Quotations of the Red Church (and others)

"Therefore ye shall not place ballistae behind hills or infantry in quicksand; the Touched Men do this, and therefore they are lost. Ye shall not draw up in perfect order, displaying your form and organization for all to see; the followers of Anz do this, and therefore they are lost. Most of all, ye shall not plant and tend flowerbeds in the midst of battle; the Summer Men do this, and therefore they are lost."

--The Holy Tactical Notes of Saint Boren

"It was that last five thousand infantry that did us in. I wanted to fight, but Hachlar said that three of us just wouldn't be enough..."

--Roland, BattleMage of Pdallar, on the subjugation of Pdallar by Ghoras

"My friends, ask not what your country can do for you, but rather... just how much loot are we getting out of this anyway?"

--Asten Ironside, Political Officer, Iverson's mercenary corps

"What does it mean...eighty-eight?"

--Morclangon, the Great Drake of Geskekulud, shortly before his spectacular death over Lesser Mosk, as recorded by Mildeck of Belid.

"Arm well and fight without distraction; for the cessation of Conflict lies not within Her vision..."

--Boren, "The Instruction of The Warrior"

"The Touched Men can be great fighters, because they literally don't know when they're beaten, and hitting them over the head has little effect. There are two commonly used ways of defeating them. One is to disguise oneself as a shrub and attempt to take them by surprise; they find this ploy sufficiently ludicrous that they feel it is worth playing along. The other, of course, is to simply walk up to them and cleave them in half..."

--Vans Kastelain, "Victory in Ngth"

"Malleon fell victim to the classic ploy in which one weakens the center for the benefit of both wings, leading to envelopment of the enemy force. Thereupon I subjected him to the ploy where one rolls up the enemy's wings with simultaneous flank attacks, driving them back into the enemy's disordered center, then the ploy in which one imprisons the vanquished for ransom, and finally the ploy in which one subjugates the enemy's defenseless homeland. This illustrates the principle that who falls victim to such simple machinitions once can be expected to fall for even simpler ones later."

--Hachler, on the matter of a civil war in Dvelinhurzt

"Most cunning of all when combining arms during a siege is to present those imprisoned within a fortress with an illusory path to freedom and sustenance; one can then take them and, by conserving catapult ammunition, return them to imprisonment forthwith..."

--Boren, "On the Conclusions of Campaigns"

"Resistance going through Alkynia and Aravy was quite steep; we had to crush no less than five separate regiments attempting to intercept us. I, however, had an appointment with the Queen of Ceczo, which I found it most rewarding to keep; more, I was sure that She would be amused by these events..."

--Marek Stormbringer, memoirs

"The reputation of the Loyal Sons of Shagras for being selfish is undeserved; for in matters such as broken bones, facial cuts, spilled entrails, hacked limbs, crushed skulls, and shattered bodies, it is far better to give than to receive."

--Finnbogg, "The Dialogues of Brother Finnbogg, a Man among Monks"

"The least that a Man of Valor can do is to die in Her service; better is to die amidst a sea of fell enemies--best, however, is to do not only that, but also to dig one's own grave and use it well. That She will certainly appreciate."

--Finnbogg, "Dialogues"

"I sprang and wheeled among my foes, delivering deadly kicks in all directions; my opponents marveled, for I was pale as a sheet from bleeding and my brain bulged out of my shattered skull, but blood and brains--a true warrior needs not these things, if he has Her as his ally."

--Finnbogg, "Dialogues"

"Dear Outnumbered,

The answer to your dilemma is as follows: you must jump into the air and simultaneously strike all four foes, using both hands and both feet. You can catch the crossbow bolt in your mouth; I advise against trying to deflect it with your ear, as my experiences with that move have not been favorable. And let this be a lesson--*Never* expose yourself in front of an enemy.

Sincerely,

Brother Finnbogg"

--Finnbogg, "101 Answers to Stupid Questions"

"Infantry? Too stupid. And Horsemen have a habit of thinking themselves too much like their mounts. Bards, of course, are rather fragile and they tend to break easily. The Touched Men forget what they're doing in the middle of it all, the followers of Anz are too unimaginative, and, well, no Summer Man's ever come within sword's reach. The Undermen are ugly and the High Men are imperious. What's a woman to do? Why, just as She does, of course..."

--Saint Celia, "From Cross-stitch to Crossbow"