Repple Depple

This is a story that should serve a cautionary tale for those in the realm of business.

The Empire of the Horse
In the beginning, here was the Empire of the Horse, once a promising minor kingdom, it had fell on evyil times due to the leader, Duke Michael not paying his taxes to the Overking. This was a sad thing, as Duke Michael was a good and just leader – his failure being one of discipline.

The Rise of an Empire
In this time of need for the Empire of the Horse, his lordship, Lord Byron came sailing in to save the day with his free use of gold and he did so – soon expanding the Empire and making it one of the greatest in the realm. The streets were paved with gold, all was milk and honey. Lord Byron was assisted in this endeavor by Sir William, the Privy Councillor of State and a fine one he was, ably serving the Empire. Sir William’s wise council served Lord Byron well, tempering his rash decisions and using his knowledge and connections to advance the cause of the Empire. Sir William was assisted by his most gracious and knowledgeable Bailiff, Sir Pawel. The two of these men fairly well served the Empire, bringing success and making the often ill-planned adventures of Lord Byron come together and work out. Mostly, this worked well, though the Empire of the Horse did see a large number of its people rotate in and out of service.

The First Scourge
You, gentle reader, might ask, what happened to the Empire of the Horse? Well, a series of evils befell the fair Empire. The first was Lord Byron’s wife, Looney – a woman dark and full of evyil. Pretentious and mercurial, she and Byron were a poor match. He, a man more suited to less tight-fitting arrangements; she, more controlling and jealous of his life. In the end, “Lady” Looney ended up betraying Lord Byron with an old lover. In her betrayal, she looted the Empire’s treasury and almost caused it to fall at this time. It was only through much desperate action, that the Empire did not fall. There is no curse too fowl for this vain, evyil and pretentious woman. Dark times were coming.

The Second Scourge
Two years after “Lady” Looney was banished from the Empire, a new scourge arrived… The Sire of Lord Byron, the evyil Halitosis returned from exile from the whole Realm and was invited in by Lord Byron. Immediately, Halitosis began to change the way the Empire was run, working to take from the citizens their just due and make their lives more arduous, whilst at the same time, lowering the standards of upkeep for the steeds of the Empire. More and more people left the Empire, either banished at the insistence of Halitosis or resigning service due to his efforts to make them perform dishonorable deeds. Within less than a YEAR, even Sir William, the man who kept the Empire on an even keel was banished at the insistence of the Evyil and dishonorable Halitosis – this was the beginning of the end and all in the realm who truly knew, felt the end was nigh coming. Sir Pawel kept the Empire alive for half and a year more, but even with all his mighty skills, he could not keep the hollow shell that the Empire had become, alive.

The Evyil Halitosis
Halitosis was not just the sire of Lord Byron, he had once been a mighty king, whose greed and capricious ways had caused him to be cast out of his own Kingdom of the Midwestern World and then, after he had built TWO more empires, his never-failing return to his old ways ended up causing these empires to fall too. In the fall of the empires, many, many, MANY people and their families had been hurt and suffered greatly. And thus this cursed man had been cast into the dungeons of the Overking of the Realm for his crimes. But alas, one day, he was allowed to be released and as such, he wormed his way into the mind and heart of Lord Byron. As he came to gain control over Lord Byron, Halitosis brought forth his poisons again and though his dishonor and bad counsel, brought destruction to the Empire of the Horse. And as it collapsed, in the Empire’s hour of need, he slunk away stealing much of the larder and even the stoves that kept the northern part of the Empire warm. Yes, there is a common thread in the fall of four kingdoms. Know ye, NEVER have anything to do with the foul and evyil Halitosis – he is to be regarded as a foul and dishonorable creature and one cane hope, will be cast back into the deepest dungeons by the men of the Overking.

In the End
Eventually, after constantly saying “later” instead of paying his just debts, Lord Byron found that “later” came to visit and ruin was wrought upon the Empire. Again, many loyal supporters were made to suffer along with their families and loved ones – their pensions squandered and their livelihoods ruined. Some of these hurt were even former loyal followers of Halitosis, who had already been greatly harmed by him and his dishonorable ways. Now Lord Byron flees before the justice of the Realm – his life and freedom forfeit if he is brought before the magistrate of the Overking. What has been learned here?

Know ye, the tale will continue, but that evyil still lives on in the Land of Sunshine, where evyil Halitosis resides.
Ende