Paladin Precepts

Paladins are knights who pledged themselves to religion instead of any human liege. They are the military arm of the clergy they serve, sort of an "army of the god" that they believe in. A paladin is well known for his zeal, chivalry as well as nobility, and is often heralded as the savior of humanity from the evil blights the lands.

To people who knew the awful truth, though, a paladin does not make a good friend. He follows a rigid - if not extreme - code of righteousness and morality, and he holds all others with equally high standards. As "mere mortals" would have a few scruples themselves, a proud paladin may often look down upon them with disappointment, if not disdain.

In his believe, a paladin views the world as a chiaroscuro painting - there are no moral standards except black (utter evil) and white (purely sacred). A simplistic view, I'm sure, but too much so. A person can only be standing beside a paladin, or standing against him. Therefore, a lot of conflict may arise because of this simple standpoint.

If one paladin's zeal is considered powerful, what of an order of paladins? Imagine, hundreds or even thousands of warriors, who believe in one god and one cause, charging through any obstacle in their quest for the fulfillment of the order's decrees - sounds way too close to religious fanaticism to me.

Perhaps the flaw of paladins, the one common flaw, is that they devoted themselves too much to the clergy and to their god. For the former, any pragmatic man can break free of his chains easily - "A Paladin's power comes not from the clergy, but from God. With or without the clergy, we are still Paladins." But for the latter, to doubt is to betray - and when religious zeal clashes against common sense, a paladin is in for a terrible dilemma indeed.

- adapted from various sources