An Evil Religion?

[Sergeantbrother]

I was thinking of playing an evil Cleric character in an upcoming D&D game. The DM lets us design our own nation of origin and culture, along with religions from that region. So I was trying to think of a good ideology for an evil religion, but I was having trouble thinking of some extremely moving (enough to dedicate your life to it) religious ideology that was explicitly evil by D&D standards. I was thinking of perhaps some kind of social Darwinist philosophy, but I'm not sure.

Anybody have any ideas or experience on the matter?

[Sinfire Titan]

When in doubt, take a page from the Chaos Gods. For a Darwinist religion, either Khorne or Nurgle would make an excellent starting point.

[shadzar]

Does edition matter to your DM, or may you pick any D&D deity?

[Atcote]

Darwinist is a good place to start - the ideal of either survival of the species or destruction of the weak are powerful things - even for a God to swing about. Any thoughts on your race, or an ethnicity template for the culture? Perhaps a unispecies nation, governed by a theologist council/dictatorship? Perhaps even expansion of the nation or unifying the world in evil, the Nazi angle could be nice to see from a God-driven perspective.

[Dhavaer]

If there's no non-humans in the party, a cleric of Zarus (from Races of Destiny) could be both distinctly evil and a team player.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

When in doubt, take a page from the Chaos Gods. For a Darwinist religion, either Khorne or Nurgle would make an excellent starting point.I have no objection to introducing the awesome Warhammer fluff to D&D, but might I recommend a religion designed to draw people in, instead. One with a 'you are the greatest beings in the world, any failures are other's conspiring against you, you will know greatness' theme works well for that.

[Ganurath]

Hextor's entire religious structure is a Darwinistic philosophy applied to a military system, a meritocracy with strict internal discipline. Alternatively, the idea that strength equates to superiority is the foundation of orc culture, and thus Gruumsh is similiarly a viable option.

[LurkerInPlayground]

1) Do a Corrupt Church. Glorified bureaucrats skimming off the top mixed with badly thought-out doctrine that nobody dares question because it has become sacred writ. It's not evil because it explicitly commands it, it is evil because the problems are institutional.

2) It's not like religions don't have ideological schisms or philosophical differences or anything (sarcasm). Seriously. How many varieties of Buddhism are there? How many "religions" are really just a mishmash of philosophy, superstition and tradition? How many sects of Christianity are there?

Monolithic religions don't exist in real-life, this is simply a fiction that people cook up. The same may hold true in your fantasy setting as well. People who worship a god with the same name may have different interpretations of the Holy Texts or different beliefs about that god or cosmology. And maybe the truth of the matter really isn't all that obvious to mere mortals.

Put simply. The "evil" worshipers of a "good god" have some rather questionable beliefs and practices, while other worshipers of the god of the same name are comparatively benign.

[lsfreak]

A religion where none but the highest-ranking members actually know what's going on. The Triune from the Diablo: Sin War books is a perfect example of this. The common folk all think the religion is a religion of salvation, the actual acolytes on the verge of become priests know a bit more about what's going on. Only those who survive years of training and subtle subversion truly know anything.

Alternatively, a society that emphasizes certain traits in people that comes off as looking bad. A rigid social rule that makes extensive use of slaves, a culture emphasizes killing or humiliating one's opponent or fighting blood feuds for the sake of honor. It could be a religion where one appeases the antagonistic gods in order to keep them from interfering with one's life, which might include sacrifices of various kinds or doing the god's dirty world on earth.

[Sinfire Titan]

I have no objection to introducing the awesome Warhammer fluff to D&D, but might I recommend a religion designed to draw people in, instead. One with a 'you are the greatest beings in the world, any failures are other's conspiring against you, you will know greatness' theme works well for that.

In that case, the Great Mother has human worshipers(Lords of Madness). Granted, most of your fellows supplicants will be Beholders, but I never said this was the best idea in the world, now did I?

[Drakefall]

If there's no non-humans in the party, a cleric of Zarus (from Races of Destiny) could be both distinctly evil and a team player.

Or, alternatively, you could pull the opposite if you happen to have a party without any humans in it.

Down with the corrupt humans, they are a plague upon the planet! They spread like a virus, consuming and destroying the natural world!

