Issues with The Dark School

[Sailor Vulcan]

Something that has been bothering me for a while is the nature of the Dark school. It seems like it's the one school that's actually "pure evil", while none of the other schools are purely good or evil. I feel that it makes the dark school stand out too much, and it doesn't make much sense to me to make an entire school of magic evil.

The way I would like it to be presented would be more like a "power can corrupt" sort of thing. Power isn't evil in and of itself. Neither Fear nor Uncertainty are evil in and of themselves. Darkness is not evil in and of itself. It's a matter of how these things are used that determines a character's moral "alignment", not the mere fact that they are being used.

I think this also thematically goes well with Adramelech's Fire powers. The idea is that when the powers of Darkness and Fire are combined, they can be very volatile and difficult to control; Adramelech recklessly pursues and uses power without any restraint or control, which is part of what makes him both so dangerous and so evil.


However, this is not the way the Dark school has been presented. As far as I can see, it's just the evil school. I think this creates the problem of flat (or semi-flat, or at least a lot of less relatable) characters. It seems that all Dark mages are doomed to be maniacally laughing lords of villainy (except for the ones who haven't had as much dark training, of course.)

For once, I want to see a Warlock with (mostly) good intentions. Someone who serves the Arraxian crown not because he/she likes them or agrees with everything they do or enjoys hurting others, but because they need the power it offers them in order to do something good, like say, protecting lives that the Westlock government fails to protect in times of crises.

Or a necromancer that uses their great expertise of diseases and dead bodies in order to solve murder mysteries, discover the inner workings of creatures, and killing serial killers in order to save many lives, as well as using their control over the bodies of their dead friends and relatives (with permission in their wills of course) in order to fight off invaders.

I feel like the Dark School is being stereotyped here, and I don't like it.

[vlad3theimpaler]

The holy school doesn't have anything evil, and the dark school doesn't have anything good.  So why is it that you see the dark school as the one that's being "stereotyped" and not the holy school?

[Sailor Vulcan]

The holy school doesn't have anything evil, and the dark school doesn't have anything good.  So why is it that you see the dark school as the one that's being "stereotyped" and not the holy school?

On the contrary, the holy school has a lot of militant religious extremists. Granted, not all of the holy school is willing to go as far as to try to take over someone else's homeland and enslave its people in the name of their gods. But some of them do.

As for the dark school, it seems like all warlocks and necromancers are chaotic-evil. The holy school has it's fair share of well-intentioned extremists, and it could be argued that ALL the schools have that. But why doesn't the dark school have any at all?

[vlad3theimpaler]

On the contrary, the holy school has a lot of militant religious extremists. Granted, not all of the holy school is willing to go as far as to try to take over someone else's homeland and enslave its people in the name of their gods. But some of them do.

As for the dark school, it seems like all warlocks and necromancers are chaotic-evil. The holy school has it's fair share of well-intentioned extremists, and it could be argued that ALL the schools have that. But why doesn't the dark school have any at all?

Where are you getting that the holy school has a lot of militant religious extremists?  I haven't seen that on any of the cards.

[ACG]

I think "good intentions, evil methods" themed cards would be a great way to flesh out the scope of the dark school. Obviously, nobody believes that they are evil, so exploring the motivations of "evil" characters can be very interesting. The best way to do this is through flavor text, since it is the thematic element of the game most likely to be read by everybody (you could put theme in the rulebook, but not everybody would see it).

Example: Haunt a player with the souls of the creatures they kill (Like "Haunted", though it lacks space for flavor text), as a form of dark vengeance for wrongs done.

[Sailor Vulcan]

On the contrary, the holy school has a lot of militant religious extremists. Granted, not all of the holy school is willing to go as far as to try to take over someone else's homeland and enslave its people in the name of their gods. But some of them do.

As for the dark school, it seems like all warlocks and necromancers are chaotic-evil. The holy school has it's fair share of well-intentioned extremists, and it could be argued that ALL the schools have that. But why doesn't the dark school have any at all?

Where are you getting that the holy school has a lot of militant religious extremists?  I haven't seen that on any of the cards.

Why? Three words: Conquest of Kumanjaro.


Merely reading the flavor text on cards doesn't actually tell you the story, it just adds theme. You should read some of the organized play story material, starting with the very beginning of "Westlock: Dark Prophets". There's a very interesting dialogue that occurs between Malakai and Asyra that I think you'll find enlightening.

[Shad0w]

Dark School
With a word, curses wither enemies to dust. Their lifeblood pours forth, and with Dark magic one drinks of this river. Under the weight of pestilence, pain, and death enemies will buckle. Demons from deep within Etheria answer the call of the blood rites. Ravenous vampires and animate corpses stir from their graves. Life enforces no laws here. For the price of a mere soul, unbreakable pacts signed in blood grant ultimate power.

  Hint they are not the good guys.

Holy School
Darkness recoils from the light of Asyra. Disciples of Holy magic wield a cleansing light. When turned upon the righteous they bolster their strength, steel their resolve, and bind their wounds. Turned against the impure, it is a pure white light burning away all of their iniquity. Valorous soldiersand virtuous angels answer the prayers. When standing before this holy assembly is there any doubt of Asyra’s grace?

CONQUEST of KUMANJARO
Far to the South across the Veridian Sea, lies Kumanjaro, a sprawling continent of wide savannahs, dense jungles, and untold riches. It has remained untouched by the cultured nations of the North, until now...

First to travel, the Wizards of Sortilege described a place where they could craft their bizarre experiments free from the judgment of the other nations. The Ivarium Empire followed shortly after seeking vast riches in this untamed land. They returned with tales of an aggressive warrior tribe calling themselves the Johktari. Hearing of a people without the Light of Asyra, Westlock sent colonists to bring radiance and enlightenment to this foreign tribe.

For a year the settlement of Hertham grew. The last communication from Hertham was that the Johktari had sent a war party claiming the Asyrans had invaded sacred grounds. An expeditionary force sailed to Kumanjaro. They arrived to find the citizens of Hertham slain and their heads adorning pikes around the settlement. Lead by the Priests of Malakai, the expeditionary force marched into the nearest villages and avenged the peaceful citizens. Only then was their folly revealed. The Johktari were not just a warlike tribe, but a thriving nation with their own Mages trained in the ways of Nature Magic . They were well prepared and able to retake Kumanjaro
from the foreign invaders!

[HeatStryke]

As an aside. The source of the magic may be focused on good or evil, what the Mage does with it is not. A Warlock could summon an Angel, it doesn't make the Angel evil nor does it always mean the Warlock was good.

Mortals get the advantage of Moral ambiguity.

[vlad3theimpaler]

Why? Three words: Conquest of Kumanjaro.


Merely reading the flavor text on cards doesn't actually tell you the story, it just adds theme. You should read some of the organized play story material, starting with the very beginning of "Westlock: Dark Prophets". There's a very interesting dialogue that occurs between Malakai and Asyra that I think you'll find enlightening.

When you referred to the "schools" of magic, I thought you were referring the actual spells used in the game, not the characters in the fictions.