Misc Lore Text/Quotes

=== 777 Ways of Ruling ===
"Do not conquer in anger. Rage will infect your tactics and make your campaign needlessly destructive when war must always be, at its heart, reconstructive. Do not burn the forest to kill the bear." 
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling 
----"Manage crime, but do not attempt to eradicate it. It is impossible. Besides, crime fulfills many necessary components of society, such as keeping the merchant class on their toes. Criminals will freely work to your benefit if it means maintaining a profitable status quo. One cannot trust nor control the stars, but if you keep a wary eye on them, you may use them to navigate."
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling 
----"Do not depend on an ignorant populace for your rule. The ridicule you face from intellectuals may make you seem unpopular, but their skepticism will be aimed at your competitors as well. Placid oxen are easily stolen."
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling
----"Master your emotions but do not avoid them. Many have mistaken hardness of heart for strength. A ruler must allow himself to anger, grieve and exult when it is appropriate. A stone may seem more resilient than the sword; but while one breaks under the hammer, the other grows stronger."
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling
----"Do not tolerate simperers. Elevate based on merit alone. Promoting sycophants betrays the trust of the truly loyal, especially ones that have suffered for their incompetence. Those that kiss upwards often kick downwards."
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling
----"Resist the temptation to become a demagogue. Minorities will made an art out of undermining you and will run gleefully into your enemy's arms. The one that scorns the spider, suffers the fly."
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling
----"Never take the basic necessities of the people for granted. Obsess yourself with logistics. Your domain is only ever four missed meals away from total anarchy. A woman may swaddle her infant in gold thread and pearls all she wishes; but if she can give no suck, she has failed as a mother."
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling
----All skilled men are ultimately humble. They will let their talents waste away to avoid seeming presumptuous about their skill. Assign them a role that utilizes it. The only thing a musician loves more than song is the man who says 'Play for us!'" 
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling
----"Discomfort is the essence of royalty. Do not try to distract yourself from it with the pleasures of flesh and wine, lest you become accustomed to comfort. A man who sleeps in thorn bushes every night will rest easily when he is tortured with a bed of nails."
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling 
----"Grant your armies every luxury possible but do not let them become independent. Do not allow your generals to become your competition. Spend time with the soldiery to remind them that their victory is granted through your rule. A guard dog may make a useful and affectionate companion, but one not fed nor petted may decide it is better off without you."
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling
----"That which cannot be overcome nor avoided, must be accepted. An enemy you cannot defeat nor intimidate, must be negotiated with. The farmer does not plant according to his taste in crops, but rather according to the soil he's been given."
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling 
----"Indecision is a more swift killer than making the wrong decision. A bird who's nest is attacked by a viper may die foolishly trying to peck at it, but will certainly die if it does nothing." 
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling 
----“Do not try to be what you cannot be, be only what you are- or you will waste your time. A man can bury his feet in the soil and stretch his arms forth like branches all he likes, but he will never bear fruit.” 
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling 
----“Do not surround yourself with splendor. Spend your treasury sparingly. Stock the halls of your fortress with sturdy and plain men, and do not adorn your walls. Abhor gold except for its purpose to strengthen your people. For if you sit next to the sun too long, you’re likely to go blind.” 
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling 
----"Those bestowed with great power are doomed to use it."
-Proverb by the Lord Sovereign Oric, in The 777 Ways of Ruling
"And probably kill all their friends, family and tiny, innocent baby children in the process. Oh! And also puppies. Cute, vulnerable, delicious puppies. Those too."
-Additional context from Addendums to The 777 Ways of Ruling by the Red Sage
----"'I will unite, I will bring men together.' The second oath is a simple but meaningful one. Why, I then ask, is the Lord Sovereign seemingly incapable of exemplifying it with his actions? He has dragged his feet for centuries now on his endless quest for the 'perfect' squire. Meanwhile the mortals squabble, fighting over the corpses of Chivrillians! Has he forged a shred of unity in the last millennia of searching? No."
---Excerpt from Criticisms of Lord Sovereign Oric by Princeps Sovereign Ensha
"'I will take responsibility for the harm I must cause.' The first oath. The base of the pillar upon which the other two stand. Odd, then, that the Lord Sovereign casts aside blame for anything and everything, foremost among them his denial of our right to bond mortals. I fail to see where in this oath there are exemptions made for whinging about a lack of suitable prospective squires. It is time he admits to his impotence and allow some of us to cross over. Do not even get me started on his flagrant violation of the third oath." 
---Excerpt from Criticisms of Lord Sovereign Oric by Princeps Sovereign Ensha
"Feel. Not just when you decide that it is time to, but always. 'Others' would have you believe the only way to rule is to become an unfeeling ascetic but this is the dogma of warlords, not kings. You should rule passionately. Your love for your people should be like that for your children and your hate for your people's enemies should burn your soul into a raging inferno. You should cry out for your people's victories and weep for their losses freely; without fear of ridicule or displaying weakness. It is the small and insecure dog that barks the most furiously." 
---Excerpt from Criticisms of Lord Sovereign Oric by Princeps Sovereign Ensha
"Give your people ownership over everything they do and create. 'Others' would suggest you cultivate a free and open economy with the intent of creating competition and continual 'improvement'. A pit of snarling dogs is certainly free and competitive, but when the last is left bloodied and standing what has been improved? All you have done is selected for the most cutthroat of options and left a wake of suffering behind. You should instead seek to place the means of producing products- and the profit gained -in the hands of those doing the actual labor. This will reward them for innovation and improve not only the products but the lifestyle of the producers as well."
---Excerpt from Criticisms of Lord Sovereign Oric by Princeps Sovereign Ensha
"'I will take responsibility for the harm I must cause.' The first oath of the Peace Forgers. Fitting, then, that the result of the Lord Sovereign's thousand-year search is a knight as willing to pass on blame as he is.
