First, this is my fiction. But it’s based on nearly 20 year of warhammer experience, and my extensive lore about it, or rather an extensive collection of warhammer material. Still it might set some perspective on things, or surprise you....or bore you.

"When all morale judgment has passed, all philosophies and faiths expressed, it all come down to a simple choice concerning our freedom:
Be free of Tyranny, and Chaos will Reign
Or
Be free of Chaos, and Tyranny will Reign
This is the crucial choice we must take, and nothing else matters. This equation is all that matters. The Empire, Mankind, the Old World, Verena show me mercy, there’s only this. Nothing else matters".

Background & Perspective

This is the ending of Lieberman’s infamous treatise: Moestifer Nuptialis Inter Kaos quod Sanctus Empire. When it was written almost 1000 years ago, his work was burned in most part of the Old World, but in the Empire the Order of Holy Templars carried to safety, and stored it for centuries. Although the philosophical work of Professor Lieberman, where deemed at best a controversy, at worst heretical, the church of Sigmar decided to save what copies they could get their hands on. For within the learned priest-scholars, Lieberman’s work had struck a chord, a fundamental kernel of truth.
Even by that time, Lieberman where renown as an eccentric philosopher, and a staunch opponent of the Grand Theogonist and the Cult of Sigmar’s practices. But in his book: the Sorrowful wedding of Chaos and the holy Empire, this changes.

The Sorrowful Marriage between Chaos & the Holy Empire
Part fiction and part a philosophical treatise, Lieberman projects himself into a character of his book. This character is Faust, a troubled student of philosophy that are beset and tormented by a Great Chaos Deamon. Through the chapters, young Faust fights the deamon in a series of mental battles of philosophical debate. Quite vividly Faust / Lieberman exchange heated arguments with the deamon, using his arsenal of philosophical insights on the Major Faiths and morale judgment. But every time the daemon parries and twists his words, and let dangerous ideas form in the mind of the distressed Faust.
And every time they exchange arguments, Faust is losing more and more of his morale footing. Insanity threatens as he continues to fight both the Deamon’s compelling arguments, and the seductive ideas in his head. In the final chapter, Faust retreats to highest level of a tower, desperate he realize he has trapped himself in a towering tower of morality, with no way to go. As the Daemon catches up with him, Faust eyes, red with fever, catches the sight of a brass triptych, bearing the image of a hammer, a twin-tailed comet, and a skull with a laurel wreath.
Faust kneels and screams: I yield. Triumphantly the deamon stands over the broken mind of Faust, laughing. But in truth Faust has yielded to the might of Sigmar and not the daemon. “I Choose Tyranny! Be gone deamon of freedom”.
With these words, the deamon shrieks and unravel. Half-mad and suffering from the painful realization of his own morale faults, Young Faust write feverishly about his encounter, before throwing himself off the tower, committing suicide.

Conclusion

Depending on which edition you read, this can be interpreted as pure fiction, or a semi-biographical work, where Lieberman finally comes to term with his issues against the Cult of Sigmar and his own fear of Chaos. Leiberman himself never had a chance to discuss his work, as disease and madness overcome him. In the end he died a lonely death at one of Shallya’s sanatoriums. Many Sigmarite scholars take this book as proof that Lieberman wanted forgiveness and atonement for his critique against the cult of Sigmar, and that he used the fictional character of Faust to project his regrets. If Lieberman got his atonement and blessing at the hand of the Grand Theogonist, the story and controversies around his life tell nothing about. But rumors have it that when Lieberman died, the Grand Theogonist was not staying in Altdorf, but somewhere else.
The ending word of his great philosophical treatise:
Be free of Tyranny, and Chaos will Reign
Or
Be free of Chaos, and Tyranny will Reign,
still sparks controversies and debate, and is still banned in most of the southern lands, like Tilea and Estalia.

Do you Think he was Right? or is this truly the writings of a madman tormented by his own inner demons? or both?

We might be wiser on the issue had not all of the works of the Kislevite scholar and commentator of Liebermann, Mikael Tsarionovich, been put to the torch -

"Architecti Dominationum", in particular.

Undermound said:

oh yes, that is another tragedy. Mikael Tsarionovich, and Liebermann where great scholars in their fields. And the loss of Tsarionovich might have been a even greater loss to the philosophies of humanity, despite the claims of heresy. The title of the work you presented eludes me, Architect of Insanity? or something like that. Must admit I no next to nothing about his works. so any morsel or scraps of information would be much appriciated. Nothing too lengthy.

I'm one of those GMs that like to provide my players with additional information about books they read in the game, and I often create my own books, like that infamous treatise "the sorrowful wedding of Chaos & the Holy Empire" by Professor Liebermann. I also own the Liber Chaotica volume 1-4 from Black Library, and when my players found on the volumes in a module, they were quite surprised when I handed them a whole book as a handout.

what about you guys do you use the non-game materials found in Black Library publications, like Liber Chaotica or The Loathsome Ratmen and all their vile kin, to further enhance your games?

bottom line are your players just hack'n' slasher or do they enjoy a good book in the game? I encourage their PCs to read books, by giving them a relevant skill training or specialty (if the book is rare and well written), or at least grant them a bonus to a relevant skill check if they consult the book prior to the check.

