Though no longer attached to the hand, it still holds its adversary in its grasp.

“The light of beauty protects our journeys through darkness.”

“The dead make good soldiers. They can’t disobey orders, never surrender, and don’t stop fighting when a random body part falls off.”
—Nevinyrral, Necromancer’s Handbook

Imps are just intelligent enough to have an understanding of cruelty.

Earth elementals have the eternal strength of stone and the endurance of mountains. Primordially connected to the land they inhabit, they take a long-term view of things, scorning the impetuous haste of short-lived mortal creatures.

“Wirewood cannot hide great size. Only with speed and skill can we survive here.”

“For what are leaves but countless blades
To fight a countless foe on high.”
—Elvish hymn

“No matter how adept our artistic skill, our effigies can never hope to capture the vibrant beauty of a living elf. Perhaps that is truly why we mourn.”

The faultless and immaculate castes form the lower tiers of elvish society, with the exquisite caste above them. At the pinnacle is the perfect, a consummate blend of aristocrat and predator.

Before any major undertaking, a Cylian elf seeks the guidance of a visionary to learn the will of the gargantuan ancients.

As graceful as a deer leaping a stream and as deadly as the wolf waiting in ambush on the other side, elvish warriors are the eyes of the forest as well as its unsheathed claws.

The barbarians call it “touching the soul of the dragon.”

“The elves are right: Death inevitably leads to life. But the truly powerful don’t just experience this cycle. They control it.”
—Crovax, ascendant evincar

Some wizards compete not to summon the most interesting creatures, but to create the most interesting aftereffects when a summons goes awry.

“Once I supply the breeze, you’ll see your warriors for the smoke they truly are.”
—Alexi, zephyr mage

“Those without beauty are Lorwyn’s greatest tumor. The winnowers have an unpleasant duty, but a necessary one.”
—Eidren, perfect of Lys Alana