Eššu-Malkum's Problem

Arrayed before her in an cleared-out arena, logistician Raqqum saw 100 prisoners of war. Soon she'd get to sacrifice them! She loved her job; getting assigned to the Mot expedition had been the best thing to happen to her career since she'd improved TPS flow by 17%. But, still, duty before pleasure; a sacred ritual must first be carried out. Goremage Šulnakir explained.

"My patron Eššu-Malkum, favoured of Khorne and vessel of His wrath, has a simple test of our worthiness. In its infallible strategic wisdom Eššu-Malkum foretells whether each of us are truly Mighty, and grants us slaughter according to our merits. In an antechamber beneath us there may be 1000 prisoners -- Eššu-Malkum already placed them there, or not, according to its judgement. If it knows we'll choose to maximise slaughter despite temptation it found us worthy. So if you now declare you'll only sacrifice the occupants of the antechamber it already placed 1000 restrained prisoners therein. Whereas if it foresaw short-sighted greed, that you'd choose to sacrifice both the arena and the antechamber, then the antechamber is empty and you'll take a paltry 100 skulls! So: are we to sacrifice just the prisoners in the antechamber, or both arena and antechamber? Declare your choice, logistician!"

Raqqum had been chuckling somewhat maniacally at the thought of all the slaughter to come, but was brought up short by that last.

"Wait, what!? Your patron wants us to spare their lives!?" She drew her blade as her eyes narrowed, "Do you worship some sort of peace entity, wizard?"

Šulnakir's eyes flashed red.

"Watch your tongue, pencil-pusher! It's not mercy to choose the greater sacrifice!"

But Raqqum furiously maintained that to sacrifice but 1000 when 1100 were there for the killing was nigh-on pacifism. One of the Pactsmen guarding the arena prisoners, who'd evidently been listening in on their conversation, weighed in by vox:

"But the prisoners are already in the antechamber, aren't they? I mean if they're there at all. So why don't we just kill everyone here and then move down and kill whoever's there? Stands to reason we'd be sure to kill as many as possible that way."

"No no no!" the goremage retorted, "if you do that Eššu-Malkum foretold as much and the antechamber will be empty!"

At this point other guards spoke up -- turns out they were about equally divided between Šulnakir and Raqqum's stances. The argument became heated. Curses were exchanged, "backwards causation" was said in anger, and soon enough it turned into a brawl. Eventually one of the prisoners, Lieutenant Tzohar, realised the guards had utterly stopped paying attention. She led the arena slaves in an unnoticed breakout, using a knocked-out guard's short-sword to cut their binds before simply walking away.

Meanwhile, deep in the warp, Eššu-Malkum reported back to its patron that through disguise and deception it had bamboozled mortals into mutual betrayal. Receiving the report, one of the Changer of Ways' many faces smiled: just according to keikaku*.

*"keikaku" means "plan".