King Bodtaw, then Lord of Steadfall, on the role of a sovereign, written after the fall of the Red Watch, Year One of The Crumbling. Official translation from Bodtovian to Common released by the Badger's Den Archive in Steadfall Keep.
"It is impossible for a Lord to raise himself. For that title to carry weight, he must have followers. These followers, tacitly or directly, support the Lord, whose elevated status is reached by standing atop the shoulders of those beneath him. In return for this societal advancement, the Lord is subsequently responsible for the lives of those followers. His very purpose is to safeguard their well-being in the face of all opposition. As he is nothing without his commonfolk, his soldiers, his advisors, his own life is meaningless if they are lost. I ordered my men to a futile slaughter at the Gates of the Red Keep. Many a Red Watchman was made by dipping a cloaks in the blood of my fallen charges. Imsh, who had protected my life as his own, fought and died alone to end the war. Now, they offer me another adventure and a chance at glory for my name. I decline. I will return to Steadfall. I cannot repay to Imsh the blood-debt I owe. For his sake, I will live. His sacrifice saved my life, the lives of our party, my soldiers at the gate, and those behind my walls. I will live, and I will demand of myself that I be at least half the lord my friend was. For all my learning and for all his simplicity, he knew what my duty was while I was blinded by privilege."