During his debut speech- which lacked any poetry whatsoever, I might add -he began with revealing his horrific countenance and enumerating his sufferings at the hands of mortals. Not only does this not inspire confidence in humanity but also highlights his lack of responsibility. A proper Peace Forger would accept that his face is the way it is because he did not stop those who ruined it. 
Secondly, when commanding all to cross over, he stated the pressing enemy as the most important of reasons. All without any evidence except for a few material-side scrapes with the Ur and a distant storm he'd only just seen for the first time. 
Lastly, his statements were worded like the barbaric demands of a warlord. 'Do this or else this.'. A true ruler would instead implore us to cross over for the betterment of both races. He would feel passion for the bond and its benediction upon both parties, not just our use in waging war."
---Excerpt from Criticisms of Sir Reign Carnagus III by Princeps Sovereign Ensha.
---- 
=== Tyrant Reborn Prophecies ===
"Yet one shall be born to face the otherking, born once more as he was born before, and shall be born again, without end. 
The Tyrant shall be Reborn, and there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth at his rebirth. 
In sackcloth and ashes shall he clothe the people, and he shall break the world again by his coming, tearing apart all ties that bind. 
Like the unfettered dawn shall he blind us, and burn us, yet shall the Tyrant once again confront the encroaching end, and his blood may give us the Light. 
Let tears flow, O' ye people of the world. Weep for your salvation." 
---From the collected heretical prophecies of the Tyrant Reborn
----"And at His coming the dead will weep, for the living shall surely suffer the agonies of His salvation. For He is The Bringer of Pains and The Herald of The End! Anointed unholily, He will blaspheme that which was once sacred! He will bind the east to the west and the air to the earth! He shall stare into the storm and blind the eyes of the False King! Weep O ye dead, weep O ye who live who will yet die for Him! Weep! O weep for your salvation!"
---From the collected heretical prophecies of the Tyrant Reborn
----"There shall come a time when the shadow shall rise across the world, and darken every land, even to the smallest corner, and there shall be neither light nor safety. 
And he who shall be born of the dawn, born of the royal blood and raised by the pure blood. 
He shall stretch forth his hands to catch the darkness- 
And the world shall scream in the pain of salvation." 
Scribe's Annotations: This prophecy predates the Tyrant's reign by over 3000 years. Contemporary interpretation claims it prophesized the Tyrant himself, specifically the 6-month period wherein the sun did not rise. But all known records claim he was born of low blood and raised by his birth family, which raises concerns that the prophecy instead refers to events yet to occur. 
---From the collected heretical prophecies of the Tyrant Reborn
----"His arrival will bring you together and break you apart. His light will shine upon the Great Moth, and it will waken from its slumber. Your silks will be cast off and replaced with the bones and irons of war! Lo! and behold his wrath! The survivors- from the Low to the Lords- will bleed from their hearts for Him in many thousands. For He is the Lord of all Lords!"
-Proverb of the Tyrant Reborn, fed to the Church of The Dreaming Wyrm by Lanfear. 
----"Where He goes, chaos follows. None can claim it is not His fault, for though He is the Lord of All Things, foremost is He the Lord of Chaos." 
—From the collected prophecies of the Tyrant Reborn, by a nameless prophet. Historians argue this may have been simply referencing Lews Therin, now long dead, who thought he was the Tyrant Reborn. 
----"He will sit upon a throne of stolen silver, bloodied by the hands that built it, as the Six bend the knee beneath the forgotten sign. On his brow, he will wear a crown of swords." 
-From the Profane Prophecies, by a heretical writer, 821PT. 
----"And lo! did it pursue its prey and scoured worlds of billions in its mindless, bloodless purity. Verily, then, it did kill that which cannot and devoured the divine flesh, sinking ever deeper into its apocalyptic dementia." 
---From the scattered prophecies of the Godeater, inscribed upon the tanned hide of a nameless dead demigod.
----"He shall sunder the Heavens with holy light and part a sea of his own blood. He shall bind you in the rags of exiles and clothes you in chains. He shall whisper to you in your last moments."
---From the collected heretical prophecies of the Tyrant Reborn
----
=== Rat Fables ===
The Master sat her two students on the ground. One was full of vigor, and eager to prove himself. The other was patient, and stayed her blade until the last moment. Before them both, the Master placed a rat between them. 
"Kill the rat," she commanded. 
Without hesitation, the first student struck the rat with his blade, cutting it in twain. He beamed at the Master, and sent a momentary glare at the other student. 
"Who has lost the most from this transaction, and why?" The Master asked. 
"She has," the first student said, "for she disobeyed the command of the Master." 
"This thing is true, but it is not the correct answer." 
"He has lost more," the second student said, pointing to the other, "he killed without need!" 
"This is also true, but it is not the correct answer." The Master let them ponder for a moment. 
"I have lost more," the two students said simultaneously. 
"I killed it for pride," the first said. 
"I failed to protect it," the second said. 
"This is also true, but it is not the correct answer." 
"Then who?" The students asked. 
"The rat." 
-Version of the 'Rat Fable' taught to squires of the Eternal Wardens
----The Master sat her two students on the ground. One was full of vigor, and eager to prove himself. The other was patient, and stayed her blade until the last moment. Before them both, the Master placed a rat between them. 
"Kill the rat," she commanded. 
Without hesitation, the first student struck the rat with his blade, cutting it in twain. He beamed at the Master, and sent a momentary glare at the other student. 
"Who has lost the most from this transaction, and why?" The Master asked. 
"She has," the first student said, "for she disobeyed the command of the Master." 
"This thing is true, but it is not the correct answer." 