[Devils_Advocate]

Reasons to be Evil that a religion might endorse:

- It is your kind's destiny to dominate the world. Like the sound of that? Knew ya would! Now, get to it!
- An evil god will grant you his favor, and tangible power, in exchange for sacrifices.
- Kill people so you can take all their stuff.
- Horrific vengeance for so much as mildly annoying you.
- Hurting people is fun. Once you've got that, do you need another reason?
- You can only be sure that you'll get your way once no one else can stop you.

[Zaq]

I second either a Zarus-based religion or something very similar to it, but for whatever race you choose.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

I was thinking of playing an evil Cleric character in an upcoming D&D game. The DM lets us design our own nation of origin and culture, along with religions from that region. So I was trying to think of a good ideology for an evil religion, but I was having trouble thinking of some extremely moving (enough to dedicate your life to it) religious ideology that was explicitly evil by D&D standards.

Puppy kicking

[LurkerInPlayground]

- It is your kind's destiny to dominate the world. Like the sound of that? Knew ya would! Now, get to it!
- An evil god will grant you his favor, and tangible power, in exchange for sacrifices.

These first two are probably very common.

The first is pretty much the modus operendi of any religious fanatic you've met or heard about. They're not happy that you live life your way because your culture is the root of all evil. So they've got to control it. There's also no shame from earning an "honest" living on spreading proper civilization.

As to the second:
Do you believe that there a politicians, businessmen, criminals and suchwise who are vile enough to screw over anybody and anything for personal gain? Well so does this guy. He just happens to be a god. He's a pretty crappy boss too, but that doesn't matter when you can climb the corporate . . . I mean . . . church hierarchy. He enjoys firing people for the least offense, the petty backroom politics, gossiping, throws temper tantrums when things don't go his way, enact bureaucratic soul-crushing policies of little merit and will myopically accumulate concrete symbolic gains at any cost.

Blood sacrifices are so passe anyway. It's what he makes all the monkey-interns do for kicks, but this god wants to talk actual tangible business.

[mistformsquirrl]

Lots of ways to do this:

Option A) Put the worshipper at the center of the universe (metaphorically).

That is:

- Take whatever you can get; YOU deserve it. (This is especially applicable in cultures without codified laws where a wronged party is responsible for justice on their own; however one can also see it in the corrupt bureaucrat who accepts bribes, skims money off the top, and doesn't pay his taxes.)

- If others can't take care of themselves, that's not your problem. (Essentially "So what if there are people starving? It's not your problem." - Indifference to the plight of the needy, because YOU are more important than them.)

- Others will use you if they can - use them first. (Trust no one too far, make sure you're always in an advantageous position.)

Etc... Essentially a religion of "ME!" - which is entirely possible if you go with a god devoted to greed, or just general selfishness.

Option B) A goal that is acceptable to a given group; but is still evil. A racist religion like Zarus' fits; though you can re-tailor it to any race you like assuming you can come up with your own deity.

Option C) Similar to B, but remove "Deity" and replace it with "Extreme Nationalism/Leader Worship" - Ie: You're utterly devoted to your place of origin, and particular it's supreme leader (who is worshiped as a deity). (This'd fall under the rule of following a 'philosophy or ideal rather than a specific god') - Obviously this could easily be just a cultural trait and nothing too big if the nation itself were benign.

Obviously you'd want a Supreme Leader who - at the very least, is utterly ruthless toward outsiders; and probably has goals of conquest and enslavement.

Option D) Not an evil religion at all, but rather a perversion of an existent good or neutral faith.

Ex: Pay homage to Heironious; but where you come from the worship of Heironious is utterly ruthless and without mercy for 'sinners' - which could be defined however the priestly hierarchy feels like.

Obviously the people who grew up in that religion are going to be viewing it through that narrow lens, and when they hear differently may very well decide that the speaker is a heretic and destroy them for it. It'd certainly inspire devotion though.

Could theoretically play into Options A, B, or C (or all 3)

---


Really the ultimate thing is to make sure that whatever you come up with looks very advantageous for the worshiper, or the worshiper can be easily made to believe it is advantageous for them. The goal simply has to be focused on the selfish, or the service of someone or some thing bent on bad ends, but in a fashion that again, either appears advantageous for the worshiper, or is heavily disguised so that said bad ends don't really look bad to the worshiper.

TL/DR version -

Make the worshipers think they're doing good or are getting something good out of worshiping, while having a goal that either sounds reasonable to them (it doesn't have to sound reasonable to everyone, just the worshipers), or is heavily disguised to seem innocuous.

[Oracle_Hunter]

Consult this handy list of Religions of Evil (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ReligionOfEvil) and cherry-pick the most interesting features.

