>Be me, an aged Paladin of a just god >Strive the best

>>50739412
>The problems started when we were informed of a band of bandits who were harassing scores of towns and villages, which curiously enough weren't on or near farmlands, mines or any such resources.
>Was informed of this as this would be the perfect opportunity for the younger paladin to test his mettle. David was giddy with excitement in his first ever assignment, but I thought he would soon learn to not celebrate such assignments as they would often result in killings
>David and I travel to the towns and villages that were attacked, and things started to get sour between us. I attempted to gather as much information as possible about the attacks, the bandits and how long ago the attacks happened, for the question of why was answered the moment we reached those towns. I was hoping to assist the villagers by curing their wounds and assisting them however I can, but that wasn't to be.
>All the surviving victims of the bandit attacks were gruesomely mutilated and degraded, the recent dead rounded up, bound and collectively immolated to death, and from eyewitness accounts to seeing for myself the bandits torched everything they could get their hands on- even the food storage, nothing was taken.
>These bandits burned and murdered for fun. Doesn't make sense though, how could such a group sustain themselves without food, weapons or other materials?
>During all of our visits, David would merely ask the locals where the bandits were and, after making bold sweeping statements about doing good for the people, immediately set of on the first bit of information to where he thought the hideout was.

>>50739422
>The first time he did this, I tried to pull him up on his actions and tried discussing with him why it was important to visit the towns first, but he interrupted me with a question that infuriated me... "Why are you stalling when evil is afoot?"
>It wasn't the question itself, but his manner that got to me, his smirking seemed to say that he knew he was right and I was wrong.
>I repressed my anger and tried to explain to him that going into the woods unprepared was a recipe for disaster, but I found that David's preferred method of argument was to talk louder than your opponent. I had to order him to stay with me until we learn more about what we were up against. He objected by stating that what I am doing is not what real paladins do, but still obeyed my orders.
>After investigating, helping the needy, and coping with the strain in relationship with David, I finally learned of the actual location of the bandit hideout, their numbers and the condition of their gear. We prepared for battle and the wilderness before heading off to the hideout, and to cut a long story short me, David and other able bodied men stormed the hideout, defeating the bandits. Interrogation and questioning reveals that they WERE killing for fun and were being paid by an unknown benefactor, their leader slitting his own throat before we could face him in battle. Very strange behavior for a bandit leader.
>According to the laws of the land, these bandits were to be taken to the nearest city where the jury would make a decision on their fates based on the reports of us and the villagers. David does what I believe to be the most stupidest thing in this situation.

>>50739432
>He declares that he will redeem one of the bandits and set him on the right path. Essentially, David is forcing the bandit to convert to our faith, not only that but this means that said bandit will be spared from the trial. The rest of the bandits catch on to this and plead for mercy, fully intent on using David as a get-out-of-jail-free card.
>Naturally I object to this and try to explain why doing what he's about to do will cheat the bandit's victims out of getting the justice they have been asking for. No sooner than I bring up the villagers than David starts raising his voice about how the bandits have a right to live and that I should fall for letting them get killed by the kingdom.
>My emotions got the better of me and I tore into him verbally, what was said between us forgotten over the noise and emotions until it finally ended with him attacking me with his fists and me knocking him out before he could land a blow. I then realized that this had gotten serous, and that the men who joined us were both shocked and disappointed in what they saw. The bandits were crestfallen that their escape from punishment was now unconscious
>I led the bandits to the nearest military outpost for them to take to the courts, spread the news to the villagers (which was difficult, because David regained consciousness and berated me before heading off back to the monastery) and reported what had happened with the bandits, and them informing me of the accusations David has made against me.
>The accusations were dropped when the order got testimonies about what really happened from the villagers and the men who accompanied us, but the teaching of David was bequeathed to another similarly experienced paladin.

>>50739438
I know I screwed up on a lot of things that day, such as letting my emotions get the better of me, being dismissive of David's convictions, failing to find another method of communicating with him. I also won't criticize him on his conduct, for I suspect there was something personal going on, and I do not have enough information to go on. But it makes me wonder, why does the title of Paladin similar callings bring out this side of mortals? Why do people think that by virtue of being a Paladin do they believe their worldview is the only right one and are unaccepting of slight deviations? Why do good men and women come to conflict when it comes to what is right and what it is a Paladin should be?

I know that others out there haven't experienced this, but I have heard and read reports of such a thing, and it has become increasingly common.