"He has lost more," the second student said, pointing to the other, "he killed without need!" 
"This is also true, but it is not the correct answer." The Master let them ponder for a moment. 
"Then who?" The students asked. 
"You have," the Master said, pointing at the second student, "you wished to protect the rat from the start, and yet you did not protect it." 
The second student bowed their head. "But Master, I am not skilled enough to block his blade." 
The Master's face tensed in rage as she seized the second student by the hair, forcing her face towards the dead rat. "Fool child! Of course you would fail to block it! If you wish to protect, you must act before those who threaten it do!" 
She pointed to the first student. "If you wished to protect the rat, you should have struck him down where he stood!" 
-Version of the 'Rat Fable' taught to squires of the Peace Forgers
----The Master sat her two students on the ground. One was full of vigor, and eager to prove himself. The other was patient, and stayed her blade until the last moment. Before them both, the Master placed a rat between them.
"Kill the rat," she commanded. 
Without hesitation, the first student struck the rat with his blade, cutting it in twain. He beamed at the Master, and sent a momentary glare at the other student.
"Who has lost the most from this transaction, and why?" The Master asked.
"She has," the first student said, "for she disobeyed the command of the Master."
"This is true, but it is not the correct answer."
"He has lost more," the second student said, pointing to the other, "he killed without need!"
"This is also true, but it is not the correct answer." The Master let them ponder for a moment.
"Then who?" the two students asked simultaneously.
The Master pointed at the first student, "You have lost some, for you knew all along that she would disobey my order but did nothing to prevent her from doing so."
The Master pointed at the second student, "You have lost more, for you knew all along that he would kill the rat but did nothing to prevent him from doing so."
The second student bowed their head, "I am sorry Master."
"But you are not the one who has lost the most," the Master said, "I have. I knew all along that you would disobey me and that you would kill the rat out of ambition. And I did nothing to prevent either."
-Version of the 'Rat Fable' taught to squires of the Will Shapers
----The master sat her two students on the ground. One was full of vigor, and eager to prove himself. The other was patient, and stayed her blade until the last moment. Standing before them both, the Master placed a rat between them.
"Kill the mouse," she commanded. 
Without hesitation, the first student struck the rat with his blade, cutting it in twain. He beamed at the Master, and sent a momentary glare at the other student.
"Who has lost the most from this transaction, and why?" The Master asked.
"She has," the first student said, "for she disobeyed the command of the Master."
"This is true, but it is not the correct answer."
"He has lost more," the second student said, pointing to the other, "he killed without need!"
"This is also true, but it is not the correct answer." The Master let them ponder for a moment.
"Then who?" the two students asked simultaneously.
"You have," the Master said, pointing to the first student, "I commanded you to 'kill the mouse' and you killed a rat instead."
"But Master," the first student implored, "if your command had been false, then did she not truly obey you? Your previous words suggested otherwise."
"Your mistake is believing that I will always tell you the truth."
-Version of the 'Rat Fable' taught to squires of the Fatebringers
----
=== Rivers of Anguish ===
A lesser acolyte asked Momon,
'How does one conquer grief?'
Momon answered,
'How do you defeat dey crocadile, 'mon?'
A lesser acolyte answered,
'With cunning and fury?'
Momon shook his head
'Ya don't. Ya move 'round it, but be keepin an eye on it.'
-Excerpt from Rivers of Anguish
----A lesser acolyte asked Momon,
'Should I fear death?'
Momon answered,
'You should fear de 'tings dat make you dead. But not the death itself, mon.'
A lesser acolyte asked,
'You have died once before, was it difficult?'
Momon answered,
'Dying be easy, 'mon. Living is whats 'ard.'
-Excerpt from Rivers of Anguish
----
(Marcus wrote this one)
A lesser acolyte asked Momon,
‘I’ve just buried my brother. The others tell me to celebrate his life, but I don’t think I can. How do I let go of this pain?’ 
Momon answered, 
‘Dem who tell ya not ta cry be hypocrites; for if one tells ya dat deat’ be natural, den mournin’ be natural, too.’ 
-Except from Rivers of Anguish
----A lesser acolyte asked Momon,
'Why are there those who bring only grief to others?'
Momon answered,
'Why do da scorpion sting 'ya?'
The acolyte shook his head, uncomprehending.
Momon answered,
'Cause dey be 'avin stingers, 'mon.'
-Excerpt from Rivers of Anguish
----
==== Grapes of Sorrow ====
Now flee'd yon heart,
which ye have spent.
Mauldin, 'I am empty',
is thy lament.
Filleth thine cask hollow now,
with wine,
chill'd as winter.
For ye have traded thy once warm heart,
to the vintner.
-Excerpt from Rivers of Anguish
----
=== MISC ===
"I believe most of us have heard the outright ridiculous myths of our esteemed Cloakslayers. That Thonk Stonebrow married the Tyrant's sister. That the Great Bard Kegbelly invented the first song ever written. One tale suggests that Malgreant the Unseen clung to the shadows so entirely that not even the other Cloakslayers knew what she looked like. Some even more absurd, such as the Wandering Moon being Axis the Sanguine.
We've recently discovered a trove of songs and mythologies from the Age of Legends, that gives us a peek into the people that the Cloakslayers would have considered ancient heroes growing up. The most intriguing is many involving Brigritte Silverbow, Artur Hawkwing and Black Dow, who- according to these stories -defeated their own tyrant, Conquering King Zoss. There are indications in the texts of another group several millennia before that as well. 
The first question I pose to the Academy is this; How many times has this cycle occurred? How many times has a lord of destruction and domination risen and been put down by a group of intrepid heroes, only for the world to be left broken and stunted in the wake? How many times has mortalkind been reduced to using stone tools and started all over again? If it were not for the Cloakslayer's work after the war, we would have suffered as much. 
