I figure staying neutral is like staying your hand. You don't take up arms either for one or the other, but by no means are you indifferent.
First I reacted to what you wrote about gold. Staying neutral...for gold? I see now, or in my interpretation, that it would be like taking steps back from a conflict, until there is a winning side, and then offer your services. Those who win wars, also write the history or something like that. They are also the ones who will pay for future witcher jobs. For power? What, that's pure war strategy, letting two adversaries exhaust themselves and their resources before finishing them off. I don't feel 'power' fits into the witcher role. Of course, there was Letho and why he did what he did, but then again he wasn't neutral was he? Seems many witchers forget to stay neutral and not meddle.
Either for gold or power, that's scheming behaviour indeed, but that's the thing, everyone has an opinion and feelings of what is right or wrong, and what's neutral or not. There is a degree to everything.
Me, I'm opinionated as hell. I hate to meddle, but love to intervene.
If there's an aggressor coming down hard on the 'good', 'weak' and 'innocent' I can't help myself but to defend them. That is, if I perceive the aggressors as bad, and the victims as good, weak and innocent.
That is why Sapkowski was spot on with the lesser evil conundrum, and witchers staying neutral. It's all about the situation and circumstance, and it's so easy becoming a hypocrite in this world. Well it is for me anyway when playing the Witcher games. I might feel high and mighty in one situation, walking the moral high ground only to realise I'm meddling and suddenly I'm neck deep in the shit I once figured I was above.
I met my old teacher the other day, and I'm always reminded of what I was taught: Don't straddle the fence, take a stand. Either jump down in the minefield and risk it or face the bayonets on the other side, but pick a side.
I guess that lesson stayed with me. :happy:
There's no staying neutral for me. I know neutral is not indifference, but I would feel uncaring if not helping when I could have. Looking forward to be a hypocrite in Witcher 3 as well, and take all kinds of moral high grounds while I choose 'the lesser evil' or what have you.
If you're wondering, I sided with Yaevinn in Witcher 1 and Roche in Witcher 2. I felt that my choices were the most 'good' regarding both games. I stayed my hand when I could, even when I shouldn't, but not always when I reckoned I faced monsters that just had to be put down. Just like my vision of Geralt. I'm sure everyone has their own and that is why I'm grateful to the devs for making such great games! So thank you devs! :laughing: