Azaran on 18/8/2010 at 01:49

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Another gem from the (http://www.btinternet.com/~sneaksiethiefsie/doc33.htm) Keeper Library


Vol. 1

When I was cold, Thou taught of hearth and roof-beam.
When I was hungry, Thou taught of pot and cauldron.
When I was beset by foes, Thou taught of spear and shield.

Thy hammer pounds the nail, holds the roof-beam.
Thy hammer strikes the iron, shapes the cauldron.
Thy hammer in my hand, unto my foes."

Vol. 2

When the thief did cry to the master "release me, for I repent, and shall do good all my days" then did the master strike the thief's hand from him with a blade. And the master said "Go now and do good, for thy repentance has been paid.""

Vol. 3
Thy Builder places thy challenges before thee as a stairway of hewn stone up the tower of thine life. When thou seekest to add to those challenges, to compass thine pride thou dost clutter the design of the stairway, and introduce cracks and weaknesses through which the Trickster mayest enter and bring thy ruin.

Vol. 4

Thieves respect naught. Divinity, even false divinity, is as the mud below their feet. They risk not it be clay, for it shall be shaped by the Builder’s hand.

Vol. 5

Our walls be cut from the thickest stone, our gates be wrought from full iron. Any who pits his strength ‘gainst their strength shall smash himself with his own effort, even as the fruit falling from the tree dashes itself on the rock below

Vol. 6

A foe is best contested in the light, not the shadows. Allow none to so disguise themselves before thee, lest thou slip into the shadows thyself, and so be lost.

Vol. 7

When the Builder walks before thee and builds for thee a fortress, wilt thou go inside and shut the door? Or wilt thou say "Yes, and now I shalt raise one of mine own!"

Vol. 8

The stone cannot know why the chisel cleaves it; the iron cannot know why the fire scorches it. When thy life is cleft and scorched, when death and despair leap at thee, beat not thy breast and curse thy evil fate, but thank the Builder for the trials that shape thee

Vol. 9
Before death came, the liars were made to feast upon the hands of the thieves, and the thieves were made to ingest the tongues of their liar brothers. And we praised the Master Builder for his judgements.

Vol. 10
As thine sword becomes blunt through lack of maintenance, as does thine soul through the same lack. Repair thine soul as thy wouldst thine sword.

Vol. 11
In the beginning we lived as thieves, stealing fur and fang of beasts for survival. Then came the Builder who brought us the hammer, and with it we forged a new way of life. To reject the hammer is to denounce the Builder.

Vol. 12
The Builder gave thou the raw stuff of thy life - make thou a great work of it or thou mockest His gifts.

Vol. 13
A stone wheel can both sharpen thine sword and grind thine flour. Use thy hammer both for war and for peace.

Vol. 14
Thy life is like clay in the hands of a person. A child doth use it for spurious purposes, a sinner doth use it for nefarious purposes. Be like a master craftsman, and shape thine life into an object of consequence.

Vol. 15
Thine hammer dost have two sides it its head and so can strike both ways. Similarly, thine actions do have two heads, and can affect things thou didst not aim at.

Vol. 16
When thou dost abandon thine home, the plants do take over it, and endeavour to consume it. Eventually it doth disappear. Do not abandon thine faith, else the Trickster will consume it and willst make it disappear.

Vol. 17
The fire of the candle dost bring light to darkness, but also destruction to those who use it carelessly. Use thine faith it illuminate the darkness, and not to sow the seeds of thine destruction.

Vol. 18
A tree nearby a building will eventually bring it down as the roots spread, unseen, under it. Take care that thou dost not allow the Trickster to spread his roots in your mind and so bring it down.

Vol. 19
A building that is constructed poorly will collapse, bringing death to those who dwell in it. When thou dost build thine house in they mind, ensure that it is constructed well to avoid thine death.

Vol. 20
The clay beneath thine feet is soft and uninspiring, as is the straw that doth cover it. When thou dost bind the two, however, thou canst build thine home to the sky. When thou dost tutor thine acolyte, think not of what he is, but what he could be

Vol. 21
When thou dost raise thine home, the foundation will affect how the remainder becomes. Thine acolytes must also have a strong foundation upon which you do build.
Vol. 22
Thou dost not leave unguarded gates in the city walls; thou dost block them or post guards on them. Do the same for the unguarded gates of thine mind.

Vol. 23
Thine life is a great book, upon which thine deeds are written. Just as a holy book is holy regardless of its size, so your life must be good regardless of its age.

Vol. 24
Thou hast been given eyes to see sin, a mouth to speak of it, and hands to correct it. Thou most use all these to eradicate sin, for to use only one is to mock the Builder’s charity.

Vol. 25
Stand thine hammer upright, and then release it. It willst fall anywhere on the ground. Place thy hand by it, and thou canst guide the direction of its fall. Use thine knowledge to control the events around thee; do not be a mere spectator while the Hammer falls.

Vol. 26
If a brick is missing from thine home, it is of no consequence. If a beam is missing from thine home, it is of much greater importance. If thou and thine master are threatened, be as the brick and allow the beam to remain.

Vol. 27
Thine home is better than thine shelter. Thine shelter is better than thine tree. Thine tree is better than the plain. Each advancement is accompanied with increasing sophistication. It is those who prefer the plain to the home that fear sophistication, and so fear the Master Builder.

Vol. 28

If thou dost encounter a rat, dost thou kill it or follow it back to its nest and kill the remainder? Before thou dost carry out thine thoughts, consider the advantages you willst gain from doing the opposite.

Vol. 29
Thine word of honour is like a bond of mortar. Let it not break, even when the bricks around thee are gone.

Vol. 30
What is’t that is more important; the tapestry as a whole, or the arrangement of one individual thread? The tapestry is more important, but is the result of many threads. The arrangement of one thread can ruin the tapestry. Be not so proud as to neglect the small details, nor so pedantic as to fail to see the main picture.


Vol. 31
Thine home wast not built in a day, and neither shall thine acolyte’s mind.

Vol. 32
Just as thou doth use thine torch to light the path ahead, and not the path behind, use thine knowledge to see thine further path, and not the route upon which thou hast already travelled.

Vol. 33
Thou hast built walls about thine roof to shelter thou from what dost lie beyond? Is thine mind a mere shelter, or home with a wall to deny enemies entrance?

Vol. 34
The Trickster is a deity of nature, who doth lair in the Maw of Chaos, and is the darkest evil. The Master Builder is the greatest good, and so must dwell in a place of order. Is’t that thou willst deny him a home in thine mind and in thine temple?

Vol. 35
The strong of this world are the tall, who tower over the short and weak and are able to see beyond them. When thou dost construct thine buildings, thou must ensure that thou art the strongest of those amongst whom thou buildst.

Vol. 36
Time once past, the harlot did say to the priest "Tarry a while, and wait upon thy duties" and the priest did tarry. And then was the harlot scourged with birch branches, and was the priest crushed beneath the great gears, for the path of righteousness leads ever upwards, to where it is perilous to fall.

Vol. 37
As a burden is easy to let fall but hard to pick up, so faith is easy to discard but difficult to gain. However, just as carrying a burden is better than leaving it on the ground, so carrying thine faith is better than discarding it.

Vol. 38
When thou finds a rat, dost thou kill it even is it has not stolen food from thou? Nay, thou killest it, and its brethren besides. Similarly, when thou dost encounter a felon who has not yet done crime, dost thou allow him to pass by?

Vol. 39
Hadst I a hammer, wouldst I hammer in the morning. Wouldst I hammer in the evening, all over this land."


Vol. 40
...


Vol. 53
To use thy chisel is to blunt its edge 'gainst the stone.
To not use thy chisel is to waste its edge.


Vol. 77
What is a tree but a tower that withers and dies?
What is a pond but a cistern that stagnates and fills with muck?
What is a patch of ground but a road which cracks and washes away?"


Vol. 94
Guard thy tongue from falsehood as thou gardest thy purse from a jackablade. Guard thy hand from misdeed as thou gardest thy house from firelighters. Guard thy heart from doubt as thou gardest thy tools from corrosion, for thy faith and thy tools are the best that thou hast."


Vol. 108

Mortar cannot hold when the stone is not strong and clean. Before beginning thy endeavours, look to thy material, both physical and spiritual."

Vol. 113
A stroke of thy chisel, once made, canst not be undone, but a stroke thou dost not make from fear is a worse flaw. Be not cautious - be correct."

Vol. 141
When the Builder came amongst his children and asked "Who is it that hath spoilt this work?" then didst his errant son answer "I do not know”. Then didst the Builder cast down his son and smite him with his hammer. For is it not known that a mistake may be mastered, but a
lie lasteth forever on the tongue?"


Vol. 170
The proof of the wall is that it stretcheth above the height of a man, and lasteth beyond the span of a man. Our greatest works exceed us in all ways."

Vol. 199
A flaw in the gear will fate it to shatter. A flaw in the beam harbours the termite. A flaw in a man's righteousness encompasses his death."

Platinumoxicity on 18/8/2010 at 14:13

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If there are that many books of rules, there's bound to be redundancy. Unless there's the rule that contradicting commandments written later in a cronological order supersede the older ones, like with the Qur'an, where the violent verses in the end supersede the peaceful messages of the beginning.

That could be Karras's motivation too. Maybe he wrote the New Scripture of the Master Builder using a similar rule, that the fact that his new scripture really was newer made it supersede the old teachings of the Hammerite order. Simple and idiotic, but I does work with the modern Al Qaida.

Platinumoxicity on 18/8/2010 at 18:15

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And how exactly is that? I merely brought up the problem you face when you have 200 books of commandments. Even modern lawbooks that contain the entire sets of rules that govern the society aren't that thick. I'd safely say taht it's a possibility that the Hammerite Compendiums of Precepts, Regimens and Rules of Conduct have been written in a way where laws are updated over time while still preserving the originals, creating a sort of "cronicle" of laws from different times. It might have something to do with "not tearing down what you have built" :)

Platinumoxicity on 18/8/2010 at 22:33

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I'm sorry if the first extremist sect that came into mind as a parallel to the Hammerites, that does in fact follow the kind of law that I spoke of happens to be Al Qaida. Why is it so offensive to you? I was talking about a law within a religious text that allows certain teachings to change over time, and that's the only good example I had. What other sacred books do that? So is it settled? Are there really 200 books of laws within the Hammerite order, without redundancy? Or might it be that each volume of the compendiums is actually an update on the previous one?

Platinumoxicity on 19/8/2010 at 09:01

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But does the "Vol. ##" indicate a whole new book or a newer version, or can it mean both?