Moral Dilemmas (Part 1)SpoilerMoral Dilemmas (Part 1)
By Celebrithrade Dedralein
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The following is the first book in a series penned by Celebrithrade Dedralein, Loremaster and Cultural Protector of the Tel Quessir. In her writing, she discusses her views on morality in today’s ever-evolving world, as well as dissecting some moral decisions that she has faced during her many travels.
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I should first start off by saying by saying that the thoughts that I write within these pages are purely my own, and they are by no means gospel. I am a mere mortal, just as anyone else is who may be reading this, and so I won’t pretend to be perfect or all-knowing. These are just what I have come to think and see during my short 100 year life.
Now that I’ve disclosed a bit of myself, I would next like to explain my -general- view on morality and moral dilemmas before I get into a specific scenario.
In my opinion, morality is subjective. That is to say there is no “true” moral compass that exists that can serve as a guide to all peoples due to our inherent differences in nature and cultural practices. This idea is perpetuated due to the differences between the different races and even the sub groups within said races. What is morally acceptable for an elf is quite different than what is morally acceptable in human society.
Take for example the issue of slavery. In the Tel-Quessir Empire, slavery would be considered a heinous act and as such would never be tolerated. The thought of coercing and threatening another living creature to do your bidding against your will for their entire life goes against many of our core values. This is because we, as elves, place a high importance on the values of harmony, freedom, and other such things.
In human society, however, slavery is widely accepted. This is because humans, as ambitious species, place a high importance on driving their production, war efforts, and furthering their own power. Even though most humans would likely find the act of enslaving the other to be of questionable moral ground, they tolerate it because, in their minds, the end result of furthering their power vis-a-vis their adversaries is worth the potential sorrow and pain experienced by their slaves.
There are many other areas of morality that different peoples disagree on, some far more complex than the example I gave, but I believe this is example is adequate enough for now. However, there is another topic I wish to discuss before I detail my own experiences, and that is the question of whether moral values must remain as -absolute- pillars within a society, or if they are -arbitrary- standards that may be changed from one situation to the next.
If we return to the view of elven slavery, we can see there is a bit of room for discussion here as well. While some might argue that slavery, in every instance, is wrong and must not be practiced, there are others who would say “well, in -some- cases, slavery may be a necessary evil to accomplish a greater good.” One such situation could be interrogating information out of an orc captive. Some elves would view that such practices are evil and should not be practiced, and others would say that due to the orc being an enemy and unfit to receive normal rights deemed worthy by the elves, then using evil tactics on the prisoner is justifiable in the name of greater good.
I could talk in circles on these subjects for some time, but I will refrain from doing so. They are merely present in my writing here to give general examples of my scenarios to come.
So, then I suppose I should give my first moral dilemma and how I faced it, no?
As those who know me well may have realized, I pride myself on doing good things for people. I make every effort I can to assist those that need my help, no matter how big or small the problem. And no matter how unworthy someone may seem, I will always give at least one chance for redemption. I’m the type of person who would rather be harmed by being too trusting than harming others by being untrusting, if that makes sense. Though, I will say that my patience for such things has grown shorter as time goes on…
At any rate, my first great moral dilemma came on my very first adventure outside of Nualla’n. A group of giants had just attacked Hadrian, and the many adventurers of the town set out to attack them where they lived. I got wrapped up in the situation one way or another, and decided to accompany them and aid them in any way I could. Which, at the time, was solely through my healing magics and inspirational voice.
As we pressed inward toward the giant’s throne room, the fighting became more and more fierce. However, one warrior in particular, Sir Kroznaks of the Swords of the Lady, continued to preach camaraderie and standing together to face the threats. His effort was quite admirable, both in terms of his leadership, as well as his fighting prowess.
However, when it came down to it, his words were not enough to persuade the others to follow his lead.
During the battle in the throne room, many were killed… Myself included. The fact that I’m alive again to write this is quite miraculous indeed. There were 11 of us who died that day, and just as many who were barely able to escape to regroup and make one last desperate attempt to finish off the enemy.
As I lay dying, I felt as if I was moving toward a place I don’t know, like I was floating in an endless sea of black. But while I was in this space, a sinister force reached out to me from the great beyond… It promised to return me to life, as well as give me power, wealth, and fame that I could have never dreamed of otherwise. The only condition that the being asked was that I turn on those who were coming to rescue me.
As such, I was faced with my great first moral dilemma… Should I accept this offer, or not? Keep in mind again that I seek to do the most good that I can, as my primary objective.
Obviously, I would have no such opportunities to do anything good whilst dead. Should I be able to return to life, I would once again have the ability to give my help to others, and may very well be better equipped to do so, if what the entity offered was true.
However… accepting such a deal from one who was so evil I could feel it from his very words was likely to be more complicated than it would seem. There would be almost nothing from stopping the entity from changing the terms of the agreement to fit his will as soon as I became willing.
Furthermore, turning on those that were willing to fight and die alongside me… Such an evil act would not be justifiable in my mind. While some acts can be partaken in without changing your character, an act of such betrayal with murderous intent would have no doubt changed the very core of my being. So, even with the threat of being unable to do more good whilst dead, there now existed the threat that I would become tainted and evil, and would therefore be a net detriment to the side of good.
And so I, like the 10 others, had to make the choice: return to life under the being’s conditions, or remain dead. My answer was quick: I denied this offer.
But… I was the only one.
The other 10 each accepted. The evil entity, frustrated at my adamant refusal, saw it fit to punish me beyond suffering in death… It made me watch as the betrayers turned on the rescuers who came for them. In my 100 year existence, that was the most tragic and saddening event I had ever witnessed. To see that 10 others so quickly betrayed their friends… It was an eye opening experience.
The rescuers defeated them, of course. Some were killed, others were disarmed and allowed to leave… But the emotional damage still lingers to this day.
As for me, I was revived in another manner… A divine entity took pity on me, and rewarded me for my devotion to serving the principles of good, under the condition that I continue to bring him and my people honor and glory.
So, even though I seemingly only had -one- option available to return to life, I refused to give in to despair and desperation, and another path revealed itself to me. My point is this: even in situations where it would seem you only have -one- option, or two bad options, you need not make the choice in that instance. Perhaps, if you try hard enough, another, better option will make itself available. Beware of the so called -deals- you are offered… for those that offer them likely only do so knowing there will be no way you can escape them.
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