"Neutrality" and You!

[Kintyre]

On Earth, there have been conscientious objectors and those maintaining neutrality in nearly every armed conflict in existence. There are several ways in which this is possible. I am going to outline them as relating to Telara.

1. Unaffected - Someone who has no opinion on the war due to lack of information or it dealing with "someone else." In Telara, as an Ascended, this is not truly possible. Unless you are roleplaying someone from a formerly-distant tribe who truly has no opinion on the war between Guardian and Defiant, you will likely not fall into this camp.
2. Conscientious Objector - Someone who disapproves of violence as a means to an end, as related to the current conflict. This is what most players attempt, and tend to portray badly. This is not necessarily a weepy, bleeding-heart "no more violence" peacenik. This person generally has a limit to what they will allow, and if the "atrocities" of the "other side" were brought to full light before them, would abandon a peaceful stance. Generally, someone of this type (at least in Telara) should be either ignorant of the activities of the other faction, a freshly-minted Ascended, or an idealist rather than a realist/pragmatist.
3. Noncombatant - Someone who does not believe in personally attacking the other faction. This is likely more of the current status of non-PvPers in most instances. They may be anything from a courier to a warlord, but they do not initiate attacks upon the other faction. This is not to say that they will not defend themselves or respond in kind to aggression. Ascended are powerful, undying, and resilient. They are obvious targets for the "other side," and may be targeted specifically for this reason, in addition to hampering or interfering with the opposing faction's goals in nonlethal manners.
4. Restraint - Someone who does not believe in "killing them all." This should be another common take on neutrality. This person is not truly "neutral" in the grand scheme, but does not believe that wiping the other faction out to the last person and Ascended is a worthwhile goal. Again, this is not neutral. Choosing not to kill a Defiant simply because an Eth wanders across your path is not neutrality. Deciding not to murder a Mathosian while they're fighting a vespid is not neutral. Such are choices.
5. Aggression - Another form of non-neutrality, this can range from "interfering with their goals" to "wipe them off the world," but someone with this mindset actively takes an opposing role to the other faction, seeking to stop them through strength of arms, mind, or outmaneuvering.
6. Hyperaggression - Whoa, there. Are they really worse than the planars? Do you truly want to ally with planes tainted and leashed to the wills of mad gods who have as an explicit goal "destroy the world" to remove the "bad guys" from it?

[Kintyre]

I mention these because to portray a believable character, you (the player) need to know what your character's opinions and beliefs are. If you intend to play a "neutral" character, an explanation of why you are identified as one of the major races involved with a particular faction is a good start, and how you are distant from the mainstream thought process of your race.

Or, you could play a zealot or apostate and go a little more toward the "normal" side.

A valid answer to "Why is my character's belief system radically different from the average member of his/her race?" is warranted.

[Akamhara]

Really nicely put

Neutrality is something that is hard to pull off, I think in a lot of cases. There's some people Guardian side on our shard that do it very well - its all secretive, they're aware their goals are not going to be met with sweetness and light by the main faction, so it adds some spice.

[the_real_seebs]

I think "will totally go to war with you if and when we've survived this planar thing" is a pretty viable position.

[Kintyre]

Agreed. That would fall under "Restraint" in my list. This is where most of my characters fall, in the "I don't agree with you, but as long as you're not actively harming my efforts, I'm not going to harm you" status.