Regarding Nathan...
Long ago, and only for one brief shining moment on the test server, the powers that be gave levels & stats to most of the wandering NPCs including named dogs & cats etc and even empowered us mere players with the ability to kill some of said named creatures.
Slaughter ensued with the attendant cries from "peaceful" players who were horrified at the mere thought of someone "killing" their favorite village critters. (These same players probably had no compunction about participating in the constant and senseless slaughter of countless young gnolls, snakes and rats taking place right outside the gates of Qeynos but that's another argument entirely!)
At the time the intent was to allow us to kill anything/anyone who displeased us... to, in effect, endow us with "free will", but with the uproar over the unending cycle of cyber-death directed at various beloved cats and dogs, the ability of players to affect the environment to that degree was removed from the test server and never made it to live.
In all fairness, a (probably) unforseen issue connected with the concept was that village guards began to participate in the wanton slaughter of these creatures as well, and it probably was somewhat traumatic to witness the slaughter of a lvl 1 tabby-colored house-cat by a plate-armored two-hand-sword wielding lvl 50 guard!
Ahhhh... good times...