by Rajaad
To Monsters and Creatures Treatises
Sereg? Honor? Well, I've had little in the way of support in writing this short little dissertation, but do hear me out, at least.
Yes, I'm talking about the Sereg, famous for raiding ports, looting villages, raping women, and waylaying travellers. But I was talking to Mishella, a pretty sage I met in a tavern a few passages ago, and she had this to say --
"These Sereg, you see, are not what they seem. Oh yes, don't mistake me. They'll not hesitate to take what they want, whether it belongs to them or not. But they don't do it in quite the same way a human would. You see, we use deceit and treachery to gain our way, while the Sereg believe in direct confrontation. That's why they are so well known - they don't sneak into a village at night, steal some people, and slip out unnoticed. They ride in with shouts and yells, encouraging the village to defend itself. It's a little-known fact that Sereg seldom kill, but usually wound an opponent so that they are no longer a threat. Furthermore, they take pride in being wounded themselves, and do not react with anger if they are struck, like a human would. Quite to the contrary, this often delights them, and encourages them to more spirited combat."
At this point, I was doing all I could to concentrate on the task at hand. The manner in which her rounded lips were forming words made this quite a challenge indeed.
"Do you think we could ever form some sort of friendly trade with them," I asked. "Make peace?"
"I doubt it," she laughed. "We've proven ourselves un-honorable in their eyes. We burn their villages, slay their men after they've fallen, torture captives to learn the locations of their settlements, and use tactics they would consider unthinkable, such as the utilization of poisons, or overwhelming them with unfair odds. The Sereg feel that combat should have a ring of fairness to it, and that if one can best another, then the victor should have rights to the property of the loser. You may think it strange, but they consider us to be uncivilized, dishonest, brutal, cruel, and rather thoughtless in our killing and inconsideration for life. The Sereg are all about passion, you see."
"Alright," I returned. "But what about women? Don't they rape women?"
"That all depends on your definition," she replied. "I've heard stories that they won't actually take a woman by force. I talked to a girl once who spent three moons as a Sereg captive. When she first arrived, she was treated rather roughly, but when she was taken back to the hut of her captor, she protested mightily when he attempted to be intimate with her. She said that he grew quite frustrated and rather dejected. She continued to refuse him, and although he grew angry with her, she was never taken by force, though he did force her to sleep next to him in his furs. At last, in disgust, he traded her to another Sereg, whom she also refused. This one utilized tactics of seduction, and brought her many gifts and delectable foodstuffs, but she simply would not respond. By this time they decided that she made a poor slave, and released her near her home village. I have heard stories that are more brutal than that one, but it's difficult to tell if those tales are exaggerated to make the Sereg seem horrible. The account I just gave you is quite true, I can assure you."
"And what about their pillaging? I mean, they do steal, right?"
"Again, definitions must be laid. The Sereg don't consider it stealing. They take things from each other if they can gain something through their own skill. They don't hold property to be sacred, as we do. They consider people, and honor, and life to be of highest value, and possessions to be a form of fun rather than security. That people would kill each other over gold, or get angry with each other over an object, or possess so many things that they could never be moved without wagon upon wagon of loading space, seem rather ridiculous to the Sereg mind. They love things while they have them, but don't mourn over objects they've lost. So perhaps it's a conflict of definitions rather than a conflict of values. The Sereg see strength as the end-all of any argument. But they also realize that strength comes in many forms, such as intelligence or charisma, as well as physical power. Traits that make humans advance in our society, such as the ability to manipulate others, selectively apply morals, or the possession of immense wealth, do not register as strength in the Sereg definition. Strength is your ability to directly confront a problem."
"You almost sound like you approve of them," I said.
She shrugged. "They live purely."
As for myself, I'm still trying to decide if I agreed with her just because of those plump and finely shaped lips. But at least it's some fodder for thought. Perhaps these monsters known as Sereg aren't really monsters at all, but simply a fae-bred race who feel they can prey upon us because of our despicable mannerisms. True, I'm still not completely convinced, but I'm thinking. I'm thinking.
To Monsters and Creatures Treatises