QuoteIs Tracy Hickman writing the ethos section? This is a dichotomy he's never been able to reconcile in his D&D work, and he's swung back and forth on it--at one point, adopting a view of Dragonlance where Good is right and the will of the High God, and Evil is a rebellion against it and a deprivation, and thereafter, moving to a point of view where Good and Evil are both outlooks on how souls should progress and are fundamental parts of reality.

I have no idea. I just pointed out D&D alignments and morality involved with it, was never well fitting for any real life moral/cosmological systems.
Hickman probably was struggling between own Mormonic ideals, and weird pantheism of basic D&D.

Hope this works

Cynder: Trade Town of the Warden

Cynder is located primarily on an island at the confluence of two rivers: the Rhynal (or Lesser Rhynal) that runs primarily down from the north and the mountains of Khran and the Senshal which flows eastward from Defiance. Both rivers converge here to form the Greater or Lower Rhynal river which flows through the ruins of Termina before emptying into the Iron Harbor. As the first safe fording point of the Rhynal above Termina and sitting at the crossroads of P'tar to the east, Stormhold to the south, Defiance to the west and both Khran and Haven northward, Cynder is a central place of trade and exchange.

The town is governed by the Warden, a term that is a holdover from the ancient days of the Keepers. Order, such as it is, is maintained by the Wardsmen. These officially sanctioned thugs are notoriously bad tempered and have an understand of the law which is both inaccurate and highly situational. Things hadgotten so bad in the recent past that the Ogre's of Stronghold have established an Ogre Stand near the Warden's compound so that their Shan-Ri (paladins) may deal more effectively with the more egregious questions of honor an justice. Their Stand is also near the Temple of Masradal, the center of the local religion. While the Temple does not reflect the Ogre's own beliefs, they have sworn to uphold its sanctity.

The Warden's position has not formal succession: sometimes it is passed down from parent to child but it often changes hands more violently. If there is an influence over the position, it comes from the Morgan Family. The Morgan's are the primary influence in the town as owners of Morgan Farm, Morgan's Mill and both the Upper and Lower Docks.

The primary export industry of the town is Havacher Spirits, a distillery near the upper docks. However, trade itself is the primary business of Cynder. The Drover's Guild maintains their most important station here. The Warden along with the Morgan family sponsors a Festival each year before the rain season, attracting trade merchants from all over the Erinyes Coast.