A moment of mercy received or given?

Ho ho! Surely this is Mercy of the Icons, the epic campaign from Free League for Coriolis: The Third Horizon.

The title isn't just evocative, as it captures one of the campaign's central paradoxes. The Order of the Pariah, known throughout the Third Horizon as the Samaritans, are feared and distrusted by many. Yet on Coriolis Station they offer free medical care to anyone in need, regardless of wealth, status or faith. The people many see as villains are also those who heal without asking for anything in return. It's a wonderful reminder that mercy often comes from the places we least expect.

That theme found its way into our own campaign. One of the PCs, Yineve, was presented with an opportunity to arrange the death of Jale. Jale had once been a player character and the moral centre of the group before their player left the campaign, then continuing as an NPC, host of a pretty popular talk show on The Bulletin. Jale had been the voice of the crew; Yineve has gradually become its face, or an aspect of it. As to her/he’s decision…

Yineve chose mercy.

It wasn't the obvious choice, nor necessarily the safest, but it was the one that may yet define the character. In that single choice, Yineve honoured what Jale had once brought to the crew while proving they could lead in their own way. Sometimes the greatest victory in an RPG isn't defeating an enemy; it's deciding that someone deserves another chance.

Saying that Jale, who always sought the truth and the right path and got the group into no end of trouble, might have come to a sticky end if Yineve had put it to the vote!

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