Sorry for such a long retelling, I'm just downtrodden about these events, but don't worry, I intend to remedy my mistakes.

>>50739412
Excuse me, but why are you wearing your gambeson above your mail rather than below it? Are you trying to protect your enemies' swords from your rock-hard abs?

Nobody joins the Paladin orders because they went to consider everyone else's fucking feelings when protecting people from horrible shit.

And if they do, they will forever be limited by ineffectual half-measures which permit evil to squeeze through the cracks, and slink back into the darkness.

David was an idiot, his plan was stupid, the Law permitting an escape from punishment through joining a church is beyond moronic, and should be stricken from the law book of any just society.

This story just described a flaw in paladin writing.
Is a paladin an extension of the law?
Then he must* act on that law. Even the suggestion that one might fall for handing criminals over to a lawful court is silly.
More importantly, the paladin would have to be taught on that law. So there should be no such confusion.

If the paladin is not an extension of the law then he cannot pardon anybody.

>>50739496

He is not. the mail you see in the picture is only his coif, but with the hood pulled down.

Which should not be possible in the first place though. You should endeavour to find a suitable replacement, brother, head protection is not something you should spare your coins on.

>>50739503
You have a lot of good points.

Yes, you're right about the whole reasoning for joining Paladin orders, and like I've said before almost everyone has views different from mine. When I joined I was also dedicated to delivering my god's wrath on the sinners of the world, but my personal experience is that going in all fire and brimstone on any transgressor makes things worse, and as such I learned the hard way on when it's appropriate to smite and when it's not appropriate.

What I'm trying to say is that everyone's views is neither right or wrong, and fighting over who is right can lead to violence. The incident with David was definitely not the first.

>>50739842
As with the whole pardoning law, and the question of Paladins being extensions of the law as >>50739591 posited, I agree that such a thing is not needed, but it was passed a couple of decades ago, where the kingdom was still a theocracy, ruled by another religion. The theocracy was replaced with the kingdom we know today due to the war between their neighbor, the exposing of their corruption and the religion's subsequent wane in influence and power. Right now my order is in the middle of campaigning for said law to be removed from the courts and meeting with the king and judges to discuss this, since it was a tool for keeping the powerful from prosecution a long time ago, but due to some documented cases of said law saving innocent people's lives, the threat of an incoming incursion of a warlord's forces, and politicians being politicians, the law stays for now, but we're confident by the end of the year it will be stricken from the courts.

An update with David, he requested to meet with me in private, and when we met I could tell he was deeply ashamed of what had happened before. He explained to me that he got caught up in the whole thing that he admitted to being irrational and letting emotions dictate his actions. As for trying to redeem the bandits, he explained that it stemmed from a deeply personal matter. His father was wrongly accused of a murder of a church priest (the priest belonged to the religion I mentioned before) and was forced to watch his execution by the religious higher ups to "discourage" thoughts of following his father's footsteps. It gave me some perspective on what happened. He said that he would try and make up for what he did any way he can and according to our tenets, and that he would go right 3 wrongs for every wrong he committed. Our scriptures don't require him to do the last part, but he has taken this upon himself on top of the traditional methods of repentance.

>>50739496
I have to admit, that made me chuckle.

>>50739821
I appreciate your concern, but the reason I'm geared like this is because I'm within the walls of the monastery. The tapestry I happen to be standing in front of makes me look as if I'm in a forest. On missions and battles, I would be in much better gear than what is shown, complete with sturdy helm.

>>50739842
Relativism is weakness. It is garbage used by weak people to protect themselves when faced with decisions that could have enormous ramnifications.

There is absolutely a most good or right answer to every situation. It is just that people are some times unable to logically find said answer because they lack pieces of information. This is why everyone, paladins most of all, should strive for finding the truth in every situation without being bound by rigid rules. If you exhaust all the means for gathering all information and then arrive to some conclusion, you should trust your judgement and act accordingly. If it later turns out you were wrong, there is no shame in it, as long as you sincerely gave your all to arrive to that conclusion.

Strive for goodness and stand proud.

>>50739821
The gambesson isn't just there for padding against impact (though it will provide to quite some degree even if on top of the mail), it also helps a lot against non-edged piercing attacks, like bodkins, or thrusting weapons with heavy and pointy but not terribly sharp tips. So you put some of the stuff that can be repaired with needle and thread on top of the more expensive stuff that requires links, rivets and tongs to fix.