  <resources>
    <string name="1mgx9gPc">They do what they must to survive. When they come to the cities people curse them, but believe me, if you were in a waterless place, and needed a guide to take you to safety, you would bless them as the greatest gift the Heavens could provide.</string>
    <string name="2JDctkZH">Greetings. As far as I know we have no quarrel with you, so unless you have something to tell us, you may be on your way.</string>
    <string name="2K4ob83X">They talk as though they are the only free souls in this world, but they are bloody dogs, and you can make them do jump by showing them a glint of denars.</string>
    <string name="4n2Rg88T">You may have heard of the Hidden Ones. Not much is known of their origins - only that now they have eyes in every town and village in these valleys, and many a noble's court too. Anyone who wishes to smuggle, steal, or rob must give them a cut of his take.</string>
    <string name="5DbyKGi0">They have become a festering sore that constantly replenishes itself, kidnapping the children of peaceable folk and schooling them in violence, rebellion and depravity. </string>
    <string name="5mQJja9D">They say they were betrayed by their commanders. Well, maybe there is something to that, that is no excuse to break one's oath and turn mercenary.</string>
    <string name="5yJCozah">Greetings, wanderer. We have no wish to fight you, because you'd probably win. But, know that we'll do our best to sell our lives dearly. The choice is yours.</string>
    <string name="5ZM7eiXG">For all their talk of brotherhood, of the discipline of their order, of their code of honor, they are mercenaries like any other.</string>
    <string name="aw3REZPw">Such lies! I curse anyone who believes them. Believe me, it is because lords go soft in the head, and are willing to listen to such prattle, that I have to listen to these tales every time I run one of these scum down and fit a rope around their neck.</string>
    <string name="aWJUFJIw">I cannot condone banditry, but most of them could easily be brought back to make their living honestly and lawfully, if the lords of this land were so inclined. Some day, if I have time and can get good information, I shall sift carefully through the complaints against them and pardon those who deserve it.</string>
    <string name="BEDZiAnN">Many of us ran as wolves in our youth. It is a good custom - it makes us fear nothing, love the woods, and tolerate any hardship. Only those who love the Empire and its soft ways would seek to stamp this custom out.</string>
    <string name="bk3fIAAV">Why, we're outlaws! And there's no shame in that, it's more a point of pride, like. For any man who's brave and honest both these days will likely be outlawed at some point or the other, and any man who grows rich has likely broke the laws of this realm and the laws of Heaven alike. So, in the name of restoring what you might call the moral balance, we rob a bit from them that can afford it. That's what our leader Thieroc has taught us.</string>
    <string name="bPRxjgUw">They are men who deserved more from their masters. They were led by an incompetent general, appointed for his connections not his skills, into an ambush. They had no scouts because they were given no money to pay them. They are brave men and will prove it to any man who hires them, but they will no longer accept any commander from outside their ranks.</string>
    <string name="C9bidUBD">Well, traveller, we're wolves. We wear no spun cloth, eat no cooked meat, and sleep under no roofs, and the laws of men do not apply to us. It's a bit of a tradition we Battanians have. But we wolves still like the glint of denars, though, which is why we're standing here talking instead of getting direct to the cutting of throats.</string>
    <string name="CibwkVJO">Stop there, traveller. You'll be glad to hear that when you walk these roads, there will be people watching over you, even if you can't see them, keeping you safe. But there's a tax for that service, and we're here to collect it. If you won't pay, we'll have no choice but to consider you a bandit, and take the necessary steps.</string>
    <string name="cm3s2SRr">Greetings. Fate has decreed that you are to cross spears today with the skolderbrotva. Fear not - all mortals must die. Put up a good fight, and your name will live on after you.</string>
    <string name="d2aIKiqB">They are stalwart men, the best you could ever hope to have by your side. Yes, they are mercenaries, but not ashamed of it. They say that this is the only way that they can avoid bending their knee to any king, which they refuse to do. Their only loyalty is to their brothers, which imposes on them the strictest discipline - but only by their own choice.</string>
