Once there was an aged ruler of a well respected kingdom.  This old ruler had hewn a civilized land from wilderness and reigned over it for many deochs.  But he had no heirs to pass his lands on to.  Worrying that there would be none to take care of his accomplishments, the old man held auditions for an heir.  All were invited to show this aged king their ability to rule his lands.

  First to his court came a representative of the peasants of his lands.  They begged the venerable old king to let the people of his land rule themselves democratically, for they knew the plights of the land better than any.  The king merely snorted, and had the royal guard take the poor peasant out to be executed as a show of what happens to dissidents in his lands.

  Next to the court came a priest and her acolytes.  They proposed to the old king that the miracles of their god could build a fruitful and prosperous land.  They began praying to their god and showing the many miracles of their deity.  Amidst the onslaught of pious propaganda, the king's mind began to wander.

  When the preist and her acolytes got to the summoning of holy guardians, the sudden appearance of monsters in the court caught the king's attention immediately.  He ordered the guard to charge upon the invading monsters.  The priest and her followers were chased out along with their holy guardians.

  Next to the court came a Monk and her hubae, who endeavoured to show the King the prowess of a monk, and the sage wisdom that accompanied it.  Two traits that surely make for excellent rulers.

  The Monk began practicing her form in the court, kicking at air in perfect form.  The Hubae held up boards that the monk split in twain with various punches and kicks.  At the end of her demonstration, she kneeled in the lotus position and began reciting proverbs of ancient wisdom.

  When the monk had finished, one of the royal guard nudged the king awake.  The old man looked around, and sneered.  He told the monk that she would be the first one his heir would call when his lands were invaded by bits of wood.  The guard were ordered to take up the shattered boards and beat the monk and her hubae from his sight.

  Next came a lone rogue to the king's court, carrying a bushel of apples.  Tossing fruit into the air, the rogue shot a soori straight through each and every apple.  Afterwards the rogue smiled, and held up the purses of all the royal guard.  The guard was not amused.  The king merely grunted and they hauled the rogue off to the dungeon.

  A wise wizard was next to try to impress the king and win the keys to his land.  Standing in the center of the court, the wizard began chanting, tossing various balls of all the elements about in the air, juggling them.  The king smirked, and grabbed a knife from his guard's belt.  The blade was tossed right between the feet of the mage.

  Losing his concentration, the aethers the wizard had summoned went out of control.  His athar magic lifted him into the air, where the srad magic set his robes on fire.  The sal and creag magic came down in the form of a huge ball of mud, returning the wizard to the ground in a heap.  The guard were ordered to ferry the wizard from the king's sight.

  Next to come before the king was a lone warrior.  He made no speeches, merely drew his blade and charged straight at the guard.  Rushing through them with masterful strokes, he soon reached the royal throne and held his sword to the old man's throat.  The warrior then spoke, saying simply, "I win."

  The warrior then lopped the old man's head from his shoulders.  The royal guard were shocked as they saw the head of the king bouncing down the steps.  The old king's face was frozen in death, bearing a grin from ear to ear.  The old king had died happy, for he knew this warrior would rule over his lands as he had, for this warior clearly knew the same lesson the old king had lived by:

Decisive action is the only way to get things done.