Darkfriends & Dragons: Good Alignments in The Eye of the World
Author: Aintza Bisera
Published: November 24 2020 Tar Valon Times Blog
This article contains spoilers for The Eye of the World.
Hello again, fellow adventurers! Today we will be looking into the alignments of characters in The Eye of the World, specifically the Good Alignments. These are Lawful Good, Neutral Good and Chaotic Good, represented by al'Lan Mandragoran, Moiraine Damodred and Thom Merrilin.
Alignments in Dungeons and Dragons are used to define a character’s creed, code, morality and general stance on the world at large. There are nine alignments: lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good, lawful neutral, neutral, chaotic neutral, lawful evil, neutral evil and chaotic evil. Each alignment acts as an umbrella for a range of personality types, and often the lines between them are blurred. A character can also change or shift alignment after taking certain actions or experiencing things in their lives. Alignments are a highly subjective topic and the interpretation of each are widely argued by the D&D community.
Lawful Good – al'Lan Mandragoran
Lawful Good characters are good characters that have a strict sense of justice or honor, and are often bound by a code or societal law. Characters of this alignment often have strong moral character, a great belief in justice, and are diligent in their protection of the weak. This alignment can be restrictive to some, due to its strong adherence to honor and the characters chosen code.
Lan is an excellent example of Lawful Good, both as a Malkierian and as a Warder. The people of Malkier have a strong sense of justice and honor, as most of the residents of the Borderlands do. They are the protectors of the rest of the realm, and the first line of defense against the Shadow. The sons and daughters of Malkier take this duty extremely seriously and spend their lives holding fast against the advancement of the Blight.
Lan also exhibits lawful traits through his bond with Moiraine. His entire life and mission are Moiraine’s. He has even set aside his own personal mission to follow her. He will do anything and everything to protect her, even at the cost of his own life. Her mission to find and steer the Dragon Reborn is everything to her, and Lan will protect and stand by her until the end.
Neutral Good – Moiraine Damodred
Neutral Good characters believe in good above all else. They know that life comes with a mix of chaos and law. But, in the case of the Wheel of Time, the Light will and must always prevail. Characters of the Neutral Good alignment are altruistic and put the good of others above themselves. Moiraine is a good example of Neutral Good in The Eye of the World, and the Wheel of Time series as a whole. She has a mission to save the world, and does not mind bending the rules and laws of the land in pursuit of that. She is a good person, so she will not hurt other people but she will do what it takes to defeat the Shadow.
Moiraine is secretive and cunning, and will not reveal her entire plans to anyone, including her closest confidants. She will do anything and everything in her power to preserve the Light and save the World. Despite knowing that the Dragon may burn it to the ground in the process. Moiraine’s entire life’s mission is to make sure the world does not end, even if it means losing her own life in the process.
Chaotic Good – Thom Merrilin
Chaotic Good characters hunger for freedom and live by their own rules. These people dislike authority and detest following orders. Most times they are flexible and adapt to their surroundings, molding their circumstances to benefit what they need.
Thom Merrilin is most definitely a Chaotic Good character. After spending his younger years as the Court Bard to the Queen of Andor, he travels the country as a gleeman. Thom decides to help the Ta’veran not for personal gain, but because they remind him of his nephew. He even seemingly sacrifices himself for Rand and Mat by protecting them in Whitebridge.
Thom helps because he wants to, and tries to teach the boys more of the world. While traveling with Mat and Rand he tries to convince them to travel with him to Illian, and be done with Aes Sedai. He seeks to free them of a life full of involvement with the Aes Sedai and all that he, himself, escaped. He only sacrifices his freedom to keep them safe.
Alignment is a tricky topic and character growth can always cause a shift. In the setting of the Wheel of Time, alignments can change from book to book as characters develop and experience new things. Check out EasyDamus for more information on all of the Alignments and start thinking of who you would pick for the Lawful Neutral, (True) Neutral and Neutral Evil alignments!
Next time, I will be featuring the Neutral Alignments! Please comment below and thank you for reading!
