Epigraphs

Popular quotes and poems     (It's not all mooing and frooing)

PARAVANT “The mind of the Enchanter is his most vital and vaantograluable tool; for the aspiration to imbue ordinary objects with extraordinary power requires vision, will, discipline, desire, refinement and perseverance, all of which are dependent upon the Imagination and mental acuity of the Enchanter.  Remember, too, that the soul and the seat of feeling can propel the mind like a tempest at sea.  It is absolutely essential, therefore, that the Enchanter clear away old business from his mind, sweep away the useless and the trivial, and prepare his imagination for the great work to which he aspires. **The Gramary Of Finical of Pavonia**
**Chapter 2**
Postulus “The fundamental goal of enchantment is to root the effects of a magical spell to reside within a physical object to improve its utility.  It is among the greatest achievements of thaumaturgical skill to accomplish even the most elementary of enchantments.  Once constructed and understood, the art of the enchanter can only improve with practice and repetition.” **The Florilegum of Basic Thaumaturgy**
**Chapter 3**
DESIDERATUM “When the enchanter first considers his approach to an enchantment, defining the ultimate goal of the essay is essential to its success.  Establishing the desideratum in conception, regardless of the ambition of the ordinant, provides him with a vision of completion, which establishes the expectation of outcome.  In matters of the Will, such visions can inspire and assist the ordinant overcome obstacles in theory or material through inspiration and resolve.  Therefore the desdideratum, establishing the desired effect of the enchantment, must be manifested and held firmly in the imagination of the ordinant throughout the entire process of enchantment.” **Raster’s Pandect of Gramary**
**Chapter 4**
BODEMENT “An enchanter’s bodement, written within the very first leaves of the pphy of his enchantment, summarizes not just the expected result of his labor and craft, but also a personal statement of purpose; in committing to the bodement an enchanter commits himself to a course of action that cannot be lightly abandoned.” **Ratel’s Paraenesis**
**Chapter 5**
ORGANON “It is truth that an enchanter, save certain Wildlings, cannot discover the means and methods of the Great Art of Mirablia without recourse to the work of those who have gone before.  The Organon of Mirablia, the technical elements of our noble art, thankfully, have been kept clear of ambiguities and secrets in an effort to ensure a clear and beneficial transition to the philonoist in gramary.  For it has been demonstrated, time and again since our race came from the Void, that maintaining secrets within the Organon lead the philonoist astray, chasing his own rationalizations.  Only by rigorous dedication to the Truth can the Organon thus be kept pure.” **The Florilegum of Basic Thaumaturgy**
**Chapter 6**
INDAGATION “It behooves the enchanter to seek counsel and lore in a process of indagation, before he embarks upon his chosen path.  For much has been done before which may be learned from; and much will suggest itself as the enchanter explores not just the artists of the past, but his contemporaries and colleagues, yay, even his students may have something of value.  The importance of a thorough process of indagation is essential if a successful enchantment is desired.” **The Florilegum of Basic Thaumaturgy**
**Chapter 7**
FORMANT “Envisioning the construction and development of an enchantment requires that the operant develop the fundamental diorics of the object: what does it need to do?  How shall it accomplish that goal?  What powers must need be brought to bear to fulfill this expectation?  Such diorics, in their totality, make up the enchantment’s formant, or essential definition.  Without the formant, the enchanter proceeds without understanding or the expectation of success for it is within the diorics of the formant that success for the enchantment is ultimately defined.” **The Florilegum of Basic Thaumaturgy**
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### Shadowmage

