Suicide

From: Joerg Baumgartner <joe_at_sartar.toppoint.de>
Date: Thu Mar 20 10:05:12 1997


Hmm. I just cought up with all this suicide thread, and I feel that it shouldn't be too common among humans in Genertela. Ritual suicide is one of the factors that makes the dragonewts strange and queer, and its wholesale imitation by humans should be restricted to dragon-worshippers like the EWF or the Kralori (remember the mass suicide at the (self-inflicted?) death of Emperor Yanoor in 768?).

However, certain warriors' codes demand that a warrior who failed to fulfil his duty take his own life. When at German RQ-Con 94 Nick gathered an impromptu Lunar raid on the Sartar High Council (of 1613), he ordered me to fall upon my sword after I lost the (impromptu) standard of our unit, to which I complied without hesitation. There was also the memorable incident of the Yanafal Tarnils officer who had pledged his honour to keep a bunch of Sartarite rebels alife. When he got the order to execute the rebels, he passed on the order, then fell into his own scimitar before the delinquents. That the regimental healer resurrected him afterwards is not important in this context, is it?

Of course, a Humakti housecarl who has failed his lord will rather ask for a death assignment in action than fall upon his own sword, but will his lord grant him this chance of redemption?

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