MOROKANTHS Sandy posted with authority on morokanths, and raised a few questions in me.
First, he said that all the tribes of Prax were rock stupid and Waha's magic made most two-legs smart and left most four-legs stupid. If everyone is stupid, then how can anyone cheat?
Second, I recall an encounter that occurred during a scenario I played a long time ago. I always wonder if the GM handled it correctly, because it seemed to smack of universe-bias towards the players.
In traveling on foot through Prax, our group encountered a group of morokanth that outnumbered us six to four. One of the four consisted of a particularly storm-bull-like Orlanthi Storm Bull player character. Rather than net us all (or whatever morokanth do) and enslave us, the Storm Bull taunted the morokanth into settling our fates through a one-on-one duel.
The duel ensued and was very close--the Storm Bull passed out from blood loss at the very end of the round in which he sliced off the limb of his foe (who collapsed due to shock). Gotta love that RQ brutal combat system.
My healer character healed the fallen morokanth and then the fallen Storm Bull. I suppose the morokanth decided that we were therefore real people and let us be.
How would things have gone in Sandy's campaign? I was always kind of shocked that the morokanth didn't shoot first and ask questions later. I always felt that the morokanth definition of "herd man" was "any human unlucky enough to get captured by a morokanth."
Would the presence of a healer affect the morokanths' actions? Is healing the enemy a sign of weakness or strength among the tribes of Prax? If the morokanth had died would the band have been angry enough to break their agreement?
I know the answer would really differ in real life based on the personalities involved, but what would have happened in Sandy's (or your, reader) campaign?
HEROES Loren used Star Wars as an example of the temptation that faces the hero--the choice to acquire immense personal power within the system he is fighting to destroy.
I think another really great example of this is in Lord of the Rings, where the One Ring represents all the evil power of Sauron. Both Gandalf and Galadriel refuse the ring when it is offered to them, though it poses a sore temptation. (Galadriel describes becoming a beautiful and cruel ruler... darkness clothed in light... is this Nysalor's Bright Empire?). Sam, too, is tempted by the ring, but resists, and Frodo bears the temptation up until the very last moment, when he succumbs to its lure, only to have Fate, in the form of his shadow, Gollum, snatch the ring from him, slip, and fall into the Cracks of Doom.
I always felt that it was the succumbing to temptation that left Frodo an empty shell at the story's completion... to have received all the external recognition for his part in destroying the Ring when in fact he failed to overcome his internal conflict left those accolades empty... and the loss of his finger became a constant reminder of his weakness.
A very good ending that illustrated the power such temptations should
exercise... it wouldn't have done to have just have Frodo toss the darn ring
in like a wadded up newspaper.
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Chris Pearce
cpearce_at_incite.com
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