**Chapter 1**
“When the Magocracy’s nascent merchant fleet departed Farise, bound for Unstara, the Far Isles, and points beyond on a great commercial expedition, their escort of Cormeeran warships sailed first far to the west to screen them from the threat of pirates along the Scorched Coast. “Unbeknownst to the Magi, the Sea Lords of Enultramar were well-prepared to pillage their grand fleet.  The proud ships of the Sea Lords descended from the Shoals of Sinbar, like the grandsons of the Storm Lord himself, each sail bearing the Sea Axe token of their secret harbor.  Quickly and savagely each ship took a prize and escaped with it through the Channel.  When they brought their prizes back to their havens there were more than there were berths prepared. “Great fleets were forged out of their piracy, and the havens of Enultramar prospered as ships of war and trade departed from the fair bay on their missions.  Many of the most ancient harbors and settlements saw their rise from this time: Pearslhaven, Drakeshaven, Solashaven, Deitus’ Landing, Fairhaven, Shellhaven, and many other small ports of the Sea Lords along the rocky Bay of Enultramar rose to economic power during their first grand attempt at organized piracy.” ​**The History of Alshar By Seabrother Dexus of Fairhaven Abbey**
**Chapter 2**
“The Sea Lords of Enultramar bore several tokens of their bloodthirsty cult of religious pirates, over the centuries, but among the most primal are the symbols of the Storm Lord and his five infamous daughters.  The Storm Lord, represented since antiquity by the symbol of the Sea Axe, which also became the symbol of piracy in the early days of the cult, was primary in the religion.  “But the Five Daughters of the Storm Lord, originally minor figures in the cult when it was in its infancy in Cormeer, became far more important amongst the Sea Lords in self-exile in Enultramar.  As their civilization went from rudimentary domination over the coastal tribes to a legitimate maritime trading power, the symbols of the five daughters, which themselves symbolized important elements of the Sea Lords’ maritime civilization, become far more prominent: a broken mast for the Shipwrecker, the chalice of the Maiden of Havens, the slanted anchor for the Fairdealer, the grappling hook and chain for the Corsair, and a lamp for the mystical Salt Crone. “It is clear from this iconography that the focus of the Sea Lords, as a culture and civilization, was ever the sea, piracy, and trade; yet only in Enultramar do we see evidence that this simple creed achieved a sophistication undreamt of in Cormeer, Remere, the Castali Havens, or even Farise.  With the institutions of shipwreck (an eternal challenge for the daring mariners), good portage, prosperous trade, piracy, and the mystery of the sea.  As the Sea Lords of Enultramar engaged in their commercial domination of the Shallow Sea, the sophisticated priesthood formed around the institutionalized nature of the Five Daughters soon spread to other Sea Lord strongholds, making the cult nearly universal in scope.” **The Heraldry Of Alshar (3rd Edition) By the Venerable Odborn, Chaplain To The Seventeenth Lord of the Waves**
**Chapter 3**
“When the mariners of the Sea Lords first conquered the coastal people of Alshar and took control of their waterways, the Cormeeran emigrants were unaware of the exotic dangers implicit in the Bay.  Not only did the estuaries and swamplands hold a dizzying amount of amazing and spectacular herbs and plants, but the animal denizens of the Bay frequently challenged the Sea Lord’s dominion more than the native Alshari resistance. “Among the fiercest of these unexpected dangers was the creature known to the natives as caiman, and to their Cormeeran conquerors as “river drakes”.  These ferocious predators cling to the rivers and estuaries above the bay, lurking in swamps and brackish lagoons, lying in wait for sea birds, seals, and land mammals that happened too close to them.  “Often resembling floating logs, when the Sea Lords first encountered these toothy predators on raiding or retributory expeditions inland, they frequently mistook them for innocent littoral flotsam until it was too late.  Many of the hooks and peg legs of the early Sea Lords came not from battle on the high seas or even shipboard accidents, but were due to unfortunate encounters with these incredibly aggressive predators.” **The Bestiary Of Enultramar**
**Chapter 4**
The reputation associating the Great Bay of Enultramar with thieves and scoundrals is doubtless tied to its piritical past; a storied history of bloodshed and plunder. One can scarce look at the proud cities of the Great Bay today and imagine the squalid conditions of the earliest folk on this rocky shore, but it is well-known – nay, even boasted by Sea Lords, that their ancestors were the storm of the Shallow Sea in the great days of their fleets.  Yet the Sea Lords of Enultramar were not thieves, themselves, once they were back under the protection of the Maiden of the Havens and safely away from the dangers of the Shipwrecker.  While ashore, the Lords of Enultramar treated each other with honor and respect, settling their differences by council or by duel. Indeed, the Sea Lords blame the original tribes of Enultramar’s fertile coastland for the association with thievery.  Rich in land yet poor in resources and primative in comparison to the Cormeeran pirates, the scattered tribes of the coastal plains at first traded with the Cormeerans, but then realized how vulnerable their encampments were whilst their fleets were away.  Soon the coastland tribes were raiding as seasonally as the Sea Lords themselves, causing the pirates to erect strong but crudely built fortresses to protect their loot and their harbors, and leave behind strong garrisons. Amongst the tribes, those who were best at thievery quickly gained status, and a host of petty gods devoted to the practice emerged from the crude civilization that grew up in the wake of the Sea Lords’ majesty.  That culture became even worse when the towers of the Sea Lords began to establish farms nearby, and import thousands of slaves to work them.  Many slaves escaped into the tribal regions, particularly the swamps and uplands, and joined the tribesmen in their unremitting shadow war against their enslavers and oppressors.  . Even after the coming of the Magocracy and the civilizing of the entire coastal plain of Alshar, the tradition and culture of theft and casual murder has dogged the wharfs and allies of Enultramar. **A History Of The Great Bay** *Sage Redico of Farise*
**Chapter 5**
“After the defeat of the Sea Lords at sea and on land by the Magocracy, the Imperial Consul took the title Count of Falas and established his seat at Falas, beneath the glorious Falls of Falas.  To people the fertile but largely empty fields and groves that had not interested the maritime Sea Lords, the Magocracy began sending immigrants and craftsmen, adventurers and prospectors from the cities of Merwyn and Vore to settle.  These folk soon adopted the title Coastlords, to separate themselves from the Sea Lords of the havens, and began farming the coastlands in vast plantations. “Of course many magi were included in the settlement of the region, and assisted in the thoughtful development of that land.  Their manor halls and massive farms produced an amazing abundance, and as the Coastlords fought the monopoly on shipping the Sea Lords imposed by establishing their own havens up-river from the Bay.  In this struggle the Counts of Falas were instrumental, quietly directing the establishment of a strategic fiefdom here, or paying for the fortification of that manor, there.  While careful not to challenge the domination of the Sea Lords until their strength was built, The Coastlords, as tools of the Magocracy, cleverly undermined the economy of the Sea Lords through sheer competence and production.  “When the two nobilities clashed, as happened frequently during this period, increasingly it was the Sea Lords who lost the conflict.  This was helped by the incredible intelligence available to the Counts of Falas, who employed warmagi and clandestine arcane agents to further their own power behind the face of impartiality.  The incremental reduction of Sea Lord power in Alshar saw the Counts of Falas as the dominant force in Alshar by the time of the Conquest, quietly ruling through the coastal nobility while the Sea Lords continued their maritime enterprises.  “Among the many allies in this struggle were the clever magi who quietly infiltrated the Sea Lords’ keeps, subverted their allies, sabotaged their ships and machines of war, and clandestinely tipped the balance of power under the very noses of the Lords of the Sea.  Though the swords of the Coastlords kept the Sea Lords from dominating, it was the employment of these operatives that frequently determined the outcome of a contest before it even began.” **The Hidden History Of The Coastlords** *Lord Avorritus of Falas*
**Chapter 6**
Several houses of Coastlords dedicated themselves to the effort to establish their supremacy over the Sea Lords, and not the least were the powerful houses of magi both in and outside of the government.  Several noble houses imported from Vore, Merwyn and Cormeer to settle the Coastlands brought their magical traditions with them.  When they were challenged by Sea Lords or fellow Coast Lords for territory or rights, these houses fought back with a ferocity that called to mind the greater Mage Wars of the middle Magocracy.  “But not every Coastlord with magical ability sought to dominate his neighbors with his craft.  Amongst the many magi who came to Alshar during this period, simple spellmongers and Imperial adepts of great note mixed with shadowmagi, warmagi, and seamagi enlisted in the effort to support the Lord of the Fields, as the Counts of Falas began styling themselves at that time, in opposition to the Sea Lords’ Lord of the Waves.  “Among these important houses of magi were Houses Hegedus, Furtius, Salaines, Astutus, Astucial and Arcal, and they were of particular value.  These minor houses of nobility formed an essential network of spies, saboteurs, and assassins that the Count of Falas depended upon to keep the Sea Lords under control and stifle the rising opposition of the self-styled Count of Rhemes, the scion of a wealthy Sea Lord settled inland, who resented the ‘foreign’ influence of the Magocracy on his holdings. “When called upon, these so-called ‘shadow houses’ left their quiet manors and mansions, donned dark robes and masks of black, and went forth into the night on their master’s missions.  Whatever became of these houses is a mystery, for most records of them were lost after the Narasi conquest.  But for a brief time, while the Sea Lords ruled the waves by day, the Coastlords of these houses ruled the rooftops and shadows by night.” **The Hidden History Of The Coastlords** *Lord Avorritus of Falas*
**Chapter 7**
If the land of Enultramar has the Great Bay as its heart, than the great artery that noble organ can only be the mighty Mandros River.  Named for the ancient Imperial healing god (or the god was named for the river, as some of his principal shrines are to be found along its majestic length) the great littoral highway stretches from north to south over four hundred miles.  It is fully navigable from the mouth of the river on the Great Bay until the great lake at the foot of the falls of Falas, the eventual Ducal capital.  Legend says that a shrine to the god at the falls attracted the divinity to teach and heal nearby for years, and a great medical academy continues here under Ducal charter. But the river is navigable beyond the falls, as well; when the first of the Counts of Falas ordered a passage cut to the top of the great embankment over which the falls tumbled, the Stairs of Falas – surmounted by a great crane capable of lifting all but the largest ships – became the agency by which the Great Vale to the north was eventually settled.  The rich and fertile meadows and forest there were reached by continuing up the Mandros beyond the falls, where the Narasi settlers established their sprawling estates that provide the bread for our great land.  But the Mandros remains traversable far to the north, beyond the former capital of Roen and to the feet of the Narrows in the north of the Great Vale.  It ties north to south, and ties the mountains to the sea in one long ribbon of splendor. **Duke Enguin the Black, Letter to the Duke of Vore**
