The TriadCity Adventurer

Greetings Readers,

Welcome to Ask Church, the place where you can find the answers to your questions. For your reading pleasure, I present to you todays question:

Dear Church,

Like so many others in our fair city, I've made adventure, and sometimes violence, a part of my life. But lately I find myself doubting the virtue of my past actions. It is considered a proof of inherent goodness to go into the Northeast forest and kill the arachnids therein, but I wonder, can we really justify such a genocide? The spiders threaten no one who does not enter their wood, and even then, one is often safe from molestation by them unless they are provoked. Do they have less right to live than say, the puppies of the Northwest or the naninsects of the South?

Yours truly, Flummoxed in the Forest

Greetings Flummoxed,

You present me with a very good question regarding the ethics of the city. In order to answer your question properly, I did some research into the history of the spider forest and discovered some very disturbing information.

It seems that when adventurers first began to explore the forest, the spiders inside were of a highly aggressive nature. The spiders were indiscriminate in their attacks and killed many who ventured amongst their trees. A few brave adventurers took it upon themselves to try and rid the forest of the spiders, and that quest cost many of them their lives. Those adventurers included some of the greats of the time, Agular, LordAgular and Shirrah come to mind.

As more people came to the city and eventually to the forest, the spiders began to suffer more losses than they dealt. It was not long before they stopped being as aggressive and no longer attacked travelers on sight. It may be possible that, like you they feared a potential genocide. Or it may be that they are simply waiting for a time when aggression against them dies down so that they can continue their old ways. As if to confirm this fear, while writing this article I heard reports of spiders attacking citizens. Wanting to know the truth I investigated and found that while the infants are still docile, the toddlers are once again attacking.

Which brings up the question; are there more spiders? We've only seen infant and toddler arachnids so far, but will they grow up to be something far more dangerous? The larger spiders may even be out there now, lurking just beyond our sight. With the ways the trees of the forest shift, no one can say for sure that they have seen the entirety of the wood.

Regarding your comment about puppies and naninsects, I do agree that every creature has a right to exist, regardless of its nature. However, by examining the histories of various societies, we can see that attempts to destroy creatures that threaten a society are all too common.

It is a personal choice to kill the spiders or not, but if everyone were to stop, it could spell disaster for the city as can be seen in the recent increase in toddler aggression. If these spiders have yet to grow up, this may be the only chance to defeat them. Even Luz, who represents of the good in our city condones violence against the spiders. Is this because they are evil, or because they are a very real threat to the safety of the city? Even now rumors have been circulating about possible arachnid activity inside the tree of wealth. Are these mere rumors evidence enough to provide a justification for the elimination of the spiders? You will need to look into your heart and see what path is best for you so that you can lead a balanced life. That is my advice to you.

~ Church, Copper FreeBlade, of TriadCity

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this article and would like to spiff me, dinars would be preferred over experience. And remember, if you have a question you need answered, send me a PM and you too, can Ask Church.