Alignment, moral ambiguity and grimdark fantasy

5th edition downplays the influence of alignment on the rules, but it still informs the canon cosmology and my simplified cosmology. Instead of arguing the meaning of alignment, I prefer a practical approach in the form of allegiances. Inspired by Mage: The Ascension and Requiem Chevalier Vampire, my cosmology is the backdrop for a conflict between four opposing forces with dramatically different yet sympathetic world views.

Arrow of Law

Traditionally 5th edition focuses on a conflict between good versus evil with law versus chaos playing second fiddle if ever, which is unfair to the forces of law and chaos. We need evil in order to justify casual slaughter, but evil societies never made sense and the axis of good versus evil seems redundant under the law versus chaos axis. Yet law versus chaos should ideally be divided into two axes of social (law versus anarchy) and mental (chaos versus order) in order to better represent distinctions in behavior. What to do, what to do...

My cosmology operates according to the standard Moorcock style Order versus Discord versus Cosmos conflict. This conflict is morally ambiguous: each side believes they are doing what is right and seek to maximize happiness, whether that be by removing free will or by summoning chocolate rain. Cosmos is patronized by the Gods, Order by the Archons, and Discord by the Great Old Ones. The humans and demikind are generally expected to be on the side of Cosmos, with Order and Discord serving an antagonists.

Apple of Discord

Wait, did I not say there were four sides? There is a fly in the ointment: the fourth side is Chaos. They are the token evil side with a twist: they believe that God is evil and they must commit atrocities to stay His wrath, even as the other three sides decry them as evil. This lets us have our cake and eat it too: the heroes may gleefully slaughter hordes of humanoids without feeling bad while at the same time making those same humanoids morally ambiguous and fully capable of truth, justice and love. To a humanoid being evil is a full time job that saves the world and gets no respect, so they expect to die on the job... nay, they may often welcome it because it means their suffering will end!

Right? Wrong! Begetting suffering stains your soul with corruption points, which are like experience points except that they measure corruption. While one may mitigate the chances of accumulating corruption provided it was done for the greater good (but only up to a point: burning the present for the sake of a brighter future leads only to a future that holds only ash), this does not apply if begetting suffering is the intent.

Their souls, if not saved in time, are condemned to hell and make up most of the damned population. Corruption is meat and drink to the fiends, so the humanoids are justified in their belief that begetting suffering prevents worse destruction. Ironically, corruption acts as a currency within hell: the damned must do more and evil to advance their position, otherwise they will be condemned to eternal torment so others may profit from their suffering.

This lends an element of tragedy to humanoid existence: they live their lives believing they are doing the right thing, only to suffer an afterlife that throws that faith back in their faces. Do not worry, it gets worse! Humanoids suffer from original sin and are born with a minimum amount of corruption points. (They may be redeemed, however. Where do you think orc paladins come from?)

Star of Chaos