Flail of Penitence

A kingdom by the sea long lost to time was once home to an inseparable pair of brothers.  Though they were heirs to the throne, they forged their names on the rough streets that would one day become their charge.  But one day, when the older of the pair claimed the throne, the younger felt an immediate change within his brother.  Where before his brother had welcomed his opinion, his brother now refused to listen; unwilling to heed any suggestion, even when faced with an undeniable truth.  It was as if his brother’s skull had somehow grown thicker with every second spent atop the throne.  It infuriated the younger brother and drove him toward voices which whispered sweetly into his ear.  Sometimes emotions left unattended can fester and grow twisted roots, before long morphing into dangerous shapes that cannot easily be controlled.  Years passed, anger slipped into jealousy, soon building into madness.  

In a moment of blind rage, the younger brother snatched up a royal guard’s flail and struck his brother in the chest.  Again and again he struck him, letting out the rage that had been silently building up until it no longer remained as the flail laid shattered, broken at his feet.  As he looked down at what remained, the younger brother felt great remorse.  Shame and sadness followed.  In an attempt to punish and atone, he commanded that his brother be fashioned into a flail for him to wield such that he would be unable to escape from the sight of his terrible sin.  

The strongest weapons are crafted and imbued with aspects of their wielder; a reflection of one’s own mindset, ability and desires.  Some to such a level that they capture remnants of those long gone to further fuel their strength.  But, this power comes with a cost.  Emotions permeate its surface, so potent are they that they have long outlasted their source.  To become the bearer of such a weapon means facing this past and accepting the risk that one day it may require a fresh replacement for its head.