Where can I learn more about Xin's Virtues?

[Peter Stewart]

Kind of as the title says. There's a bit in Dead Heart of Xin (Pathfinder 66), but I was wondering if there was anything else in another title I might look at to find out more about how those virtues were defined and examined before they became the Sins the Runelords were so well known for. How were they represented and defined?

For instance, was Love supposed to be romantic love? Was it the kind of free love of the 60s, or more traditional monogamy?

That sort of thing.

[LazarX]

Peter Stewart wrote:

Kind of as the title says. There's a bit in Dead Heart of Xin (Pathfinder 66), but I was wondering if there was anything else in another title I might look at to find out more about how those virtues were defined and examined before they became the Sins the Runelords were so well known for. How were they represented and defined?

For instance, was Love supposed to be romantic love? Was it the kind of free love of the 60s, or more traditional monogamy?

That sort of thing.

I think the emphasis was more on the magical specialty that each symbolized. The RuneLord of Love was an Enchantress even then. The switch from Virtue to Sin magic I suspect is more of a reflection on the corruption of the rune lords themselves as opposed to a change in the society at large. So for that matter the common societies themselves were probably not that much different in the rather short pre-corruption phase.

[Landon Winkler]

I don't think there are too many details.

I filled it in myself, but mostly just as what the Runelords told themselves. So instead of "Greed," the servants of Greed will say that they serve prosperity and trade, focusing on how nations tied with trade are less likely to go to war and the rising tide lifts all ships.

Of course, they also keep giant slaves and traffic with dark powers, but that's just the price of doing business.

Cheers!
Landon

[Irnk, Dead-Eye's Prodigal]

Pathfinder Adventure Path: Rise of the Runelords (1) Burnt Offerings, pg.74 wrote:

Virtues of Rule: Stemming from the teachings of First King Xin and the Goddess Lissala, the runelords held that wealth, fertility, honest pride, abundance, eager striving, righteous anger, and rest were the seven virtues of rule--rewards one could enjoy for being in a position of power. But the runelords soon abandoned the positive side of these traits and embraced greed, lust, pride, gluttony, envy, wrath and sloth as the rewards of rule. Since the fall of Thassilon, the original seven virtues are remembered as the great sins of the soul, although only a few scholars who have studied ancient Thassilon know of their true sources.

Note this was from the very first Pathfinder product ever published, and a 3.5 module to boot.

If you read through Shattered Star & the AE versions, you will note some significant differences.
Also bear in mind, these were considered virtues by an always Lawful Evil Deity.

If you do a thread search in this site, there have been several on variations on this topic at many varied points in time. At least one of which prompted a PbP campaign focused on the PC's striving to become new incarnations of the original paragons of their prospective virtues.