Heroes
10
"You said earlier that I could be a 'force for good', but what is good? For that matter, what is evil? Every deity says something different, so who decides what it is or is not good or evil?"
The priestess arched an elegant brow, "Good and Evil?" She considered, "Evil is... How can one explain? Deliberately acting in a way that harms others for selfish gain... At least, that is evil to most civilized races. Good is the opposite of that."
Uru shook his head, "But not all races think the same. What is evil to an elf is natural for an orc or ogre. Think of it this way, if I were a human, and I killed another human for pleasure, I would be evil by most human standards, correct? However, if I were a Drow, and killed another Drow for pleasure, I would violate no moral standards because, as the Drow say, 'The only sin is getting caught." He sighed, "And that does not include beings, like Illithids, who must kill simply to survive, to feed."
"And what is 'civilized'? To the Drow we Chitine are savages, to the Chitine, and everyone else, Derro are savages, and to the Illithids, everyone except other Illithids are savages and cattle. As for civilization, the 'civilized' races often act barbaric, even the surface elves go to war and act cruelly toward their enemies. Even the gods cannot agree on what is 'good' and what is 'evil'. To some gods, merely being a Drow, or lycanthrope, or a vampire is an act of evil. What is good to Selvetarm is vicious and insane to Eilistraee, and Lolth, gods! The things she's done..." He shuddered, then continued. "But what makes one god's actions right when they'd be condemned if committed by another? What makes a killing by the Selvetargtlin worse than a killing by the Darksong Knights? I know that your church actively battles the followers of Vhaeraun, and have slain many more than I have. In such a universe, where the gods are so contradictory, can good and evil even exist? Is there any moral authority at all?"
"These questions are beyond my ability to answer." The priestess admitted, after a few moments thought, "These are questions that have troubled philosophers from the beginning of time... But I can tell you this, good and evil do exist, you know this by your own attitude toward Lolth's evil. If you did not believe this, you would not hate her for enslaving Selvetarm, you would admire her for her cunning and treachery in corrupting him. You would not despise the way male Drow are treated under The Spider Queen, yes, I know you have sympathy for them, as much as you try to deny it, it's there. And your pity toward the Driders..."
Uru was irritated that this woman could read him so easily, "Or, I could simply hate her because I dislike her methods of evil, rather than her evil itself. Most of us accept some kind of standards, but very few beings would proudly say I'm Evil, because they don't think they are. A dictator might think she's a stern but loving parent watching over a city of unruly children, a criminal may claim that poverty or bad parenting led him to robbery and murder..." Uru settled cross legged on the stone pavement, For some reason he was feeling very philosophical, maybe there was some lingering trace of Drider venom in his veins..."I don't ask this to appear self-righteous, gods-know I've done more than my share of what most people, even my own, would call evil. I just killed six Drow, in self-defense, yes, but I enjoyed it." His gray face reddened slightly, the thought of his enjoying the death of anyone suddenly seemed shameful... He ran a hand through the stiff hairs on his chin, "But I really want to know, how can we determine right from wrong when the very gods cannot? And don't give me any garbage about it being in my heart, because everyone's heart can lie like Vhaeraun himself."
The priestess sat beside him, and Uru realized he was becoming more comfortable around this Drow, a female Drow, at that. A dangerous thing. He wondered if he was being charmed.
"We can only choose a path and pray we've chosen well."
...
Gristle held Rizzen as tightly against him as he dared, in a massive bear-hug. The troll lifted the young Drow onto his shoulders, "You know, we could see the surface!"
Rizzen wondered about this, he'd heard tales of a land with no roof, where a terrible light singed the people who lived there. Yet, people did live there, though why people would live in such a place, he couldn't imagine. "I don't know about that, Gristle. They say the light is brighter and hotter than flames, that the land itself burns like the pits..."
Gristle laughed, "I remember, it did not burn... It was a swamp!"
Rizzen was less than enthused, he had just escaped a swampy island, he had no desire to go to another. But, perhaps there was more to the surface than he'd been told, and he didn't want to deny Gristle a chance at happiness... "I'll make a deal with you, I'll ask Uru and Ilix'Ith if they think it is a good idea, if they say it's safe, we go, together. Is that alright?"
Gristle scratched his nose, "Alright."
To be continued...
Notes:
I know this well out of character for Uru, he's a cunning warrior, not a philosopher, but I'm wrestling with these ideas from an outsider's view of D&D, with so many gods and so many contradictory teachings, how could anyone be sure they were actually doing right? It's hard enough with one species, a few holy books and four or five major religions, at least three of which claim to worship the same God, but imagine thousands of different intelligent races, some utterly alien in their thinking to others, and hundreds of competing gods all preaching different doctrines, it would seem hopeless. I do believe in Good and Evil, not Moral Relativism, but under a situation such as described, could you trust any standard?
Derro are insane little dwarf-kin creatures that live in the Underdark. Pretty much the entire race is insane, their gods are insane, and they'll attack anything, even if they know it will get them killed.
The Darksong Knights are elite warrior/priestesses of Eilistraee.
There is at least one Elven deity, Sheverash, who has made it his goal to exterminate the Drow race, yet he is not considered evil.
Sheverash
The Black Archer
The Night Hunter
Alignment-Chaotic Neutral
Class- Lesser Deity of Vengeance
Sheverash and his followers have vowed to exterminate Lolth and the Drow. He only recently stopped hunting 'good' Drow, such as followers of Eilistraee, such is his hatred of them. In his defense, this rage comes from an ancient event in which the Drow and Duergar attacked and slaughtered a peaceful meeting of elves and Dwarves. Sheverash was one of the few survivors, and has been seeking the ultimate retribution ever since.
To LadyOfShadow
Thanks for the reviews and insight. I see where you're coming from, among the Drow, the only sin is getting caught. But it also shows why I have such a hard time making any of my characters Chaotic Evil. Almost every character or deity acts under some form of law or restraint, even Lolth has rigid codes that she adheres to and enforces. To me, that would make her Lawful Evil, no matter how much I despise her. Selvetarm, unwillingly, is forced to obey Lolth, even if his heart and mind are truly Chaotic so he is, in a way, Lawful, though not of his own will. If he was freed, I'm sure he'd go on a rampage and wash the Demonweb Pits in blood. Perhaps Chaotic Evil means defying established laws or principles in context, as Lolth certainly acts against the laws of the Elven pantheon she originally belonged to. But that still doesn't hold water as she no longer belongs to the Seldarine... It's so incredibly confusing.
As I said, Qooql is not mine, but he's a fascinating character. He's a zealot, and firmly convinced he's right about Ilsensine, but he also desires personal power. An interesting note is that Qooql is considered Chaotic Evil, though I can't see why.
In answer to your question about Selvetarm;
Selvetarm was originally Neutral in alignment, and Eilistraee was teaching him the ways of good, but Lolth became jealous, and spitefully tricked him into slaying Zanassu, a spider-demon lord, and absorbing his power, telling him that it would please Eilistraee. The poor, naive creature did so, and absorbed Zanassu's evil along with his power, twisting his mind, driving him insane and allowing Lolth to gain control over him. Centuries of cruelty and slavery under her claws have driven him even further into insanity. He's a tragic figure, not evil by his own nature, but infected with evil from outside sources...