Moral Alignment

Alignment is one of the basic laws regarding intelligent life in our sphere and most of the universe, and primarily sorts personalities on a scale from evil to good and law to chaos. Good and evil are... hard to define, and nothing is more debated than the definitions of law and chaos. However, grand cosmic wars are fought over them, so an attempt must be made.  

The Four Traits

Perhaps the best way to describe evil and good is the metaphor of harmony and disharmony. Good creatures strive to work with the natural order of the universe, to sing as a part of the song of life. On the other hand, evil creatures seek to feed off of or actively disrupt these systems and cycles, causing undue strife and grief. Many characterize good and evil as life and death, respectively, however, this view is flawed. Death and decay are extent forms of life, as the energy released from a fallen tree will feed new plants and free up canopy space for new growth. Evil, on the other hand, kills before the potential of life is reached, and steals the dead from their resting place. This is the good and evil that constantly battle for supremacy.   Law and chaos, on the other hand, are more complex. Most people resort to "you know it when you see it," but I think we can do a little better.   One method is a rating of collaboration and communication. This explains why lawful people are drawn toward population centers like cities, where as chaotic people might become hermits, avoiding people entirely. A person with a lawful disposition believes they can achieve what they want through rules communicated to the masses, and may even go against what they want in the spirit of those rules. To them, laws are the only thing that makes sense. Thus, "Lawful." Chaotic individuals believe these broad rules sacrifice too much freedom for security, and instead follow their own instinctual moral codes. Most animals are chaotic, lacking the higher functions to construct and communicate laws and societies. This is not to say chaotic beings are unwise or unintelligent, however. The ability to grow and learn without the interference of others grants many sages and hermits their understanding.   Of course, this is an extremely elementary overview of alignments, as there are entire classes on the subject at any respectable university. In order to not put my colleagues out of a job, I will not go too far in depth, but I will document the consequences of these alignments and some edge cases.  

The Importance of Alignment

Almost all people these days know that one's alignment decides where you go when you die. Mortals are unique in this; Our discrete souls and bodies allow one's alignment to be mutable, giving us the free will to decide who we are, who we want to be, and where we want to end up. This also gives us the unique ability to die twice! Creatures of the outer planes cannot be truly killed except in their home plane, but when they are killed, that is truly the end of them. Thus, when a mortal dies and their soul moves on to bliss or torment, it is as though they never died at all, their soul taking on the role of a body.  Luckily, even if this soul is broken, what remains is said to form into a new part of their plane, so nothing is ever truly lost.   As one may imagine, the appearance and abilities of a soul differ wildly depending on alignment. Most souls immediately after death look as they did when alive, with some few differences. There is of course the ethereal, translucent nature of a soul, but the color and affect of the soul change as well. Generally, a more lawful soul will appear with brighter, warmer yellows and oranges, even reds, where as a chaotic soul will shimmer with greens, blues, and violets. These are by no means hard rules, and exceptions are common. As for good and evil souls, while the effects are less quantifiable, they are obvious to anyone present. Good souls will glow with health, joy, and peace, their affect shining with a clear conscience. On the other hand, evil souls will often appear extremely emotional and even violent, often crazed by coming face to face with what they truly are. The light of their soul will appear sickly and malevolent, with nothing left to hide their bearer's true nature. From there, once the soul passes on, the differences only grow.   After a mortal's first death, our souls travel to The City of The Dead, where a chance to rest is given for the extreme mental exertion of dying and travelling to the city. From there, one is given the choice to either wait for those they left behind, or to pass on. The exact process always seems to be a blur to the souls that undergo the process, but what is known is the soul is taken to a grand hall, with great portals lining the walls. From here, the soul passes through one of the portals, seemingly instinctually knowing which one to go to. Of course, the portal always leads to the afterlife most corresponding to the person's alignment, though the exact mechanics behind this process are unknown. Either way, I for one look forward to eternity in the upper planes with all the ones I have lost.   The entire structure of the astral multiverse is based on alignment. It is unknown if these extradimensional planes were formed in the astral sea as a consequence of intelligent life, or if these planes were there first and intelligent life was simply influenced by it. This is, unfortunately, a question as hotly debated as whether the gods or people came first, and in a way, exactly the same question. What we do know is that these planes often war against each other, especially in ways that mirror wars on the prime. Unfortunately, these planes are not far off threats, either. Demons, devils, and other various monsters often come from the lower planes, trying to take the souls of mortals and sowing evil in their wake. There have even been attempts by the lower planes to take the prime from the power of the gods, one of the most famous examples of this resulting in the scar of the Forsaken Realm. Most days, however, the Valus stays out of such grand affairs.   There are few ways alignment can be seen in mundane life, but spellcasting can reveal it. Many magics, especially sorcery or psionics that come from one's very being, can put their alignment on display for all to see. While some may deny this judgment, it ultimately comes from within, so no one can truly run from it forever. However, as these abilities are limited to the mortal's personal power, it is not useful as a common alignment assessment system.   There is the use of religion (or even philosophy) as a tool to hone one's alignment in a certain direction, but as for common alignment tests, all have failed in the face of the soul's subtle complex nature. Even the most brilliant wizards have set up complex spells to test and change alignment, but anything seeing and changing anything more than the most basic aspects have failed. Perhaps alignment is not a true test of a soul, but simply a consequence of the shape of the universe, and our souls themselves are so much more at their core.  Either way, us mortals will just have to do our best, despite everything.

Edge Cases

Naturally, there are a number of edge cases regarding alignment, as there always are going to be in such nebulous, vast, and esoteric systems. Most of these come in the strange ways of chaotic creatures. The fey are naturally chaotic creatures, in their very nature. Yet, they abide by strange and powerful laws that they all must obey, and they work together in courts, not unlike courts of law and congressional meetings. Demons are much the same, as while they are always crazed and violent, they often come together in war bands strong enough to overrun the greatest bastions of law the multiverse has ever seen. It would seem some creatures turn so far into their chaos they sometimes turn right back around into law!   Law on the other hand, as one might expect, is easier to understand. However, they too are not without contradiction. The struggle between lawful good and lawful evil is legendary, and there are numerous open cases in law and philosophy that defy commonly agreed law and understanding, like the famed trolley problem. While law will always try to band everyone together under true understanding, it often cannot even band itself together.   In conclusion, alignment is another deeply, unknowably complex thing with vast, unknowable implications and consequences. However, if you ask me, a layman such as myself must simply keep a content heart and a clear conscience to achieve a happy ending. Anything else is just a distraction.