Confessions of an Oathbreaker

[Vlaid]

[tface=fellsc]C O N F E S S I O N S
o f
 an
 O A T H B R E A K E R[/tface]
[tface=walter]by[/tface]: [tface=callig]Brother Grimes[/tface]
[tface=fell]"....he stood before me, grim faced, disgusted, perhaps  annoyed at the mercy I was shown. A set of heavily rusted  chain armor was unceremoniously discarded at my feet. I wore it with pride.  The missing links failed to guard against blows, the padding  was worn thin, the rusted metal chaffed  my skin, the lice tore at my flesh as surely as the Withering. Yet I  wore it with pride. Each irritation, each tingle of pain, each and  every injury the armor forced on me was my burden and penance for my  crime. I am an Oathbreaker."[/tface]

 

[tface=callig]The Value[/tface]

[tface=fell]What is the value of an oath? To each man the meaning is different.

To the brigand and highway man the giving of his word or oath is no more  meaningful than wiping moist dingleberries from his backside in the  brush. His word is worth only as much as the situation and the value of  keeping his word holds. These cretins only give value to their word in  concocted scenarios in which it suits them to do so. These are men for  whom the oath has no value.

To the common man, the farmer, the woodsman; the value is less solid.  For these men, their word is often of great value, a source of pride.  But also to these men living meager lives surviving by their own hands,  without law and order; they may break their word for matters of survival  and pragmatism. Does this make these men lesser men for doing so? Or  does he simply live in the real world, where rigid oaths are shackles  that would send he and those he cares for stumbling into an early grave?

And lastly, the knight. The man for whom his word is his armor and his  oath his shield. What is the value of his word and oath to this man? The  answer is not as simple as you might think. To those for whom an oath  has little or flexible meaning, these men appear simple, one dimensional  creatures of rigidity. This is false. These men place their worth on  the value of their word and how much they can be trusted when their oath  is given.[/tface]

[tface=callig]The Oath[/tface]

[tface=fell]What is the purpose of an oath to mortal men? Many a  sell-sword and killer has pondered this mystery. To them it is often no  easier to understand the whims of gods.

To the bandit, thief and criminal the purpose is that of a tool. A tool  to manipulate, trick and deceive men for whom give value to the word of  other men. But give no worth to these men's oath or word. To give any  trust to these men's oath is to hand them your own sword to run you  through with.

For the citizenry and common-wealth an oath may come in the form of many  things. A firm handshake to seal a trade of goods, a private promise to  the god of their faith in exchange for a boon, or often perhaps the  wedding of two families to one. All these things are the given word, the  oath of a men, and given only the value of the men that keep them.

And the armor-clad warrior of honor once more. What purpose to him is  the Oath? For it would seem his word and oath are nothing but burdens.  While this is true, it is also his source of strength. As the blade is  forged from tempered steel, as the warrior trains with weights on his  sword, as the wife is tender to the children to balance the sterness of  the father; so too is the oath a source of strength to these men. Is is  through these shackles that they willingly don that they must be  stronger men for whom their word is known to be law, given with all the  finality of a devil's contract signed in blood.[/tface]

[tface=callig]The Broken[/tface]

[tface=fell]The Broken. The men whom in themselves gave value to their  word and oaths, the men for whom have failed to keep these most  treasured and sacred of trusts. Far beyond the scope of a cheated hand  of cards or a lie between lovers. No, these are the broken oaths and  words of meaning that shape lives for good or ill.

They come from all walks and trades. Often becoming morose creatures,  imprisoned within their own guilt. Forevermore will they walk with a  heavier burden, knowing their word is worth exactly nothing. As with the  virgin wife given to her husband, once deflowered she may never again  call herself pure. This is the fate of a man's word once he joins the  ranks of The Broken.

As you read these words you may be pondering to yourself why then would  such a man ever break his word? It is a difficult question to answer,  one I will attempt to answer by distrilling the men the join the Broken  into three archetypes.

Path of Greed. There comes a time for many men where they  are presented with a situation that can afford them great power, wealth,  all that they desire....all for but one single, solitary broken vow.  Not always is the reward as simple as gold. The stealing of another  man's wife could be seen as the violation of not only his own vows but  those of the stolen maiden and her rightful husband.

Path of Duty. There are times when a man is conflicted by  oaths, vows and words given. Where he has sworn to protect the innocent  while his lord has commanded him to slay an unruly village plotting  rebellion. Men put in these situations never emerge as they once were.  Sullen, they often forsake ever giving their word, oath or vow ever  again for fear of history repeating itself.

Path of the Martyr. Perhaps the most complicated of all  three, these men willingly break their word for a higher purpose. The  holy knight who sheds his code to free his hands to murder the corrupt  lord of the lands who had become untouchable by the law. These man take  on this heavy burden full well knowing what will become of them. They  sacrifice their word, oaths and vows in exchange for others, in exchange  for accomplishing something their oaths would never allow. Often the  outcome of these broken oaths is unsatisfying for everyone, despite good  intentions. After the act of joining The Broken these men will spend  the rest of their lives self-punishing themselves for their failure,  attempting to make right through duty and sacrifice what they believe  can never be made right again. Their lives become one of rigid, unquestioning service, often to the point of flaw.

So reader, pray that you now understand all the great burden of your  word. Cherish and hold tight your vows, but woe to thee that hold them  too tightly. For they will surely shatter and turn to dust through your  fingers, sending yourself to join the ranks of....[/tface]

[tface=fraktur]THE BROKEN.[/tface]