Quest:The Art of Persuasion
From WoWWiki
 The Art of Presuasion | |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| End | |
| Level | 71 |
| Category | Borean Tundra |
| Experience | 15100 |
| Reputation | +150 Kirin Tor |
| Rewards | 3  70 |
| Previous | The Borean Inquisition |
| Next | Sharing Intelligence |
| See also |  Wowhead Thottbot Allakhazam |
Contents |
Objectives
Librarian Normantis on Amber Ledge wants you to use the 
[Neural Needler] on the Imprisoned Beryl Sorcerer until he reveals the location of Lady Evanor.
- Prisoner Interrogated
Description
It is fortunate you're here, <race>.
You see, the Kirin Tor code of conduct frowns upon our taking certain 'extreme' measures - even in desperate times such as these.
You, however, as an outsider, are not bound by such restrictions and could take any steps necessary in the retrieval of information.
Do what you must. We need to know where Lady Evanor is being held at once!
I'll just busy myself organizing these shelves here. Oh, and here, perhaps you'll find this old thing useful....
[You receive [Neural Needler].]
Progress
Well, do you know where Lady Evanor is being held?
Completion
Excellent! It was crucial that we collect that intelligence.
Well done, friend.
Rewards
You will receive: 3 70
You will also gain:
- +150 reputation with Kirin Tor
- 15,100 XP
Notes
When using the needler, the sorcerer whispers the following:
- Pathetic fool! A servant of Malygos would sooner die than aid an enemy....
- Aargh! Do your worst, <class>! I'll tell you NOTHING!
- Aahhhh! Release me! I am of no use to you. I swear it!
- Stop! I beg you, please stop. Please...
- Alright! I am beaten. Your precious archmage is held in a prison, elevated and sealed. Even if you manage to reach her, Salrand herself holds the key. Your mission is folly!
- At this point, you achieve the objective of Prisoner Interrogated. You still hold the Neural Needler, though, and are able to continue.
- Enough! I've told you all that I know. Your continued abuse is senseless!
- You aren't even asking me questions!
- You have a darkness in you, <race>
- You have shown me the face of true evil, <name>
This quest, wherein you torture someone for information, is noteworthy for its relevance to real-world events and morality. A reaction to it - on game design merits, rather than morality issues - by Richard Bartle (here, with replies found here) gained significant publication (on sites like these). The game design points raised seem largely to have been overshadowed by the reaction to the torture elements of the quest - the very shock Mr Bartle was thinking of when he first commented.
The whole premise is that the librarian character won't torture someone because of the morals of his group, but you (the character ... or the player) can. In fact, to complete the quest series, you have to. (Discussion of this issue is best placed here.)
Quest progression
-
[71] Nick of Time or 
[71] Too Close For Comfort
-
[71] Prison Break
- [71] Abduction
- [71] The Borean Inquisition
- [71] The Art of Persuasion
- [71] Sharing Intelligence
- [71] A Race Against Time
- [71] Reforging the Key
- [71] Taking Wing
- [71] Rescuing Evanor
- [71] Dragonspeak
- [71] Traversing the Rift
External links
Criticism
The co-author of MUD, Richard Bartle[1], called this "a fiction-breaking quest of major proportions"[2]. Bartle points out that the forced use of torture in this quest, along with the fact that torture here is portrayed as something acceptable and effective which yields positive results, makes it appear that "Blizzard's designers are OK with breaking the Geneva convention," therefore the quest is "badly designed."[3].