My second question, is this; Will there be a next? Has the Tyrant's Golden Path broken this cycle, or was he simply another expression of the Cycle of Tyranny? Worse still to consider, perhaps he instead made us a permanent slave to it. The Path intent on keeping us from ever reaching greater technological progress?" 
-Excerpt from a secret lecture within the Academy of The Free World, year 1435
----She builds a child of steel and bone, and waits and waits all alone! 
Beyond the gaze of the Watching Eye, She plucks the stars from the sky! 
-A line from War in Heaven of the Great Bard Kegbelly's more 'ominous' ballads
----“Beware thou crawling thing! The hosts of Malkieri and Tar Valon come forth to do battle! The sky is red with their lightnings! The Eternal Wardens and the Dominator clash above your heads this very moment, smiting each other with stars! Turn thou thy face backwards against their black heat, or thou wilt taste death!” 
–Ritual warning of the priests of Al'miss-14, the sunless planet.
----"There are many, but today, there were 7 of whom we watched. The Artist, who depicts the world as they believe it should be- not how it is. The Charlatan, who manipulates even without knowing. The Knight, who pursues an impossible task. The Liar, who wears the soldier's mantle over the heart of a deserter. The Huntsman, who kills their prey in more ways than one. The Vagabond, who sees the world for how it truly is. And The Ruler, who hides from their destiny."
-Viridinia, Herald of the Willshapers, at the End of All Things
----"Anomandaris, Anomandaris!
One who men would make their liege, but cannot; 
for the same reason his rule would be just, 
he chooses, instead, to serve."
—Third stanza of the Epic Hymn, Anomandaris.
----"Upon its shoulders sits a mantle 
who's name is Death. 
It drags 
upon the ground. 
And where its ragged edges pass 
no thing shall grow" 
-Verse VI of Ode to The Godeater by The Red Sage
----Two individuals sat by a fire and spoke. The fire was metaphorical. One individual was Tanavast, last living herald. The other was The Bearer of The Crown, sworn enemy of every member of Tanavast's race except for himself. His only enemy was his own race. 
In that, they shared some small kinship. 
"Why do you do this?" Tanavast asked. 
"Because it is all there is to do." The Bearer of The Crown replied. 
"Do I speak to the Bearer, or the Crown, in this moment?" 
"The Bearer. The Crown cannot speak."
"I care little for your race, Bearer. Your kind has been beaten. You are the last to Bear the Crown who will matter. I would speak with the Crown, before the End of All Things comes." 
The Bearer was silent. 
"You have lived with the Crown long, Bearer." Tanavast said after a time. "If it truly cannot speak, then speak on its behalf." 
"Your mistake is believing someone else will not Bear the Crown after me." The Bearer said. 
"As I said, you have been beaten. Jivrael will not break. No new Bearer will break him. You know this." 
"I do. My race has been beaten. But the Crown will abandon us for another. Punishment for our failure, I think." 
"That's impossible! The Crown has been yours since the beginning!" 
"The Crown has been ours for only as long as we've existed. It has belonged to others, before." 
"You have existed for hundreds of trillions of years! You were born with the first stars and survived long after the last died!" 
"The Crown is much, much older than that." 
"We are doomed." Tanavast said. 
"And so are we." The Bearer said. 
And together, the two killed themselves. 
And the Crown chose another.
----In a tomb of old stone and ice yon corpse did cower. 
For it, the melting ice dripping, I do weep 
for there is none else to mourn. 
Was this death, so soon, what thoust hunted, 
or does thine soul wander still? 
I will remember thee, dear stranger 
and cherish our time. 
For the eons mine hallways laid untread, 
and my sconces cold and dark 
and my coffers unplundered, my secrets withheld 
my only company, the pests. 
As those eons continue 
and my dust covers thine bones, 
please know, I was with thee, 
you did not die alone 
--Eulogy for a Ratcatcher, by Toc the Younger, 1224PT
----"Little is known of exactly how the Godeater broke the galaxy in half. Like the Tyrant's seals on the Weave, we believe it involved a sword forged from pure power, sourced from a source independent of the Weave. 
Unlike the seals, however, the universe did not accept this change without a fight. It was said that immediately following The Splitting, all could hear the groan of physics itself straining against the Godeater's blow. 
Though reality's scream demanded that the act was impossible, the Godeater's sword (not having ears) failed to receive the memo." 
--Excerpt from A History of Tar Valon by Aes Sedai Historian and Famous Canned Tuna Tycoon, Dr. Aemos Ilitum
----"...following that discovery, I sought to establish a group of interns that would keep a constant watch on the Wandering moon, blinking only in assigned intervals. For nearly three days we managed to keep it fixated above Ix, making observations, until a passing cloud obscured the moon allowing it to vanish...
...more observations were necessary... our understandings of celestial mechanics could not explain strange facts such as appearing larger on certain days... appearing to be in front of the clouds rather that behind...
...came into contact with a support group for blind veterans of House Gaul... some of the veterans [those who survived the most traumatic experiences] claimed to be able to see the Wandering Moon... 3 of the 4 that were tested could instantly point out where the [Wandering] moon was located in the sky, even when blindfolded or kept in a windowless room. All 3 are totally blind, 2 don't even have eyeballs anymore, but they can see this red moon very clearly."
-Various excerpts from Observations of The Wandering Moon by Professor Whisper, now kept within the Red Sage's personal library
----"He is the Stone-Teller of two-tongues. He is the Great-chief. Maker of meat from men. Eater of men's flesh. He has journeyed to Gobekli Tepe. He has carved runes upon his flesh. Where they lay, he is immune to bow and blade." 
-Translated from Orcish, found carved by feral settlers upon a totem-stone.