Also, you can rip-off my favorite Evil Credo: The Seven Truths from Achaea (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Achaea)
1) What is called evil is simply the drive for advancement, for greatness. We seek, through discipline and pain, to spur the advancement of nothing less than sentient life.

2) Cruelty - the application of pain - is the method by which one weeds out the weak and feeble-minded from the population.

3) Weakness must be eliminated in all its forms: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual.

4) The enemies of strength are those who trumpet the effeminate values of forgiveness, tolerance, and laxity of discipline.

5) The body may be made stronger through combat.

6) The mind may be made stronger through the elimination of conscience. One does this by inflicting pain on others.

7) The spirit may be made stronger by enduring hardships, both self-imposed and externally-imposed.

[Talic]

A couple options:


Order is absolute. In each man, there exists weakness, failure. Every man, given the choice, will eventually betray the order that is just, the order that protects all men.

They must not be allowed to do so. There is a higher calling, for a world where all work in harmony, under one rule. No man has the right to choose that which is harmful to society.

Now, take that, and magnify it, and you have a Big Brother Tyrant.


Fortune favors the bold. That is the mantra we speak; for freedom to thrive, there must be action. If all things are possible, let no man condemn the aims of another. If we let one man's dream thrive, yet stifle another's, we are not following the path of the liberator. Let none judge. Let none control. Let none besmirch the restraint of one, or the excesses of another. It is only by permitting all acts that we are truly free.

The advertisement sermon for the god of excess, pain, pleasure, and debauchery. In short? Slaanesh.

[Ganurath]

Also, you can rip-off my favorite Evil Credo: The Seven Truths from Achaea (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Achaea)
1) What is called evil is simply the drive for advancement, for greatness. We seek, through discipline and pain, to spur the advancement of nothing less than sentient life.

2) Cruelty - the application of pain - is the method by which one weeds out the weak and feeble-minded from the population.

3) Weakness must be eliminated in all its forms: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual.

4) The enemies of strength are those who trumpet the effeminate values of forgiveness, tolerance, and laxity of discipline.

5) The body may be made stronger through combat.

6) The mind may be made stronger through the elimination of conscience. One does this by inflicting pain on others.

7) The spirit may be made stronger by enduring hardships, both self-imposed and externally-imposed.So that's why you read Dominic Deegan. The Seventh Truth!

Speaking of, might I suggest the Luanian Church as interpretted through the lense of Grimdark? Essentially, it fronts as a benevolent religion, the precepts of which encourage stupidity and blind obedience in the masses on the basis of purity. The actual members focus their efforts on the purification of the populace through conversion and cleansing those beyond redemption.

[frogspawner]

The DM lets us design our own nation of origin and culture, along with religions from that region.

Take a look at the Gods of Tekumel (http://www.tekumel.com/world_gods.html), from Empire of the Petal Throne. The culture is as richly-developed as you could wish for, the setting has a fine D&D-related heritage, and the gods have more mature, well-thought-out sects - at least half of which are evil, by our standards. (Note that each god has a cohort, with their own subtly-different sub-religion, as an alternative).

[Fishy]

Not gonna go into the specifics for the board rules, but I've been to some fascinating temples in Real Life, decorated with images of the goddess growing fangs and eating a baby. Apparently, during wartime, when soldiers were marching and bombs were exploding, the local temple of the goddess of destruction was a very, very popular place to hide and pray.

Life in D&D is pretty savage. Peace, justice, equality, mercy and kindness are all wonderful things, but they will not save you from being eaten by an owlbear. Worship The Destroyer because there are things that need to be destroyed.

Also, there are things that will destroy you if you don't.

And I know what you're thinking, but only some of them are the same things.

[derfenrirwolv]

1) The strong survive! the weak must be killed! (CE)

2) Good is doing exactly what my god says. My god says to rape pillage and kill. (CE)

3) You must bring order to the world no matter the cost! (LE)

4) Get ahead and amass as much wealth as you can by any means (ne)

[mostlyharmful]

You could do the 'playing on religious certainty' thing...

'I am right in seeking justice. What I do I do for the sake of others, my God commands me and I will see his will done... There is no room for doubt, doubt clouds the mind of the Holy with lies.... No-one shall stand against our glorious order... Burn the heretic... Cleanse and Purify!!!! LET THE REAPING COMMENCE!!!!'

start small, nice and reasonable, slowly build up layer on layer until what seemed rational and lawabidding ends up, well, a little close to the mark for a lot of people.:smallamused:

[raptor1056]

I'm personally a fan of "God says I have to kill you. He's talking to me right now. I must eat your flesh... Bwahahaha!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! *munch."
Of course, that's not really organized religion as much as it is personal psychosis, but, y'know, details.

