Moral Alignments

General

Summary

Moral alignments, are a number of overarching moral positions that play a number of important roles in philosophy, religion and magic of this world. This system was established by the Gods in the aftermath of the Dawn War, for reasons not fully understood. 
Every mortal, daemon or a god in this world has their own moral alignment. However, since it's very hard to conclusively establish one' alignment, a significant part of it is just wild mass guessing. This is especially popular in the case of Gods - some go as far as to apply one than one alignments to some more... complicated Gods. 
The 'applied' part of this system includes:
a) artifacts - some of them, especially those religious in term, can be only used by people of certain alignments
b) magic - especially Holy Magic reacts a lot to alignments. Those of compatible moral standing will receive almost no damage from even the strongest spells. 
Following alignments exist: Radiance, Order, Indifference, Disorder and Ruin.

Alignment Level

There are five base alignments. It is, however, too little to properly describe the intricate mazes of human morality. Because of that, each alignment han ten levels of intensity.
I and II include people that barely count as active 'believers' in the ideas of their alignment; for example all you really need to be counted as an Order I is more or less obeying the law and accepting that it's a good thing (though it's acceptable to sometimes cut the corners when nobody is hurt with that).
III and IV are genuine believers, people who at least try to live as their alignment commands and are willing to admit that. Continuing the comparison, Order IV is a person that believes that breaking law is intrinsically wrong, and will do its utmost to avoid breaking it - unless the alternative is really unpleasant.
V and VI are fanatics, saints or philosophers (depending on their alignment). Order VI would be a person that raises to power in their nation to actively counter something that he sees as detrimental to his country - but does that according to law, and with genuinely good intentions.
VII and VIII are left for daemon, thought those with more human complexity of minds tend to be lower on the scale. Extremely rarely someone insane can reach this level. Order VIII goes beyond the concept of lawfulness: daemon of this level literally 'lives' by rules, this concept constantly occupying a sizeable part of his mind.
IX and X are almost only left for Gods and other entities that are a de facto manifestation of their alignment.
Even most genuine faith in your aligment' ideals won't raise your grade if there are no works to follow, though it will be enough to keep you in that alignment (just on lower level). Person who believes in ideals of Radiance (genuinely) but fails to follow on that due to his being ashamed of what people around them would say can at best reach third grade. Only by being ready to stand up to your beliefs and uphold them regardless of what the world says can you go beyond that.

List of Alignments

Radiance

General Summary

Radiance is the alignment of personified 'Good'. It believes in objective laws of morality that should be upheld either for the sake of upholding them (which is seen as their own reward), or for a reward in the afterlife. Powers of Radiance are almost innately personalistic, focusing both on one's personal morality and the common one. After all, people should be 'Good', but the height of 'Goodness' is when both them and the society that they built is a moral (and good) one.
Despite that (or perhaps because of that), the ideal personification of this alignment is a human that is free to do both bad and good things... but chooses the good thing. This is the chief difference between Radiance and Order, as while Order tends to be seen as an another 'flavour' of goodness, it believes that the way to achieve that is by control and actively discouraging the bad choices (even by what can be described as terror).
Radiance is often seen as an alignment of idealists, people who fail to understand the complexity of the world, and extremists that seen the world and other people in two colours. People following that alignment react by pointing out that the world is exactly as simple as they say: it's the people who refuse to accept that fact that make the world complicated. After all, the world is inhabited and shaped by mortals - it's exactly as complicated as we want it to be.

Manifestations

Personal

Selflessness. Genuine strive to improve the world (by example, and not by force). Acting according to your conscience. Charity. Opposition against various types of libertinism. Treating other people fairly, turning the other cheek if needed. Restraint.

National

Lawfulness (when the laws are just), and resistance (even armed when needed) against laws that are unjust. High level of caution towards attempts of centralization of power. Wars divided between just and unjust (general condemnation of offensive wars that aren't wars of liberation). Morality and religions should be represented in politics and diplomacy. Separation of Religion and State (but also typically a balance of power between them, if not a lower position of state). Opposition towards slavery (to a point).

Religious

Typical religious systems of Radiance possess a focus on personal experience. Priesthood tends to be seen as guides and teachers. Rituals are, of course, numerous, but participation is never forced and typical celebration incorporates elements of moral teaching. Each person is typically encouraged to seek self-improvement, but under guidance (people are, after all, fallible).

Examples

Radiance is typically an alignment of monotheistic religions, with Gods seen as omnibenevolent and omnipowerful; together with an existence of counter-entities this lays the groundwork for a formation of black-and-white morality. Inri (and His religion, the Inrithism) is one of the greatest powers of Radiance. Another example might be Visenism.
There are also rarer cases of polytheist Gods being of Radiance alignment (a good example can be Mercy and Fertility of Imperial Religion, or entirety of a ceverian Pantheon.
Interestingly enough, being 'good' doesn't equal being 'nice'. Overtyrant of the Khardism is a power of Radiance, despite his... extreme approach to enemies. This is because while being brutal (mostly due to being born in a brutal land), it continues to support restraint and forgiveness (unless sufficiently horrible enemies make it impossible).

