shackle you with a better grade of idiot. I maintain that where faith fails, sheer, bloody-minded stubbornness will see you through. Why isn't stubbornness listed with these virtues, anyway?

A: Stubbornness is a prerequisite for paladinhood. Anyone trying to move in plate will confirm this.

J: And anyone who has had to polish the guild stables with a toothbrush will swear by it. Trust me.

S: You know, for a very reasonable fee, I can hook you up with a guy who'll polish the stables for you for mere coppers. And he supplies his own toothbrush.

J: So that's where he got those coppers he gave me to do it for him...

*~* Fidelity *~*

A knight is bound by many chains, but none bind so tightly as his fidelity. Faith shall sustain him, and courage enable him to go where he must, but without loyalty, his path is aimless and without purpose. A knight must be faithful to his god and his duty, loyal to his liege and allies, and devoted to his love heart and soul. And above all, to his own self he must be true.

J: In my limited experience, one of the most difficult obstacles facing a young paladin is conflicting loyalties. This is something no text can teach; no master can prepare you for. I wish I had words of wisdom for our readers, but I do not. The best I can offer is this, that when loyalties collide, follow the dictates of your heart. It may not always be the right choice, but it will likely be the choice you can best live with, right or wrong.

S: The other option is to follow the dictates of whoever will kill you the most painfully, and hope they'll protect you from the other guys.

J: Um, Severl? I don't know what kind of oaths of fealty you have sworn, but I think you may want to reconsider who you are working for.

S: I'm working for myself, obviously. One runs into surprisingly few
problems of loyalty that way.

*~* Honesty *~*

The word of a paladin must e'er ring true, for once his word has been called to question, it will be so forever more. Truth is a knight's only shield against falsehood and deceit. A man who deals in lies shall be dealt lies in return, and his own deceptions shall surely leave him vulnerable. When an honest man speaks, he shall be respected and believed, for his word has never been given cause to be questioned.

S: When an honest man speaks, he'll be believed so long as a more plausible liar hasn't already gotten there first. Let's face it - sometimes you need to lie through your teeth, or else you trip over one of these other inconvenient virtues. A paladin ought to keep his word well enough to be thought honest, and after that, it's every knight for himself. Or herself.

A: I've never lied through me teeth. I do not believe it is possible, and if it is, it would be very unusual, making it suspect. If you must lie, speak normally. However, I have not yet met a situation where either the truth or silence has not served.

J: I'm afraid I have to disagree, Severl. I will concede there are certainly situations where lying is the easiest way out, but I cannot accept that there are situations where it is the only way. Perhaps I should put it this way; if you are in a situation where lying is the only solution, you are probably doing something a paladin should not be doing in the first place.

S: Justin? Does this tunic make me look fat?

J: Not at all. It does, in fact, inspire to me inquire if you have plans for the evening or not.

S: We'll talk.

*~* Honor *~*

Lose not your honor, nor let it be tainted, for when all else has forsaken a knight, all that is left is his soul and his honor; and an honor once besmirched may never again be made whole again. Better that a paladin should die than lose even the smallest portion of his honor. It has been said, and this is known to be true, that honor is the backbone of society. Without some measure of honor, our society becomes naught more than the ways of beasts and madmen.

S: Speaking as a beast - at least part of the month - there are really much worse fates. All kinds of ridiculous crap get done in the name of honor. Better that a paladin should realize that we're only human, or Rakash or whatever, than fall on his sword because "life" happened.

J: The problem I see lies in the definition of honor itself. A man's honor is his own, and it is hard to judge one man's honor by the standards of another. If by honor Sir Cleworth means personal integrity, I am inclined to agree with him. If by honor he means treating everyone in a fair and just manner, I again find myself in agreement. If by honor he means that peculiar arrogance by which many knights find justification for challenging others for inults real or imagined, I must disagree with him wholeheartedly. I believe this is the "ridiculous crap" my distinguished colleague refers to in her commentary, and in this, at least, we are agreed.

S: Verbose, but accurate. I concur.

*~* Humility *~*

The humble man knows and accepts his limitations, and in doing so, strives to overcome them. It is the man who concedes no failings that most often fails, for in seeing no fault in himself, he leaves himself vulnerable to those who do perceive his weaknesses. A man's soul is like his armor; it is not flawless, but contains any number of weak links. It is only in the knowing and accepting of these vulnerabilities that a true knight can compensate for them and turn them not for his enemies to exploit.

S: On the other hand, there's nothing worse than false humility. Nothing wrong with knowing that you're "the Man."

J: False humility is nothing more than arrogance disguised. Knowing you are "the Man" is fine, but advertising it in the wrong part of town can be hazardous to your health. I still find humility safer.

S: I note that "Style" isn't listed as a virtue. I find this a grievous
oversight on the part of the author. A great many things are forgivable - including arrogance - so long as they're done with style.

A: A great many things are forgivable as long as you don't get caught.

J: I give up. Next?

*~* Mercy *~*

Without mercy, a knight shall never know love, and will forever be alone on his journeys. With mercy as his guide, a paladin will come to find love and respect, not only from friends, but also from his enemies, for they shall be made better by him.

S: Mercy is commendable, particularly in one's enemies. I will praise the man who doesn't chop my head off when he has the chance, but stays his hand out of mercy. When I'm in a similar position, however, I'll have his head mounted on my study wall, and freely admit to all visitors that he was a more merciful man than I.

A: The honesty of your response is commendable.

S: Thank you, sir.

J: Er, right, sir. Don't encourage her. I mean, encourage her to be honest, but...nevermind. Let me try this again. Since you are being honest, I'll be equally honest. There have been times where I have regretted being merciful - a certain Elothean comes to mind immediately. But then I sit back and consider things again, and remember that the selfsame Elothean has saved countless lives since, both yours and mine included. Upon further reflection, I find that the true quality of mercy is not that I have let my enemy live, but that I have made it possible for me to live with myself. Selfish, perhaps, but true. Years from now, I will be sitting by the fireside with my love at my side and my friends true and proven, and he will likely be miserable and alone and wondering why. Perhaps, when the final score is tallied, I am less merciful than you, Severl. Perhaps mercy is the greatest act of cruelty we can inflict on others.

S: Perhaps you're overthinking the issue. (A: He always overthinks the issue.) Perhaps it's more merciful to be unmerciful, or perhaps you should just off your foe so that he doesn't come back at some inconvenient point, possibly with an inconvenient army at his back.

J: On the other hand, old foes make great drinking partners if you can set aside your differences. Can't we all just get along?

S: No.

And that, friends, is our analysis of the Paladinly Virtues. Next issue, we will tackle those dreaded opponents of virtue: the Vices!

S: ...which I much prefer.

J: Why am I not surprised? Don't answer that. Rhetorical question.