[Riffington]

A lot of these have been said in one form or another.

1: the focus on personal power over stupid concerns is often pretty attractive to evil people and to gamers. In D&D, it even almost makes more sense. I mean, why worry about whether the place you're putting up your Daern's Fortress is somebody's cornfield or not, when the "good" you will do with the power you plan to get through adventuring could save millions of farmers... the ends justify the means, right?

2: racist/nationalist ideas, as previously mentioned.

3: worship me and follow my precepts, and I will spare you. This works a lot better when there's actual evil deities out there, and they really do treat their followers well. For instance, if the worshippers of Talona don't typically get sick. And you can save your mother and (with greater power) your entire town, just by requesting she turn her attentions elsewhere.

4: excessive focus on "justice". You already have a group of evildoers, and your religion focuses on getting them "what they deserve". Maybe the kingdom's rulers are oppressive, levy too high taxes, have slaves, etc. And you don't just free the slaves, return those taxes to the peasants, other Good stuff. You go farther, and kidnap slaveholders' nephews, kill soldiers on patrol, etc.

5: in fact, anything good can be taken too far. Beauty, truth, courage, trust... go too far and twist it just the tiniest bit, and you can get to evil.

[bosssmiley]

So I was trying to think of a good ideology for an evil religion, but I was having trouble thinking of some extremely moving (enough to dedicate your life to it) religious ideology that was explicitly evil by D&D standards. I was thinking of perhaps some kind of social Darwinist philosophy, but I'm not sure.

Levey Satanism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaVeyan_Satanism) - It's essentially cod-Nietzschean egoism as an ideology. and pretty much is an IRL version of D&D Lawful Evil.

Failing that: The Order of Military Buddhists, an RL group dedicated to killing the weak so they can reincarnate higher up the karmic ladder. IANMTU (http://militaryhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/themadbaronofmongolia)


If there's no non-humans in the party, a cleric of Zarus (from Races of Destiny) could be both distinctly evil and a team player.

By RAW, the ideology of Zarus is nothing but cultural cringe and post-colonial guilt inverted and reified for use as a strawman. If you want a more interesting take on human chauvinism as ideology then use the Canonfire version (http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=632) instead.

[Justin B.]

I'm particularly fond of characters that don't believe they are evil.

Right now I'm about to start running a game where one of the Big Bads is an Orc Barbarian who has united many tribes and sent them on the path of war. Yes, he acknowledges that to the humans who communities are being burned that he may seem evil, but for his people he is the greatest savior to ever existed. He is the best possible candidate to rule, therefore, if the humans will not join him, they are not helping to advance his perfect society, and must be eliminated.

[Tiki Snakes]

Levey Satanism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaVeyan_Satanism) - It's essentially cod-Nietzschean egoism as an ideology. and pretty much is an IRL version of D&D Lawful Evil.

Seconded. To be quite honest, in a real world setting and taken with a pinch of salt, it's got some interesting points. If you lose the implied atheistic nature and (almost) jokey magic bits, it's got some pretty interesting philosophical bits, considering the reputation.

Given DnD's 'absolute morality', and a bit of playing up to the concepts and guidelines, (As you gain a definate presence of gods and factual magic, if nothing else), it could prove the basis for an excellently evil, but inherantly and rigorously playable party member.

(Plus it would be fun subverting the DnD = Satanist trope, eh? :) )

[Devils_Advocate]

Also, you can rip-off my favorite Evil Credo: The Seven Truths from Achaea (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Achaea)
1) What is called evil is simply the drive for advancement, for greatness. We seek, through discipline and pain, to spur the advancement of nothing less than sentient life.

2) Cruelty - the application of pain - is the method by which one weeds out the weak and feeble-minded from the population.

3) Weakness must be eliminated in all its forms: Physical, Mental, and Spiritual.

4) The enemies of strength are those who trumpet the effeminate values of forgiveness, tolerance, and laxity of discipline.

5) The body may be made stronger through combat.

6) The mind may be made stronger through the elimination of conscience. One does this by inflicting pain on others.

7) The spirit may be made stronger by enduring hardships, both self-imposed and externally-imposed.
So, seeking capability for oneself and others as an end in itself, although this is very unpleasant for everyone and doesn't really accomplish anything else in particular.


