Alignment is a universal construct in Dragonlance, abandoning it or downplaying it is to ignore a foundational principle of the campaign setting, The Law of Consequences. Let’s learn all about it. Buy Dragonlance Adventures: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/162788/Dragonlance-Adventures-1e?affiliate_id=50797
Transcript
Cold Open
Believe it or not, this episode starts with In the Beginning…
Intro
Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today we are going to talk about The Law of Consequence. I would like to take a moment and thank the members of this channel, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing Dragonlance Adventures and Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!
Discussion
There seems to be a renewed or new interest in Dragonlance since the release of Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen adventure. Understanding the campaign setting is essential to having a true Dragonlance style adventure. And what are the pillars of the setting? Is it dragons, or lances or orbs? No, it’s alignment. The Dragonlance universe itself is forged upon three pillars: Good, Evil, and Neutrality. It is literally the great triangle upon which all the universe was brought to be. So why is alignment so important? It all comes down to balance. In some campaign worlds, evil reigns, or in some good wipes out evil when it arises. In Dragonlance, Evil and Good are necessary to remain in balance. Just as water seeks its own level, balance will be found despite the machinations of mortals or the gods.
Every impactful event that has occurred, has transpired in order to right an imbalance. But for just a moment, let us clarify one thing. The moral concepts of right and wrong, are not what is being referred to here. Good can be as wrong as bad, its balance that is essential. When Takhisis corrupted the first dragons, Paladine had Reorx forge metal statues to create their opposites. When the Dark Queen tried to take over the world in any one of the dragon wars, Paladine and Gilean worked to correct the imbalance of power. At times even the High God and Chaos were forced to step in when the Gods and mortals were incapable of correcting the imbalance themselves. The Cataclysm itself was a result of good having infinitely more power than evil ever did in any of the Dark Queen’s schemes. Even the number of gods in the heavens are matched to seven in each pillar.
Now that we understand the intention of creation and the decree by the High God that there would be balance, he also decreed that there shall be a law of consequence in order to maintain that balance. According to the Law of Consequence, each of the three alignments of good, neutrality and evil are the roots of all moral actions in the world of Krynn. The first law of consequence is that Good Redeems its Own. This law is also known as the Law of Paladine. It reflects the approach of all of the gods of Good in their efforts to advance truth and knowledge in the universe. With a focus on compassion and justice, Good seeks to forward its goals and aims by redeeming and recalling lost members.
The second law of consequence is that Evil Feeds Upon Itself. This law is known as the Law of the Dark Queen. It reflects the natural selection of evil’s belief through the elimination of weaker beings. Through Chaos and Law Evil furthers its goals. Chaotic Evil’s objective is the supremacy of might in the universe without any moral consideration. Lawful evil seeks to attain supremacy through the application of its own view of morality and strength. The third law of consequence is that Both Good and Evil Must Exist in Contrast. This law is also known as the Law of Gilean or the Doctrine of Shadow. The Neutral gods have a primal position that they must see the diversity of both perspectives as balancing one for the other on a universal scale. Neutrality demands contrast, and will work with either good or evil to see it maintained. Diversity is its aim and through it, you find unity.
The fourth law is named after the group, the Law of Consequence. This law was handed down by the high god himself to rule over all other laws. For every law that is obeyed there is a reward. For every rule that is followed there is a blessing. And for every law transgressed, there is a punishment. The realization of these blessings and consequences may not be seen immediately or even recognised when they do, but they will always be realized. This is why it was so shocking that Raistlin Majere could enter the Abyss and challenge the gods. It worked against the law of balance entirely, but what did Raistlin eventually discover? That he would rule over nothing if he followed through with his schemes.
Dragonlance insists that the proper Dragonlance game, bases its morals around these principles, promoting the power of truth over injustice and good over evil, and the granting of consequences for both good and evil acts. But this idea is in part anathema to the premise of balance itself. We all know the original designers of Dragonlance were Laura and Tracy Hickman, both devoted members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, so it’s understandable that they would want good to be rewarded and evil to be punished. But again, that flies in the face of their creation. If Dragonlance shows us anything, Good in the absence of Evil created evil within itself. We have seen this in our own world history from every Abrahamic tradition. Whether it’s wars fought over the right god or belief to horrendous acts by those in positions of power in supposed good religions.
So why would we ever believe that in a fantasy world like Dragonlance that it should be so, when the design was to the contrary. The Kingpriest was a man of pure good, right? He ended up causing the greatest evil in all of Krynn, the destruction of Istar and the sundering of both continents of Krynn. The Queen of Darkness was the greatest evil, but she is allowed to continue to exist, corrupting those willing to hear and follow her voice. In fact the only time we find imbalance is when Dragonlance strays from its origins, and Takhisis is killed, forcing Paladine to sacrifice his divinity in order to see it done. The imbalance exists in the heavens as there is now more neutrality than Good or Evil, plus a new god added to none of the alignments, Mina in the Age of Mortals.
This is all to say in a campaign setting where Alignment is essential, where we must maintain cosmic balance, and righting that balance being the catalyst for adventure and excitement, why is alignment downplayed? In Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, alignment is given the proper focus of Law vs Chaos and Good vs Evil. I have seen players choose alignments then act in stark opposition to those alignments without the law of consequence being used. I posit that in order to have a proper Dragonlance game, it is the Dungeon Master’s job to ensure the Law of Consequence is applied often and fairly. They even suggested that you track your players Alignment through their choices which may lead to the shunning of their god or the total loss of their abilities, to general difficulties in actions they take
Alignment isn’t just a random character creation choice, it’s the moral and societal center of your character, and when ignored, belies the whole purpose of role-playing, in this role-playing game. You are not your character, you are playing your character. Using your character’s alignment as a guide can create some wonderful moral quandaries and adventurous outcomes. It may refocus your choice to stand up for a subjugated creature or strike down a reprehensible villain. It may lead you to avoid confrontation or save a life for future redemption.
If the Knights of Solamnia didn’t show mercy to Ariakan Ariakas, The Knights of Takhisis, the greatest knightly order of evil, would never have been formed. If Lord Soth claimed Kitiara’s soul, Khellendros would never have supported the Dark Queen’s machinations after the Chaos War. It is the very act of finding balance in imbalance that drives a great Dragonlance character arc, both in the greater world at large and in the characters themselves. This is personified in no greater clarity than with Tanis Half-Elven. If you are looking to add some true Dragonlance flair to your game, use the Law of Consequence to full effect regardless of the edition and its insistence or lack there of in Alignment.
Outro
But that is all I have to say about The Law of Consequence. What do you think of the insistence of alignment in Dragonlance? Do you feel alignment is a good indicator for role playing? And finally do you provide consequences for character decisions in your game? Leave a comment below.
I would like to take a moment and remind you to subscribe to this YouTube channel, ring the bell to get notified about upcoming videos and click the like button. This all goes to help other Dragonlance fans learn about this channel and its content. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time, remember:
I don’t want to fight evil. I just want to go home. Is that too much to ask?
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