Maria Caliban wrote...
I think they're called demons so people feel good about attacking and killing them. It's just an easy label to slap on a spirit so a player can murder them and not have to think about the morality of the act.
Thank you. Spirits of desire are obviously intelligent. They, and mortals they're hosting with, are not mad dogs to be put down.
Yes, there is probably truth in that. I can see how others view them as evil in that desire demons are selfishly motivated. The Connor-demon and Kitty-demon in particular show a callous disregard for human life. They also seem to be silver-tongued negotiators that utilize trickery in making bargains. The Warden and company is able to deal with them on equal footing because the desire demon is at a disadvantage or simply outclassed. However, when the situation is to their advantage they can be very sneaky. However, here is the interesting part... I do not see them as evil. I see them as amoral. Yes, y'all who know me read that right. I consider Morrigan evil, but desire demons amoral... and here is why:
Desire demons--no, all demons, do not truly understand human morality and philosophy. They want to possess mortals to experience what mortals do. They *think* they understand mortals to an extent by mimicking their world, but their understanding is heavily warped as a stroll through the Fade indicates. If you were an armchair anthropologist trying to study a far flung pastoral culture by watching video footage, how much would you truly come to understand their culture? There is a reason anthropologists do field work. They need to live in a culture and immerse themselves in it for an extended period in order to learn anything useful about how it truly functions. A desire demon, cruel as it can be, is like a twisted anthropologist. It focuses on desire, because that is the facet of mortal experience that it most relates to and is fascinated by. It understands what someone may want at a superficial level, but it does not truly understand people. It will not hold the same value for life, liberty, and fairness a mortal does. Therefore I see it as an amoral entity. A potentially dangerous entity, but amoral all the same.
Another interesting aspect is that desire demons are labeled demons at all. In Ferelden at least, alternative sexuality and casual sex for enjoyment is not villified. There is a brothel freely operating in Denerim, with guard support no less; and no one seems hung up about sleeping around. Freedom and ambition are also seen as respectable things to strive for and nurture respectively as long as it is done so in a societally approved manner. The Chantry is the only area where there seems to be sexual restrictions in that sisters are spiritually married to the Maker and disallowed from engaging in sexual acts. The Chantry labels desire demons, demons, perhaps because their wanton embracing of desires, and in particular, lust, runs contrary to their ethos.
I can see where the OP and those who disagree are coming from.
Modifié par Seagloom, 10 janvier 2011 - 12:34 .
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