rue. OTOH, I think that Haelyn, having watched Anduiras

> fight Azrai, probably has an idea of chivalry which is

> flexible enough to include some version of "show honor to the

> honorable, but none to those who have none." I really don`t

> think Haelyn will get too mad at you if you renege on your

> offer of safe conduct and slay the Gorgon`s herald, even

> though he came under a flag of truce, if the dirty goblin

> tries to eat some of your servants. He probably does force

> you to strike second, but I don`t think he would prevent you

> from striking at all.



I think that defending those sworn to you (your servants) from those

that attack them under a flag of truce (I`d say the pesky goblin broke

it already) is totally okay with Haelyn and with chivalry.



> Or possibly, this is precisely the role Cuiraecen`s followers

> play in Anuirean society -- Stormlords are *supposed* to do

> violent things without orders, and the god has been known to

> consort with that shady Eloele, so I think that if a

> Haelynite Henry II were to complain about a meddlesome

> priest, four Cuiraecen-worshipping knights would be happy to

> undertake the task purely of their own volition. =) Call it

> "plausible deniability".



Now this is what I agree with! I think that a lot of Anuireans find that

Cuiraecen`s followers are weird and dangerous and unpredictable; also

they are brave and unhesitating. With Cuiraecen`s people you get useful

people (who are often "good") but are also really really inconvenient at

times. Personally I suspect that most Goblin emissaries from the Gorgon

who pass through Mhoried get killed off quickly by slightly-fanatical

"Chaotic Good" Rangers of Mhoried. :)



> This becomes a good adventure seed -- a lord wants something

> done, but as a good Haelynite he has to prevent himself

> knowing too much about it or appearing too involved: enter a

> loyal guilder to hire an adventuring party in some dockside

> tavern, rather than sending official troops.



Morg`s Boeruine in "Shattered Dreams" did this with me (I was playing as

the Eloeleans). The Archduke went to the privy and his son and my shifty

representative had an interesting chat.



> Let`s review the cast of characters, shall we?

>

> Avan and Boeruine are much too powerful and too marked as

> targets to have survived this long without being seriously

> Machiavellian.



Or having serious power to begin with? If you have giant holdings and a

vast army all you need to be is a good caretaker really. I`m personally

of the opinion that perhaps they got it be being direct. The mighty can

afford to have some virtue after all. Little folks needs to rely on

sneakiness.



> Alam, Ghoere, Raenech and Mierelen of Brosengae are "bad guys".

>

> The Mhor might be a paragon of virtue, but he`s really too

> busy fighting the Gorgon`s armies all the time to worry too

> much about it.



I like the Mhor to be generally good but abole to cause big problems

abuot things by not being as "political" as perhaps someone of his size

should be. I think he also is a bit irrational about Markazor.



> In some ways, I think I can say this seems to imply that

> Hierl Diem is trying the hardest to stick with the ancient

> ideals, which may be why he`s watched half is patrimony get

> up and walk away...



Heirl Diem is mentioned as being pretty sneaky actually :)



--

John Machin

(trithemius@paradise.net.nz)

-----------------------------------

"Nothing is more beautiful than to know the All."

Athanasius Kircher, Ars Magna Sciendi.