Speaking Bones

“Yet, beauty never dies. Beauty always refreshes itself.”— Thoryo

“This place is why we live in the Sixth Age.”— Sataari

“It's better to be lucky than right.”— Tiphan Huto

“There's always a second act. Always.”— Princess Théra

“My mother always told me that there is nothing inherently good or wicked in the nature of tools, for they only serve to amplify what is already present in the hearts of humankind.”— Tanto Aragoz

“Some mysteries only become more magnificent after you solve them.”— Princess Théra

“The old stories are all true. But we didn't understand them.”— Sataari

“When everything you’ve tried has failed, the only path left is to do something impossible, something new.”— Princess Théra

“I can control Cutanrovo. I’m just using her.”— Tanvanaki

“Anything worth doing is at least a little bit mad.”— Takval Aragoz

“It is enough that we have loved and are loved. There is no meaning in eternity; only now, only here.”— Thoryo

“We earn the fear of our foes and the trust of our divine kin!”— Cutanrovo Aga

“Nalyufin loves the cries of captives in pain.”— Rita (Thoryo)

“Even the corpses of our enemies cannot escape being exploited to our advantage.”— Tovo Tasaricu

“You can and you must. You belong to this land. You love the people of the scrublands as much as I do.”— Takval Aragoz

“The garinafins did not speak as humans did, but the fire of vengeance burned in their hearts as strong as in the hearts of women and men.”— Narrator

“The spirit of the Lyucu is indomitable!”— Cutanrovo Aga

“There is strength in simplicity, power in trust, beauty in plain-speaking, and grandness of spirit in believing in ideals.”— Rati Yera

“The people are not threatening, but pleading for you to heed your own pronouncement: When the interests of the few are weighed against the interests of the many, the few must yield.”— Cogo Yelu

“The generals are free.”— Puma Yemu

“I had never expected to find the mirror of my soul in the Emperor of Dara.”— Zen-Kara

“You fight not for personal glory, but for love of your comrades. I bow to you now not to flatter your considerable talents, but in recognition of your grandness of spirit.”— Kuni Garu (in memory)

“If I can soar so high, it’s only because I’m carried on the wings of many others.”— Rati Yera

“You’ve done your part. Trust the others to do theirs.”— Gin Mazoti (in memory)

“All of us can see merely one corner of this grand universe but are blind to everything else; only by piecing together all the multiplicity of insights can we grasp the whole.”— Kisli Péro

“The world may not be fair, but we must strive to make it so.”— Prince Phyro

“An empire built on fear is a house built on sand. The tide always comes in.”— Narrator

“Those who plant saplings will not live to enjoy the shade of the full-grown tree; those who build the city-ship will not get to steer it into the unknown storm.”— Cogo Yelu

“Taboos were established by our ancestor heroes to protect the people and honor the gods, and they may be broken for the same purpose.”— Adyulek

“To believe in Rufizo Mender was to dedicate oneself to the alleviation of suffering, not to its aggravation, not even in the name of justice.”— Abbot Shattered Axe

“The body was gone, but the breath lived on.”— Narrator

“There are many ways to mend the world. You don’t have to stand apart from the world to tend to it.”— Abbot Shattered Axe

“You are not one of us, never one of us—”— Volyu Aragoz

“We do what is right not because we think we’ll succeed; we do so regardless of the consequences, good or bad.”— Naro Hun

“I cannot change my nature. I am sorry, but I do not regret.”— Princess Théra

“There are many ways to mend the world. You don’t have to stand apart from the world to tend to it.”— Abbot Shattered Axe

“The field is gone, but there’s still the secret in the medicine shed in the Palace Garden.”— Jia Matiza

“You gotta think for yourself. I bet you fifty silvers that once he reached the shores of Rui, away from the empress’s eyes, the emperor was hoping to turn the army against the empress and march on Pan.”— Égi

“Wolves must never become dogs.”— Cutanrovo Aga

“This rebellion… is perhaps a misunderstanding—”— Palace Guard Commander

“Parents begin by dreaming their children, Mama, and in time, children dream their parents.”— Tanto Aragoz

“We don’t fight to leave a name; we fight because it’s the right thing to do.”— Captain Atamu (in memory)

“Wolves must never become dogs.”— Noda Mi

“You have to give me time and space to recover my wits.… After all, I’ve just gone through a whole cycle of life and death, of being mortal.”— Lutho

“The ear that hears vibrates in sympathy with the throat that sings.”— Sataari

“My father spoke often of you. He always regretted not being able to carry out the proper duties of a son.”— Princess Dyana

“A well-crafted plan is indistinguishable from a miracle, especially if the plotter can be as cruel to herself as she is to her enemies.”— Cogo Yelu

“The people of Dara must be allowed to see for themselves and chart their own course, to tell their own story.”— Cogo Yelu

“A mechanical wonder that reads and writes. Is there anything that cannot be accomplished by the ingenuity of the silkmotic engineer?”— Princess Fara

“The people of Dara speak for themselves. I have never served you; I serve the people of Dara.”— Cogo Yelu

“To tell a new story of where to go, we must first understand the story of where we came from.”— Sataari

“You and I are both old and our consciences stained. It’s time for us to step aside for a new generation.”— Cogo Yelu

“Where doubt ends, evil begins.”— Empress Shizona (Fara)

“My brother is not a symbol. He is my brother, and he is not a part of your family.”— Princess Dyana

“Welcome home, Zaza-tika.”— Empress Shizona (Fara)

“The best way to honor our nature is to re-remember the future.”— Princess Théra

“We survive, the Hundred Flowers. We survive.”— A Dasu villager

“A falling leaf yearns to return to the root.”— Princess Théra

“We’ve enlarged our souls with many loves and devoted ourselves to many duties, instead of consuming ourselves in one grand romance. We have more lines on our faces than there are breaths left in our lungs.”— Princess Théra