Admiral:
[align=center]The Cycle of Weakness, by Zhargonidus[/align]
Once upon a time, there was a strong and cruel Sorcerer-Prophet who hated his rival. One day, they waged an open battle in the streets, and the rival defeated the Sorcerer-Prophet. As the defeated one stood on his knees, awaiting torture and death, the victorious rival showed mercy:
“I choose to spare your life and leave you unchained. Walk away and do not trouble me more,” said the rival.
And so the astonished Sorcerer-Prophet survived with his power intact. He thought deeply upon this turn of events, and reached the conclusion that his acts should become more gentle, following the example of his rival. The Sorcerer-Prophet was thereafter kind and understanding towards his subjects.
The Sorcerer-Prophet’s newfound mercy and gentleness made him spare his Daemonsmith subordinate, who had failed with an important invention.The surprised Daemonsmith picked up on his master’s ways, and did not punish a failing supervisor whose quarry could not deliver its full quota of stone. The grateful supervisor changed his ways and became softer, and thus the supervisor did not exile a lax slavedriver into the dread Infernal Guard. The relieved slavedriver in turn did not set a bloody example of his Hobgoblin henchmen who dozed off at their shift, and the lazy Hobgoblins were thus sleeping in pure daylight when the vengeful slaves strangled them with their chains and broke free.
The slave rebellion spread like wildfire through the meek Sorcerer-Prophet’s holdings, and slaves freed further more slaves. They then killed the slavedriver, the supervisor, the Daemonsmith and at last they slew the reformed Sorcerer-Prophet in his own palace. The raving slave hordes spilled over into the rival’s palace. As loose thralls tore down idols and smashed altars, the shocked rival asked his retinue how such a calamity could have befallen him. At this, his most trusted advisor stepped forward and said:
"When you spared the Sorcerer-Prophet’s life and position, your strength failed you. Unwittingly, you thus planted the seeds of your own doom. Weakness begets weakness, and now you will pay the price for your vice."
And so the slaves overwhelmed the rival’s retinue and tore him to shreds on his obsidian throne, for such is the fate of those who would fail to uphold the virtue of strength and cruelty.
- The Cycle of Weakness, by Despot Zhargonidus Doombeard, the renowned Chaos Dwarf author of fable stories, of our present time