Are the Tomb Kings evil?

[nicholasakira]

I don't know a lot about Warhammer fantasy in terms of background, largely because the WFB section of Lexicanum sucks. In any case, while the morality of the 40k races are apparent (you're either mean or you're freakishly cruel) the WFB races seem more level-headed (which isn't saying much, given how nuts 40k is). The Wood Elves, for instance, truly are neutral.

So what about the Tomb Kings? I've read their background and they just seem like any other living nation, but with less skin. But their monuments to death and their black sorcery is a cause for alarm and they look scary. The rules of fantasy dictate that anyone who looks scary is evil.

So what do you think, are they evil or not?

[The Envoy (AWOL)]

They're really just conquerors trying to rebuild their former empires and glory. But being skeletons and all kinda make it a little odd for some. I wouldn't call them outright evil, but they sure as hell aren't good.

[Makarova (M.I.A)]

The only one in that kingdom with an actual sense of personality are the nobles and the priests. The nobles behave pretty much like they did in life, trying to conquer the world (like any other larger antique nation did), and the priests seems to be mainly interested in doing what they did when they were alive, stay in the background.

So I guess they could be considered neutral, but I think they're actually a bit too removed from humanity to truly be considered anything of evil, good or neutral. They just do what they always have done.

Many races in WHFB are somewhat nicer than anything in 40K, but still...

Bretonnia = Fight for personal glory and oppress peasants. I don't call the medieval English and French good just because they didn't commit genocide. But at least the Brets fight against "evil", which is rather useful even if it's sometimes misguided. But hey, at least they think they're the good ones.
Empire = Their Inquisition is very brutal, their whole religion is generally offensive and pretty much the same as the Ecclesiarchy, but the Sigmarites don't have enough power to enforce it on a grand scale.
High Elves = Trying to keep the world not fall apart, but don't really care about anyone but themselves.
Wood Elves = Probably the most neutral race of them all, even if they're cannibals and occasionally slaughter Bretonnian peasants.
Dwarves = Kind of neutral in the way that they only fight for or fight against anyone they made an oath to help or kill. If a Chaos Lord saved their High King he'd probably make an alliance with him.
Lizardmen = Follows the Old Ones plans, but don't actually do much but defend their settlements. Could probably be considered neutral, but they're strongly opposed to anything Chaos which I guess is a hint of good intent.

One of the things I like about both Warhammer games is that you don't find any single faction or race who are truly good. It gives a feeling of realism. Just like in the real world, good and evil are very relative.

[nicholasakira]

Well, it is true, there are no truly "good" races in either game even if there are some good people in both. I was wondering if the Tomb Kings were as confrontational as their cousins, the vampires.

[knight (M.I.A)]

The Vampire Counts try to stay as much hidden as possible in Slyvania, except a few who try to conquer the world occasionally.
The Tomb Kings try that all the time. So that would actually make them more evil than VC in this scale.
Well on the other hand VC terrorize their own people and hunt them for fun and blood (yes they have living peasents there)
On the other hand you have to take the other VC clans into account than von Carstein.
This is a difficult matter with VC and TKoK.
But I can say that Mortal Chaos and Imperium rank on one level of evilness in 40k and fantasy. One is just more subtle about it than the other in terms of brutality, while Chaos is more acceptable of mutants and others who are scum for the Imperium

[seed]

Its all just shades of gray(except dark elfs and filimar ). Which is fantastic. There are people in all sides which are "Good" and "Evil".
I have not read the tomb kings book in some times but in my mind there dead and dead things can not be evil because there to busy being dead to think " My gosh I was just thinking that town we just sacked and burnt to the ground.. I feel it was a very evil act don't you skeleton friend"

[Adam Selene]

I would say Tomb kings and Lizardmen are kinda evil, they wan't to eradicate species (because their in the land they want or are not part of the old ones plans) not intentionally evil but thats because they don't actually have ethics

[Deleted]

The Tomb Kings aren't evil, only the Lords and Priests could be considered evil but they probably haven't given much thought to being dead an the vast majority (the skelly troops) were tricked into becoming skeletons anyway