by Lord Blackthorn

    While I deplore the depredations of the misguided and belligerent races wit(h) which we share our fair Britannia, and alongside the populace do mourn the needless deaths that their raids cause, I cannot countenance the policy of wholesale slaughter of these races that seems to be the habity of our soldierly element. Can we not regard the ratmen, lizard men, and orcs are fellow intelligent beings with whom we share a planet? Why must we slay them on sight, rather than attempt to engage them in dialogue? There is no policy of shooting at wisps when they grace us with their presence (not that an arrow could do much to pierce them!).

    To view these creatures as vermin denies their obvious intelligence, and we cannot underestimate the repercussions that their slaughter may have. If we regard the slaying of fellow humans as a crime, so must we regard the killing of an orc.

    At the same time, should a lizardman slay a human, whould we not forgive their ignorance and foolishness? Let us not surrender the high moral ground by descending to bestiality.

    Now, I say not that we should fail to defend ourselves in case of attack, for even amongst humans we see war, we see famine, and we see assault (though we owe a debt of gratitude to our Lord British for preserving us from the worst of these!). However, incursions such as the recent tragedy which cost us the life of Japheth, Guildmaster of Trinsic's Paladins, are folly.

    I had met Japheth, and like all paladins, he burned with an inner fire. Yet though I had the utmost respect for him, none could deny the hatred that flashed in his eyes the mere mention of orcs. And thus he carried his battle to the orc camps, and died there, unable to rise above his own childhood experiences depicted in his book, "The Burning of Trinsic." 'Tis a shame that even our mightiest men fall prey to this ignorance!

    Are there not legends of orcs adopting human children to raise as their own? Tales of complex societies built underground by races we regard as bestial?

    Let us not repeat the mistake of Japheth of the Paladins, and let us cease to persecute the nonhuman races, before we discover that we are harming ourselves in the process.