-	-	-	-	-
-	-	-	-	DLA

From the chaos born you come...the glorious
brilliance of the heavens surrounds you.
And the first glorious being you encounter is a
wizard fumbling about in his grey cloak.
"Eh? Well! I don't seem to recall seeing you
wandering about the realms of the gods
before! Never had much of a memory for
names. I suppose that it doesn't much matter
since you don't have one yet. Oh, not to worry,
not to worry, that will come in time. Everyone
gets a name you know. Hard to keep our
records straight here without it!
"I'm Fizban, Fizban the Fabulous, but you
can call me...er, well, whatever. I guess some
would call me the big guy around here, but
the truth of it is a bit more complicated than
that. Still, I am here to help you get on your
way into the fabulous world that we have prepared
for you. Tragedy and comedy, honor
and mystery await you there!
"I suppose you will want to get your bearings
first, eh? Not easy stepping out of the
chaos and trying to make sense of the new universe,
is it? Well never you fear, for you have
Fizbur the Feverles...er, Fasbar the
Flaver...well, I am at your side every step of
the way.
"So let's...hmmmm. This crazy wizard is
my favorite aspect, but I see that it is a bit difficult
for you just now. Let's try something a
bit more like what you would expect."
The old man's robes flare suddenly with
striking rays of light. His form rises before you
transformed into the shining brilliance of the
greatest of benevolent dragons: Paladine.

THE TALE BEGINS

Orders of the Universe
In the beginning were the gods from
Beyond.
There, before the beginning, they dwelt in
joy in the presence of the High God whose
children they were. It was there decreed that a
new time and place would come to be. Time
would there begin again, spirits would live
and, in the course of time, new power would
come to be.
Three were the pillars upon which this universe
was forged: Good, Evil, and Neutrality.
This was the great triangle upon which all the
universe was brought to be.
Reorx, the Forging God, struck his hammer
amidst the Chaos. Chaos slowed and the
sparks from his hammer became the stars.
From their light came diverse spirits of all
types: some disposed to good, some to evil,
and some to neutrality.

The gods began to quarrel over these spirits.
The Gods of Good wanted to nurture the
spirits in the paths of righteousness and share
with them dominion over the universe. The
Gods of Evil sought to make the spirits their
slaves to do their every bidding. The Gods of
Neutrality sought a balance: to give the spirits
freedom to choose for themselves whether
they would serve Good or Evil.
And so the All-Saints War raged among the
heavens. The Good and Neutral Gods combined
forces to keep Evil from a final victory.
Then spoke the High God from Beyond,
decreeing the Balance of the World. The Gods
of Good, Evil, and Neutrality would each be
allowed to bestow one gift upon the spirits.
The Gods of Good gave the spirits life and
physical form. Thus, the spirits gained control
over the material world and became more like
the Gods themselves. The Gods of Good
hoped the spirits would bring peace and order
to the worlds and lead them along the path tO
righteousness.
The Gods of Evil decreed that these physical
beings would hunger and thirst and have
to work to satisfy their needs. The Gods of Evil
hoped that through hunger and suffering they
could subjugate the races.
The Gods of Neutrality gave the spirits the
gift of free will, to choose freely between
Good and Evil. Thus did they preserve the
Balance.
And so the Gods created the world of
Krynn as a dwelling place for the spirits. The
High God decreed that each spirit could
choose his own way through life. Then would
come death, the passage from Krynn to the
next state of existence.

The Alignments of the Gods
All of the universe stands upon the Great
Triangle. This foundation has always existed
and will exist down through the ages of time
and until the end of the world.
At the apexes of the triangles stand the
three anchors upon which the universe is
built. These are known among men as Good,
Evil, and Neutrality. It is into these positions
that the gods align themselves in their effort
to maintain progress in the universe they have
brought into being.

The Place of Mortals
Many races came into being from the spirits
that awoke. First were the elves, most favored
by the Gods of Good. Elves are the Shapers of
the world, possessing good magic to bend nat.
ure to their will. They have the longest life
span of all the spirits; although they change
the world, they themselves change very little.
The human race is most favored by the
Gods of Neutrality, although the souls of men
are coveted by the Gods of both Good and
Evil. Men can choose freely between good and
evil. Their shorter time in the world is spent in
striving for power and knowledge. They are
quick to think and to act--often without considering
the consequences. Thus men give the
world motion.

The race of ogres is most favored by the
Gods of Evil. In the beginning, the ogres were
the most beautiful of the races, but they could
think only of their hungers. They were easily
enslaved by their needs, and their beauty vanished
as their hungers devoured them. Ogres
are selfish and cruel; they delight in inflicting
pain and suffering upon the weak.

The High God created the fourth class of
beings: the animals. He created them with a
balance of Good, Evil, and Neutrality, and
th.y were born of the world itself. Dragons are
the lords of the animal kingdom. They are
free to choose among the alignments of the
gods.

When the spirits awoke at the sounding of
Reorx's hammer, many of them found their
way into the alignments of the gods through
their inherent natures. The elves were drawn
naturally toward the Good alignment while
the ogres were drawn to that of Evil. The animals
of the world were Neutral in their aspeci
and came silently under the domain of the
Neutral gods.

However, most wondrous were the spirits
called the Maran, meaning "Free-willed."
These were men who possessed the ability to
choose their destinies. Not placed at any of
the three poles of the gods' triangle, humans
swing in the middle of the triangle from pole
to pole to pole. This choice and free agency
gives motion to the universe and propels it
forward.
Not only does man give motion to the universe,
but he also inspires the other races to
action. Thus these are the most prized of all
the souls that awakened.

The Law of Consequence
Each of the three alignments in the universe
of Krynn espouses its own philosophy. These
philosophies are the roots of all moral action
in the world of Krynn.

1. Good Redeems its Own: Also known as
the Law of Paladine, this statement reflects
the approach of all the gods of Good in, their
efforts to advance truth and knowledge in the
universe at large. Good seeks to forward its
goals and aims by redeeming and recalling the
lost members of its flock and bring about the
advancement of the universe by compassion
and justice.

2. Evil Feeds Upon Itself: Also known as
the Law of the Dark Queen, this reflects evil's
belief in natural selection through the elimination
of weaker beings. Chaotic Evil's objective
in the universe is the supremacy of might
without any moral considerations whatsoever.
Lawful Evil's objectives are similar, but it seeks
to attain supremacy through the rigid application
of a morality of strength.

3. Both Good and Evil Must Exist in Contrast:
This is known as the Law of Gilean or
the Doctrine of Shadow. This is the primary
position of the Neutral gods who see the
diversity of both view points as balancing one
another on a universal scale. Should either
side dominate, Neutrals maintain, then the
universe would be either all light or all dark
without any contrasts to bring focus or purpose
Neutral's objective is unity in diversity.

4. The Law of Consequence: This final law
was given by the High God himself to rule
over all other laws. For every law and rule that
is obeyed there is a reward and blessing; for
every law transgressed there is a punishment.
Blessings and punishments may not come
about immediately, but they occur eventually.
 
 

A proper DRAGONLANCE game bases  its campaigns and its morals around these  principles-- promoting the power of truth  over injustice, good over evil, and granting  good consequences for good acts and bad  consequences for evil acts.