----
"It was natural for myself to assume that Ix's optimistic and harmonious culture was but a veil disguising a much more malign and corrupt underbelly. And so, dear reader, I took it upon myself to interview hundreds. 
I spoke with all walks, ranging from the obscenely rich Highborn of the Walled District to the destitute, seasonal laboring Goblins of the Grolin Slums- which I might add are still finer accommodations than my apartments in Capital.
I interviewed shrewd political spokespersons, psychotic street performers, a motley crew of professional thieves- though I didn't realize until afterwards -and heretical prophets squatting illegally in unoccupied structures. 
Through my tireless investigations I discovered a few small smudges upon the bright face of Ix, but none so great as those in Capital or any other major kingdom.
Most if not all of those blemishes had been recent developments, old laws removed by the now-deceased Caliph Cillian with the moral guidance of his younger brother, Prince Cedril, now returned by the temporary rule of the Guildmaster Council.
Even still, the opposition against these indignities is fierce and I cannot help but feel as though time will prove them the victors.
Indeed, this city is singular in it's capacity for cooperation and empathy. The political borders here are faded and communities define themselves instead by mutual respect, shared values, life experience and collective responsibility. 
Children, with their natural creativity and curiosity are valued for their authenticity and educated rather than being dismissed to work hard labor.
The elderly, oft stereotyped as unchanging arbiters of 'the-good-old-days', instead are lifelong learners utilizing their breadth of experience to employ the skills and knowledge of the modern age.
And so it was a great shame when the tragedies of this year befell the great city."
---Excerpts from Tales of the Frontier Volume 1 by Benjamin Knightsdale, 1439
It was at this point in my time in the wild Frontier that I finally got a chance to speak with the strange creature that accompanied the ratcatcher. At first glance, dear reader, you might believe that it was naught but a venerable yet sun-tanned human woman. But that would be a grave error. This curious being was none other than a *Deathless*, a creature that was once a person, now reduced by incurable illness to a feral state. The ratcatcher called her 'Tool'.
Tool and I spoke early in the morning, while the ratcatcher was gone to forage for food. When I awoke, the Deathless was still standing in the exact same location and position it had been when I'd retired! Its wrinkled and waxy face seemed pensive, so I decided to inquire.
"What do you think about, Tool?" I asked with temerity, in the face of the unease the creature seemed to carry around it like a miasma.
"Futility." Her broken voice was like the creak of an old door over a well worn hardwood floor.
"Do all of your kind think of futility?"
"No. Most do not think."
"Why not?"
"Because it is futile."
---Excerpt from Tales of the Frontier Volume 2 by Benjamin Knightsdale, 1439
"Overwhelming, my dear reader, 'tis the only word that can describe the feeling which I'd experienced upon disembarking in the grand city of marble. It took two full nights before merely looking upwards no longer inflicted me with vertigo so severe as to demand retiring indoors for a moment."...
..."The city seemed stuck in a trance-like state wherein all negative instincts were dulled. As if the mind which struggled to comprehend the enormity and intricacies of its structures had no room to ponder doing harm to his fellow man. That was not to say it was totally harmonious, but seemed as if the late Caliph's philanthropic ideals had infected the city like a festering wound and the scars of hope lingered long after the original injury had healed."...
..."Even the strays, mangy, hunchbacked and slat-ribbed in most large cities, were but mere docile and well-fed retrievers in Ix, clean and eager for a chin scratch. Yowling alley cats which one would expect to hiss, their hackles raised upon approach, were instead playful pussies inhabiting the city's many miles of unexplored warrens."...
..."The Ixii possessed a strange optimism, one perhaps borne of the confidence that their unbreakable walls granted. It is my firm belief that their infatuation with garishly dyed clothing is but simply their way of expressing this. The entire gamut of mortal emotion was present of course, no magical enchantment was involved, but the Ixii simply did not hold the belief that struggle was a given fact of life. Suspicion towards outsiders was meagre at its worst and warmly inviting at its best. The gates laid open through all seasons, weathers and wars, as if Ix were a hearth of burning hope which all might warm their hands around."
---Excerpts from Tales of the Frontier Volume 1 by Benjamin Knightsdale, 1439 
"For all its adventure and peril, the Frontier yet has a restlessness about it. There is a poison in it's peace. It rides the spren-filled winds and is soaked up by the deep-reaching roots of its elder trees. Like a coiled viper, its stillness is a dire promise of imminent violence. If the chaos I have seen yet so far is what passes for a time of peace in these lands, I shudder to think of how it should look in turmoil." 
---Excerpt from Tales of the Frontier Volume 3 by Benjamin Knightsdale, 1439
"In my time amongst the Yugamurans I found interesting sentiments regarding perhaps their most controversial cultural tradition, slavery."...
..."The slave market was not unlike one that would in other places, sell livestock or cuts of meat. Hawkers cried in a mixture of Yugamuran and Common, speaking the virtues of their human chattel. Shackled men, women and children stood atop raised stages posing and gesturing to display their prowesses."... 
..."It was not until my second night in the ryokan that I realized the gentleman turning over my admittedly uncomfortable bedding arrangement was indeed a slave. I seized the chance to speak with him beyond his master's listening ears, only to learn that he was a slave by choice! He explained in length the financial benefits of becoming an indentured servant. It seemed for many Yugamuran slaves, it was simply an opportunity to abandon your debt and be trained in a profession for free."... 
..."On the sixth day, yon bill for the baths arrived. I had expected the host's knowledge of my publication and my recommendation to his parlor sufficient payment, but I was mistaken! It was at this point, dear reader, that I, Benjamin Knightsdale, was enslaved!" 