Now, take that, and magnify it, and you have a Big Brother Tyrant.

The advertisement sermon for the god of excess, pain, pleasure, and debauchery. In short? Slaanesh.
So, tyranny and anarchy as Law and Chaos taken to Evil extremes.

Cruelty as Neutral self-interest taken to an Evil extreme also works.


4: excessive focus on "justice". You already have a group of evildoers, and your religion focuses on getting them "what they deserve". Maybe the kingdom's rulers are oppressive, levy too high taxes, have slaves, etc. And you don't just free the slaves, return those taxes to the peasants, other Good stuff. You go farther, and kidnap slaveholders' nephews, kill soldiers on patrol, etc.
Retributive justice over restorative justice, then. Retribution always struck me as Lawful Evil by default.


5: in fact, anything good can be taken too far. Beauty, truth, courage, trust... go too far and twist it just the tiniest bit, and you can get to evil.
Instant Evil, just add "at any cost."


Levey Satanism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaVeyan_Satanism) - It's essentially cod-Nietzschean egoism as an ideology. and pretty much is an IRL version of D&D Lawful Evil.
Individualism is Lawful now? I believe the phrase is "LOL what?"


By RAW, the ideology of Zarus is nothing but cultural cringe and post-colonial guilt inverted and reified for use as a strawman.
How is Zarus's ideology a strawman? It seems to me to mirror real-world extreme racial chauvinism fairly well.


If you want a more interesting take on human chauvinism as ideology then use the Canonfire version (http://www.canonfire.com/cfhtml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=632) instead.
But Greyhawk already has a god of human supremacy: Wastri.

[Faleldir]

I'm a fan of "I know I'm Chaotic Evil, but I automatically get into the Lawful Good afterlife just by being a member, so I don't care." It's just so plausible.

[Falconer]

Personally, I've always been fond of creating numerous religions and philosophies for my characters. Its an oft-overlooked aspect of roleplay, in my opinion.

Perhaps your character can cite a parable or two from some kind of holy text? Here's a parable that might be found therein, complete with archaic and flowery prose.

"And these brothers were two, and they were Rakesh and Rashek. As they grew to be men, Rakesh was the better of the two. He did have better clothes and house and herds, and his wife was the more beautiful. And Rashek did see this, and he became angry. 'If we are brothers, is what is his not what is mine? For do brothers not share hardship and prosperity both?' One day as Rakesh was away from his house to tend his sheep, Rashek did come to his brother's house that he might benefit from his brother's prosperity. And the wife of Rakesh did greet him, and did allow him to feast upon his brother's food and to wear his brother's clothes, and did shower upon him his brother's prosperity. At the end of the day, as Rakesh returned from tending his flock, he did find his brother in his house, with his food, with his clothes, and being showered with the prosperity that was his.

And thus Rakesh did slay his brother, and did destroy all that was his brother's, to repay him for his crimes. And thus did he slay his foolish wife, and all that was hers, to repay her for her foolishness. And he did paint his face with their blood, to make honorable his action. And soon did the father of Rakesh visit to see how his sons fared. And upon learning the death of Rashek, he did ask Rakesh how he died. And Rakesh did speak the story.

'O my father, my brother did take from me what is mine. And thus in slaying him did I make right his wrong, and make all things as they were intended.' And Rakesh's father did smile upon his son, for he had done what was just, for to give willingly is to be weak, and to be weak is to invite death. And in having the strength to slay his brother, Rakesh did turn death away."

-The Book of Justice, Chapter 10, Verses 1-19

There you go. One parable advocating vengeance upon your family for stopping by without permission. Not to mention that it says that sharing is evil and wrong. How's that?:smallamused:

[Asheram]

*coughs* Let's see if we can get this pronounced right.

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh C'thulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn.
Iä! Iä! C'thulhu fhtagn!

[JonestheSpy]

If you want to historical flavor, do a bit of research on Aztec religion, especially that of the dominant war-diety Huitzilopochtli. How does a militaristic theocracy that engaged in constant slave-raiding in order to meet the demand for a constant stream of human sacrifices sound to you? And nifty outfits, as well.

[Sergeantbrother]

Thanks for the input everybody. This setting is very human-centric so the party is likely to all human, along with my character and his civilization. Though there may not be enough non-humans to make human supremacy a motivating ideology.