    <string name="DhLpTnUC">You may have heard of the Wolfskins. They are Battanian youths, often the sons of good families, who choose to live in the woods as though they were beasts. So long as they wear no spun cloth, sleep under no roof, and cook no food, they are not considered bound by the laws of men.</string>
    <string name="e7Mqz693">As far as we're concerned, anyone who comes recommended by the noble House of Varros is a friend of ours. The others, well, we respect gentle birth, but they can be a bit naive about the way things work in the world.</string>
    <string name="ejZmilnZ">You may have heard of the Ghilman. They are men who were taken as slaves by the last Aserai sultan and trained as his bodyguard. But when he died, they rebelled and tried to make one of their own sultan. They were defeated and fled to the edges of his realm, where they live as mercenaries, taking their own slaves to replenish their ranks.</string>
    <string name="ExzKElrM">They are good fighters, and are famous for their discipline, but ultimately they are a scourge. They value nothing but their own independence. If all men were like then, then we would live forever in a state of war.</string>
    <string name="fEWOyNuy">You may have heard of the Brothers of the Woods, a band of outlaws. They are led by a man named Thierrac, once a freeholder, who claims he was falsely accused of a crime and dispossessed of his lands. Indeed, most of them claim to have been wronged, and that was what turned them outlaw. They also claim that they do not trouble the innocent, stealing only from the wealthy and the corrupt.</string>
    <string name="FJFX00rA">I cannot condone banditry, but most of them could easily be brought back to make their living honestly and lawfully, if the lords of this land were so inclined. </string>
    <string name="gEfG83D7">'What's this I see before me?' you're likely thinking. 'Is it a man, or a beast?' Well, traveller - it's a little of both, a little of both. The man part would like to take your coin, and the beast part would like to eat your flesh. You may choose which part you want to meet today.'</string>
    <string name="hiQ34vUd">They fear nothing, for though according to the law they may be hunted as animals, few dare to pursue the son of a powerful lord who, though he lives like an animal now, may tomorrow return to claim his inheritance. They have forgotten what the tradition was about, and become simply bandits who think they can do whatever they like.</string>
    <string name="hJwbnWrf">They attract masterless men from all across these lands. They are disciplined enough in battle, but know no restraint, and are as wont to plunder the lands of those who hired them as those who they are hired to fight.</string>
    <string name="IaDMibIE">They're boastful, contemptuous bastards, but if you hire them, you never need worry about getting your money's worth.</string>
    <string name="iM4HBnAZ">Many lords of Battania ran as wolves in their youth. It teaches them the ways of the woods, and gives them the strength to bear any hardship. You will hear much about the crimes of the Wolfskins, but I assure most of it is rumor. I, for one, think it is a good custom.</string>
    <string name="ipLPRaWY">They will tell you stories about how they were 'betrayed' by their commanders. As far as I am concerned, they broke their oath to the Emperor. It is dishonorable to hire such men.</string>
    <string name="jaJoZByD">You may have heard of the Shield Brothers. They are a band of mercenaries, mostly men from the north. To join them you are supposed to be a proven warrior, or, if you are not proven, you can join by defeating another one of them in a duel. They make their recruits swear a whole host of vows - in particular, you are not allowed to marry or own land. They say this maintains their discipline.</string>
    <string name="JZdkzbhX">Why, we'd be friends with the world if we could! But then there would be no one to rob. So, we start with the assumption that if you have more than two denars to rub together, you probably stole them yourself, in one form or the other, and there's no shame in taking it from you. Now, we do consider King Derthert to be a good and just liege - it's just the lying barons around him who are the trouble, see - and we'll listen to anyone who comes with a message from him.</string>
    <string name="K2t85PzX">Perhaps not all their tales of injustice are true. But I am inclined to believe much of it, for believe me there is much injustice in these parts. Perhaps I too, had I been born at a lower station, would have turned outlaw.</string>
    <string name="kctqbakZ">They are beasts. Their encampments leave behind filth that cannot be washed away with a century of rainstorms. Their men are liars, and their women are allowed to sell themselves for a copper coin.</string>