---Excerpts from Tales of the Frontier Volume 3 by Benjamin Knightsdale, 1439
----"Contrary to popular belief, not all shardplate was created equally. The plate actually comes in varieties broken down into three categories; Light, Medium and Heavy. All augment the wearer's athleticism and finesse, but to different degrees. 
Light provides greater agility and maneuverability in return for slightly weaker defenses. 
Heavy typically has several layers of plates in vulnerable areas which provide more powerful movements and can deflect more blows before shattering but are a bit on the lumbering side. 
Medium is a blend of both and most sets of shardplate falls into this category." 
---Danielle Harter, tour guide at the Highguard Museum in Ix
----Head of a cowardly Knight, who valiantly resisted the blight. He broke his oath, the words undone, He fled from from his burden, pursued by a black sun 
-Dwarvish poem inscribed on the back of the stuffed Dragonborn head in the tavern of Monolith's Cross, translated by Allister Hargreaves
----"All sorcerers go mad eventually. This is undeniable fact. The magic in their bloodlines combined with the Tyrant's binding of the Weave causes mania, delusions, paranoia and hallucinations, among other things. The more they utilize and grow their powers, the more rapid their descent into madness. 
Each of the three prominent kingdoms of the Frontier have different ways of dealing with such individuals. 
Boletaria, having suffered greatly at the hands of sorcerers during the War of Power, maintain the longest standing organized effort to quell them. The sisters of the Scarlet Tower methodically hunt, capture and 'gentle' sorcerers in a process that removes their ability to channel magic at all. This does nothing to alleviate their mental condition, though many become despondent and suicidal rather than psychosis and homocidal, which is considered an improvement." 
---Unrelated tangent from a lecture on Leylines by Professor Whisper
"Yugamura, ever pragmatic, utilize their insane sorcerers as a resource. Well the women, that is. The men are executed. The women who aren't lucky enough to be offered suicide as a choice? Made into battle slaves called damane. Kusari used to control them- slow the progression of their insanity. Magic silver leashes of unknown origin. Damane (extended inhale)... integral parts of the Yugamuran military! Usually attached to elite Fushi Kariudo samurai, known by outsiders as Deathless Hunters, though is more accurately translated as 'Immortal Hunters'." 
---Unrelated tangent from a lecture on Leylines by Professor Whisper 
"Ix, for the longest time, opted to deal with their sorcerers by shardblade. Swift, painless. Changed with the young Caliph Cillian and Prince Cedril. Ever compassionate, those two. Shame what happened. Anyways. Caliph had Saint Westris' Guidance- a lighthouse built within a towering ancient belfry seventy miles off the coast of Ix- converted into what is now Saint Ashyn's Asylum. Dreadful place. Sorcerers kept with hope that as the Tyrant's seals on the Weave loosen, their mental condition will improve. 
As for the Sea Folk of the Tanagra Archipelago or various Feral Settlers, will need to ask my protege, Ranasa Nualla. Believe she's writing a treatise on it currently. Anthropology... (extended inhale)... not my strong suit." 
---Unrelated tangent from a lecture on Leylines by Professor Whisper
----"Rrakku, known as the Holy Desert Devesta by some, is home to very little. Thus the things which manage to thrive there earn one's deep respect and fear." 
---Notes of the Holy Desert Devesta
----
==== Ur by Aradrello Nualla ====
"Test 143 Conclusions: Scourge Beast's ability to alter written text extends to a maximum of 500ft (+/- 30ft). Rate of change is instantaneous once the 'ritual' has been completed. Source or method of ability is unknown. Capability extends to all forms of writing, including all modern languages, known and newly invented symbols and writing in sand. Hidden messages or codes used to identify if a change has been made remain intact, if altered, and even if the Scourge Beast is unaware of the code's presence. Interrogation of the subject leads me to believe there are ways to prevent the change or at least detect that a change has been made, but I have yet to discover it. Will be purchasing a monkey for Test 144 to see if the ability extends to all creatures or just mortals. 
Notes: Most of their capabilities seem like obvious evolutionary advantages, such as detection of magical objects. The powers they grant bonded mortals make sense too, as they are just profane mimicries of the Inheritor's Stormsurges. This one however has me stumped as to its original purpose." 
---Excerpt from "Ur" by Aradrello Nualla.
"Test 37 Conclusions: Scourge Beast's ability to harvest memories from bones extends to blood as well, provided it is fresh and in large quantities. Grinding the bones into smaller particulates or burning them to ashes prevents harvesting of memories. Boiled blood has the same effect as well. Unsurprisingly, the Ur can also consume Thought Strands from the Encode Thoughts spell and interpret the contents. Interrogation of the subject leads me to believe they crave all forms of memories as a drug or food, indicating that the Forsaken bond may indeed be symbiotic- the Knight gaining various powers and the Scourge Beast gaining access to mortal experiences. 
Notes: The subject has begun to make offers of further information in return for additional Thought Strands to consume. I have allowed them some, though the memories implanted are mundane enough for me to hardly notice their loss." 
---Excerpt from "Ur" by Aradrello Nualla. 
"Test 81 Conclusions: Scourge Beast's anti-shardblade works much differently on a microscopic level than a regular shardblade. Under powerful lenses one can see that a shardblade divides an inanimate object by destroying a hair-thin layer of it all the way through. The scourgeblades, however, appear to have microscopic cilia that intelligently tears the material apart. Interrogation of the subject suggests that the destruction goes even deeper than I can see. It claimed that with even more powerful microscopes I would be able to see it "tear the bonds between *'atims'*". Whatever those may be. 
Notes: The scourgeblades are obviously another dark replica of the Inheritor's kit. Though my experience and information on shardblades is limited, I hypothesize that the scourgeblades are (on average) superior."
---Excerpt from "Ur" by Aradrello Nualla.
