Zalanthan Ethics

[MeTekillot]

Is the concept of ethical behavior even really present in Zalanthan? Beyond the basic empathy people show each other, I don't personally believe that ethical behavior has any real role model beyond not stepping out of line in a way that pisses off the powers that be, besides the aforementioned basic sense of empathy and keeping a good reputation for doing business with.

What do you think?

[dumbstruck]

I think it depends highly on how you define ethics.

In the sense of how they are described here: https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/what-is-ethics/

... even in real life there's no universal standard of ethics, so I don't see why there would be in Zalanthas. That said, if you do something that's going to cause someone grief and you know it's going to cause someone grief, you know what you did sucked. Are you okay with that or not? (Hypothetical you). If yes, persist. If no, alter behavior. To me, that's about the way that works in most situations when it comes to ethics both in and out of game. Sometimes you'll do something and it'll cause a person grief that you never saw coming, and that sucks, but most of the time you can guess fairly well what will cause someone to suffer. The question again, is just, how okay you are with that.

[Dracul]

Being wasteful is a sin. If kill someone take their boots and their water.

Magick is dirty, disgusting, and vile. Those people are so corrupt and unethical.

Don't let people cheat you, do cheat other people if it's to your advantage. ...is direct theft/being a thief consider unethical by humans, probably?

Obey the templar? Lick those boots? Don't defy authority.

[betweenford]

Elves are ethical (towards those they trust)

[Tranquil]

There definitely isn't some moral religious code, but people would still look at someone who's an insane murdering psychopath (if they arent a noble that is) and go "Wow, you're dangerous to society. Which includes me in it."

Trust is far harder to get in a place like Zalanthas, and I'd imagine people would look at the ethics of the person before getting in close with them. Unless of course, they want a deranged cannibal in their apartment.

[Night Queen]

Path of Tektolnes

Rating	Moral Guideline	Rationale
4	As a Commoner: Ungemmed elementalism, creating or summoning magickal constructs or creatures inside the city, possessing contraband (magickal artifacts, Militia uniforms or weapons, poison or poisoned weapons, lockpicks, spice, written words without permission from a noble or Templar), literacy, murder, assault, striking one of noble blood, trespassing in the Templar Quarter or Noble Quarter
3	Acting against the Empire or the Highlord's servants (His Templarate, His Nobility, or His Arm)
2	Even as a Noble: Harboring or aiding an ungemmed elementalist, knowingly harboring or aiding a Nilazi, knowing the language Tatlum, or murdering a noble or Templar
1	Even as a Templar: Acting against the Highlord, including knowingly harboring or aiding a mindbender or sorcerer

Path of Muk Utep

Rating	Moral Guideline	Rationale
5	Being seen committing a crime, even with a Licence	Incompetence is unforgiveable.
4	Thievery or killing without a Licence	Respect must be shown.
3	Acting against The Dominion, His Faithful, His Chosen, or His Legions
2	Using, or harboring, magick or psionicism
1	Acting against the Sun King

Path of the Tribal

Rating	Moral Guideline	Rationale
5	Failing to support your allies.	Support your family, and it'll support you.
4	Allowing gross disruption of the natural world.	All things disrupt the known, simply by interacting with it. However, doing so deliberately is an attack on all things within the known.
3	Killing without need.	A fatter creature or purse will give more sustenance later.
2	Refusing to kill to survive.	Those that live, hunt; everyone else is the hunted.
1	Grossly upsetting the natural world (vandalism, arson, etc).	You have to live here, too.

Path of the Merchant

Rating	Moral Guideline	Rationale
2	Failing to gain coin	guild_merchant
1	Acting against your House	guild_merchant

Path of [DATA EXPUNGED]
Where we're going, we don't need eyes.

[mansa]

I think every race has a different set of ethics.
-> The desert elf tribes have distinct cultural ethics
-> The same can be said for the city elves

I think the political leadership of the major play areas have a different set of ethics.
-> What drives people and where their decision making processes come from is definitely different in Red Storm Village versus Allanak versus Luir's Outpost versus Tuluk.

[Pariah]

My view is ethics is something so personal to the character that it can't be listed in black and white.

Morals and your moral compass all depend on outside factors that would be impossible to simulate without living through the experiences.

Like the priest who spends years being a good man, then kill someone to save his son. (Stole from a netflix show)

[flurry]

There's a wonderful clip (linked below) from Miller's Crossing that I think speaks to this, very much in the vein of honor among thieves. I'd think notions of ethics would vary among Zalanthan cultures and occupations. For instance, hunters might have a sense of ethics over leaving worthwhile animal parts behind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXQ940YSD2A