Homilies of Blessed Almalexia Content . Sotha Sil and the Scrib s Young Sotha Sil , while playing in the egg mine s , saw a number of scribs in a deep shaft , and he began to cast stones upon them , snickering as they skittered and scattered , until one of the scribs , lifting its head up in agony , cried out to Sotha Sil : " Please , please , have mercy , little boy , for what is sport to you is suffering and death to us . " And so Sotha Sil discovered that the idle of amusements of one may be the solemn tortures of another . Lord Vivec and the Contentious Beasts A shalk and a kagouti were strutting back and forth in a foyada , casting aspersions of one another ' s looks . " You are the ugliest creature alive , " the shalk told the kagouti . " No , YOU are the ugliest creature alive , " the kagouti told the shalk . For each thought himself most handsome , and the other most ugly . Then Lord Vivec chanced by , and settled their dispute . " No , you BOTH are the ugliest creatures alive , and I will not have my pleasant sojourn spoiled by your unseemly squabbling . " So he dealt them both mighty blows , shattering their skulls , and silencing their argument , and went merrily upon his way . And thus Lord Vivec proved that ugliness is as much in one ' s manner as in one ' s appearance . The Boiled Kagouti It is said that if a kagouti steps into a boiling pool , he will leap out immediately to avoid harm . But if the kagouti is standing in a pool , and a wizard slowly raises the temperature , measure by measure , to boiling , the kagouti will calmly stand in place until he is boiled . Thus we see that we must be alert not only to the obvious danger , but also to the subtle degrees by which change may result in danger . The Dubious Healer Once upon a time , a Telvanni issued forth from his tower and proclaimed to all the world that he was a mighty and learned healer , master of all alchemy and potions , and able to cure all diseases . Lord Vivec looked upon this wizard , and listened to his boasting , then asked him , " How can you pretend to prescribe for others the cure to all diseases , when you are unable to cure yourself of your own manifest arrogance and foolishness ? " The Guar and the Mudcrab s The Guar were so tormented by the other creatures they did not know where to go . As soon as they saw a single beast approach them , off they dashed in terror . One day they saw a pack of Nix - hound s ranging about , and in a desperate panic all the Guar scuttled off towards the sea , determined to drown themselves rather than live in such a continual state of fear . But just as they got near the shoreline , a colony of Mudcrabs , frightened in their turn by the approach of the Guar , scuttled off , and threw themselves into the water . ' Truly , ' said one of the Guar , “ things are not so bad as they seem . For there is always someone worse off than you . " The Wounded Netch A wounded Netch lay himself down in a quiet corner of its feeding - ground . His healthy companions came in great numbers to inquire after his health , yet each one helped himself to a share of the fodder which had been placed there for his use ; so that the poor Netch died , not from his wounds , but from the greed and carelessness of his erstwhile friends . And so it is clear that thoughtless companions may bring more harm than help .