Lawful Neutral

Lawful Neutral is one of the Nine Alignments, showing absolute dedication to law and order. Both a game mechanic, and an actual concept within the universe of the franchise itself.

Description
Lawful Neutral characters value law and tradition above all else. They tend to be very dogmatic about following the laws, and can be rather uncomprimising, come off as cold and emotionless. They typically abstain from actions considered morally reprehensible in most cultures (rape, theft, unprovoked assault, murder, intentional destruction of property), but not because of any moral obligation or unwillingness to cause pain and suffering to innocents, but instead because such actions are typically illegal and only serve to erode civilized society and the rule of the law, something Lawful Neutral characters cherish a lot.

Dedicated to the law they may be, they aren't sycophants to whoever is in charge - they believe in the rule of the law, and oppose the rule of tyrants with arbitrary tendencies who ignore the laws. Nevertheless, do not expect them to shed any tears for criminals who had mitigating circumstances to their defense: Lawful Neutral characters put their faith in the letter of the law at the expense of social justice, and do not consider poverty a valid justification for theft, or being mistreated horribly as a valid justification for murder.

Observance
The Lawful Neutral alignment is more common than one might think. Inquisitors are typically Lawful Neutral (or even Lawful Evil), despite the fact that the religion they follow puts being Lawful Good on a pedestal. Historically, the Ancient Lizardman Empire was an empire primarily associated with the Lawful Neutral alignment for much of their history. The Shár Empire is another primarily Lawful Neutral empire. Many Oriental religions, such as the Ten Heavenly Principles could also be considered Lawful Neutral, as they stress observance of law and tradition, but typically don't put "good" values such as altruism, charity and kindness on a pedestal.