Iomedae... isn't in this book?

...The binding is loose. Those pages must have fallen out.

That's frustrating, after she'd already decided to pay Her special attention.

Ragathiel’s worshipers number among them crusading knights and soldiers for justice, as well as oath-takers and those who have been grievously wronged by evil and now seek righteous vengeance. His followers must deal with the fundamental paradox of his faith: unlike those who worship forgiving empyreal lords such as Arshea or Korada, Ragathiel’s chosen fight against evil foes unwaveringly and usually without offering second chances, and yet the General of Vengeance rose to his place from the depths of Hell itself. Most worshipers don’t see this as hypocrisy but rather as a sign that the impetus for redemption must come from the former sinner, and even then not merely as an excuse to escape punishment for their sins. Thus, they don’t take the initiative to offer opportunities for redemption to evildoers, but they listen carefully, if skeptically, to any who come seeking such a chance. For his part, Ragathiel empathizes with the moral dilemmas of his followers, as he constantly struggles with his own darker impulses. Thus, while he is unforgiving to his foes, he is particularly forgiving when it comes to lapses of judgment from his followers, allowing a wrathful paladin atonement when others might not. Certain other faiths are quick to interpret this willingness to “bend the rules” for certain circumstances involving paladins who, perhaps, go too far in pursuing their faith’s goals as weakness in Ragathiel, and worry that there may be a little too much of his diabolic father lingering in his veins. Ragathiel has little need for pomp and circumstance in his worship, favoring utilitarian places like battlegrounds, fortresses, and war rooms as sacred spaces.

- Bestiary 6

The paladins of Ragathiel are shining beacons of furious resolve on the battlefield, and they are careful stewards of valor everywhere. These paladins disproportionately come from cultures that are typically hostile to paladin training, including those of half-orcs, hobgoblins, Gebbites, and the Nidalese. The tenets of Ragathiel’s paladins include the following affirmations.

I will avenge evil wrought upon the innocent.

I will not give my word lightly, but once it is given, I will uphold a promise until my last breath.

Those proven guilty must be punished for their crimes. I will not turn a blind eye to wrongdoing.

Rage is a virtue and a strength only when focused against the deserving. I will never seek disproportionate retribution.

Redemption finds hearts from even the cruelest origins. I will strive not to act upon prejudice against fellow mortals based on race or origin.

- Inner Sea Gods or Chronicle of the Righteous 

...Ah, right. Atonement.

If she falls as a paladin, she can atone... she thinks she'd need to find a cleric of Otolmens, though, of the appropriate level, and there might not be one... hey Otolmens if you're listening can you give me 5th-circle cleric spells so if I fall I can cast my own atonement?

That is a joke, by the way.

...Not that I'd mind, mind.

Kroft has so many uncertainties still. She would like to know where the lines are, so she can decide whether it's worth sticking to inside them. 

But... a nagging doubt has crystalized, that maybe that's the wrong way to be looking at this.

If she's thinking about the paladin code as something bothersome she has to put up with up until the moment it's no longer worth it to her, or trying to lawyer them like an Asmodean, she'd be unfairly benefiting from the trust people have in paladins. 

Trust they have in paladins because paladins are people who were excited to swear certain oaths and commit to keeping them, instead of waiting with an action readied to throw them into the wind and gotcha a sucker.

Paladins except her.

...Yeah. 

The right thing to do is to apologize to Otolmens for wasting the intervention and say she'll try and make it up to Her and ask the goddess to unpaladin her. 

It was a mistake to begin with.

I'm fine with detecting as Lawful Good. I earned it. I am a powerful Lawful Good fighter.

I'm fine with people making assumptions off of me based on that alignment aura. Lawful Good fighters have an earned reputation and I'm not an atypical member of that class.

I am not okay with being recognizably a paladin, and with a stronger Good aura than any novice. I haven't earned that reputation.

People assume things of me which aren't true.

If it bothers you, it bothers you.

Do you just want to vent, or are you looking for ideas for dealing with it, or?

Oh - that's not what I meant.

The other three went home. If anything plot-relevant happens, I'll have to catch them up.

(Unless it's a secret from them.)