The master of the Castle of Bone went out into the world. To the assortment of bones, hundreds of thousands, he intended to add one more of a type not yet used, just as his predecessors for centuries had done. He traveled from city to cemetery, not by any means ignoring pastures or the wilds where strange beasts chose to die. In every instance, the catalogue informed him the material had been used already.
Down rivers, across lakes, and over mountains he ventured, under them too, though none of their names did he trouble himself to learn. Outside one city, a funeral was underway as he passed. The matter had no interest for him since nothing but a man and woman were being interred. He inquired nevertheless on account of propriety, something necessary for the castle's master to guard. He was informed that he witnessed the funeral of a local man and his wife, both blameless. Hearing that, he requested a bone from each and was not refused by the heirs because the master's influence extended even as far as that, and farther.
He returned and increased the castle's size with materials he thought impossible to acquire, the bones of blameless people, whereupon the Castle of Bone vanished. With his powers he perceived immediately the castle was becoming the foundation of a new world, and from that he realized the proportion of sin and virtue is even such in every world there is.
Finis
Showing posts with label good. Show all posts
Showing posts with label good. Show all posts
Monday, July 7, 2025
Friday, January 13, 2023
Increasing Sales Through Titles
Bad: Malazan
Better: Bonazan
Best: Bonerzan
Who wants to read mal books? Give me the bon books!
Better: Bonazan
Best: Bonerzan
Who wants to read mal books? Give me the bon books!
Sunday, June 19, 2022
Difficult Moral Questions
The hero and his wary companions crouched down to pass through the portal, half-blocked by a half-fallen column. The space within, once a chamber of a tall and sprawling palace but now more appropriately called a den.
"What kind of sage lives here?" the warrior wondered.
"This kind!" The dust itself seemed to lift from the floor's cracked tiles and became a mist. Out of it walked a man, robed and menacing in his dark power. "I am the sage you seek. The last sage of evil in all the world. And the wisdom you are to hear from me is to be careful of your actions and how far you go. There is a balance in this world, a balance of good and evil. You must not wipe out evil from the world!"
The hero gasped. "Why?"
"Because I would get lonely. There are hardly any evil people around as it is. Imagine if nobody else used swords. Nobody would understand why you think better swords are a big deal. Shops would stop selling them!"
"That does sound bad for you, but I think the world as a whole will get by," the healer mused.
"And, on top of that, can't you just get a hobby?" the lovable rogue asked. "Like gardening or polo. People are doing a lot with astronomy these days, right? You can have interests other than just being evil. That actually sounds pretty boring. Do you really talk about how evil you are with other people?"
The sage of terror examined his nails. "I used to, but you killed most of them. Not that they didn't deserve it, but you know how it is. Besides, I have no need for advice from you. I'm a sage. Obviously I already attended several meetings of a society of percussion enthusiasts, but I had to stop. I feared I was becoming less evil."
"Isn't that good? To be good?" the healer asked.
"No, because of the balance."
And when all the evil power was destroyed and the recreational glassblowing scene grew so big that it was all the last evil sage could do to keep up with it, leaving him no time for evil, the world did just fine. Better than ever, as it happened.
Finis
"What kind of sage lives here?" the warrior wondered.
"This kind!" The dust itself seemed to lift from the floor's cracked tiles and became a mist. Out of it walked a man, robed and menacing in his dark power. "I am the sage you seek. The last sage of evil in all the world. And the wisdom you are to hear from me is to be careful of your actions and how far you go. There is a balance in this world, a balance of good and evil. You must not wipe out evil from the world!"
The hero gasped. "Why?"
"Because I would get lonely. There are hardly any evil people around as it is. Imagine if nobody else used swords. Nobody would understand why you think better swords are a big deal. Shops would stop selling them!"
"That does sound bad for you, but I think the world as a whole will get by," the healer mused.
"And, on top of that, can't you just get a hobby?" the lovable rogue asked. "Like gardening or polo. People are doing a lot with astronomy these days, right? You can have interests other than just being evil. That actually sounds pretty boring. Do you really talk about how evil you are with other people?"
The sage of terror examined his nails. "I used to, but you killed most of them. Not that they didn't deserve it, but you know how it is. Besides, I have no need for advice from you. I'm a sage. Obviously I already attended several meetings of a society of percussion enthusiasts, but I had to stop. I feared I was becoming less evil."
"Isn't that good? To be good?" the healer asked.
"No, because of the balance."
And when all the evil power was destroyed and the recreational glassblowing scene grew so big that it was all the last evil sage could do to keep up with it, leaving him no time for evil, the world did just fine. Better than ever, as it happened.
Finis
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