OotS 414

[Quasqueton]

Besides, if a lich comes knocking at your door with an army of goblins large enough to overwhelm your city completely unannounced, is he really likely to negotiate in good faith?

Is this a trick question? Like "Are you a god?"

Quasqueton

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Sometimes I think people "overthink" the morals and ethics of the OotS comic ... But, as long as you enjoy it...

 

[Kahuna Burger]

Actually, negotiation shouldn't be a real consideration. Has no one else heard the story of the danegeld? Once you begin to pay for protection, you can never stop paying for protection. Do some reading. There is good historical justification for not negotiating with terrorists. Once you begin to pay for protection, you can never stop paying for protection.

That's pretty selective history there. Negotiated surrenders and truces (not to mention ransoms of nobles) have a significantly larger history.

 

[Quasqueton]

Sometimes I think people "overthink" the morals and ethics of the OotS comic ... But, as long as you enjoy it...

No more than we "overthink" the morals and ethics of imaginary RPG characters.

Quasqueton

 

[Pbartender]

It's D&D Japan which means...

...precisely nothing.

 

[painandgreed]

It's D&D Japan...

Are you speaking of Kozakura or Wa?

IMHO, it doesn't matter what Hinjo offered to do or what the Lich wants, or even if the Lich is even threatening the city. It is just the excuse. Shojo and Hinjo both know that the lords want power and that ninja would come at the slightest expectation of success of gaining power for their master. The "give them what they want" conversation said as much and was simply a sign that the ninjas were coming sooner than later since Hinjo couldn't use the same tactics as Shojo to keep them away.

Smiting all non-good won't work because the simple matter of the fact is that most people aren't good. It's a lawful society and I suspect that plenty of the society falls under evil, even ones that would follow Shinjo, while there are still good and neutral people who would try and gain power for themselves. It's why you don't see non-lawful paladins, because smiting all non-good will end up being a non-good solution and your pograms kill half the population.

 

[MaxKaladin]

We don't really have enough information about how things work in Azure City to know what Hinjo can legally do. That said, I wonder if he's playing a longer game.

1. He may be prepared to let the nobles leave with their troops because he's worried about them launching a coup or causing some other internal dissent with the attack by Xykon as a distraction.

2. Additionally, he may view this as a chance to deal with them once and for all. If Hinjo wins and they try to return, they may find (assuming there is a legal way for Hinjo to do this) that it's not so easy to get back into the city as it was to leave. He may cut deals with them that basically put a leash on them and squash their more dangerous plots. He may just send them away entirely -- after all, leaving like that may well be considered treason and I'd bet the populace won't be happy with them in any case.

It's a thought.

 

[Falkus]

We don't really have enough information about how things work in Azure City to know what Hinjo can legally do. That said, I wonder if he's playing a longer game.

I doubt it, he doesn't strike me as that politically savvy. He is a paladin after all. Now, don't get me wrong, paladin is one of my favorite classes to play, but they make for poor political leaders. Can't lie, can't act dishonorably.

 

[Kahuna Burger]

On a completely different topic, I noticed that there was no notable concern about the secret lore of the saphire guard having been inadvertently shared with an evil "genius" who has a feindish cohort.... Shojo didn't comment on it when they were asking to get nale and crew locked up, and Roy didn't bring it up to Hinjo. Are they just assuming that Nale didn't get a chance to tell Sabine about it, or that Sabine didn't share the info with any demonic types?

Yeah, a lot has been going on, but it seems like a clear and present danger to the gate that they would want to look into a bit more... who knows, maybe the others are questioning the guild as we speak, but I assume Sabine finding out was more than an excuse for a "that time of the century" joke and Nale having some alone time with Haley.

 

[kigmatzomat]

That's pretty selective history there. Negotiated surrenders and truces (not to mention ransoms of nobles) have a significantly larger history.

Truces aren't in the enemy's mind when they've got an army en route. Negotiated surrender is a possibility in the general sense but given that the army is evil goblinoids lead by a lich that has a long history of evil acts, it really shouldn't be an option for a rational leader either.

The nobles are failing in their societal responsibilities and I can see desparate peasants storming a ship full of armed nobles even without any spurring by Hinjo.