Ranger: "Why don't you kill me and get it over with? I refuse to answer any of your questions"

Whorfin: John Whorfin stands and speaks to the Ranger at length. He pauses from time to time to let Kazz translate.

"I did not put you in the healing tube and raise you from the dead to interrogate you, nor to coerce you, nor to torture you, nor to slay you. I want to talk with you, and then you shall go free."

"And I swear as an Eternal that I will not allow my fellows to attack or harm you unless you attack first, and that if they try to do so, I will defend you with all my power and with my life."

"Listen to the truth of the Eternal Party:"

"We came to this world in the vessel you stole. We first encountered a giant possessed by an evil sword. We neutralized the sword and used it to enter the Abyss. There we destroyed a minor godling, a demon prince. This was a good act."

"Then we introduced a new god to the orcs that live south of here, defeating an orc god in the process, and turning the orc nation away from evil, as you will know if you visit the orc city. Since then, trade has opened with the dwarves, as they will tell you. This was a good act."

"Then we defeated the evil Judge of Shoal, and one of us now rules the town, putting an end to the old ruler's tyranny, and adding fairness and law where punishment had been cruel. The new ruler has sent a treaty of friendship to New Avalon. This the people of Shoal will tell you. This was a good act."

"Then I established a house of charity in New Avalon, with the purpose of helping those in need. The rulers of that town destroyed my house. This you can confirm with the good people of New Avalon. The establishment of my house was a good act, and destroying it was a foul one."

"Then a holy quest led me to find an Orb of Pure Good, which I used to defeat an evil priest in the Elflands, as the elves will tell you. This evil priest served the One Pale God and wielded the Orb of Pure Evil. My defeat of him, at great cost, was a good act."

"Then we came here to the Dwarven land, and although we were sorely diminished in power, we fulfilled the Dwarven prophecy and lifted the curse on the mines here, so that the Dwarves are now returning to their homes of old. This the dwarves will tell you, and this too was a good act."

"Now, look at what you and your group have done to us, who never wronged you."

"You have lied, spied, and conspired against us. You ambushed us each alone, in a cowardly fashion. You used Charm magic to steal from us our knowledge and our goods. Then you used an evil rod to steal our very life essence. These necromancies and thefts did us grievous harm. These were all evil acts."

"Finally, you and your group attacked us without declaration or challenge, showing no mercy. But we have shown you mercy. Which of us has done good?"

"And now, compare our treatment of you alone with the way your group treated each of us alone. You charmed us, but we used no magic on you. You stole from us, but we are returning all your goods to you. You used magic to rip our minds apart and take information from us -- but although we desperately need the information you have, we will not coerce you. You used us, assaulted us, and sucked out our life energy. We show you the respect you denied us and we restored to you your life energy. Who has done right here, and who, wrong?"

"We can talk about these truths, and I would very much like to hear your side of the story. Or you may take your goods -- not the ones you stole from us -- and depart without having uttered another word. But before you do, I will ask you these questions:"

"How can you, a Ranger sworn to do good, defend your acts?"

Ranger: "You have described accomplishment of non-evil acts as if that was sufficient to do good. We, however, have done great good."

Whorfin: "Why have you allowed yourself to be an accomplice to evil?"

Ranger: "I have not, but you should ask yourself that question."

Whorfin: "How have the deeds of your group helped protect the weak and fulfill the oaths you swore?"

Ranger: "They have, many times over."

Whorfin: "Even if you do not believe me, how can you be sure you have worked on the side of right? After the harm you have caused us, should you not seek out the truth?"

Ranger: "I know the truth, and I am justified."

Whorfin: "And after you know the truth of my words, how can you begin to set right the wrongs you have committed?"

Ranger: "Since I have done no wrong, there is nothing to set right. You, however, have not even begun to repay the wrongs you have committed."

Whorfin: "And finally, I will not demand any answers from you, but I will freely answer your questions. Perhaps you will want to know what happened to your friends."

"Though I may not give an answer if doing so harms my friends, I declare on my Ranger oath that I will not lie -- because lies are evil work, and I am sworn to the cause of good."

Ranger: "I have observed you, now in both incarnations, you are a creature of Chaos incarnate. You have lied to serve your own purposes many times in the past, so I know I cannot trust your word now. I doubt that you even know how not to twist the truth to your liking. The only trustworthy member of your group has left and now, so will I."