**Chapter 9**
When the first Counts of Falas began to order their inland realm and fortify it against the Viscounts along the shore, like the methodical, rational Imperial magi they were, they conducted expeditions and sent out scouts to explore and categorize the coastland shelf.  From the swamps of the east to the great vineyards of the west, the agents of the Counts of Falas brought remarkable reports of the fair land.  For concealed within the wetlands and hills were several structures of ancient build and human manufacture.  Either abandoned or reclaimed by the coastal tribes, many of these ancient buildings were used as the basis for larger fortifications, for their foundations were profoundly strong and their walls incredibly so, for how thin they were.  Others were used as barns or seen as simple curiosities.  But some were employed in near-continual use as communal or tribal dwellings, or as the homes of certain sects of mystics and sages. **The Secret History Of Enultramar**
**Chapter 10**
While the great river, from the mouth to the Falls, is clearly the gods’ own garden, the lush and fertile soils of the northeastern Coastlands in the shadow of the escarpment are among some of the most spectacular in the duchy.  With gently rippling hills and a soil ideal for apples, peaches, pears and even some varieties of oranges, the real bounty of this soil must be the tobacco and grapes grown here.  For the leaf of Oirghort is well-known in the finest courts of the land, and the brandy from the region is highly prized when aged and treated with proper care.  No wonder, then, that the Black Duke coveted this beatific little land for his own mistress, and later bride.  No wonder his successors were so quick to include the scandalous halls there in young Grendine’s dowry to Castal.  **A Secret History of Enultramar**
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**Chapter 21**
Long known as the Jewel of the Five Rivers Vale, the beautiful fief of Vorone was chosen as the site for the northern summer capital the same time a capital was being considered in contested Gilmora.  The selection was easier in the Wilderlands, for few of the Great Houses were positions to contend over it, and the Duke had already found the site he wished, one ideal for hunting, fishing, hawking, and tilting on the big Wilderlands warhorses the Wilderlords favored for battle.  The grand palace he planned there was completed by his grandson, though the taxes he imposed on his Gilmoran possessions to do so encouraged rebellion **The Northern Settlements** *Countess Andine*
**Chapter 22**
Often a man has no better purpose than to entertain and delight a beautiful woman. **Duke Enguin The Black**
**Chapter 23**
*“Ferocious flames of a smithies’ fire Cold compared to our hearts’ desire Urgent emotion compels all to wed For comfort of table, hearthside and bed; Let no man confound love’s truest path Let no woman forestall it by duplicity or craft When love and lust and Nature conspire Then Love’s fulfillment will surely transpire!”* **Hymn To Ishi No. 12** *Of the Alshari Liturgy*
**Chapter 24**
The broad fields and orchards of the Coastlands provinces provided the early Magocracy’s nobility with the resources they needed to contend with the Sea Lords.  While the latter were far more concerned with conquest and prizes at sea, the Coastlords sent from Merwyn and Vore were learned men of great patience and practicality, compared to the rovers and raiders of the shore. When the Count of Falas finally stood against the tyranny of the Viscounts, he raised an army from among his own servants and retainers, and struck at the Sea Lords where they did not expect it.  For while the brave mariners of Enultramar were peerless on the waves, they had little experience with fighting a disciplined force on land, and were defeated in one engagement after another until the Count of Falas was acknowledged Master of the Fields, presumably co-equal with the Sea Lord’s Master of the Waves. Yet the strength of the Count of Falas was not in his army, though it was greater than the Sea Lords; it was in his governance, which encouraged development and achievement over hereditary rank or position.  Thus he could improve the quality of his troops and his servants while the Sea Lords were condemned to follow the same hereditary leaders who lead them into one disastrous coastal battle after another. **The Early History of Alshar** *Unknown Authorship*
**Chapter 25**
*No one knows how the Brotherhood of the Rat came to dominate the politics of the Great Bay, but by the time of the Third Count of Falas during the Magocracy, the Brotherhood had spread up the coast from their lairs in the swamps and broadened their membership to include hundreds.  Not only did they actively recruit able-bodied mariners to their cause, but also extended invitations to those too wounded or maimed to continue a profession at sea.  Taking advantage of the desperate nature of their membership, over the first thirty years the organization began to expand and even contend with the Iris over some enterprises.  Yet while often compared to that other great criminal organization, the Brotherhood had a reputation for brutality that matched the Iris’ reputation for cunning and subtlety.  Soon the problems in Merwyn forced the Iris to abandon many of its enterprises in Alshar, leaving their completion and profit to the Brotherhood of the Rat by default.  Without adequate completion, the sway of the Brotherhood was felt from one side of the Great Bay to the other, and far up the Mandros, until they controlled nearly every dock and wharf in the country.*
**Chapter 26**
Little is known among the learned about the mysterious and sinister organization known as variously as The Brotherhood of the Rat, the Long Bones, or the Alshari Iris, as they are sometime mistakenly called.  Their origins lie in the wreck of a pirate ship on the far eastern (and then, deserted) shores of the Great Bay, after a tempest.  The survivors, after offering sacrifices to the Shipwrecker for sparing their lives, nearly resorted to cannibalism, eating rats, and murder as they strove to survive the unforgiving shore. Only by organizing and allying with the local tribes of savages in the swamps were those pirates able to survive, along with the fell pact they made at the shipwreck; for they had vowed, together, to support each others’ thievery until the end of their lives, and pledged in blood their mutual loyalty.  Though such ideals are esteemed amongst nobler company, the pact allowed the survival of the Brotherhood after their rescue by a merchantman, who they proceeded to murder and take his vessel.  From such small beginnings great tragedies oft arise, and none were worse for the common folk of the Great Bay than the survival of the Brotherhood of the Rat. **Notes On The Great Bay Seafather Ostius**
**Chapter 27**
During the early years of the Magocracy’s rule, the Counts of the Coastlands under the Lord of the Fields continued to expand their holdings and develop their fiefs even as the Sea Lords struggled for domination over the Great Bay.  It was during the Second War of the Viscounts, when the eastern domains on the Bay under the leadership of the Viscounts of Brisomar, Vaxelles and Tauler went to war with the Viscounts of Petxina and Salmorra, that the Viscount of Salmorra invited a small fleet of his kin from Farise to take his colors. The Farisi pirates were not as lordly as the Sea Lords of Enultramar, and soon started raiding coastal settlements of friend and foe alike.  When the eastern Viscounts complained to the Stormfather at Allengaria, the great and well-respected cleric gave an edict: only the Sea Lords could contend against each other for possession of the Bay; all other lords were foes. From that fateful decision the Viscounties of the Bay agreed to the Pact of Defense, and combined forces to drive off the Farisi before continuing their war between themselves like gentlemen. **The Early History of Alshar**
**Chapter 28**
Of all of the magi who inhabit the Great Bay, especial consideration should be given before challenging the powers of the witches who inhabit the eastern swamps in Caramas, around the great and murky Lake Koshmar.  The home to nearly a dozen tribes, the witches who have developed their powers in conjunction with the energies of the swamp are notoriously unreliable and untrustworthy, more apt to betray you for their own gain or for some mad purpose they alone understand; when the witches emerge from the swamps, great care should be taken lest you anger them, for they are powerful, if crude in their Art. **Letter from the Third Count of Falas to his son**
**Chapter 29**
The Brotherhood of the Rat stood as a mere nuisance for many years, their fortunes waxing and waning with those of the rest of the Great Bay; yet after the arrival of the Narasi and the settlement of the Great Vale the Brotherhood’s fortunes took a decided turn for the better, due to their involvement with the slave trade.  As villeins and peasants were lured north toward lucrative and bountiful lands, the orchards and fields of the south still required labor, which the Sea Lords supplied from their seasonal raids.  While the practice was official condemned and prescribed by edict of the Counts of Falas (now, the Dukes of Alshar), the dire necessity for labor provided a market for these slaves that the Brotherhood took a large hand in supplying.  Every ship full of captives who made port on the Bay eventually sold their hapless cargo to their agents, who in turn re-sold them to the plantations and estates.  Only when the Sea Dukes began to take an active interest in foreign trade was the government pressured to stop the trade.  Unfortunately, prescription did not end the practice, but instead provided more incentive for profit for those who risked the relatively small penalties.  But for over two hundred years every slave sold in the market profited the Brotherhood, who invested that blood coin in other insidious industries, much to the despair of the Dukes. **A Secret History of Alshar**
**Chapter 30**
Relations between Alshar and Farise have always been tangled; since the first days of the Dukes, when the Narasi came to Alshar, the Imperial officers in charge of Farise refused to acknowledge or honor the overlordship the Narasi Dukes demanded.  While Alshar was too diffuse to resist the Conquest, at the time, Farise enjoyed a smaller harbor and lands, making it a nuisance, not an obstacle to trade between Alshar and the rest of the Five Duchies.  Yet despite being on two different sides, politically, the folk of the Great Bay and the folk of Farise have enjoyed a long common history and a mingling thanks to their proximity by sea.  No doubt the Doge of Farise will soon accept the authority and leadership of the Dukes, yet whether it will fall under Alshar, Castal, or even Remere’s influence is yet to be seen. **Letter from Baron Roladenas to Duke Ostin of Vore**
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### Thaumaturge

