The whole reason for this discussion I thought was Noldorin's post about the rulers being fine with Melhed's actions, as if it did not matter what Melhed did as long as they joined their side. Abandoning their character's personality for a strategical win.
Rulers, often being canny politicians, will rarely let you know how they *really* feel about their allies. They usually don't say things like
"We know Melhed sucks, but, really, we hate you more than them, so we'll fight on their side against you until you surrender, then we'll beat them up." They usually show the poker face so that the enemy has less of a chance of pulling them apart. You probably won't get any clear idea of how they really feel about their allies.