Abrac: "Ranger-Ho! Think you that I, druid, friend of the land and sea, sky and fire, servant to all animals and plants and crops, ally to Rangers and all natural things would upset the True Balance by consorting with Great Creatures of Randomness? If this were so true, and the how could I retain my powers over my spheres?"

"Our party contain many examples of Order and Goodness and never ever that of evil. Any chaos amongst us is purely for entertainment purposes I assure you."

"I call upon the rest of our party to add to our conversation by speaking in their defense. We have TWO monks, not one who is evil. They can tell you how our journeys in the end for the most party defeat Great Evils and Disorder."

"Tim? Jabirath-o-Namakazz? Help Whorfin out a bit."

Kazz: As the ranger turns to walk away, Kazz decides it is time to chime in:

"A moment more of your time, if you would. You speak of chaos and ill deeds. As you know, I am a monk of the Mountain People, as you call them. I presume to think that in my training I have learned a thing or two about the order of things, the lawful ways that make allow mankind to rise above the beasts and create civilizations. I entreat you to consider the possibility that you--or more likely those you serve, since you are clearly of good intent--have mistaken actions that serve to preserve the status quo for those that lead to true stability and order."

"For example, if a balance has a large stone placed on one side, you can perhaps hold it up for a time. Eventually you will tire, and the arm of the balance with the stone will come crashing down, mayhap with catastrophic results. However, if you can counterweight the balance, or even control the shift as the weight of the stone is applied, you can reach a true equilibrium."

"As for chaos within our party, I hardly think you are in a position to lecture us on the subject. We have taken great risks to save one another over the last few months, and have also come together to combat threats that menace the people of this land. Your group, on the other hand, seems to have had a leader who exceeded his authority and acted independently--leading to the failure of your mission, and the deaths of several of you, yourself included. Furthermore, in answering our claims of ill treatment, you espouse the idea that the ends justify the means -- practically a textbook definition of chaos itself."

"Perhaps the only chaotic move I have made is to allow you to go free, when your people have sought to destroy the way of life of my people, stolen our religious relics to satisfy your constant craving for new baubles to impress each other with, and otherwise done ill--and I have sworn to put an end to these abominations. Yet I have chosen to allow you to go free because of the common cause that I make with my companions here, who in the greater picture are a force for true civilization, justice, and stability here in this region. They have determined to set you free and I will stand by their decision."

"So you are free to leave us, but I remind you that you will only truly be free when you open your eyes and heart to the truth of what has been said here, and set your path through life according to the principles that I know are important to you, but have been suborned by a misplaced sense of loyalty to an order that has become corrupt. Think on this as you travel, and let us one day meet again as friends and compatriots, working for the cause of truth."

Whorfin: Whorfin, true to his word, gives the ranger his goods and sets the ranger free. Whorfin offers to accompany him to Dwarfhome to ensure his safety, but will not impose himself if his company is not welcome.

However, Whorfin asks the ranger, "You talk about the wrongs I have committed. I would like you to enumerate for me these wrongs. Perhaps one of us is mistaken. Perhaps we can better understand each other."

"As for my lies, I care not what you think of me. I know my heart. Judge my deeds rather than my words: I set you free. I help others. I do good."

"You and your group injured me and mine without challenge or provocation. We have not injured you except in self defense. Who has done wrong in that?"

After a moment's thought, Whorfin continues talking with the ranger.

"Okay, you don't believe my words. Fine. What about deeds? You charmed us, then you stole our life energy and our magic items. How was that good? How will you help us recover what you stole from us? We have not charmed you -- though we could have. We have not stolen from you. And we brought you back to life and set you free. At the least, you owe us a better explanation than the one you gave us after you had charmed us."

Abrac: Abrac turns around, kicks the ranger's equipment and says, "Hey ranger, here is your crap. Take it. Just remember ... You owe us your life."

"Get out. Go back to your masters and report to them that their prize team of mindless dogs (no disrespect to dogs) has failed."

"This sensation you'll feel won't be a warm and fuzzy one, will it?"

Ranger: The ranger picks up his items and leaves.

Kazz: "Ha! He'll be back. I just hope he didn't take any of my record albums." :-)

Phil (ooc): I have noticed our D&D characters have become more philosophical over the years. Middle age anyone?