**Chapter 1**
*No quest arises without attendant challenges. The footwizard knows the greater the difficulty involved, the greater the glory in our craft. It is in overcoming these trials, not shirking from them, that the true wizard rises above the common charlatan.* **Fondaras the Wise.** Footwizard of Alshar
**Chapter 2**
*“Epic poetry is lovely, but the truth of the founding of Vanador involves more anxiety than is usually portrayed in heroic epics.  Some have suggested the peril faced by Vanador only began after the Spellmonger came to the city.  The truth is that the specter of the Penumbra, and the dark forces at the center of its shadows, always hung over the merriment and prosperity of the Spellmonger’s realm from the beginning.  Most of the Vanadori had come to expect tragedy and the threat of death from their precarious position so close to such malevolence. No one who came to the City of Magi did so unknowing of the implicit danger.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 3**
*“While Minalan oft gets the credit for the robust nature of Vanador’s founding, even the Spellmonger would agree that is misplaced.  No wizard had a greater influence on how Vanador grew and prospered than Magelord Gareth, Minalan’s protégé from Sevendor.  Gareth was the genius behind many of the innovations and advancements involved in the founding city and implicit of its function.  Only Lady Carmella had a similar influence.  But if Carmella built the bones of Vanador, it was Gareth’s management which gave it flesh.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte**
**Chapter 4**
*“To the Vanadori it was clear from the founding that in the matter of War the question was when, not if.  They became a martial people from the outset by necessity.  The gentle hills of the plateau around the great city were purchased with the price of eternal vigilance and preparation for the inevitable battles ahead.  When the Spellmonger arrived, it added tremendous security to the fledgling state; but it also ensured that combat would come to them sooner, not later.  For it was well known that Korbal’s minions were contending for the twin prizes of Minalan’s head and his incredible Magolith to lay at their fell Master’s feet.  Minalan brought protection to Vanador, but with it he brought greater danger.”* **From the scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 5**
*“There can be no argument that Minalan’s chief concern in the early days of Vanador’s establishment, beyond the dire forces to the west, was the complications arising in the south: Gilmora.  Though it bordered his province only slightly, his historical ties to the region brought both solace and turmoil: the former through his good friend Baron Astyral of Losara, and the latter from a number of high nobles loyal to his estranged liege, Prince Tavard.  Few expected the exiled Spellmonger to take the threat of feudal war seriously, considering the great distance between the center of the two regions.  Even fewer suspected that Count Minalan would find a means of turning this enmity to advantage.”* **From the Scrolls of Brother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 6**
*“Most see Vanador as the City of Magi, a land ruled by wizards.  But the truth remains that it was as much a town of Tera Alon, of Malkas Alon, of Tal Alon, and, aye, the dour Alon Dradrien, of the Kasari and other peoples as it was magi and common Wilderfolk.  Perhaps Minalan’s greatest genius during the founding was augmenting the strength of the Vanadori by treating these nonhumans as equal subjects, not foreign guests in his land.  Thus Vanador became not just a cosmopolitan refuge in the Wilderlands, but an experiment in cross-species cohabitation rarely attempted in our history.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 7**
*“There can be no doubt that the Spellmonger often grew homesick for his Riverlands estates, and he oft spoke of the wonders of fabled Sevendor.  But during the founding, Minalan found intriguing ways to import some of the finer elements of Sevendor to his new Wilderlands home.  Particularly in the people he recruited to his effort he brought a breath of wonder from the first Mageland to the newest.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 8**
*“The resettlement process on the plateau was remarkably efficient, considering the sparse resources at hand – or perhaps because of it.  Without entangling feudal complications, Magelord Gareth was able to deploy well-organized bands of displaced peasants into the abandoned acres around the Anvil far more quickly than was traditional.  Though the settlements suffered perpetual shortages of supply those first few seasons, the native industry of the freedmen of Vanador was applied to the overgrown lands on the plateau with vigor.  Though aided by magic, it was this industriousness, not thaumaturgical innovation, that proved more valuable to the prosperity of the Magelaw.”* **From the Scrolls of Brother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 9**
*“The rapid development of Vanador was a time of great innovation and opportunity, and to the extent that Minalan the Spellmonger was involved, his capacity for recognizing good ideas and offering his endorsement was more potent than the spells he wove.  Minalan’s openness to new ways of doing things and willingness to promote successful attempts at everything from urban planning to social custom charged the subjects of Vanador with a creative energy unique to the time and place of its founding.  Everyone respected the Spellmonger in Vanador, and craved his endorsement.  Magi and tradesmen alike contended for his attention, and he was always willing to give it, should something catch his interest.  Never, save perhaps the founding of Perwyn, itself, as a place enjoyed such freedom to innovate without restriction or regulation.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 10**
*“Few in Vanador, or in all the Magelaw, doubted that war would come again to their doors.  Minalan realized that fact more than any, and from the first days he devoted as much attention to bringing forth out of nothing the basis for both a credible defense and a thriving community.  Both were necessary for a functioning state, as the scholars know.  The Spellmonger therefore pursued both the development of his farmlands and the construction of his armies and fortifications with equal vigor.  He had recruited the best minds of the Kingdom to lend their skills and insights into both endeavors, and then provided an abundance of resources to them.  As a count, Minalan took his military responsibilities most seriously, and Vanador prospered as a result.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 11**
*“The Spellmonger always put the safety of his family and their comfort in front of most other considerations, during my experience of the man.  And while he and his household enjoyed a pleasant-enough existence in the City of Magi in the famed Spellmonger’s Hall, the residence most associated with the Count of the Magelaw was clearly the modest but impressive tower that served as his primary estate, Spellgarden.  There, from the serenity and seclusion of its natural surroundings and the powerful magical currents that inhabit the place, Minalan forged much of his plans for the Magelaw.  From the beginning there was no question as to whether the Spellmonger’s official seat would be enchanted.  But we only had a glimmer, back then, of how powerfully enchanted it was to become.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 12**
*“While Minalan was in absolute authority over the Magelaw, he maintained a close and personal loyalty to his nominal liege, Anguin I, Duke of Alshar.  Whether it was the wizard’s affection for the Orphan Duke or the Duke’s need for a fatherly figure without personal designs in his court, there was a genuine friendship between the two that surpassed the normal bonds betwixt vassal and liege.  When Anguin sought to consummate his controversial and long-awaited nuptials with Princess Rardine, he contrived to invite Minalan and Alya to the affair, as members of his court, to face his future in-laws.  That one of them was responsible for Minalan’s exile was well-understood by all parties.  Yet Minalan’s inclusion was to prove fateful to all parties, as well.”* **From the Scrolls Of Lawbrother Bryte The Wiser**
**Chapter 13**
*“Minalan’s brief visit to Enultramar to celebrate Duke Anguin’s wedding ended up being far more involved than he’d anticipated.  Later, he would remark that it had been one of the most interesting and dangerous celebrations he’d ever attended . . . and among the most boring ceremonies he’d ever endured.”*  **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 14**
