Sunday, May 24, 2015

Salem and Threefold Alignment

Salem season 2 is on now (subtitled, "Witch War" according to wikipedia, which fits the lurid tone perfectly, so I'm disappointed they don't use it in advertising). Watching the conflict between the forces of the oppressive, conformist Christian Orthodoxy and the ruthless witches, out to steal the new world for themselves (and their dark master), it's interesting how both sides are presented as having legitimate grievances and a legitimate point of view. Both sides are also guilty depravity, harming innocents, and using the end to justify the means.

Though neither God or Satan has directly opined on the actions of their supposed agents but if we take the obviously real nature of witchery and the claims of its adherents and enemies as fact, then the with-hunters and Christian majority map to the Lawful side of things and the witches map to Chaos. Both show evidence of behaviors we might call "evil" and (less commonly) "good", so those are largely not of concern to the factions, just like they aren't in old school D&D alignment.

There is also a Neutral faction. Petrus the Seer wields magically powers and is most often seen helping the witches but doesn't appear to be one of them. The Native Americans likewise have magical traditions with real power but they are opposed to the witches. The tribes and their beliefs are also condemned by by the Salem Christian establishment.

So, there you go. All and all, a good example of threefold alignment in action.

1 comment:

Timothy S. Brannan said...

I am woefully behind on this show.

Need to get caught up.