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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aliro" data-source="post: 2017224" data-attributes="member: 23699">The problem we have here is one repeated many times over in games in which I have been involved: transferring twentieth century morals to a medieval setting. As you mentioned in your post, slavery is legal in this portion of your campaign world. This only leaves the question: Do the slaves have any rights, or are they simply property to be dealt with at the owner’s discretion? Does this include disposing of (read as destroying/killing/otherwise ridding themselves of) property for which they no longer see a use? If the slaves have no rights whatsoever, then no crime has been committed, legally, even if the child was abused. Morally, however, a serious crime has occurred, by our standards. If this is the case, the moral code for the region needs to be adjusted, and the treatment of the slave girl is only one symptom of the disease. Killing off the slavers is like treating a symptom while ignoring the disease. The disease will continue and probably grow worse, given time. Traditionally, slave-owning cultures have degenerated into a state where slaves are property to be dealt with as the owner sees fit. They might not start out that way, but that is where they wind up.A good-aligned party should investigate whether the slave girl has any rights, and if so, were they ignored. If her rights were trampled upon, there may be legal recourse to punish the wrongdoer(s). If she has no rights, and no crime was committed, it may fall to the group to crusade to bring about changes, either getting rights for slaves or, better yet, getting slavery abolished. They may receive help in this from the surrounding, more enlightened nations where slavery is illegal. The abused slave may serve as a sort of poster-child for this crusade. The abusers may not even realize that what they are doing is morally reprehensible. This may have been learned as acceptable behavior. Even physical and sexual abuse can be reasoned away in such a fashion. It happens in the real world all of the time. It doesn’t make their actions right. It merely allows them to excuse themselves, internally, from any wrong-doing.Finally, it is not your job as DM to force a resolution upon your group. If they decide to murder this group of folks, force them to deal with the consequences, in alignment and otherwise. This planned course of action is flat out evil, no question about it. Keep in mind the statement, “One may not do evil in order that good may result.” (I forget who said that, but it was one of the Catholic Church fathers from the Middle Ages, I believe.) Committing one evil act in order to stop another evil act does not solve the problem and only allows evil to grow stronger. A few subtle hints from you to your players, in the form of NPCs and such, should serve to head this situation off at the pass. If it does not, stronger action may be required in the form of a magical investigator hounding the PCs from as a result of the first murder (or perhaps thwarted attempt). If nipped in the bud, the violations may be handled with a few atonement spells and some other game-world appropriate consequences. If the group proceeds with this course of action, in spite of your warnings, alignment changes (with appropriate repercussions) and soldiers with strong ropes (and backed by wizards hired by the crown and the slavers) are predicted in your campaign. This is because slavery is considered legal and even taxed by the government. Even challenging the slavers to a fair fight would be illegal and get the PCs into hot water, though it would not be considered an outright evil act, like murder would.Just a few thoughts. I hope this helps.--Aliro</blockquote>

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