Dreaming Out Loud Episode 5: The Face of Evil

Before I launch into my next installment of Dreaming Out Loud, I would like to thank everyone for the quality feedback that you have been giving me. I read it all, and I always consider your points. To be honest, I don’t always agree, but your suggestions and questions have sharpened and continue to sharpen my unfolding understanding of the project that I am undertaking. Thank you all very much.

Now, as I had mentioned, I had considered doing Alyria stories for this column. I have since decided not to pursue this course, allowing this column to be more expository in nature. However, I tend to write stories for my worlds, since it hones my understanding and experience of the world. Therefore, I have created a section on the Dark Omen Games website called “Visions of Alyria”, which is where I will put the stories that I write and any art that I can commission. For those of you who are interested, check out the “In The Works” section of the website (http://darkomengames.bizland.com). As always, feedback is appreciated, whether good or bad. Currently, there is only one story posted, called “Green Flame” (http://darkomengames.bizland.com/greenflame.html). However, it is relevant to the column today, because, finally, I introduce you to the dragons.

Let me begin with an important statement. I believe in evil. I don’t just mean “evil” as in “not being nice to each other”, although that’s true. I don’t even mean “evil” as in “actively harming each other”, although that’s true as well. When I say “evil”, I mean a moral force actively opposed to “good” in an absolute sense. I believe in an objective Good and therefore I believe in an objective Evil that is devoted to the opposition of the Good.

I would argue that it is this belief that informs a large majority of the fantasy genre. For instance, isn’t Lord of the Rings about the clash between Good and Evil? What about Star Wars? For that matter, what about the various Dragonlance books? The conflict between Good and Evil is a major theme in fantasy literature.

Now, I’m not suggesting that all lines be drawn sharply in every case. Is the Citadel good or evil? That’s a difficult question to answer. So many motives are mixed that it would be difficult to assign its status absolutely to one side or the other. After all, the citizens of the Citadel as a whole have not consciously taken sides. However, there are some who have chosen sides, who have chosen to serve the Darkness, who firmly believe with Lucifer that it is “better to reign in Hell than to serve in Heaven.” These have devoted themselves, body and soul, to the service of the dragons.

Not much is known about the origins of the dragons. It is hotly debated if they are a native species to Alyria or if they migrated through space from some other place. Some Keeper mystics even argue that they are the externalization of the darker side of humanity and that they were evoked by the arrival of the colonists to Alyria. No one knows the truth except the dragons, and they aren’t telling. However, their origin is really not important, because everyone knows what their goal is: the destruction of all that is good, true and beautiful on Alyria and the complete enslavement and eternal torment of every living being on its surface.

The reason for this is simple. The dragons feast on pain. They thrive on the psychic emanations from beings in pain. And not just any pain, mind you. A child stubbing his toe or even someone dying by accident does little for the appetite of these horrible beings. Rather, it must be pain caused by malice. Torture, slaughter, mayhem. These are the dragons’ true delicacies. What is worse, they are not alone in this. Their followers willingly offer them pain in the hopes that when the dragons set up the New Order, they will be among the rulers of the eternally tormented. Little kings with fiefdoms of hell.

In order to flesh out this idea, I wrote “Green Flame”. It was a difficult story to write. I found myself wincing and gritting my teeth even as the words flowed from my pen. It was not that the story was gory. Rather, much is implied. However, for a moment, I put myself inside the head of a priest of the dragons, and it was not a pleasant experience. So, I found myself with fanatic death cultists devoted to the service of their dark masters gathering in secret places to offer human sacrifices and receive hidden power. It was hideous. It was evil. It was&clichéd.

That’s right. I looked at my cultists and thought to myself, “This has been done before.”

I don’t want to sound blasé, but how many other stories or game worlds have evil cultists worshipping dark gods? Let’s see. Call of Cthulhu is an obvious choice. How about Mage, with its Nephandi? Even some of the D&D worlds have similar groups. Like I said, I don’t want to sound insensitive, but if you’ve seen one demon-worshiping cultist, you’ve seen them all, right?

Then the solution struck me, and it was beautiful in its simplicity. Sure, other games had evil cultists, but what did they do when they weren’t performing some dark ritual? Beats me. The stories rarely focus on any other aspect of these cultists. When all is said and done, most “evil cultists” end up being cardboard villains, without much depth or personality, existing only to give focus to the adventure and allowing the PCs to vent their righteous indignation, usually in the form of large amounts of violence. However, I want more for Alyria than such simplistic, pulp-horror villains. I want a group of such loathsome evil that any sane person would recoil in horror.

Part of the problem, I think, is that we are so willing to make Evil cool. If you don’t believe me, take this quick test. Who was the coolest character in Phantom Menace? Time’s up! Did you say Darth Maul? I know I did. This guy has the moves of a trained martial artist, dresses in black and red, has a hooded cloak, and, to top it off, he has a double-bladed lightsaber. But&he’s the bad guy. Remember? He is responsible for assisting in the enslavement of a planet, the attempted murder of Anakin Skywalker, the murder of Qui-Gon Jinn, and possibly countless other crimes. And yet he’s the cool one. Why is that?

Evil should not be cool. Evil is not glamorous. Evil is ugly. Evil is slimy, disgusting, and loathsome. So, how do I accomplish this? Quite simple. What do the dragons want? Pain. So, what do the cultists give them? Pain. In their everyday lives, the cultists are devoted to maximizing the amount of pain in the people around them. This is not merely physical pain, mind you. No, that would be too easy. Dragon cultists make friends&and then betray them. Dragon cultists marry&and then neglect their wives. Dragon cultists lie and cheat and steal and do everything in their power to inflict whatever pain, insult, and misery they can on everyone around them. Not very glamorous, is it? Not as cool as a double-bladed lightsaber, is it? But take a close look. Can you deny that it is a truer picture of evil than Darth Maul?

The dragon cultists are ugly and do ugly things, because their masters egg them on. For, you see, the dragons have gotten smarter since the Rape. They know now that they moved too quickly during the Rape. The resistance was too much for them, and they were ultimately thrown back in disarray. But now they know better. Incrementalism is the order of the day. Spread the pain, spread the misery bit by bit. Take the long view. Think that your efforts for the dragons are wasted? Have patience. Even the very smallest efforts will add up over time. Every harsh word, every spiteful laugh, every insult cast. All are important in the end.

And so the dragons bide their time. Certainly they still occasionally rise to the surface, favoring their followers with visits or rampaging through the surface world for amusement. Certainly their followers still gather in dark places to bring their ritual offerings of pain. But this is not the essence of the plan. No, the dragons are taking the long view. And, slowly but surely, they are winning. Slowly but surely, the darkness spreads over Alyria.

It is late as I write this. Darkness enshrouds my home as I type away, desperate to meet my deadline. Then a sound makes me stop. A shudder runs down my spine. For, in the darkness outside, I think I hear a dragon roar. And the night seems colder and the darkness heavier for the thought.