The
Practicality of Good and Evil
A monograph by Dracon El T’taes
Can an act, by itself, be
considered good or evil? As in all
things, it is the intent and the context of the action that determines it’s
morality. Stay Your Hand
On several occasions I
have ordered my Warriors to not shoot down fleeing foes. Was it an act of mercy, as the Archon of
another Kabal alleged? Ha. I must consider what is in my own best interest
when I give a command. If I kill them,
unless they could have revealed vital information to my enemies, it just means
that a few more will take their place.
On the other hand, if I let them live, there are more
possibilities. If they live, they will
go running back to their bases, spreading tales of terror to scare the others,
tales that will grow larger with each telling.
Sparing their lives may sow doubt in the minds of their superiors,
leaving them to wonder what I have done to these men that I allowed them to go
free. In addition, their fellow
soldiers, hearing how I spared their lives, will fight less desperately in our
next battle, since they “know” that they can safely run away if it gets too
dangerous. That little seed planted in
their mind will prevent them from fighting with their full power and allow my
forces to conquer them with ease. Plays Well With Others
I often offer a truce with
my enemies. Among other things, it
confuses them mightily! Is it just a
trick, though, while I plan their slaughter?
Not necessarily. A temporary
respite from fighting one enemy (and yes, I am always certain it will be
temporary. I may be evil, but I'm not
stupid.) can free my hand to terrorize another, or to concentrate my power on
more pressing business. The enemy of my
enemy is my…ally, certainly not my friend.
If I can rid myself of the greater of two evils by working with another,
by all means I shall! In the process,
of course, I’ll make sure that I'm left in the better position when our
partnership dissolves. You will get further with a smile and a
gun than with a gun alone
In Commorragh, as
everywhere, courtesy is in short supply.
However, being rude to the wrong person can easily get one killed. On the other hand, Archons tend to think of
courtesy as something used only by sniveling toadies and sycophants. Actually being courteous to them will tend to
make them mentally dismiss you. They
feel that if you are pleasant and polite to them, it must be because you have
no power, or they have power over you.
Use this to your advantage. If
they do not think of you as a threat, they will not remove you. Further, your power will go unnoticed by
them for far longer, allowing you to usurp them quietly and with little
struggle. Walk softly and carry a big
stick. Remember your friends
Take care to ensure the
power of your friends. Also make sure
they know why they have that power. Be
not careless with the lives of those you lead.
If you throw your Warriors lives away on a whim, they will not care if
someone takes your head, for it will make little difference to them. In addition, those Warriors cost you something. It may be the money or slaves or souls you
paid them to fight in your name. It may
be the hours of training you have given them, or the equipment you have
supplied them with. You will need more
of them, so do not let them go to waste.
As with your friends, subtly remind them that their lives are better
under you, so they do not look to other leaders with greedy eyes and so they
will watch your back for you. During
the last attempt against my life, one of my Warriors placed himself between me and
a poisoned dart. I spared no expense to
save his life and promptly made him a Sybarite, leading one of my squads into
battle. His synthetic arm functions
quite nicely, and I know that his heart is in the right place. Good, Bad, I'm the guy with the gun
Ultimately, while these
actions can be construed as being good, they are very practical things that I
do. Make no mistake, I have killed and
I will do so again, as long as there isn’t something more practical to do. Dracon El T’taes, Kabal Rillishelwe Mor If you enjoyed this, email me and let me know |