*“When Minalan returned from the Duke’s wedding in Falas, he was subtly changed.  There was a new urgency to his preparations in the wake of that terrible assault.  While his concern for his wife and family was always paramount, he began pressuring his men to produce the means by which Vanador could defend itself.  For if the shadow of Korbal lay over the Great Bay of Enultramar, Magelord Mavone discovered it also lingered all too close to the nascent nation on the plateau, with the promise of darkness on the horizon.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 15**
*“It is said that the schemes of wizards are subtle and well-considered; having been in proximity to many of the profession, I can attest that this is true.  None among the nascent Vanadori aristocracy was without ulterior motive.  Each had a larger goal toward which their service to the Spellmonger was but part.  Terleman contrived to become the master of warfare; Carmella plotted to command the mightiest fortress.  Gareth sought to build the greatest of cities, while the purpose of the machinations of such figures as Lady Pentandra and Magelord Thinradel were murky and opaque.  Yet no one epitomized the obscure conspiracies of wizardkind more than the Spellmonger, himself.  For no one but Minalan seemed to understand the complexities of the situation at hand, nor the potential of calamity in the future.  And no one but the Spellmonger had the foresight to ensure that events unfolded in a manner he directed, even when it confounded the understanding of his closest advisors.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
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**Chapter 16**
*“As it became clear to Minalan that his new realm was threatened, the great works that sprung up across his land took on a more martial character.  Work on market buildings ceased in favor of laboring on Vanador’s town walls.  The great works at Spellgate consumed much of the activity and expense, as Lord Marshal Terleman pressed for them to be established in time.  The foundries at Yltedene burned day and night to produce iron and steel, and the ring of hammers echoed under the Overhang like a marching song.  While Minalan’s private estate was not essential to Vanador’s defense, it was well-suited near the proposed front for him to oversee the coming battle.  It was, therefore, given a high priority by the Hesian Order, as well as Minalan, himself, who was skeptical of the early defenses of the town.  Spellgarden became not just an estate or a castle, but a physical sign of Minalan’s commitment to the defense of the Magelaw.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 17**
*“Minalan undertook little in the way of social occasions, aside from the eventful Ducal Wedding at Falas.  Nor had he indulged in the entertainments oft favored by the upper nobility, hawking, the hunt, and the joust.  The Spellmonger’s leisure pursuits were limited to a few games of skill and chance, and he rarely took the time for them.  Therefore it was highly unusual for the man to venture outside of the Magelaw to attend a tournament in Gilmora.  Wise eyes saw it as an opportunity for him to project himself into the politics of the fractured province.  Wiser eyes saw a deeper and more elaborate motivation.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 18**
*“Minalan’s closest friends were all supremely loyal to the Spellmonger, and he returned that loyalty in abundant dividends, when he could.  Though they were men of good quality, they could have been scoundrels and he would have supported them for their friendship.  Nor would he change his opinion due to a consequence of rank, position, or fortune.  That said, Minalan also sought to advance his own purposes through the successes and enterprises of his fellows in ways that can only perhaps be appreciated by wizards.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 19**
*“Wizards are notoriously subtle, and concoct schemes and plots the way other men breathe.  It is not wrong to suspect the motives in a mage’s manipulations, but it is often futile.  As Minalan matured into his role as Count, he began to court politics, when necessary . . . but always with a purpose.  If he did something that seemed inconsequential or frivolous, the wise would wager that he did so intentionally.  The wiser would understand that his true motivations were yet clouded by a cloak of misdirection.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 20**
*“Minalan was unique among the magi for his close relationship to our Alka Alon allies; though others developed a strong affinity with the race, Minalan’s long association with them provided a secure association during our people’s reacquaintance.  Particularly the allies who were known as the Tera Alon, a magical amalgamation of our two peoples, were attached to the Spellmonger.  The Elre line, including Lady Lilastien and Lady Ithalia, were especially devoted to the human wizard.  While the Tera Alon settlement in Sevendor was the primary refuge of the transformed, they quickly migrated to be in proximity to their human sponsor.  When the Tera Alon came in force to Vanador, it changed the place dramatically.  Once again, the Spellmonger was responsible for that transformation.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 21**
*“I would be remiss in this haphazard chronicle if I did not include discussions of Minalan’s relations with the ecclesiastical community, myself included.  Whilst most of the nobility suffer the clergy for the warm, pious glow it imparts them, or tolerate it as a social necessity, or – in the rarest of cases – embrace religion with fervent belief, Minalan took a practical approach to the clerics of Vanador.  His legendary association with divinities gave him a unique perspective on religion, its function, and its relationship to its own gods.  When it came to its practice in his realm, the Spellmonger was far more attentive to the uses and abuses of religion than any noble I’ve ever known.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte**
**Chapter 22**
*“Minalan only took a token role in the Arcane Orders during his exile, allowing his subordinates to run the organization Baroness Pentandra had painstakingly created.  Yet he attended every Convocation he could faithfully and played his part as the ceremonial head of the institution.  The first such visit during his exile was some solace for missing his beloved Magical Fair in Sevendor.  But there can be no doubt that returning to the city he’d seen nearly destroyed by a dragon was a particularly somber occasion for the Spellmonger.  In many ways, the recovering city mirrored his own broken relationship with Castal.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 23**
*“The promise of war would suggest that a man with the ability might send his family into a safe exile from the threat.  Yet as his foes committed to strike at him, Minalan summoned his bastards to join his legitimate children at Spellgarden, compounding the chances of tragedy.  Yet he was certain that their safety was dependent not on their distance from the front lines, but by their proximity to his protection.  For Minalan was a fierce father, when it came to defending his children, and there was no power better equipped to shelter them safely than the Spellmonger’s own hand.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 24**
*“Even as Minalan assembled his thaumaturges, the clouds of war gathered on the western horizon.  The harvest was well underway when it was learned that the foe had committed to his course, and was set to march on Vanador.  Yet Minalan did not devote himself to warfare so much that he neglected the greater mission he had set for himself.  A count is primarily responsible for his people’s safety, and none could say that the Spellmonger skimped the attention he spared in preparation for war; yet while his militiamen were called in from the fields to change their scythes for spears, and the entire province turned to the prospect of battle, neither did Minalan spare his attention to mundane matters, such as thaumaturgy and the rites of Luin.  For a good man does one or another; a great man has the capacity to see to it all.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 25**
*“I submit to history that Minalan’s tenure as Count of the Magelaw would have been far less effective and decisive if he had not been supported by stalwarts from Sevendor who’d elected to join him in exile.  Chief among them were Gareth, of course, but more importantly his first apprentice, Sire Tyndal.  When he granted the young warmage the de-peopled province of Callierd, the boon was both challenge and reward for the enterprising young magelord . . . but the true reward was the vibrant young wizard’s nearness to his former master.  The transformation from apprentice to vassal happened gracefully, due to the great familiarity of the two men, a factor that played a significant role in the Magelaw’s later history.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 26**