    <string name="kiNbdcFT">Our family has made use of the Free Company many times in the past. I like them. Unlike some lords, who claim gentle blood but act like brigands, the Company men do not pretend to be anything more than they are. They are good men to drink with, and if you do not try to cheat them at dice, you may even leave one of their feasts with an uncut throat.</string>
    <string name="MgDQXii4">Well, traveller. We have the advantage of you. But because we have no wish to shed blood unnecessarily, we'll let you exercise an old and honorable custom and buy your way out.</string>
    <string name="MzGby9N5">Maybe there are wronged men among them, but the majority are common thieves who fool themselves into thinking they are heroes.</string>
    <string name="o0TS69Wq">They are a plague, men who spread corruption. Magistrates openly boast of rich gifts, looted from caravans, that they have received as bribes. Young men of good family speak openly of smuggling and extortion, as though these were legitimate sources of income.</string>
    <string name="pFVX0UaA">... self description...</string>
    <string name="pPheTJ1N">You may have heard of the Jawwal. They are a tribe who lives deep in the desert, wandering from place to place. They have few flocks of their own, so they must raid the lands of others. No other tribe will marry one of their daughters, nor give a daughter to them, and so they have few allies.</string>
    <string name="Q7bWlGsj">Wolves don't need friends among men. But I'll confess - we have a certain affection for the clan of the fen Uvain. A man who wanted to get on our good side would be advised to go through them.</string>
    <string name="Q9mStoDK">I admire them. They are a brotherhood who fights for denars and glory: the two things worth fighting for. They care nothing for politics and honor no kings. They are men who keep to the old ways, free of the imperial taint. They are the last guardians of northern honor.</string>
    <string name="Rji4hAF4">They wander the wastes, and some say they live like beasts, with no honor. But I say that if you treat men like animals, it is foolish to expect them not to behave like animals.</string>
    <string name="SeUcxk1L">Greetings, traveller. You have our blessing to continue on your way.</string>
    <string name="SPk30Pvi">You may have heard of the Lost Legion. They were ambushed by the Battanians and lost their standard. The survivors, blaming their commanders for their defeat, broke with the Empire and established themselves deep in the woods, where they live by fighting as mercenaries.</string>
    <string name="SuSDBk7a">(...)</string>
    <string name="TVCf5qiB">Greetings, traveller. As far as I know, the Brotherhood of the Woods has no quarrel with you, so you may continue on your way.</string>
    <string name="uPXKeWPt">They are a scourge. They fear nothing, for though according to the law they may be hunted as animals, few dare to pursue the son of a powerful lord who, though he lives like an animal now, may tomorrow return to claim his inheritance.</string>
    <string name="uZHlevz0">They are hard men, but they are useful. If needed, they are willing to assist our nobles and officials in repelling invaders and keeping order.</string>
    <string name="v2664Qeo">...</string>
    <string name="vJ9g2hO6">I pity them, but that does not mean I can tolerate them in my lands. They raid and they abduct, and even when they do not raid their animals ruin our crops. If your hand is at their throat they may give you an oath to you that they behave, but soon enough they will find an excuse to violate it.</string>
    <string name="VnCilmW9">I think they do fine work. You need dogs to keep watch on other dogs, and these ones are always willing to do a good turn for their betters. If they did not exist, then I would need to create them.</string>
    <string name="vxZyAoP8">Well, traveller, it's your lucky day. We've eaten well and we're feeling a bit sleepy, so we'll let you continue on your way.</string>
    <string name="Wfap4Nbh">The Hidden Ones' friends among the powerful make them a far greater scourge than common bandits.</string>
    <string name="xjxNVPod">Some call us the Hidden Watchers. We keep an eye on things, in a way that the high and lofty lords cannot.</string>
    <string name="XpEdYgWe">Though they may be slaves in name, they are lords on the battlefield. I have never seen better riders. And they are well-known for honoring their contracts, showing more honor than most free men these days.</string>
    <string name="XVGfmejS">They attract masterless men from all across these lands, like a pack of dogs. They live on war and when there is peace, they scheme to sew discord.</string>
    <string name="zk9ZJhwe">You may have heard of the Free Company. They are mostly Vlandian, men who have grown so attached to war that they seek it out, even when their homes are at peace. They boast that they honor their contracts, but respect nothing else. Their motto is, 'A short life and a merry one.</string>
  </resources>
