Few things in the real world are clear-cut black and white. This is not always the case in the fantasy world; many times in fantasy, the good guys are good, and the bad guys are bad. The same is true for player characters. In Gaianar, the alignment system described whether a character is good, evil, or somewhere in-between, as well as describing a character's approach to good and evil.
Characters of good alignment believe strongly in the sanctity of life. Good warriors never kill needlessly, nor do they view torture as an acceptable method information gathering. A good priest has a strong and meaningful reverence of the Light and will fight -- if necessary -- for the good of the community.
In general, people of good alignment see value in the concepts of truth, charity, piety, honor, and beauty. And although good people are not perfect, they tend to be remorseful over ill deeds.
Neutrality is the belief that good and evil are not absolute. What is good for one person may be evil for another. A neutral person will rarely commit a good or evil deed for the sake of it being good or evil.
People who are neutral tend not to have a well-defined moral code, but tend to view problems differently as each new situational arises. While it is easy for a neutral aligned person to be objective, it is also easy to become self centreed and selfish.
Evil is the antithesis of good. People who are evil see little value in the life and happiness of others. Instead, they seek to satisfy their own goals and desires no matter who may be hurt in the process. The word bond of an evil aligned person is worthless. They see little value in honor, trust or justice.
Most people who are evil reject the Light, and instead pay homage to the darker powers. Evil people see no moral dilemma in using poison or torture.
This is another part of a player character's alignment. Structure and Randomness refer to a character’s approach to moral dilemmas.
As an example of these concepts, say a horrible crime has been committed. A person who is structured would find a legal means to bring the villain to justice, while a Random person might get a lynch mob to hunt the criminal down. It is Structure and Randomness that separates the modern-day police officer from the vigilante.
Structured people see the need for law and order in every community, and recognize the need for laws to be obeyed. Randomized people, on the other hand, feel that laws are an artificial constraint of the populous, and that people should be free to behave as their own conscience dictates.
A person balanced between Structure and Randomness might see the need for some basic laws, but feel that too much law is not necessarily a good thing; they might obey laws that make sense to them, but ignore those they deem superfluous. A compass can be created, illustrating how the alignments work Together.
The "Pure" or "Balanced" alignments are Benevolent (Good, but balanced between Structure and Randomness), Ordered (Structured and between Good and Evil), Malevolent (the opposite of Benevolent), and Chaotic (the opposite of Ordered).
Alignments are the reflection of a character's deeds and intentions. Thus what the character chooses to do in any given situation may have a cumulative effect on that character's alignment. And so while no single action may change a character's rating with respect to good, evil, order, and chaos, a series of like actions often will.