(07-21-2014, 12:46 PM)Natalie Mcbeef Wrote: I think only one person on the syndicate can possibly be seen as evil, and that's the one orchestrating the events of the 2.3 patch. As far as Lorilito, scamming refugees and such doesn't make you evil.
An interesting semi quote I heard once is that, "In order to be an effective leader of a sovereign state, you need to be willing to let tens of thousands of people die." In a normal sense, that would make someone a monster, but with few exceptions in human history it's always been the state of things. Leaders have to make decisions, and often there is no perfect answer. I don't think you can apply adventurer D&D morality to the syndicate.
For example, lets say that he did do everything Nanamo wanted, what if the coffers ran out and they couldn't pay the brass blades? What if it caused massive inflation to the economy of the city and food shortages? What if Ul'dah lost it's competitive edge financially to a place like Limsa (which conveniently doesn't have to deal with refugee problems) and became a second rate power.
In order to be a good leader of a country with as tenuous as Ul'dah's is, you have to make hard decisions. Now it's possible Lorilito could find a way to help everyone and keep Ul'dahs might, but I wouldn't judge him so harshly for what he does.
It really depends on how you define "evil." Â In a strictly D&D sense, yes, scamming refugees does make you evil because the act is an evil act and pushes you further along the continuum towards Evil. Â If you scam them enough times, your alignment will shift, no matter how good you are on paper.
You also need to consider intent in your equations. Â Now, your "what-ifs" might very well be accurate, but what we've seen in cutscenes within the game itself shows that Lolorito's motivations are wholly selfish and self-aggrandizing. Â His actions might have some side benefits that are good for Ul'dah as a whole, but the only reason he does anything is for his own benefit. Â The fact that his motives are wholly selfish is very important, and something you really should keep in mind.
By the way, a leader that lets tens of thousands of his or her own people die when they could have prevented it is still a monster, no matter what justifications and excuses they may offer.
![[Image: hFalP38.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/hFalP38.jpg)