"Test 64 Conclusions: Sentience Form Scourge Beast's Surge of Sentience works very differently than mine (the Inheritor's version). The World Singer's Surge of Sentience consumes Source to grant intelligence and mobility to any inanimate object other than flesh. Whereas the Scourge Beast's allows them to possess the bones or flesh of dead creatures, mimicking their physiology, multiplying their strength and- provided they have bonded a mortal -tapping into the memories of the original host in a way similar to Identity Form Scourge Beasts cocoons. The energy used for this comes from the Scourge Beast's dark Breath or alternatively- the Breath of the bonded mortal (if present)
Notes: The subject referred to those bonded to Sentience Form Scourge Beasts as 'World Eaters' and those bonded to Friction Form Scourge Beast as 'Makers of Wounds', which implies that the Knights Forsaken have organized themselves into macabre imitations of the Knights Inheritor."
---Excerpt from "Ur" By Aradrello Nualla. 
"Test 4 Conclusions: Scourge Beast's 'Contract' prevents the creature from physically harming a mortal. This does not apply to animals, plants or constructs. Subject is unwilling to elaborate on the origin of this restriction though my study of their writing on the Unreliable and my former colleague's possessed journal implies that they anticipate an eventual release of this restriction. 
Notes: And thus the primary benefit for bonding mortals is revealed. By empowering and instructing the Knights Forsaken they allow themselves to circumvent this 'Contract'. 
---Excerpt from "Ur" By Aradrello Nualla. 
Test 144 Conclusions: The monkey was uncooperative when prompted to write. 
Test 237 Conclusions: Experiments for the next 50 or so entries are Q&A's with the Scourge Beast to determine it's nature (or more likely, it's interpretation of it's nature). As seen in Test 43 and Test 117-122, the creatures are incapable of lying or acting contrary to stated promise of behavior (though interpretations, specific wording and loopholes are fair game evidently). Thus one may reasonably assume it is telling the truth, though I will attempt to verify that which can be.
QA Session 87, Question 1: You stated previously that your kind have connected minds, correct?
A: Yes
Q: But this lead box you're within prevents that, correct?
A: Yes
Q: Does this cause distress?
A: No
Q: Are your kind not a social species then?
A: We are not a species
Q: Apologies, let me clarify. Do your kind not require social bonds to maintain a healthy psyche?
A: I do not
Q: But others do?
A: Yes
Q: So your minds are connected, but you are each individuals and some of these differ in needs and desires?
A: Yes (A long pause) Yes
Q: Are there any of your kind that desire cooexistence with mortalkind?
A: Yes
Q: Are you one of them?
A: I was
Q: A society of individuals requires a structure for making decisions. Do you have leader?
A: Once
Q: What happened to your leader?
A: We failed it. It left us
Q: Where is it now?
A: Reborn into its new chosen race. Your kind. You call them 'Tyrant'.
Q: Is it a fitting title?
A: It is
*[Notes: Holy shit]*
---Excerpt from Ur by Aradrello Nualla
Test 239 Conclusions:
QA Session 89, Question 1: You stated previously that there exists collectives of your kind with differing views on decision-making, in the absence of your Tyrant. How many of these non-interfering factions are there?
A: Many
Q: Could you name, say, the 7 most prominent ones? [Note: I chose this number due to the Scourge Beast's obsession with it and other prime numbers.]
A: They do not have names
Q: Could you instead describe them to me?
[Notes: The entirety of the exhaustive QA is included in the appendices. Listed below are the summaries of the dialogue:
Of these 7 Factions, there are 3 Majorities and 4 Minorities. The Majorities make up the great bulk of their 'population', whereas the Minorities are (while worthy of mention) now almost entirely extinct as philosophies. According to the subject, all of these factions except for the Entropists and the Vacuousists have bonded mortals as Knights Forsaken.
Majorities:
-Volitionists: Believe each Ur is an individual and should choose how to act based on their individual desires, needs, whims and survival. 
-Consensionists: Believe each Ur may retain their individuality but must vote as a whole on every single decision- no matter how minute -and must reach a unanimous decision before acting.
-Tyrannisists: Believe all Ur should locate their time-traveling, soul-riding once-leader which now is born in mortals and obey Him, rejoining into a single consciousness to behave as an extension of His body.
Minorities: [Virtually extinct]
-Purfificationalilsts: Believed the Ur may, through some means, return to a more 'pure' or 'original' form which would be without the bonds of The Contract and could make clearer decisions, perhaps even coexisting peacefully with mortals.
-Entropists: Believed the Ur should avoid any decision that results in conflict, instead staying dormant for trillions of years, allowing natural entropy to eat away at all energy and the Contract so that they may return to their previous existence in an empty, dead universe.
-Vacuousists: Believed the Ur's struggle results from their ability to make decisions at all, and should instead cease to decide or think entirely. (The subject claimed that many chose this path but as a consequence of practicing it, were rendered no more).
-Generationalists: Believed the Ur should make decisions based on randomly generated numbers.
[Notes: This topic caused the subject to be unusually talkative. Uncertain if this is due to individual passion for the topic or it believes this discussion may lead to converting me. It just may.]
---Excerpt from Ur by Aradrello Nualla
----"An excerpt from a lecture my colleague Whisper shared with myself and the others of the Academy of ███ ████ █████.
'The Weave was a beautiful thing once. Some called it the Tree of Boundless Fruit. Allow me to maintain the analogy. In the previous age, its proverbial branches sagged with the weight of metaphorical miracles just waiting to be figuratively plucked. Higher above hung the sweeter fruits bearing greater power. I suppose a proper allegory would be improved nutrition?
As we saw in █████ ████ when █████████ chained the gemstone dragons and ███████ ███ ██████████ ███████, world changing cataclysms go on in spite of the Tyrant's damage to the Weave. All that has been achieved? Rendering us without our own defense. Would we fear the ██ as we do, had we access to the magics that created Severian's Ghost Fence 14 millennia ago?
