I think you are missing my point. I am not arguing, necessarily, that killing beholders should deserve a viture hit, I'm arguing that killing beholders and/or mind flayers isn't somehow less evil than killing drow (which, apparently, some people believe, for reasons I already mentioned in previous posts). Weren't some people troubled by the idea that "You might kill Soloufein and that wouldn't be fair!"...?
Sorry, I was kinda replying to the whole thread all at once. True, cleaning out each of the peripheral Underdark maps is just as 'virtuous' as any other, with the only possible exception being the Kou-Toa, since they have the highest probability of other alignments (and, coincidentally, a very high rate of insanity). Apart from that detail, all 4 civilizations are essentially equal, in terms of the morality of killing all members who are hostile to generally-Good adventurers.
So you might kill Solaufein, so what? In a city full of Evil Drow who are going for your jugular, killing a lone guy who happens to be Chaotic Good is every bit as justifiable as killing the guy who collects Halfling skulls. If Sola doesn't declare himself as being a noncombatant in some way, he deserves everything he gets.
Now, the counterargument to that is, obviously, that these people (in all 4 cases) are defending their homes. But honestly, if any member(s) of any of these races suddenly found themselves Dimension Doored into the streets of Athkatla, do you really think they would show mercy to those who were just 'defending their homes?'
And if you're going to take the view that wiping out almost the entire species (which you pretty much have to do if you're doing Ardulace's quest) must certainly be overkill, especially in the case of the Kou-Toa, I reply that you actually
don't clear out the whole place: You
can't, because it's not on the map. This argument goes into metalogic somewhat, so hold on. We know that what we see of Ust Natha is not the entire place: What, the entire population of a thriving Drow city fits into two noble houses, two Fighter societies, a tavern, a church and somebody's house? Where are their kids? Their workplaces? Their homes, their
food, for Pete's sake? No, there has to be more to Ust Natha. This is shown even more clearly in the Svirfneblin settlement: You know the crevasse that you have to cross over to get into the town? Take a good look at it. What do you see?
Windows.... going down, many stories down. What we see of the Svirfneblin is literally only the tip of the iceberg.
Now, if BioWare had been completely anal and made maps for the rest of Ust Natha and the other 3 Underdark races, we might have seen rooms where the non-combatants would go. Whether those might be Drow children, insane Kou-Toa bibbling to themselves in a corner, Lawful Good Illithid Monks, or Chaotic Neutral Beholders struggling to overcome the negative stigma imposed by humanoid society,
these creatures are the only ones that it would not be virtuous to kill.
On the battlefield, morality takes second place to the fact that you're fighting for your life. The only time virtue comes into play is when the object in question is not a strictly military target.
Besides, what exactly do you mean by "righteous"? Some people believe that killing any evil creature is in itself a good act (I believe the BoED seems to believe this), but not everyone does...myself included. Is it really "righteous" to kill a creature who isn't bothering anyone and isn't commiting any evil acts, just because they glow red when you cast detect evil?
My definition of 'righteous' is "any action that involves intentionally taking suffering and hardship onto one's own shoulders, so that the innocent (those who live and let live, and do unto others as they'd have done unto them) will not have to."
The simple fact that a creature is Evil is not enough to justify killing it. When's the last time you heard of anybody whacking Joluv, even if they didn't want his gear? No, actual Evil deeds are a prerequisite. Thankfully, the game provides lots of them: The occupants of the Guarded Compound head the Athkatla slave trade. The Twisted Rune want to kill you simply for blundering into their headquarters. Mekrath populates his lair with traditionally Evil beings who attack you on sight, and (in his own little way) promotes slavery and mind control. Etc.
But I don't understand your trying to paint the inhabitants of the Underdark as "not bothering anyone or committing evil acts." Let's take a look here: The Drow are staging a raid into the Beholder Hive and have penetrated deep into the Kou-Toa caverns. The Illithid are also at war with the Beholders, and have captured a Handmaiden's daughter and slaughter her guards. The Beholders are spying on the Drow and are....present (for what purpose is unknown) in the Kou-Toa tunnels, and the Kou-Toa have presumably sent a war party against the Illithids. I'd hardly call all that "not bothering anyone." And let's not overlook the fact that the Drow are trying to reopen a path to the surface and make open war upon the Good-aligned surface Elves. And that's
if there's no real connection between the Underdark Beholders and Illithids, and their counterparts busily working to destroy the entire city of Athkatla.