Good and Evil

Good and Evil, and character alignment in general, work a bit differently in FærieMUD than they do in some other games. Actually, if there are any games in which it works this way, I will be very surprised. Scotus's bio? gives some of the background on how the alignment system came to be the way it is.

Let us begin with a definition of evil from Children of the Lie:

The exercise of political power -- that is the imposition of one's will upon others by overt or covert coercion -- in order to avoid...spiritual growth.
-- Scott Peck's definition of evil from "The Children of the Lie"

Whenever a character reaches a major quest? in the moral development of its soul, it is possible the internal turmoil will lead into evil. Such a quest always includes a false path which can be taken to relieve the turmoil. But the false path can only be taken at the risk of failing to grow in the way which is needed. The false path always offers that choice: to exert the character's will on others or to face the need to shed a preconception about who the character is.

Characters who bifurcate their souls obtain great control over their emotions, but can never develop further emotionally, spiritually and magickally. This gives rise to two kinds of evil religion: those which have learned the "benefits" of bifurcation without learning the downside and those which understand the downside as well.

Those which only understand the benefits teach evil as a means to gain those benefits. Those which understand the downside as well try to lure others down that path to dominate them. Sort of like trapped-by-evil and meta-evil.

See also Character Experience and The Pattern

— Scotus - 08 Mar 2004
— Ged The Greys Hain - 23 May 2000