DARIGAN CITADEL - For more than a week now the battle in Meridell has raged,
growing more intense by each passing hour. On one side, there is the forces
of King Skarl, the "noble" leader of Meridell; on the other side are the hideous,
mutated troops of Darigan's flying citadel. Not much is known of Lord Darigan,
but he is a calm, calculating mastermind bent on revenge for a heinous crime
against his kingdom and people.
Apparently, when Skarl took the orb to save Meridell, he took it from the
peace loving people of Darigan and left them to rot in the barren wasteland
that their land would become. Because of Skarl's actions, innocent Neopets died,
famine and disease were introduced into Darigan, and its residents were turned
into grotesque mutated creatures.
In light of these recent developments, are we, the sworn defenders of Meridell
to drop our swords and armour and fight for Darigan? Do these facts change what
we already know and does it prove all of us defenders wrong? Those questions
are what I intend to answer in this short and informative article.
1. The Story
In recent days, news has come forward that makes Lord Darigan seem like a hero;
like he is leading the real "good guys" in this war. What about older news?
Didn't Skarl steal the orb to save his own people, who were suffering like the
people of Darigan do now? Wasn't he being a good leader by not allowing his
kingdom to be destroyed by some ancient curse? Wouldn't any of us done the same
thing?
When Skarl took the orb on that fateful day, did the citizens of Darigan raise
any resistance to oppose them? According to the news that heralds Darigan as
the rightful heir to the orb they did not. They allowed the few forces of Meridell
to walk in, take their orb and walk away. Darigan, on the other hand, chooses
to ignore negotiations and storm in out of the blue with his flying citadel
and his mutant Neopets.
Does that make Skarl more right? The fact that he did not fight the Darigans,
the fact that he simply took the orb and left Darigan in peace makes all the
difference. Darigan has made it quite clear that he does not only want the orb,
he wants to see Meridell in pieces. I don't know about you, but pillaging and
destruction are not two traits I usually attribute to a "good guy."
2. Heroes
Early on in the Meridell plot, we followed the adventures of Lisha the Aisha
and her friends as they discovered Meridell and Lisha's long lost brother. Lisha
is just a little girl who has her heads in a fantasy life, and her friends are
very much the same. Lisha's brother has become a famous knight of Meridell who
is known world-wide as a great hero. It is even told in Neopian legend that
he will save Meridell from its enemies.
Skarl, the king of Meridell, seems like a nice enough guy. He's gracious when
Lisha saves his guardsmen, (though Draiks are hard to come by, even for kings)
and he apparently cares deeply for his subjects. Enough to rob from an innocent
kingdom? Yes. There is nothing wrong with his action, because he was only thinking
for his subjects' well-being. He was obviously pained by their suffering and
did the only thing he could do, save them by any means necessary.
Lord Darigan, the only hero for the invaders, is an enigma. Not much is known
about his history, save for the loss of his precious orb and the back story
of his great crusade against the evil Skarl. He may claim to fight for the orb,
but his goals go beyond that. To want to destroy Meridell, (where many innocent
people and Neopets dwell) far outweighs the transgression of Skarl. There is
no need to leave Meridell in ashes, it would be simply for Darigan's twisted
pleasure.
3. History
History is the guidebook to the future, and the past sheds some light on the
"once peaceful" country of Darigan. According to the myths and stories recently
brought forward, Darigan was a utopia, where famine, war, and disease were not
known until the wicked Skarl came and took it all away; but is this the truth?
Many years ago, Meridell was invaded by hideous mutant Neopets. The kingdom
would have been lost if not for the aid of the townspeople of Meridell, who
stepped up to the task and saved the day. Obviously there is no dispute as to
who was the "good guys" and who was the "bad guys" in that war. The invaders
attacked without reason or notice, quite a vicious thing to do.
But where did these foreign invaders come from? They closely resemble the
attackers invading Meridell as you read this, so we can infer they have the
same origin: Darigan. That attack was not because of some silly orb; Skarl was
just a boy, he hadn't masterminded the theft of an all important artifact, he
was simply another onlooker in that war.
Also according to recent news, Darigan had slid into ruin quickly after the
theft of the orb, but if these mutants attacked long before the orb was stolen
it leads us to believe that this recent news is all propaganda cooked up by
Darigan to save a war he realises he will surely lose. Skarl, the "wretched"
king did not steal an orb that was the life force of a nation, he stole a treasure
from a vile warlord that would save his people. If anything, Darigan's forces
should be defecting to Meridell, not the other way around!
4. Summary
With all these facts, I hope I have helped you see past the propaganda and helped
you to decide the path for yourself. If you really are a being of evil, then
your home is among the twisted hordes of Darigan, but if you strive for good
and justice, you belong in the ranks of Skarl.
Meridell faces a tough fight ahead of it, but this fight can be won if the
forces grow in number and the people of Meridell unite again as they did so
long ago. Only through the defeat of Darigan can peace reign over Neopia once
again. | 
