Thus quoth Sandy
> I unequivocally deny this. It is obvious to me that
>Morocanth, at best, would be rather callous and haphazard about
>anthropophagy. I _do_ agree that hunting or capturing humans with
>the express intent of eating them is considered sinful by morocanth
>Waha and Eiritha leaders, though perhaps no more than a peccadillo,
>and this is rarely, if ever done. But humans killed in the course of
>other activities are, I believe, fair game. Their corpses lack life
>- -- they differ in no way from the corpses of herdmen, and I can't
>conceive that the Morocanth would distinguish between the two.
> In addition to the food value, I think Morocanth sometimes
>eat slaves as a disciplinary lesson to other slaves.
>
I, on the other hand, disagree entirely. The morokanth, while not homo sapiens, are still 'human' as much as trolls and elves. A lot of the ability to eat meat comes from the fact that humans regard animals as 'dumb'. If we knew cows could think, feel, write poetry, love, philosophise and otherwise be 'like us' I think eating them would be out of the questions.
In addition, (IMG) eating the flesh of a sentient being is universally taboo amongst cultures other than Trolls (for whom eating *anything* is an integral part of their culture), as cannibalism, as well as *expressly* against Waha's pact of the eaters and the eaten. This has been a great source of friction in games I have played in and run in the past, between the rest of the River of Cradles people and the Sun County folk who eat the flesh of Newtlings, a sentient race.
IMG, Waha cultists who knowingly violate the pact of the Eaters and the Eaten by canibalism are apostate, with no recourse. This includes Morokanth eating humans, and 'human' tribespeople eating awakened herd beasts. To survive, the tribes made a sacred pact that forms the center of their existance and culture. I simply don't buy that Morokanth violate this casually simply because they don't really adhere to this aspect of Waha. It would be as ridiculous to me as geased Humakti ambushing non-humakti, thinking that "Humakt isn't looking and doesn't really care 'cause they're not like us anyway".
To the Waha initiate, a sentient being is a sentient being, whether it walks on four legs or two. This attitude is one of the unique aspects of Praxian culture, and one which allows me to illustrate to more 'civilised' adventureres that they don't have the monopoly on enlightened thinking simply by virtue of literacy.
To villify the Morokanth, to provide an enemy which is 'other' and can be hated and feared without rationale, *then* I can see the point in having them be 'true' villains. This role however I reserve for Chaos (and then not always in the case of illuminants).
I however see much more roleplaying potential in having a race which is hated because it is misunderstood, and watch as the character's knowledge increases, their attitudes and preconceptions change. For me, this is the essence of roleplaying, reflecting life, and giving players opportunities through roleplaying that they can look at in context of the world we live in and the prejudices we all subscribe to in some degree or other. I've not yet had the chance of using this tool with the group I've been reffing for in the last few weeks, but I look forward to it greatly.
Non serviam.
Declan
"I think I saw my inner child on the side of a milk-carton" - Declan
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