Every character in Halflight is assigned an alignment by the roleplayer (member) depending on their morals and personality.
The ethical component of the character's alignment is where the character stands between law and chaos. Lawful characters view the world as essentially ordered, or at least a place where order must be established and maintained. Chaotic characters see no such order, and usually disdain its establishment unless necessary. A character who is neutral in this regard has no remarkable views either way, or they may be mixed. They may see no order in the universe other than what is established by sentient creatures, but may see that imposed order as necessary.
LAWFUL GOODA lawful good character holds strongly to the principle that the good of the society can only be maintained via order. The exact specifications of what is "good" may vary wildly for this purpose, but on the whole "good" implies concern for the safety and comforts of others, and that all persons have a right to safety and comfort. The character may build up other definitions in their own moral code, but this is essentially the heart of the matter. Lawful Good, unlike the other Good alignments, also holds that it is sometimes necessary to sacrifice what is "good" for a few persons in order to preserve order, which is "good" for society in general.
NEUTRAL GOODIt is the belief of most Neutral Good aligned characters that morality must be maintained beyond all other virtues. As long as someone is not harming others then he is doing nothing wrong. Neutral Good characters also perceive both too many laws and too few of them to be a threat to the common good. Too many laws and any freedom will be unjustly restricted and too few and it will not be protected. Hence, a balance must be struck.
Neutral Good characters strive to act to the benefit of as many persons as they can, and if that includes themselves that is an added bonus. If they cannot personally benefit from a good act they will still probably perform the act. They will not intentionally harm anyone who is not a known enemy, and such dealings are usually short and to the point. Neutral Good characters are perhaps the least tolerant of whatever they perceive as being "wrong" of the three major good alignments.
CHAOTIC GOODThe Chaotic Good mindset is a paradox of the desire for individuality and a benevolent concern for others. Chaotic Good characters are almost always strong minded and each tends to possess a unique moral compass about what exactly is right and what is wrong. These characters have a tendency to pass moral judgments based on their beliefs, and to hell with what anyone else thinks. Despite this individualism, the definition of good, for most Chaotic Good characters, doesn't hurt anyone else.
Chaotic Good characters is mistakenly viewed as the only good alignment with room to slip up once in a while. That isn't true, for all good alignments can waver. Chaotic Good characters, consciously or not, resist authority because they have a tendency to equate law with evil. They have the universal precept that every man should be left to his own to make up his own mind. In this aspect Chaotic Good characters can be very anarchistic, since they have a trust that people are capable of governing their own behavior.
LAWFUL NEUTRALIn a sense, Lawful Neutral characters can be the most dangerous of all the character types, especially in large numbers simply because, for the most part, they are easily controlled. Lawful Neutral characters place order above all other concerns. To them the presence of a natural order is the way things must be, and any moral issue stemming from the use of order is completely irrelevant to them.
Lawful Neutral characters look for patterns in everything. They cannot accept the world as being chaotic, and they therefore devise systems to explain away anything chaotic in their lives. It is chaos that they fear more than anything else, a Lawful Neutral would endure a thousand tyrannies before living in an anarchistic situation.
The characters of this alignment tend to always follow rather than lead. Leaders in Lawful Neutral societies are almost always Lawful Good or Lawful Evil, for rarely does a character gain a position of preeminence without gaining some moral baggage along the way.
TRUE NEUTRALTrue Neutrals are all about reason, and perhaps that's why they are so few. Everybody seems to get behind some banner or cause, Neutrals couldn't care less about such trivial matters. Often they have one fascination in their lives which they are preoccupied with, and everything else doesn't matter to them. In the case of druids, this is the "preservation of the balance."
CHAOTIC NEUTRALChaotic Neutral characters have little to no discipline. That is perhaps the only statement that can be made about this alignment that applies to all the personalities contained within its context. As a rule the only thing that concerns a Chaotic Neutral character is themselves. They seek to do what pleases them only, and don't really care if that pleasure includes anyone else. Chaotic Neutrals can also be surprisingly snug and unambitious. This lack of personal greed separates this group from Chaotic Evil characters, who are often very concerned with getting ahead. Chaotic Neutrals are also unconcerned with philanthropy in the least. They will help someone that it pleases them to, or someone who will pay them.
LAWFUL EVIL"The end justifies the means" is the creed of this alignment. Lawful Evil characters may actually have admirable goals, but the means that they are willing to take are, more often than not, deplorable. Lawful Evil characters are often better versed in the letter of the law than the best paladins, and they stand ready to twist every phrase to suit their goals. It is necessary to remember that exactly what is and is not evil will vary from society to society. However, evil always includes the complete and utter disregard for anything that stands in the way of the character's desires. An Evil character will hurt anybody or anything to get what he wants, be it wealth or pleasure (sometimes from the inflicting of the pain).
Lawful Evil characters believe that to further their own ends they must impose order onto others and dispose of by any means anything that threatens them or the order they impose. They may have the welfare of society superficially in mind, but their personal welfare always precedes that or anything else. Lawful Evil characters are meticulous, and they are also often very cruel in their aims. Despite all of this, Lawful Evil characters aren't completely incapable of love or other like emotions, although it is viewed as weakness.
NEUTRAL EVILThey are concerned only with themselves and what pleases themselves. Not overly concerned with the ethical concerns of Law and Chaos, they act in accordance to what best suits them and all other concerns are left alone. Neutral Evil characters have a tendency to be more isolated than other alignments. Unable to be trusted, they in turn give no trust to anyone. They always have a double cross ready, but will usually only use one to betray someone who has betrayed them. It is not that they have any moral compulsions about betrayal, Neutral Evil characters recognize that the less you betray others the less likely you will be betrayed. When Neutral Evil characters do betray, they usually kill the betrayed to reduce complications down the road. Unlike Lawful Evil characters, who view others as tools to be used or Chaotic Evil characters, who see others as persons to bully into submission, Neutral Evil characters view other persons as "complications." Whether or not that person is a desirable complication (or at least tolerable) determines the length of the relationship between the two. The relative power of the characters often determines what the Neutral Evil character will do.
CHAOTIC EVILChaotic Evil characters will do anything that will have a pleasing result to them. They are interested in maximum gain for minimum risk. They often do not care to undergo the very treatment they inflict, but they have no interest or belief in the principle of "treat others as you expect to be treated." Chaotic Evil characters rarely plan very far in advance, preferring to handle situations on a day by day basis.
The combination of unpredictability and utter disregard for anyone else makes Chaotic Evil characters the most dangerous type. Chaotic Evil characters often develop sadistic and macabre personalities. They are often spiteful and see everyone as being just as reprehensible as themselves.
Source: Wikipedia - Alignment