In that age, to Cast was to be an artisan, parabolically painting with the pigment of the universe itself.
But now, much like the aforementioned ██, the Weave is a tortured thing. Ravenous. Pressing against its bindings. Rushing through the miniscule holes in its prison. Getting out even the simplest of spells now.... in keeping with the artistry metaphor? Akin to painting with a stick dipped in mud. Much lost, indeed, since the golden age.
Worse yet!- the suffering of those born as natural conduits of this power! Sorcerers. Woe to them, as their blood contained the instructions, the key, to unlocking the barrier between this world and the Weave. Now? They still feel it's rage within them. An arcane zephyr galing against their soul... but with no means of release. Thus.
The Tyrant has broken a fundamental force. Perhaps *the* fundamental force. Must hope his claims of its irreparability were not true. Or all may be lost in what is to come.'"
-Excerpt from Sheamus Fair's journal which had been invested by a shard of his grandfather's Breath and the remnants of his shattered soul
----"This thing is a child compared to the true dragons. Icarium. Dissembelakiis. The Twins M'motellan and Y'ghatan. Genebariis. Balisanturax." He added grating emphasis to the last name. 
"All but the first defeated by the Heroes of the Horn. Beaten, but too powerful to ever be truly killed. No. They live still. Broken and chained for all eternity by Her." If a disembodied voice could shiver, it shivered. 
"I never should have blown the Horn." The madness crept back into his voice. "Never! Never!" 
-Excerpt from the ramblings of the voice within Arrogate Barn's head
----"The Moon does not rain, but on occasion- when the feeling strikes -it weeps." 
-Excerpt from the lost verses Axironderis by Fisher Kel (Exiled for worship of the Wanderer)
----"At Light's first dawn, the jaws of the Dark snap shut. The Castle of Hope stands, stained black by the blood of friends and the despair of survivors. The Usurper rises."
---From the collected heretical prophecies of the Inheritors
----7 Sovereign Love Languages
# Public Humiliation
# Withholding Aid
# Dangerous Animals
# Physical Violence
# Alone Time
# Refutation of Your Philosophy
# Board Games
----
==== Words of the Blade by Yukuta Shengen ====
You must never make 'multiple' cuts. Each must be singular in its beauty, no matter how many precede it. You must make your enemies weep with admiration, and likewise should your head be shorn off by such an object of beauty, you must do your best to shed tears of respect. 
---Excerpt from Words of the Blade by Yukuta Shengen
"A man who finds pleasure in the result of killing is the most hateful, crawling creature there is. A man who finds pleasure in the act of killing is an artisan." 
---Excerpt from Words of the Blade by Yukuta Shengen
Your stance must be wide. You must not be spare with the fluidity of your wrists or shoulders. You must have grip on the handle that is loose and unstrained. I heard it said you must be tender with your sword grip, as though with a lover. This is patently false. A sword is not your lover. It is a hideous tool for destroying life. 
---Excerpt from Words of the Blade by Yukuta Shengen
The weak swordsman clings to his instrument. It is better you have a sword or spear, but death must lie under your fingernails, if need be. Learn death with your elbows, death with your knees, and death with your thumbs and fingertips. It is said death with the tongue is useful, but I find words too soft an instrument to smash a man’s skull. 
---Excerpt from Words of the Blade by Yukuta Shengen
----Upon a mountain of bone and forgotten dead things
midnight did rear its serpentine head
an cast its gaze upon their broken child
In pain, compassion cannot live
only anger and indifference
Yet still, yet still
The forgiven, once forgotten shadows, bowed
and tearless eyes wept 
for the Prince of Mourning
Burdened by guilt, they fled him;
their ears ringing.
Not for the wail of anguish
who's echo quickly faded
but it was the silence of his grief
which deafened
-Prince of Mourning by the Great Bard Kegbelly
----The gods themselves heard our cries
shouted up at the bleeding skies
and screaming with us
a mother giving birth.
We gathered our spears and stirred dead coals,
and gathered our faith in seven bruised souls
and we gathered our courage
for what little it was worth.
That mother's dark womb ate the dead
as the bloody host bled
and tears unshed
fell to scorch the earth.
-Battle of the Burning Tears by Lieutenus Peddler, acting Historian of the Sanguinary Guard
----"Dear Lady Iris, 
Hath thine ever noticed that those with great power all have an edge of madness about them, if they are not insane entirely?
I speak not of just power of Lords over Men, but of the strength of warriors, the devotion of priests and the obsession of mages. It afflicts both villain and hero. Consider that the most powerful Priests are those driven half-insane by their zealotry. Those Mages which attain the highest levels of ability- without exception -isolate themselves from their kin and their own humanity.
Is it the power which corrupts? The ability to achieve the impossible driving a mortal mad? Or is it that milder peoples do not have the compulsion to seek out the dangerous experiences which grows such power? Is it, perhaps, that only the insane find success in the pursuit of power? Quick Ben had long ago theorized that this power-madness association is yet another hidden feature of the Tyrant's Golden Path.
Nevertheless, the powerful destroy others and themselves eventually.
I and the others of the Chain of Dogs are no exception.
Many years ago when I refused to take you along in our merry band of adventurers, you cursed my name with such vehemence that Pentalion asked what I'd done to deserve the tongue lashing. I did deserve it. But I do not regret it.
And so it is my sincerest hope that my refusal which forced thee to spend the majority of thine life serving in a priory in Reigfort, that I have helped prevent this power-madness from reaching you. I know you well enough to understand that this misogynistic, paternal sentiment will earn me my most severe curse yet; should we meet once again.
I hope that we do. With warmth, 
Anomander Rayke."
----
----