What Samos Said to Bosk

originally posted February 28, 2006

It is rumored that Samos of Port Kar, the First Slaver of that city, said to Bosk, once of the Delta Marshes, then Pirate, Admiral of a great fleet, hero of that formidable Jewel of Thassa, "All men, and all women, have within themselves despicable elements, cruel things and cowardly things, things vicious, and greedy and selfish, things ugly that we hide from others, and most of all from ourselves. The human being is a chaos of cruelties and nobilities, of hatreds and loves, of resentments and respects, of envies and admirations. He contains within himself, in his ferments, much that is base and much that is worthy. These are old truths, but few men understand them."
Whether it is true or not, I cannot say. Conquerors write our histories. Think of it. The vanquished are either dead or forgotten. They have no audience with which to spin the tale. Still, I like to believe that fearsome Samos counseled Bosk from the parapets of his keep over looking the Vosk Delta in the days following the 25th of Se'Kara which, in Port Kar, is a holiday. That day, it is said, the men of that city discovered they had a Home Stone. Maybe it is only drama. The embellishment of the Singers and Scribes of that city. Even so, I believe there is truth in what was said. Whether it was said or not.