The Truth of the Virtues

[Velvathos]

Palin sat beneath a flickering oil lamp, the blank pages of a book before him, waiting to be filled with the truth he would bring to the world. All the false pretenses and outright failures of the current way would be cast aside, but first - first he must open the door. And so he put ink to paper, penning out the knowledge that he must pass on...

Book I: The Lie

A great lie has been spread across our world. This lie is obvious to anyone with the eyes to see what is occurring all around them. The lie is that the system of ethics and virtues set forth years and years ago is something that protects and nurtures the growth of a productive society.

To this I say, show me your great culture, show me your great society, show me your peace and freedom from fear. It cannot be done.

The world is in turmoil, constant strife, rampant with crime unpunished and every year another group realizes that they cannot rely on the once-mighty Britain to protect them, let alone maintain order.

What then, you ask, is the solution? Patience, for it will be shown. For now, I will answer the question, "What is the cause?"

The cause is simple - the Virtues espoused and set down by British are flawed and misguided.

The three principles: Truth, Love, Courage.
The eight virtues: Compassion, Honesty, Honor, Humility, Justice, Sacrifice, Spirituality, Valor.

A book shall be written for each, and within will be revealed the flaws, the lies, and the truth that will light the way towards a new hope and a new order.

Read on, friend, for the future is bright.

 

[Velvathos]

Book II: Valor

Ah, Valor. Truly it is the one virtue practiced in the form closest to its true meaning. Yet sadly it falls short, lacking the definition and conviction needed for one to truly embrace valor.

Valor stems from the principle of courage alone, and it is there that the system falls short, for courage without conviction, without purpose, is fruitless. All throughout the lands there are warriors who fight with great courage, laughing in the face of fear...but they still fall, and ever shall it be so, since they lack the purpose - the truth - needed to instill the true sense and drive of valor into their very being.

Valor, friends, is not simple courage. It is courage without doubt, without question that the cause you fight for is worthy and true. Valor is strength of body and mind that cannot be defeated, even if a battle may seem lost.

I say, then, that only he who knows the truth of the virtues, in our age here and now, can be called valorous. For only he will be able to stand before his enemy without doubt and embrace the glory of battle without fear of being lost.

 

[Velvathos]

Book III: Honor

Honor! Glorious and true, the shining virtue of truth and courage! What a sham it has become, and from this stems my greatest sorrow. For if there can be said to be a highest virtue, it is honor.

True honor, though, is not the mockery you see today. They would tell you that there is honor in defying your liege lord, if you believe he is in the wrong. They would tell you that there is honor in surrender. They would tell you that there is honor to be had in courtesy or kindness.

FALSEHOODS!

Honor is strength! Honor is obedience! Honor is earned, not given!

There is much honor in to be had in pursuing valor, as well as the other virtues if you pursue them in truth.

There is a tale, of the knight who defies the command of his lord to protect a weak and beggarly family - some would have you believe that this act was an honorable thing to do, but they are wrong! IF the knight truly believed his lord was in error, the honorable action would have been to absorb the family's debt himself and take them on as servants. This would have carried out the lord's order and protected the knight's honor.

The greatest honor can be found in a worthy battle, fought true and with valor! Cowardice brings dishonor, and tactics worthy of an assassin are the worst form of cowardice. Disobedience brings dishonor, and a traitor is the worst sort of being. There is no dishonor in death or defeat, only in surrender.

I feel I must state the precepts again, as the truths of this virtue cannot be stressed enough:

Disobedience is dishonor.
Cowardice is dishonor.
Treason is dishonor.
Surrender is dishonor.

Honor is strength.
Honor is courage and valor.
Honor is obedience to your liege or commander.
Honor is purity of action.
Honor is the greatest of the virtues.

 

[Velvathos]

Book IV: Compassion

Compassion, bah! What change for good hath a compassionate soul wrought upon the world? None, I say!

Give a beggar a coin or some bread, he will still be a beggar tomorrow. Save a fool from his mistakes, he will only make them again. Instead, make the beggar your servant and he will earn his keep and no longer be a beggar. Let the fool learn a harsh lesson from his mistakes, and the memory will serve him well in the future.

Compassion is sympathy wasted on the weak. Compassion for the weak is weakness in oneself. The strong should protect the weak, and in return the weak should serve the strong for their protection.

Compassion, a useless idea of a virtue and a poor ideal for anyone hoping to better themselves or their world.

I shall waste no more breath nor ink on compassion.

