Which characters would kill Oriathans?

There are some areas in PoE that leave a shocking impression. I still remember back in 2014 how shocking the Lunaris Temple was, not only due to the unspeakable horrors, or the sheer scale of human suffering, but also the moral connotations.
I think there was an effort to create a similar atmosphere in the content which was to come, Feeding Trough for example, though that particular area does not do it for me. There is, however, an area in that batch of content that managed to evoke similar feelings as Lunaris Temple did back then for me.
That area is Oriath Square, but not the ravaged one from act 10. The one I am talking about is in act 5, where you take on the task to commit a massacre of your fellow Oriathans. Even after the 30th time of zooming past the area, I can't help but ponder what is going on. The people I am about to kill, I used to know them. These packs of mobs, they are my former compatriots, there is probably a parent of a childhood friend, an old acquaintance or neighbor among them. Not to mention the killing of mere civilians, whether targeted or as collateral.
Something about this feels different to me than killing bandits, or even Blackguards where it feels more of a matter of your own survival in the wilderness that is Wreaclast, certainly different from mowing down hordes of beasts and undead. Something about returning to your homeland and committing what can only be described as... genocide on your fellow citizens, has stuck with me.

Obviously, when you provoke the player to think like that, you did something right, it is one of the many reasons I like PoE and it's design philosophies.
When it comes to Oriath Square, since the gameplay implications are minimal, I usually simply resort to role-playing, considering what my character would do, in a similar manner to the choice of who to give the sekhema feather to in act 9.

So what would each character do?

Mass murder, would kill both civilians and Templars.
Witch: Would have no qualms murdering anyone in Oriath, I vividly remember her saying how she was killing children, all her Ascendancies embody death and destruction, she is clearly unhinged and revels in it.
Shadow: A psycho like the witch, probably a sociopath too, I don't think he would hesitate to kill anyone, though on a smaller scale than the witch, picking targets for sport and game, and having fun with it.
Marauder: It is clear he holds a deep contempt for all Oriathans, not to mention that as a "Marauder" he has to have taken parts in raids, either of Karui, or foreign settlements before being enslaved. I don't think he would hesitate to kill anyone in the area.

Grey/Debatable, would probably kill Templars, don't think they would kill civilians.
Duelist: Clearly enjoys combat and would not hesitate to fight anyone standing in his way. I don't think he would kill civilians, though, whether due to them not being worthy adversaries, or to the fact that many of his former fans are among them.

Pacifist, would try to avoid killing any people in Oriath Square.
Ranger: I do not think she would go out of her way to murder Templars unless it came down to self preservation and just can't see her murdering civilians, even though, in her mind, they wronged her with hunting rights. Does not seem like a vindictive character.
Scion: Yes, she is a murderer, but the conditions were exceptional. She is probably acquainted with many of the higher ranked Templars or affluent citizens. Even if she despises them all, I think she wouldn't go psycho on them, unless her time in Wreaclast changed her unrecognisably.
Templar: Group infighting is common, yes, but I can't see our Templar being able to murder his fellow comrades without at least trying to convert them to his cause. Especially with his new voice lines, he clearly shows to still care about initiates, after killing the unique monster in the area... If he saw no other choice, he would kill Templars with a heavy heart, since his "cause" is above everything else.

Of course one can argue how much exile has changed the characters, maybe even all the Thaumaturgy messed with their brains and made them more violent, just like the vaal. An analogue with the lead-crime hypothesis in the real world. Or is there a cultural aspect to being exiled from Oriath, that would compel the character to commit a massacre?
Either way, this is my take on it, maybe there is something in there for the devs to help confirm what PoE did right, and how to shape PoE 2 to be a similarly interesting experience. Feel free to post your own or point out details I might have missed.

"

DeLJaDe wrote:

Witch: Would have no qualms murdering anyone in Oriath, I vividly remember her saying how she was killing children.

God i miss the old witch intro "They were right to fear me. If only they had listened to their cowardice. Had they not taken my home with fire, I would not have taken their children."

My first character was a ranger, the 2nd was a witch. Going from the ranger's "you were a good man Fairgraves" to "that's how you die properly sailor boy" was hilarious.

I don’t see the Shadow just killing for the fun of it.
He only cares for his targets, so as long the oriathens are not on his list and are no threat to him, they should be save.

Marauder is still in a grey area. He probably wouldn't be interested in weaklings.
Shadow kills only for money, otherwise he would only kill if attacked. Hired killers have standards, you know.

As for the Witch, my favorite exile, she would make a throne of corpses, children included. She only craves two things, power and to be left alone. If not left alone she could wipe out life without an once of empathy. The only reason she's not corrupted and going insane like piety and the like is that she has that one rule: "do not let the power go to your head".

"

lupasvasile wrote:

As for the Witch, my favorite exile, she would make a throne of corpses, children included. She only craves two things, power and to be left alone. If not left alone she could wipe out life without an once of empathy. The only reason she's not corrupted and going insane like piety and the like is that she has that one rule: "do not let the power go to your head".

On point. My favorite exile too. 😎

"

odds wrote:

I don’t see the Shadow just killing for the fun of it.
He only cares for his targets, so as long the oriathens are not on his list and are no threat to him, they should be save.

"

lupasvasile wrote:

Shadow kills only for money, otherwise he would only kill if attacked. Hired killers have standards, you know.

Just read the Shadow's voice lines upon killing a rare;

-Now that was satisfying!
-That was fun!
-Play dead. Good doggy!

I think he enjoys his job a little too much. He is not as professional and cynical of an assassin as Vorici, for example.

I seems like he is just a anti hero good guy who loves killing the bad guys. In an sarcastic way.
I still don’t see him killing civilians just for the fun of it.

But who knows, in the end it’s a guessing game 🙈

I think the more consistent explanation is simply that the area isn't very well designed in this respect.