I do have a passage from a holy text that I wrote to support the social Darwinist outlook. I'm still not sure if I'll go with it, but here it is :

"I looked out unto the world and I saw that unto to a mare is born a foal and unto the bitch is born the pup and unto woman a human child is born. And to tall parents are born tall children and to short parents are born short children, and a strong man receives strong sons and to a wise man is born clever children.

And when a tall woman and short man are coupled, a child that is neither short nor tall is born, but a child who is a mixture between both parents. And thus to a strong man and a weak woman a middling child shall be born and also shall be born unto a strong woman and a weak man. And thus a strong man and a strong woman shall sire and bear strong children.

I have seen that all that a man is, so too is his son; and all that a woman is so too is her daughter. And when a man dies and becomes naught but dust, he then lives on by blood of his blood and fruit of his loins. For his every fault is carried by his son and his every virtue is likewise carried by his son. And every woman's virtue and her faults and her beauty is carried to her daughters. And also is the blood of a man carried to his daughters and the blood a woman carried to her sons.

So to every man and every woman there is the chance to live beyond death, in the blood of sons and daughters. And when there is a mixing of blood between man and woman so too are the eternal futures of the man and woman mixed forever. Thus when a strong man lay down with a weak women he makes himself weak and when a wise woman lay with a foolish man she makes herself a fool. For forever will the stain be carried in the blood. For once wine and water are mixed never can they become separate and once the blood of the weak mixes with the blood of the strong neither can become whole again.

And so a man and his family are one, for a man carries in him the blood of his father and shares that blood with his brother and with his sister who share their blood with the mother who bore them. And when a man takes for himself a strong woman he makes his family strong and when a man takes for himself a weak woman he makes his family weak. And when your brother takes a woman, that woman and her blood shall forever be mingled with yours.

A great man is so because his father is great and his mother is great. A weak man is likewise born to a weak man and a weak woman. Thus each man should seek for himself a woman of wisdom and of strength and of character who excels in all of her persuits for in her greatness he becomes greater. And a woman should turn away any man who is foolish or weak or is a failure, for in his flaws she too becomes flawed.

Thus in siring or bearing children is life eternal. So in having many children, the life of a man is that much greater and also his immortality insured. A great man lives for many years and has a full purse, he sires many strong and wise and able children and his life blood flows like a river. A lesser man lives but a short life and has an empty purse and has few children who shall die in their youth, so that the life blood of a lesser man shall dry and turn into dust with his death.

And so too does the strong lion feast while the weak lion starves, and the strong lion shall have many cubs and the weak lion shall have none. So that the strong shall live forever and the weak shall die. And the deer shall be food for the lion, for the deer is weak and the lion is strong. And the dog shall eat the rabbit, and the cat eat the mouse. The weak perish that the strong may live. So too with man and with woman. For the strong man shall slay the weak man and the wise man shall press into his service the fool. As the predator eats the flesh of its prey, so too does the master grow fat from the labors of his slaves.

This is right that the strong should rule over the weak. For as the strong triumph so too does strength triumph, and as greatness thrives so too does greatness multiply.

And a great man shall rule over lesser men - thus the master rules over the slave and a man rules over his dog. But the slave is not devoured by his master, for in a master's greatness so too does a slave thrive. For the slave is a lesser man or woman, but in service to a great master the slave shall have the protection of the master.

A slave is inferior, for the slave has been captured and forced to serve by a greater man. And the son of a slave is likewise beneath the master's son, for a child born of a slave carries in his blood his father's weakness and a child born of the master carries in his blood his father's greatness. And the child of a wealthy man has earned that wealth through the labors and wisdom of his father and the child of a poor man has earned poverty through his father's foolishness; for as a father gives unto his son the greatness of his blood so too does a father give to his son the wealth of his purse and the bounty of his fields and the servitude of his slaves. In this way, the wealth that a man earns in his life shall be his after death, for blood of his blood and fruit of his loins shall possess that wealth. So also, are the children of a man or a woman pressed into servitude deserving of servitude and so too are their children deserving of slavery.

And a weak man who only serves himself, only serves weakness; but a weak man who serves a great man also serves greatness and greatness prospers from his labors. And thus the slave has worth in that a great man may benefit from that slave's labor. A slave with no master is of no use to anyone, and would be better off dead than to spread his weakness among the world. And thus it is only right that the weak should serve the strong and the foolish shall serve the wise and the lesser shall serve the greater. And that which is inferior which does not serve that which is greater should perish and go into the dust."