Posted by Unnamed Arbiter on March 26, 2000 at 03:46:52:
Alright people. I know that one little message from an Arbiter isn't going to change your years (months, minutes?) of complaining and hatred of the Arbiters, but I hope it makes you think.
I'm certain that every single Arbiter has before or is currenly playing at least one non-Arbiter character. We all know what it's like to be non-Arbiters. If their experiences are anything like mine, we've all been annoyed by the Arbiters. I've had several experiences where my calls for help were not answers. I've had one where the necro that killed me's word was taken over my own, despite some evidence. Here's the thing though:
An Arbiter is the "shield of the innocent," much as a Servant of Dawn is a "shield to the common man." If the servants were deciding a person's fate, life or death, they'd probably think twice about killing someone who denied thier evils. Arbiters must do the same thing.
When in a situation where two people claim the opposite, it is difficult, sometimes impossible to tell who is telling the truth. We try to protect the innocent as often as possible but will not condemn a person to death if they may reasonably be innocent.
You all must keep in mind that being an Arbiter is a VERY difficult job. There is no time for a "social life." If a person has [ARBITER] in front of their name, then they have commited their ENTIRE LIFE to protect YOU, worthy or not.
There are too many illegal things we cannot detect or know for certain... Being robbed is the main one. Any distant attacks such as lightning bolts are another. We cannot flag a person unless we're certain. You may say "It's the only person in my range that can do that" but even we, with vigilance cannot see everyone. Just consider this as one of the little unfair pieces of life.
Bottom line: We're just people. If you don't like us, don't complain. We have devoted our lives to help the innocent. It *IS* a thankless job, yet we continue. We go unrespected & unloved. We're just a big target to the chaotic's around us.
You may not like the Arbiters but nothing in life is certain. If we didn't devote EVERYTHING, you would have a 0% chance of getting revenge unless you sucked it up and did our job for you.
-- End ramble.