You have a very basic grasp on the state of reality, but I commend you
for applying quill to parchment and airing your views in this public
forum.

Does that mean our city has evil in it? Certainly. Does that mean it has
Good? Of course. But I feel like the gravity of your actions is
greatened when at least a Choice is made. A paladin that cures you on
the side of the road does so out of obligation ... or they should. A
Mhaldorian who does so does it out of fear of being found out
(stereotypically, Helping novices is sort of in a different category
than Good or Evil). An Ashtanite who does so does so out of HIS/HER
goodness. Wouldn't that, in essence, make us more capable of true Good
and Evil?

If someone falls by the wayside, the Paladin or Priest won't necessarily
help them unless their from Shallam, Cyrene or Eleusis. They should, but
a lot of them just won't. They most definitely shouldn't be helping
those of Chaos, for does not the Church preach that Chaos is a highly
physically infectious disease?

The man of Evil, on the other hand, why would he do his actions out of
fear? Aren't I making myself clear enough? We do not walk around in
Mhaldor constantly fearing the wrath of our Patrons. Death is but a
trivial matter to us, we do not fear it when we are in Their service.,
and we understand that the experience of pain can but strengthen us. We
accept it as a penance for our short comings, our weaknesses, as we know
that such hardships make us strong. We do not work out of fear, as our
Mhun and Orc Slaves do. We work out of our faith to the two Divine that
govern over us. Sometimes . . . sometimes we fear them . . . but only
for the briefest of moments . . . for they are indeed terrible and
mighty beings to behold and Their wrath can be devastating in its
beauty. But it is a fear dulled down majorlee by our faith and
admiration, a fear that comes secondary, an instinctive mortal weakness
that with time we learn to purge out of our system.

Nay, the Mhaldorian would have a choice, aspecialy if said Mhaldorian
was an Indiranian. Evil and Sin, as I'v stated before, are liberating
concepts, setting the individual free of the oppressing chains of
morality, wright and wrong, good and bad. They help the individual
transcend above these petty, mortal concepts to a higher plain of
understanding.

A Churchy would help out of a moral obligation, as would an Ashtanite
(if they were to choose to do so that is). A Mhaldorian would only help
if he or she could see that they would get something in direct return
for their actions, or if their actions would directly help Lord Sartan
or Queen Indrani. Mhaldor is an immoral City, immorality does not
restrict the individual to committing only immoral actions. The immoral
are free to commit what ever acts they so wish. They can hide their true
intent behind morality if they wish to, they can wear it as a mask. The
morally correct, on the other hand, do not have this freedom.

Morals are an oppressive and weakening force in this world, for they can
but cage the mortal within his or hers own trivialities. In Mhaldor we
have don away with them for this precise reason.

But this is all just detracting from my original allegations of the
hypocrisy that has been woven over time into the very fabric of the
Ashtanite Dream. That the very freedom that Ashtan preaches, is indeed
just a propaganda tool used by their Authorities to keep their populace
in line.

"Sin is Liberation"

The Rev. Lodi Vespic de'Ta'sa

-?-


Penned by my hand on the 9th of Miraman, in the year 333 AF.