Order

General Summary

Order is a personalization of 'Lawfulness'. Order believes in a possibility to use a pre-existing structures (organizations, countries and religions) to improve the world - even if by force. Especially in a world such as this, it is still classified as a 'good side'. Radiance believes in properly educated and moral humans creating just and well-organized societies, in turn creating efficient and ordered countries. Order believes in well-organized countries creating just and ordered society, which then ends with properly educated and moral humans.
In short, Order tends to be innately communal, focusing on bigger groups of people (be it noble houses or a population of a country as a whole) in its morality. A lot is allowed as long as it isn't detrimental to the society. Offensive wars tend to be allowed when seen as justified or at least good to the Country. Raising into power and exploiting of others is often accepted, as long as it doesn't become a problem to the society. Tradition is often a source of morality.
Good examples of Order from our world is Roman Republic (glorification of personal restraint, valor and honour, but also constant offensive warfares and widespread slavery, seen as not inherently wrong) or modern secular western republics (what law permits is ok, what it doesn't permit isn't ok, a lot is possible to be done as long as it's done 'for the good of the people'). Eastern Roman Empire through most of its independent existence. Most of the Far East (China, Japan). In fact, most of the countries in history were various powers of Order.

Manifestations

Personal

Lawfulness. Obeying the law. Doing what you are expected to do in your political system (be it joining your sovereign in a war or participating in elections). Supporting whatever passes as state ideology/philosophy - but mostly due to conformism. Conformism as a whole. Typical systems of ethics aren't inherent parts of Order, but of said state ideologies/philosophies.

National

The word 'national' is a bit wrong here, as 'nations' are typically part of Radiance. Order prefers countries. Typically centralized, often pretty warmongering, but typically too bounded with their own laws and traditions (and, of course, inneficiencies typical for bureaucracies) to become actual tyrannies. The concept that everything that law doesn't forbid is accepted and good (in worst case, rather eccentric) reigns supreme.

Religious

Religions of the Order tend to be polytheist. The religious experience is rarely personal, rituals and celebrations tend to be experienced by entire communities. It's quite common for a head of a family to act as a de facto 'priest' for rituals that are done within the family - and there are rarely rituals beneath that level, many religions of Order doesn't really have things like 'prayers'. Development of religious systems of ethics tends to be supressed by possession of multitude of gods, many of which barely possess something like ethics (a good example might be a god of agriculture).

Examples

Entirety of the White Pantheon of the Imperial Religion (with exception of two Radiance-aligned Gods and some that lean towards Indifference) is firmly on the side of Order. Most polytheist religions are powers of Order as well (for example Twice-Seven, or elvharian pantheon). Remaining menorian deities are either this or Indifference. By extension, most vassal states of the Imperium of Karadia are aligned with Order, including the Imperium itself (though it's a bit limited by influences of deities like Mercy).

Indifference

General Summary

Indifference is a domain of non-human entities. It is a common brand for beings that are too removed from what common sense of the mortals to have any sort of morality attached to them. It is therefore very rare for a mortal to achieve Indifference alignment. It requires a notable degree of removal from the world as we know it, meaning it's either an utterly conscious decision (a far-eastern 'monk' removing himself from the matters of the world REALLY well) or an effect of absolutely indifference to anything resembling politics, religion, morality or philosophy. In a way that's an ultimate centrism.
Entities of Indifference typically doesn't care about mortals. Low levels include more 'complex' animals and the very few mortals. Above them are all manner of entities are sentient but not sapient. Elementals and daemons of nature caring about their element/nature, but completely disregarding everything beyond that. Finally, there are gods that do not care about morality and rewards some arbitrally chosen things, for example a rather unimportant Goddess of Delicious Food and Sweets from the menorian pantheon doesn't really seem interested in anything but morally-neutral tasty food. It also includes most of the non-hostile Aberrants.
Powers of Indifference can be ruinous to the world, but almost never in active way. They are like a hurricane, surely destructive, but it's not like it's to blame for its rampages.

Manifestation

Personal

N/A

National

N/A

Religious

Gods of Indifference tend to work on a basis of equivalent exchange. You do something for them, they do something for you. Simple as that.

Examples

Elemental Pantheon of the Imperial Religion. Gods seen as personifications of natural disasters, nature as a general, or things that can't really have morality applied to them. A lot of Aberrants. Elementals. Beasts. Most deities. Etc. etc.

