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After all, wasn't that why her people clung so desperately to their labyrinthine code of honor? Without it, what were they? With an absent god, what else held them to account and gave them worth? There must be limits, and personal responsibility.
Jame's narration, Honor's Paradox,
"Chapter VII: The Day of Misrule"

Honor among the Kencyrath is one of their defining characteristics: Arribek sen Tenzi describes them as "the race best known in Rathillien for a certain—ah—inflexibility in matters concerning honor".[1]

Honor appears to be largely defined as adherence to the Law, the rigid code handed down the generations and possibly derived from the Kencyr God.

The rigidity of the Kencyr Honor Code is relaxed for Kencyr priests as they are frequently mind damaged. In addition ingorance of the dishonorable nature of a deed is considered an exceptable excuse by the Arrin-ken.

History[]

The Kencyr obsession with honor is usually dated 3,000 years back, when the Kencyr became obsessively honorable to compensate for the Fall.[2] The rigidity of honor dates back 2,000 years, however, the retreat of the Arrin-ken, when the Kencyr were forced to be rigid in their definitions of honor, for lack of any judges.[3]

Virtues[]

Obedience[]

Obedience to one's rightful Lord is defined as the highest principle of honor. The problem this causes is when one's rightful Lord orders something dishonorable; this is known as Honor's Paradox. Is the honorable thing to do to obey his command, because the dishonor of the order attaches to him, not oneself? Or is it dishonorable to obey a dishonorable order?

Honesty[]

Second only to obedience, honesty is critical for a Kencyr. Except for the Lawful Lie, available only to singers and diplomats, a lie may only be redeemed by an honorable death.

References[]

  1. God Stalk, Book II: Crown of Nights, "Chapter 10: The Feast of Dead Gods"
  2. God Stalk, "Appendix III: The Kencyrath" — "They became obsessed with honor, feeling that Gerridon's fall from grace had somehow tainted them all."
  3. God Stalk, Book II: Crown of Nights, "Chapter 10: The Feast of Dead Gods" — "All such flexibility had very nearly gone out of Kencyrath with the withdrawal of the Arrin-ken, whose function it had been to unravel such moral conundrums."
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