Good gaming

I have found quite a few uses for the general background books.

Liber Chaotica, Liber Necris, Grudgelore, Loathsome Ratmen, Life of Sigmar, Witch Hunter's Handbook, and Darkness Rising have all been quite useful as they are written "in character" they serve as great handouts as you said. For me at least they are invaluable resources.

Liber Chaotica, Liber Necris and Loathsome Ratmen are all useful primers for the respective enemies they detail. Chaotica and Necris also contain some of the philosophy behind Chaos and the Undead which is quite helpful. Life of Sigmar, the Witch Hunter's Handbook and Darkness Rising (the last campaign I ran still used second edition background) all give an insight into life in the empire. And Grudgelore gives an almost unique look at Dwarf logic, culture and humour (though alot of it is also in the first edition supplement).

While there is nothing wrong with hack and slash gaming it does get boring after awhile, I have been luck to have players that enjoyed a good mix of roleplaying types. In fact I feel inspired....

Come to think of it I seem to remember a certain treatise on the relation of chaos and the human soul sent to me through a friend from the late Bretonnian historian Charton (a true scholar who will be greatly missed). It was called "On the spirit and nature of Human Endeavour" ; I can not for the life of me remember the author or what horrible end he met but it might be interesting considering the nature of Libermann's philosophy. The first four books are missing (as are books 6, 8, and 9-12) and the first three chapters of the fifth book are damaged but what little remains is intriguing. The particular copy I have is filled with notes from Charton's own hand just before his tragic death from consuming wild almonds, falling out of a window and bursting into flames.... some of the text follows....

The author argues that Faust does not escape chaos, and that tyranny and chaos can coexist thus piling even greater hardships upon mankind. To defeat chaos, man must tame it as the elves have done, as the dwarves have done. Bent into useful tools, chaos can be of use to men, clearly such thoughts would send one directly to the nearest lit pyre however his words do fill one with a strange sort of hope....

Book 5: The dangers of sorrow

....and so we see the ways in which chaos manipulates us, drives us to extremes and as fractured individuals, fractured souls it consumes us.

Now as for poor Libermann's final work, for all of its value as a piece of literature I simply can not except its underlying philosophical premise. By choosing tyranny over chaos Faust forces back his demon I will grant you that but defeating a demon and defeating chaos are two different things. By sacrificing his free will on the alter of the Sigmarites Faust surrenders his autonomy, he is not revitalized by his choice, rather he commits suicide, an act I believe speaks to a great and growing despair within Faust....[next two chapters are beyond repair]

.....it is not, I think, a coincidence that the author died of disease when his character had fallen to despair. In this the talon of the plague crow may be found, in fleeing the winding ways of the Great Schemer (for who else could bend Faust's thoughts so fully) Faust, no Libermann for that is truly who Faust represents, fell into the hands of the Lord of Flies....

Book 8: Will and the forge of our future

[in the first six chapters of book eight the practices of the elder races are detailed, it is unknown how the author obtained this information or if it is all the product of a deeply disturbed mind]

....it is not sufficient to throw ourselves before Sigmar, or Ulric, or Verena and give to them our humanity. We must carry the fight to chaos, bind the darkness in our hearts. Turn rage into courage, turn despair into determination, turn desire into love, turn vain ambition into hope for a better world. In this way chaos can be broken in this way the darkness can be chained. As the elves have done channel emotion through ritual, and the dwarves have done forge links to the past that will carry into the future. It can be done, the gods can be humbled! These things I have seen....... with stre.... we may still...... [the rest of book eight and books 9 through 12 are missing]

Clearly the work of a madman, and lacking in literary value when compared to the old masters but I for one have to wonder. Building on the theory that we shape the gods, could we not bend them into more suitable forms. Mankind has tamed animals and plants that would normally kill us, here I sit chewing on Arabian almonds, wild almonds are poisonous to man and yet these almonds before me are a delicacy. Perhaps the gods are like these almonds, perhaps we need only chose to tame them....

Well that is all I have translated for now.

regards,

ET

ErrantThought

your finding is quite intriquing. I will add them to my notes, as they prove to be very useful in my further researchs. It's seems clear to me that while Liebermann won over the demon he lost to the ravages of Chaos an inner torments. But I am afraid that his work, in the hands of fanatics will do more damage than good. No wonder his books are banned in many parts of the Old world.

I will look into this, thanks a thousand times for sharing this most illuminating info.

Gotta run have session to attend

good gaming

Mal Reynolds said:

"Architects of Control" is one translation I have often seen employed. In this book, Tsarionovich suggests that the choice for humanity - after Liebermann's analysis - is not limited to that between corruption and control from above, but that the very word "heretic" originally referred to someone who has the ability to choose for oneself, or as Thomas Nashorn has said, heretic is "one who holds that wiues need not be common to all alike". Thus, only through one's own choices would one become one's own person free from both slavery to the authorities and corruption. Of course, embracing the label of a heretic did not hinder Tsarionovich's journey to the stake at all.