 

[Velvathos]

Book V: Humility

Humility is a tricky subject, for those who follow it in its so-called 'pure' form would tell you they perceive themselves according to a 'larger' picture of the world and therefore their own accomplishments and talents seem much less significant - therefore they are humbled. Such is the lie of humility.

I say instead that this is the worst form of delusion.

To think that simply because you are part of a whole that is much larger than yourself makes you anything less is just as much of a crime of believing you are far greater and more important than your station.

True humility is knowing one's place in the world by your own strength and accomplishments. Be humble in the presence of those greater than yourself, and be confident and proud of yourself with those weaker than you.

 

[Velvathos]

Book VI: Honesty

Honesty would seem a simple virtue, being truth and truth alone. Yet for ages untold, scholars have debated the nature of truth - and so I say that it is the same with this virtue.

Truth is a relative thing - the orcs or lizardmen who strike out against humans are seen as evil, but perhaps they only view it as retaliation for an intrusion on the part of man? The catch to it all is that there are few absolute truths in the world, and therefore while one may be honest in their own view, it could be dishonest in another.

Thus I would tell you that the true nature of the virtue of honesty is to follow the truths of the other virtues, and through this, one may find that an honest man need do nothing else.

 

[Velvathos]

Book VII: Spirituality

I laugh in the face of those who claim to be followers of the virtues and say they understand spirituality. A ridiculous concept that attempts to fool you into thinking you understand more about yourself and the world around you by some introspective awareness.

Here I speak from far greater experience than others who would preach on this virtue - there are two realms that we exist in: the physical and the ethereal. The physical realm is that of the present, filled with purpose and tangible elements. The ethereal is a realm of mists, a grey and dreary place that exists without needs or meaning. Linger too long in the ethereal and you will lose your way, your purpose, and eventually your own self.

Such is the world, and so I tell you there is no cause for any meaningless attempt at understanding how the virtues relate to one's self. The virtues simply ARE, and they can be followed or not.

Such is the truth of the virtue of spirituality.

 

[Velvathos]

Book VIII: Sacrifice

A noble concept, sacrifice is. Sadly it leads many astray with some misguided idea that they are effecting a change for the better by giving of themselves for others.

As with compassion, sacrifice is most often a foolish act - why save a little farm village from a band of trolls when they will be overrun by a horde of orcs only months later? Such is the lie of sacrifice - and the warrior who gives of themself for others in service to that lie are doing no more to bring about real good than a child tossing pennies down a well for wishes.

There is only one truly noble, honorable, and worthy sacrifice - and that is blood. Blood of a soldier given in service to his brothers in arms and his liege lord. Blood of the warrior, sacrificed to bring strength to himself - for it is only through pain and blood that one can become strong. Blood of the weak, given to lift up the strong so that they may achieve the strength needed to effect true and great and good changes upon this world.

Blood is the only true sacrifice, and it is only true if given to the proper purpose.

 

[Velvathos]

Book IX: Justice

The virtue of justice I have saved for last in these writings, for it is here that the truth becomes most evident. British claims that fair justice can only be had with the 'loving search for truth'. This is an outright lie.

As already revealed, truth is not a creature of absolutes. And should seeking the truth in any situation be tainted by the emotion of love, any hope of truly fair and righteous justice will vanish. How can there be true justice and punishment for wrong-doings if the judge is corrupt? And not only does this corruption include the taking of bribes or being influenced by pressures from outside parties, but it is corruption simply from a biased viewpoint that has been swayed by emotion before the case has even been brought forth.

Such 'justice' is nothing but reckless disregard for any notion of truth. The truth, friend, is that in the world today there is no justice to be had within the courts of the laws of Brittania. Real crime goes unpunished, trials are made into a spectacle that is a mockery of order, and the scales of justice are far imbalanced and separated from the truth.

This travesty must be corrected! And so it is that I tell you now the truth of justice - that real truth in any case can be discovered at the point of the sword or lance, that real honesty is shown in one's strength and honor, that true justice is only found when the weak and corrupt do not sit in judgement of the strong and righteous. 'Fair justice' is an illusion crafted by weak men to allow themselves to seem stronger and in the right of things - the reality is that their idea of fairness is only what enriches their own interests at the expense of truth and honor.

There is no man who can follow the precepts of the virtue of honor and not be a true and just man as well. Let not any sit in judgement of you whom is less honorable and worthy, and should any one attempt to do so under the pretenses of the false idea of justice let their strength and mettle in battle shine the light of truth upon the honorable and honest man.

 

[Velvathos]

Palin folded up his books, put out the lamp and walked downstairs to his bed.