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G
reetings Readers,
Welcome to Ask Church, the place where you can find the answers to
your questions. For your reading pleasure, I present to you todays question:
Dear Church,
Like so many others in our fair city, I've made adventure, and sometimes
violence, a part of my life. But lately I find myself doubting the virtue
of my past actions. It is considered a proof of inherent goodness to go into
the Northeast forest and kill the arachnids therein, but I wonder, can we really
justify such a genocide? The spiders threaten no one who does not enter their
wood, and even then, one is often safe from molestation by them unless they are
provoked. Do they have less right to live than say, the puppies of the Northwest
or the naninsects of the South?
Yours truly, Flummoxed in the Forest
Greetings Flummoxed,
You present me with a very good question regarding the ethics of the city. In order to
answer your question properly, I did some research into the history of the spider forest
and discovered some very disturbing information.
It seems that when adventurers first began to explore the forest, the spiders inside
were of a highly aggressive nature. The spiders were indiscriminate in their attacks
and killed many who ventured amongst their trees. A few brave adventurers took it upon
themselves to try and rid the forest of the spiders, and that quest cost many of them
their lives. Those adventurers included some of the greats of the time, Agular, LordAgular
and Shirrah come to mind.
As more people came to the city and eventually to the forest, the spiders began to suffer
more losses than they dealt. It was not long before they stopped being as aggressive and no
longer attacked travelers on sight. It may be possible that, like you they feared a potential
genocide. Or it may be that they are simply waiting for a time when aggression against them
dies down so that they can continue their old ways. As if to confirm this fear, while writing
this article I heard reports of spiders attacking citizens. Wanting to know the truth I
investigated and found that while the infants are still docile, the toddlers are once again
attacking.
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Which brings up the question; are there more spiders? We've only seen infant and toddler
arachnids so far, but will they grow up to be something far more dangerous? The larger
spiders may even be out there now, lurking just beyond our sight. With the ways the trees
of the forest shift, no one can say for sure that they have seen the entirety of the wood.
Regarding your comment about puppies and naninsects, I do agree that every creature has a
right to exist, regardless of its nature. However, by examining the histories of various
societies, we can see that attempts to destroy creatures that threaten a society are all
too common.
It is a personal choice to kill the spiders or not, but if everyone were to stop, it could
spell disaster for the city as can be seen in the recent increase in toddler aggression.
If these spiders have yet to grow up, this may be the only chance to defeat them. Even Luz,
who represents of the good in our city condones violence against the spiders. Is this because
they are evil, or because they are a very real threat to the safety of the city? Even now
rumors have been circulating about possible arachnid activity inside the tree of wealth. Are
these mere rumors evidence enough to provide a justification for the elimination of the spiders?
You will need to look into your heart and see what path is best for you so that you can lead
a balanced life. That is my advice to you.
~ Church, Copper FreeBlade, of TriadCity
Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this article and would like to spiff me, dinars would
be preferred over experience. And remember, if you have a question you need answered, send
me a MUDmail and you too, can Ask Church.
The author thanks you for your reward. Please
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