*“In later years, some faulted Minalan for what they viewed as a conciliatory manner in regard to our foes.  In truth, he was attempting to manage his enemies much as he tried to manage his allies.  When there was such a plethora of them, as he was fond of saying, it was a wizard’s job to discover ways in which to make their numbers a liability, not an asset.  History demonstrates his ability to do so on the battlefield, but few appreciate how well he extended that concept into the realms of politics and diplomacy.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 27**
*“Minalan was famously attached to the lands he ruled.  Both Sevendor and the Magelaw held especial places in his heart, though for diverse reasons, some known only to the Spellmonger.  But he was always curious and interested in the workings of his realm, for even the least of things captivated his attention.   While wizards dwell in the realm of the obscure, I found his interest in simple things as intent as his fascination with the cosmic.   Even the gods whose attention he himself attracted were the gods of little things.  But as wizards are want to do, Minalan could build mighty works on such foundations.  Indeed, it was perhaps his greatest professional strength.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 28**
*“If preparing for war was the Spellmonger’s primary job, thaumaturgy remained his fundamental vocation.  After the trouble he’d taken to establish the beginnings of the Thaumaturgical college in Vanador, Minalan could not afford to sit back and passively await its conclusions.  He was not that kind of wizard, and snowstone was not that kind of problem.  Instead, he took every opportunity to commune with his assembled experts and exhort them to discover the means of recreating the fateful spell.  He enlisted every Talented thaumaturge in the pursuit.  Nay, not even the gods of his acquaintance were spared his obsession with the spell.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 29**
*“Once the first hostilities between the undead general and the fearsome magi began, the limitations of the former and the talents of the latter both became apparent.  If Korbal the Necromancer anticipated a quick, clean advance to wipe away human resistance, he was disappointed.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 30**
*“Once the battle was engaged, all of Vanador devoted itself to its prosecution.  The magi had well-prepared the people and the lands as best as they were able, and deployed their forces with cunning and insight.  More, they sped tales of victory quickly to the populace to encourage them in their many labors, and encouraged all to pursue their tasks cheerfully and with good humor.  As the dark legions approached, dread and hope fought in all of our hearts as the wizards of Vanador rose to protect us.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte**
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**Chapter 31**
*“No one was more surprised than I when Minalan announced to his household his attention to take the field when there was no need.  With the foe still miles and miles away, beyond the river, it seemed incautious to many that our greatest protector would risk himself, so.  Yet it was clear to those who worked and lived around him that Minalan was brooding over the great amount of toil others were doing on his behalf, and it is only reasonable to assume that he felt helpless in his position.  Riding forth to battle may not have been prudent or necessary, but it kept him from brooding around Spellgarden while others fought his war.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 32**
*“Minalan’s deployment at Traveler’s Tower was less a chance for him to strike decisively at the foe, and more an opportunity to experiment.  He and his bellicose fellows in the trade saw all of Vanador as a chance to hone their spells.  Warmagic is a potent tool, and a dangerous one, and the opportunities to advance it against such a deserving foe.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 33**
*“Of the three dark lords the Penumbra stood against us, Gaja Katar was by far the most brutal.  Had he been blessed with more wit than malice, Vanador would have been dearly challenged in those early days.  I can only conclude that his inferior position in the hierarchy of status within Korbal’s court infuriated him beyond the point of reason.  That is perhaps the most charitable verdict of his conduct at Traveler’s Tower.  Else one must conclude he was merely an idiot.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 34**
*“That was my first experience with warfare, even in an indirect way.  Battlefields are no place for lawyers, for they cannot be argued with, and there are no appeals from Fate’s sentence.  Nor do we make good warriors; for every command we would question, and every strategy we would attempt to opine upon.  Some say the clerical prohibition on Lawbrothers in battle stems from some innate cowardice.  Rather, it is a boon to humanity, for we are among the poorest of soldiers.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 35**
*“Magelord Terleman’s skill at warmagic was challenged at Spellgate, not because he lacked either power or understanding, but because he, like all commanders, needed the cooperation of his adversary for his greatest plans could proceed.  If he kept his greatest workings secret, even from his subordinates and his superiors, one must credit his deep and cunning mind for his lack of disclosure.  One could not argue with his results.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 36**
*“Terleman’s plans for the defense of Spellgate were subtle, deep, cunning, and elegant.  Never had a warmage been given responsibility for such a task, nor such potent resources to see it done.  No wizard was better suited to the task.  Even when Spellgate was new, before he strengthened it, it was a formidable expression of his genius.  That was proven decisively in its maiden battle.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 37**
*“The weather of the Wilderlands is legendary, and played a decisive role in the Battle of Spellgate.  One might think that Minalan had the blessings of the gods, the way the snow conspired to bury the enemy legions that day.  His token might have been the snowflake, but the blizzard that covered Spellgate proved a fatal hinderance to Gaja Katar’s ambitions, whether sent by divine guidance or the grace of Nature.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 38**
*“Oft the schemes of wizards are subtle and obscure.  That doesn’t mean that they are without merit.  It just means that they are subtle and obscure.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 39**
*“Most commanders think in terms of foot and horse, artillery and sappers.  The strength of the warmagi in battle is not their arcane power, but their understanding of how power functions at all levels.  To a wizard, the forces of Nature, itself, can become legions, if properly understood.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 40**
*“The only good thing about war is victory.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 41**
*“Few activities bind a community together more than surviving adversity, the ending of a war, most of all.  The Vanadori discovered a common purpose and unrealized stores of civic pride, as the armies came marching back from Asgot Ford bearing only a few of their number, slain.  There is no headier wine than Victory, and after Gaja Katar fell, Vanador drank deep.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 42**
*“Minalan’s mood changed sharply, after the victory.  Some whispered that he was jealous of Terleman’s acclaim, or merely agitated by the prospect of two more such contests in the future.  But I watched his manner shift, after the celebration, and knowing the man as I did, it was not mere vanity or anxiety that concerned him.  When the Spellmonger took on a certain aspect, one could infer that matters cosmic were plaguing his mind.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 43**
*“A blessed Yule to one and all!”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 44**
*“The truly fascinating portions of the law in the mind of most lexits is not the grand, sweeping ordinances that guide and regulate our behavior as subjects of a sovereign.  To a Lawbrother, the truly intriguing portions usually lie in the customary laws of the manor, or of entire regions, that have evolved in their own peculiar ways to meet the specific needs of the people.  When one sees the customary laws of each duchy and barony laid next to each other, beyond common statute the true culture of a people is displayed.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
**Chapter 45**
*“Try not to occupy the Spellmonger with petty problems.  For he understands the cosmic, and the weight of all the world is borne on his shoulders.”* **From the Scrolls of Lawbrother Bryte the Wiser**
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### Arcanist

