We are Terrible People

There’s been a few posts I’ve read recently having to do with a quest in Cataclysm that’s bringing up Moral Dilemmas. Like the Torture quest in Borean Tundra, it provokes a “but I would never do that/that’s terrible/I don’t want to do that”, but unlike the torture quest, you can’t skip it if you want a goblin.

To me it’s just pointing out even more starkly that frankly, we aren’t heroes. We aren’t even terribly nice people. Adventurers never are.

First, we ride across the country, blundering through peoples’ homes and getting surprised when they attack us. Why should we feel surprised when that happens? If some armed-to-the-teeth, spiky-shouldered muscle-bound thugs start running through my house and opening chests to see if I’ve got anything in them, I’d attack too. “You no take candle”, for sure!

Then there’s these errands people have us do. We really just… take their word for it that the kobolds are a threat. Honestly, they’re usually sitting in their camps minding their own business. Farmer Bob says they’re a threat, and he’ll give me some nice shoes if I kill them all, but it’s entirely possible he just wants their land for more turnip fields.

Worst yet are the ones where I’m bringing back ears, or teeth, or scalps to prove I’ve done the deed. Warding off a threat is one thing. Stopping and taking trophies? That’s when we’re approaching serial killer status….

Not convinced? Then how come once you’ve looted, pillaged, murdered and burned you leave the countryside and never come back? When was the last time you visited Westfall? How do you know your face isn’t on the wanted poster there now?

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