(edited by high.8526)
Are the charr the evil one?
Its alot of politics and really both sides have their share of faults ethicly. But they both at core want the same thing, what is best for their own race.
I would say neither the charr nor humans are evil. They’ve both done questionable things and both sides have their own views on what happened so each side thinks they’re in the right; but truth is war is messy and it just gets messier the longer it goes on.
If anyone in the war between the two races is evil, I would say it was King Adelbern. Instead of fleeing before the charr forces attacked, saving hundreds — if not thousands — of human lives, he summoned the Foefire simply because he hated charr so much and was too stubborn and proud to retreat to fight another day. As a result, every charr except for one warband was completely obliterated, and every human in the city had their soul kitten to wander the earth thinking they were alive, filled with the King’s hatred of charr, and unable to pass into the Mists.
Both sides have done their fair share of questionable things, but I’d say Adelbern wins the prize for being the most evil individual in the war.
I don’t enjoy cut and dry themes like Good versus Evil, unless the game is based entirely around it. None of the races are inherently evil. The game seems to push the idea that the story is driven from a heroic point of view.
The dragons would appear to be evil, but evil has a point of view. They are destroying the world, but i’ve yet to see if that is just their purpose and they are fulfilling a cycle.. or if they are doing it because of survival reasons, or they are just plain mad.
Tarnished Coast Server
According to lore, Humans were put upon tyria by the six gods (Dwayna, Grenth, Balthazaar, Melandru, Lyssa and Abbadon).
From there they stretched out and made 3 empires – Orr, Kryta and Ascalon. Ascalon was where the Charr had settled (And perhaps Kryta) and the humans pushed them out.
Charr regained they’re strength and attacked all 3 empires at once. Kryta held them back, Ascalon got the kitten kicked out of them (The Searing) and orr got blown the kitten up.
Charr slowly regained the Ascalon lands back so in a way…Charr are Americans. Humans are englnad. Humans did invade the Charr who were at the time, not hostile – Just barbaric and took all they’re land and pushed them north.
Charr, nor humans are evil. Charr lived in Ascalon first. Humans, after being brought to tyria from another world, took over said Ascalon. they expanded. Naturally the Charr fought back. Naturally, the humans fought back. Items, lands, and lives were taken that were sacred to both races. It’s all just one big disagreement really.
All charr were partly responsible for the atrocities commited during the reign of the flame shamans, despite this instead of showing remorse for that dark time in the history of their race, they continue to openly mock the civilization they helped eradicate and gladly benefit from land gained in a conquest fueled by foul magic granted to them from a malevolant god.
Sure, they no longer follow the destructive flame legion, but that didn’t stop them from continuing to wage war on humans who were only fighting for their dear life. Certainly to conquer territory you need to wage war, but even the charr should realize there is no glory in kicking someone when he’s down, or in this case nigh completely destroyed by the flame legion conquests.
Charr may no longer want to burn everything but they are still warmongers, extremely cruel to their prisoners and completely remorseless for their mistakes in the past.
So I’d say it’s fair to say the charr are the evil ones, for being unwilling to attone for their past and destroying (or slaving them to their death) rather then subjegating those they conquer.
Of course they are kicking someone who is on the ground, charr lore says they not only live for war, to win they use every possible option. There fore they use such things like spies, assassinations, all the “shadow arts” for which they have the ash-legion and which a more “honourful” nation would refuse to use.
They are pragmatic, they love fighting, but they have no problem backstabbing either when it benefits them.
But at least they made Peace with Humanity.
I’d say the Ascalonians are the “evil” ones. They are like the Americans and the Charr are the Native Americans. The Ascalonians pushed the Charr out of their land, and the Charr fought back. Yes, the Charr caused the Searing, but Adelbern caused the Foefire, hurting both sides for his own pride. So, I’d say the Ascalonians are the evil ones.
Just remember that the Charr have the peace treaty with the humans, and the Ascalonian ghosts are still fighting them.
Nobody believes they are evil. Even the worst of bad guys believe they are doing the right thing from their perspective.
The concept of retaliation, warring, scorched earth policy, torture, etc. being wrong is seen from a perspective that may not necessarily apply in Tyria and most certainly doesn’t apply as the Charr see it. Besides that, the world isn’t really pressuring them to change and is actually seeking to end war with them, rather than saying outright “They are evil and wrong and we need to stop them from it.”
The Charr warred with the Forgotten before the humans arrived, but it is not clear if/when they took over the lands known as Ascalon. The Forgotten used to cover the entire world as an apex race, but eventually were pushed out and back to the Crystal Desert, in part due to humans as well. So whose claim to Ascalon is “right” still, and always will remain a matter of perspective.
As for all the strife and destruction that the humans sustained in the past, that was largely the work of Abaddon. He used humans and Charr alike to manipulate events leading up to his (almost) freedom.
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Nobody believes they are evil. Even the worst of bad guys believe they are doing the right thing from their perspective.
The concept of retaliation, warring, scorched earth policy, torture, etc. being wrong is seen from a perspective that may not necessarily apply in Tyria and most certainly doesn’t apply as the Charr see it. Besides that, the world isn’t really pressuring them to change and is actually seeking to end war with them, rather than saying outright “They are evil and wrong and we need to stop them from it.”
The Charr warred with the Forgotten before the humans arrived, but it is not clear if/when they took over the lands known as Ascalon. The Forgotten used to cover the entire world as an apex race, but eventually were pushed out and back to the Crystal Desert, in part due to humans as well. So whose claim to Ascalon is “right” still, and always will remain a matter of perspective.
As for all the strife and destruction that the humans sustained in the past, that was largely the work of Abaddon. He used humans and Charr alike to manipulate events leading up to his (almost) freedom.
That’s the best answer you’ll get.
As for all the strife and destruction that the humans sustained in the past, that was largely the work of Abaddon. He used humans and Charr alike to manipulate events leading up to his (almost) freedom.
On the topic of “who is evil”, it can be argued that Abaddon is not evil either. He’s basically Prometheus, from Greek mythology… if Prometheus, once freed decided to (and was powerful enough) to wage war against the Greek Pantheon in retaliation for their cruel punishment they handed him (for basically making humans as intelligent and powerful as they are).
There is no evil, there is no good. There is just survival. From each point of view there is a rightousness, a need to defend what they know or a need to regain what was lost… or just plain survival. Supposedly our fight against the dragons are not so much a fight against evil, but a fight for something as simple as survival, seeing how the dragons are all consuming.
We are a group of ants fighting back the anteaters
So yeah, you are a hero, you must believe what you do is the right thing, from the point of view the game gives you…. you are good. Regardless of which race you choose to be. Each race also got a faction that is “evil”.
Charr got the flame legion, still believing in the old ways, still searching for a god for the charr and hating humans more than anything else. Humans got the seperatists, refusing to believe in peace with the charr and as much stuck in the old ways, the old thoughts as the Flame legion is. Are those factions completely evil? Maybe they just cannot adapt to change that well. And old wounds can be hard to mend.