**Prologue**
*Dancing breeze at midnight at winter’s eventide, Yearning earth, thawing turf where hope of spring abides Sacred cycle summons the rains as sun warms blessed soil, Soon the seeds in fields and meads call for Falassa’s holy toil!* **Merwyni Folk Invocation**
**Chapter 1**
*The Scion of Rysh What folk skulk about within a darkened wood? Poachers, footpads and men up to no good. Wilderfolk Proverb* **From the Collections of Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 2**
*Many a man has traveled far Through the highlands in the west Seeking fortune in the Minden’s shade In the hills the gods have blessed. Long into their dotage they smile as they tell the tale Of drinking merry sunlight in a cup of Pengwarn’s ale! Western Highlands folk verse* **From the Collections of Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 3**
*When danger threatens, steel buys loyalty better than gold. Wilderlords Proverb* **From the Collection of Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 4**
*A spellmonger lived with his goodwife in town A wizard of great learning and vision From his four-pointed cap to his elegant gown The man was just oozing with wisdom! His pretty goodwife was the most gentle of souls Though not, neighbors said, the brightest, She’d married him when at his journeyman scroll Though her grip on his scroll, not the tightest! They made a living selling potions and charms Dispelling rats, finding cats, or easing monthly pains He could make your pecker stiff or find water on your farm Offering reasonable terms for his services arcane A pretty peasant lass perchance hired the mage, To make her abundant bodice attract more attention The wizard had a wand that he was willing to engage ‘Twas potent with power if not the greatest of dimension.* **From The Spellmonger And the Sow By Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 5**
*Let us sing a hymn of praise to the Goddess of the Kine! Praise be the Bearer of Burdens!  Praise be the Pure One! She who pulls the sacred plow, she who gives the blessed milk! The Queen of the Herds bestows on us the gifts of abundance and wisdom! Praise her in the springtide when the calves are sacrificed! Praise her in the autumn, when the bulls are culled! Life and death, in the service of life, we praise Bova the Blessed for her abundant benevolence!  Moo!  Moo!  Moo!* **Hymn to Bova, Goddess of the Kine.** **From the Collection of Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 6**
*I sing a song of good company, Of nutty ale and fire, I sing of good tavern friends With whom you can conspire. I sing a song of tales of old, Of stories and songs to amuse, Or memories ’twixt old, good friends The hospitality you cannot refuse! Wilderlands Folksong* **From the Collection of Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 7**
*“Evil makes its own prison.” Wilderlands Folk Saying* **From the Collections of Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 8**
*“An anxious mind seeks counsel and wisdom to soothe the soul.”* **​​Kasari Proverb. From the Collection of Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 9**
*“A people who forget their history are lost children who cannot find their parents.”* **Wilderlands Folk Saying. From the Collection of Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 10**
*“The Faradines of Iron Hill love iron more than lodestones do.”* **​​Wilderlands Folk Saying. From the Collection of Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 11**
*“She who tends to little things ensures the great hath room to prosper.”* **Wilderlands Folk Saying. From the Collection of Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 12**
*“The Wise understand by themselves; the Fools listen to the crowd.”* **Wilderlands Folk Saying. From the Collection of Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 13**
*“Every House in the Wilderlands has its secrets, from the smallest to the grandest.”* **Wilderlands Folk Saying. From the Collection of Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 14**
*Hail, the Bearer of Burdens!  Strong beyond measure! Hail, the Milk Mother!  Provider of nourishment! Hail the Goddess of the Kine!  Her hooves and horns bless us! Hail Bova! Hail the Goddess of Cows! Moo! Moo! MOO!* **Traditional Hymn To Bova, Goddess of the Kine. From the Collection of Jannik the Rysh**
**Chapter 15**
*“The rules of war?  There are none, in the heat of battle.”* **Wilderlord Proverb. From the Collection of Jannik the Rysh**
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**Chapter 16**
*The War Begins in Earnest “The war banners fly o’er castle wall, The horns call men to take up the spear, The drums of war thunder the call The time of doom is skulking near!”* **Traditional Wilderlands War Call. From the Collection of Jannik the Rysh**
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### Footwizard