Disorder

General Summary

Disorder is an alignment best described with the old saying that Hell is paved with good intentions. It is an alignment of people willing to break the laws and tradition, to transgress cultural mores to reforge the society, state or a world to manifest their dreams... and gods damn the price.
A tyrant exploiting its subjects for money to finance his lavish life and dreams of military conquests. A revolutionary toppling a regime only to install a new one, but this time with his preferred ethnic group/religion/social class/political party in charge. A political radical acting within the confines of law but slowly seizing power by modifying said laws against its intented meaning. A barbarian warlord believing that might makes right. A man on a rampage of revenge against local nobility for their All of that is a Disorder.
Unlike servants of Ruin, people of Disorder-alignment tend to act with some misguided sense of right. They might genuinely believe that their ways are, in long term, good for the world. However, their methods are faulty. Their belief that ends justify the means is their downfall.
Tyrant might go on a conquest spree due to believing that his neighbors will soon attack him if he is seen as too weak, which will result in his country getting destroyed. Revolutionary might genuinely think that his new regime (this time without the wealthy people, for example) will improve people's lives. Political radical might have the best intentions, but fails to understand that his methods will weaken the position of his government, leading to a civil war or a decades long series of coups and revolts. Barbarian warlord will belief that his almost eugenic ways will believe that he keeps its tribe strong, but in fact robs it of ability to become civilized and will sooner or later end up subjugated by more advanced neighbors.

Manifestation

Personal

Self-interest. Ambitions. Being unscrupulous. Believing that might makes right and ends justify the means. Fanaticism. Impaired conscience. Hedonism and depravity. From time to time, sociopathy.

National

Extreme centralization. Ignoring or perverting laws. Revolutions. Organized genocides or generally tyranical actions. Corruption (or it's extreme supression). Reorganization of countries to favour certain ethnic groups, races, religion and social stratas in an obviously unfair way - Order is often a proponent of hierarchical societies, but when that small ethnic group is enslaved or sold throughout the population, it's certainly a Disorder).

Religious

Most of the Gods of Disorder tend to employ a combination of religious forms of the Powers of Indifference and Order. On one hand they might attempt to corrupt mortals by offering them various boons in exchange of serving them and furthering their agenda: for example a sufficiently succesful Tyrant might keep getting new ideas for the furthering of his tyranny and see attempts on his life to be mysteriously unsuccesful.
On the other, many of them have slightly less... disordered faces that they use to expand their influence. For example a Goddess of Revolutions and Anarchy (with a lot of 'you killed it you take it' ideas in her mindset) might be also venerated as a Goddess of Freedom. Such worship will typically be a 'communal' one, like among the servants of the Order.

Examples

Majority of Imperial Religion' Black Pantheon gods (save for four Ruin-aligned and three Indifference-aligned Gods). A lot of divine 'oponents' in various religions and other darker gods. Their supernatural servants.

Ruin

Ruin is an alignment of destruction. Radiance and Order seek to improve, Disorder seeks to dismantle and rebuild in other forms, but Ruin seeks to destroy. It is an alignment of people doing evil for no other reason than evil itself. Extreme (and uncontrolled) sadists. Omnicidal maniacs. People lacking conscience to the point of killing other people for their personal benefit - there is a slight difference between seizing power in a bloody coup but with some theoretically noble cause and just being a sadistic serial killers that enjoys his killing.
Ruin is a clear path to damnation, an opponent of not only Radiance and Order; even Disorder looks down and attempts to curb it down. The reason is simple: it's not only evil, but also destructive, self-destructive... and simply insane. The fact that you (in most cases) need to be seriously insane to willingly serve the powers of Ruin makes their Gods equally insane. This just leads to Ruin's extreme fascination with not only absolute lack of conscience, but also extreme nihilists, so easily changing into mass murderers... and omnicidal maniacs, wanting to obliterate Reality itself.

Manifestations

Personal

Evil. Straight evil. Absolute levels of ambitions, cruelty and hedonism. Total lack of conscience. Self-destructive & destructive behavior.

National

Only two countries in the world can be classified as Ruin. Both are dystopias that go beyond the meaning of the term 'totalitarian', seeking to not only conquer everything but also to obliterate free-will, making their regime perpetual and innate to the basic laws of Reality. And what happens in their laboratories is just beyond terrifying.

Religious

Gods of Ruins are among the few Gods that not only refused to part with the concept of sacrificing mortals... but also relish in it. In a way, all Gods of Ruin are in perpetual revolt against common sense in the name of unrelenting evil and denial of everything that the common sense is composed off - which makes that part rather unsurprising. It also demotes all powers of Ruin into existing on the fringes of society.

Examples

The worst of Aberrants. Dark Ones. The 4/5 Gods of Pentagram of Imperial Religion. A number of archenemies of various religions (especially monotheistic ones). Tyranny of Amner and Tyranny of Drakkan.