Nameless Ethics

City Center - 


 * The quirky architecture of the mist-laden city of Necromundus is distinguished primarily by the absence of many right angles. Wooden-slats climb walls that are rectangular cubes, but the lines from ground to gable form rather oblong angles, giving everything from the dominant clock tower to the Purgatory Tavern a rather unstable appearance.


 * Ghostly entities of many shapes and sizes can often be seen traveling the narrow, fog-shrouded streets, preparing to resurrect after a misadventure or accident beyond the great portals that lead to strange and distant realms.


 * The paths head out in four directions from here. To the north lies the Boneway, and the shopping centers. To the west, the residential districts. To the south are darker paths through Hard Luck Road. Finally, to the east is the portal plaza, the dim glow showing bright even here.


 * It is a cold afternoon. The slightest breeze stirs over the land infrequently. A few wispy cirrus clouds streak the otherwise clear sky.

There is a 14-foot-long chameleon (nose to tailtip) clinging onto an upper portion of one of the buildings, the blueish-green female surveying all of the people moving around in the City Center. Well, with one eye - the other keeps peering around her, as though making sure nothing tries to sneak up on her. Handy, having eyes that work independently of each other.

Below, on the streets leading to the square, a robed desert figure walks quietly, a sack over one shoulder that seems largely empty.

Lupoids, felinoids, dracoids, angels, demons... human. The rather large lizard tilts her head and regards Nodhi for a moment, before slowly starting to work her way back to the ground by way of just climbing straight down the wall. Once down, she straightens up to bipedal stance and glances around again with one eye, while the other stays with the human.

Nodhi notices, as the sauroid enters his normal field of vision, and bows slightly to her. "This one offers greetings."

"Asss doesss thisss one," the chameleon replies, bowing in return, "Good afternoon, friend. I apologizsse if I am disssturbing you, but I could not help noticssing that you are... normal." Both eyes are working together now, glancing down to indicate the man's body, "I wasss curiousss asss to whether you were alwaysss like that, or if there isss a way to... change?"

Nodhi blinks, the only gesture visible in the rogue's swathe of robes. "This one is always so. But there is a general belief among those otherwise, that with time and adaptation to the new environment, they are able to take on mostly human forms."

"That isss good to know," the Nameless One nods, "Thank you." Again, one eye swivels to take in her surroundings, "Thisss placsse isss very ssstrange to me... I had never come acrossss ssspeaking beassstsss who walk upright before. It isss... enlightening, but sssomewhat overwhelming. How doesss exssissstancsse flow here? I know it wasss very different between the Monassstery and the village. I can only imagine how different it might be here."

Nodhi considers this. "This one has found it chaotic," he says. "The strong dominate those weaker. We hunt the ghosts in the lands beyond for that which we require. But take nothing as unchanging, for it changes all the time."

The lizard's scales darken a bit, shifting to a bluer hue, "That isss... worrisssome. Domination through ssstrength can lead only to sssuffering and corruption... Chaosss only weakensss the massssesss to unknown evilsss. Only through peacsse and cooperation and order can goodnessss and harmony enter one'sss heart." The tone suggests she's reciting these lines from memory. "Isss there no goodnessss here?"

"There are those that fight for such causes," Nodhi agrees. "But they fight alone, as most prefer not to interfere. This one offers a different solution...a gathering of the stronger to protect themselves and those weaker from the whims of the strongest. A council of all mortals...if enough races agree."

"A councssil...," Namo repeats thoughtfully, "Yesss... like Our Mothersss and Fathersss of the monassstery... Councssilsss bring order from chaosss." The lizard bows low, then, "hands" clutched together in front of her chest. "Thisss humble monk of Tirandur wissshesss to assssissst in any way ssshe can."

"You are of the Sauroid people," says Nodhi quietly. "Would you speak for Sauroids, in such a gathering, that they are free but part of the whole? Would you find others willing to be part of this effort?"

Nameless One tilts her head, "I am... not sssure I could properly ssspeak for thessse Sssauroid people. I have been one only for a few daysss, and have met no othersss yet. I will, if I cannot find one more sssuitable. And I will find othersss to be part of thisss, yesss. Where would be a good placsse to look? What sssortsss of people have you gathered ssso far?"

Nodhi raises a hand, ticking fingers. "Human, dragon, wolf, and now yourself," he says. "To make this real there must be elves, dwarves, tauroids, felinoids, ursinoids...perhaps others I cannot recall, but one from every race."

"Not only beasst racssesss, but alssso racssesss of ancient myth?" Nameless One remarks, "Fassscinating... I will ssseek represssentativesss of thessse other racssesss, then, to join in thisss councssil for the good of all. Isss there anything elssse that I mussst know or do, friend?"

Nodhi considers this. "...Be wary of those stronger than you," he says carefully. "And take no third-party information at face value, but always verify. There are many deceivers in the city, whose words sound sweet, but will prove false on examination. There are those also who hunt for food and sport prey that thinks and speaks; this is first of all what we wish to stop."

"I fear not those who would hurt me," Namo replies calmly, "For I know that no harm they might visssit upon my body can compare to the ssstrength Our long lossst Brothersss and Sssissstersss have passssed down to ussss through the hissstory of Tirandur. Asss for the honey-tongued of which you ssspeak... I mourn the lossss of unconditional trussst, but if necssessssity dictatesss itsss end, then I ssshall be wary of their sssweetened wordsss."

"Trust unconditional is often best earned, rather than given," Nodhi agrees. "This one thanks you for your aid; you are well supplied?"

"If it mussst be earned, then it isss not unconditional. I have earned sssome of the local currencssy through offering helping handsss to the localsss and an intriguing game of chancsse in the tavern," Namo replies, "Unfortunately, many of the thingsss I am asssked to do, I cannot. I have taken a vow of pacssifissm, to not harm any living thing that movesss of itsss own accord. Not even the undead of the northern boneyard or nonsssentient animalsss. Many demand that I kill, but I will not ssso much asss poke. But I am sssupplied well enough, and training to become more accussstomed to thisss body."

"This one will kill," says Nodhi calmly. "But not without purpose. This one trusts those who set the bounties as having cause for that which they seek. Many of the creatures are dangerous, lethal to most. And sometimes parts of them can be turned to good use."

"My Brothersss and Sssissstersss were taught to rely on the villagersss for the thingsss needed from animalsss, and the villagersss were the onesss who protected the area from predatorsss," Namo replies, "We could harvessst from plant life, but only asss much asss we needed to sssurvive. Harm wasss ssstrictly forbidden, for the world wasss fragile and harsssh all at oncsse, and the only way to sssurvive wasss to work together to protect each other and the local area from exsstinction."

Nodhi nods. "This one hails from a desert planet," he says. "Food raised in hydroponics caves, under the ground, where the water would not escape and the sun could not sear the plants, dehydrate the beasts. No ecology to speak of. But this one has heard of such worlds. Know that in this place change is constant, but death - true death - is rare. Should you take your knives and cut a kudzu plant into kindling, mere moments later it will have regrown. Even people are so. This has led to the destructive behaviors that threaten the weaker peoples. Should a lupoid hunt you down, and kill you, and devour your body...moments later, you will have re-formed. This is put forth as an argument that it cannot, therefore, be very wrong to kill and eat you."

"In my lifetime, Tirandur wasss a desssert, a paradissse, a ssswamp, and an icssy wasssteland," the Nameless One remarks, "We had very much to adapt to..." She tilts her head, then, "That isss flawed logic. One ssstill causssesss physssical pain, to kill and devour another. But in usssing that argument, I imagine... sssuch people do not truly care, do they?"

(Return to Law And Disorder)