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### Hedgewitch

**Chapter 1:**
“The tallest trees attract the lightning; the fattest sparrow, the hawk.” —Popular folk saying of The Game of Whispers.
**Chapter 2:**
“The bee without sting collects no honey.” —Alshari folk saying.

**Chapter 3:**

“No one wins in the Game of Whispers” — Rameran folk saying.

**Chapter 4:**

“Trust the gods, but steer away from the rocks.” —Alshari folk saying.

**Chapter 5:**

“The fairest rose of necessity requires a pile of manure.”  —Old Alshari folk saying.

**Chapter 6:**

“Fair clothes oft conceal foul features.” —Alshari folk saying.

**Chapter 7:**

“Old friends who visit but seldom are prized higher than gold.” —Alshari folk saying.

**Chapter 8:**

“None but the brave deserve the fair.” —Westlands folk saying.

**Chapter 9:**

“In understanding the nature of true prophecy, the wise appreciate why real prophets should be put to death before their disturbing utterances can affect the world .” —Popular utterance of the Royal Censorate.

**Chapter 10:**

“A wise man measures the field before he buys the seed.” —Alshari folk saying.

**Chapter 11:**

“Hindsight is the best insight for foresight.” —Alshari folk saying.

**Chapter 12:**

“The end of a feast is better than the beginning of a quarrel.” — Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 13:**

“Character is destiny.” —Magelaw folk saying.

**Chapter 14:**

“What is spoken of in the kitchen should not be said in the hall.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 15:**

“Danger and delight grow on one stalk.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 16:**

“A man’s hatred oft blinds him to good counsel.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 17:**

“If you don’t see the bottom, don’t wade.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 18:**

“Judge yourself not on the harvest, but on the seeds you sow.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 19:**

“Only a fool contends with a king.” —Ancient Narasi proverb.

**Chapter 20:**

“A clever man counts his coin before he casts the dice.” —Wilderlands folk saying

**Chapter 21:**

“Women, wind, and luck all change.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 22:**

“Send a fool to Castal, and a fool he’ll return.” —Alshari folk saying.

**Chapter 23:**

“As the wind blows hard, make your shelter.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 24:**

“A blind horse rides hardy to the fight.” — Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 25:**

“True evil always seeks the best talent and the cleverest law brothers.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 26:**

“‘Tis better to wait by the door than pray over a grave.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 27:**

“Patience, prayer, and posit cure all ills. When nothing’s to be done, do nothing.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 28:**

“In the face of the foe, the fairest and fondest plans are befouled.” —War magic proverb.

**Chapter 29:**

“Good counsel is above all price.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 30:**

“Full of courtesy, full of craft, fair speech cloaks deceit and wrath.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 31:**

“Cold kale broth yet again, and I liked it never. Old love renewed again that I liked ever.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 32:**

“When faced with no better choice, make the best of a bad bargain.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 33:**

“Memory is the stone on which the house of the soul is built.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 34:**

“Hateful and idle of purpose are brothers without love.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 35:**

“The Gods lead us away. Love brings us home quickly.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 36:**

“A full purse makes a gossipy merchant.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 37:**

“Adversity comes with experience in its hand.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 38:**

“One’s fortune is in one’s forehead.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 39:**

“The rustling of a leaf in the wind scares a guilty conscience.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Chapter 40:**

“Faithful and sincere will the good friend be.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Epilogue:**

“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” —Wilderlands folk saying.

**Bonus:**

“From madness alone can the mighty be drawn.” —Gilmeny the Elder

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