The Fall of Eternia

The king of Eternia decided to institute a free market economy to give his subjects some incentive to increase growth & productivity. He increased taxes to create a fiscal stimulus, promoted all his knights to senior positions on the board, and increased the daily hours his peasants toiled to 12 to cover all the salaries and lifestyles of his board members. The knights took the daughters & wives of their subjects as mistresses, deserving as they were, and the people rejoiced as their women were blessed by the noble union. The peasants, trusting & believing in the altruism of their noble lords, worked for ten long years to build the new kingdom. After their toil was done they asked for their promised pensions, salary increases and a hospital for their sick & injured. The knights replied that they had endured a long overseas war for oil to provide splendid illumination for their castles and had spent the peasants’ pension funds in waging war. The knights returned the peasants’ women, as they had grown old and tired and, instead of increasing the peasants pay, they increased their taxes and borrowed from their future earnings to replenish the war chests and refurbish their castles. And lo, the peasants put down their tools and wandered off into the woods. The kingdom of Eternia fell into ruin and was conquered by the people of the oil rich nations. However, the knights of Eternia would not fight off the invaders as they had grown fat & lazy, and instead were reduced to slaves. The knights refused to endure hard work because they had never known toil, and so some starved and others were executed. The once proud knights did mourn and weep for their lost kingdom and riches. After the knights had passed away, the peasants returned to till their soils and live comfortably off their land happily ever after...