Betrayal

Isn't it interesting, how our definitions of things tend to change? Take "betrayal" for instance. The word signifies something very powerful--being betrayed, played for a fool, used. Not exactly pleasant. Even more interesting, depending on how we define it, is that the Betrayer can be seen either as a hero or a villain. Need some examples? No problem.

Trudy betrayed her tribe to the Guardian & The Chosen. Ergo, she was very much a villainous person. Because of her, the Mallrats were left vulnerable and finally subjugated by The Chosen. Yet to The Chosen what she did was magnificent. She was, indeed, Supreme Mother. Well, for a little while anyway.

May, Taisan and Ellie were also betrayers, but they were considered very much heroines. May played double-agent, finally siding wholey with the Mallrats against The Chosen. Taisan was a self-styled mole within The Chosen. She was their second Supreme Mother, and she used her role to sow confusion for the the Guardian and ultimately work to bring them down from the inside. Ellie used her "womanly ways" to snare Luke who was the Guardian's strongest lieutenant. Not only did she snare him, she turned HIM into a betrayer, too.

Ned was also a betrayer. He betrayed the hospitality of the Mallrats and even his love for Alice when he kidnapped Amber & Trudy and ultimately made off with the Guardian hoping to trade him for riches and power. He got what most betrayers usually get--he died at the Guardian's hand.

KTDARPG has seen extremely few betrayers, either as heroes or villains. I think it's because, among us players, it isn't so much in our nature to play "the betrayer" even when it's just play. But you never know. The game's come a long way, but there's still lots more to go!

-Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"