History Quotes / UnequalRites

-->--''WebComic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', StartOfDarkness prequel.

-->-- FlavorText on [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=457151 Concordia Pegasus]], attributed to Guardian Project biomancer Thados Arquef, ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''

->You took the easy way out and [[DealWithTheDevil sold your soul to a demon]]. You're a fake. A phony. The only reason you can do magic is because you have an eldritch sugar daddy with its tentacle up your ass who plays you around like a puppet. I on the other hand had to learn music. Learn how to play the instruments. Practice until my fingers actually bled. And then? It still wasn't over! I had to now add magic to the mix, making sure I could not only play music but [[MagicMusic use it to channel mana to do what I want]]. You are a cheat. [[BribingYourWayToVictory A pay to play user]]. And now you sit here and complain that calling you a [[MagicKnight half caster]] isn't fair? Fair??? Sweetheart, if this game was fair, you would have been assimilated by Cthulu long back and wouldn't even have a functional form in the material world anymore, while I would be rocking a concert in Madison Square Garden.

->Yes, that is correct. My ancestors made a pact with infernal beings for power unknown to mere mortals. Demons? You can't believe every drunken bard who will sell you a story. Next you'll tell me that sorcerers are descended from dragons.[[labelnote:*]]Which a lot of ‘em are, though not all of them.[[/labelnote]]
-->-- '''Morthos''' the warlock, giving a SarcasticConfession, ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''

'''Xykon:''' Hey, you know what really gets under my skin? Proverbially, of course? A century of wizards looking down their damn noses at me. I know people think I'm stupid. Because I'm not a wizard. Because I get bored easily. Because I have no interest in strategy or tactics or contingency planning. But see, I've learned a lot over the years since I died. A lot more than I learned during my life. And now I see that planning doesn't matter. Strategy doesn't matter. Only two things matter: Force in as great a concentration as you can manage, and style. And in a pinch, style can slide. In any battle, there's always a level of force against which no tactics can succeed. For example, all I need to do is keep smacking you with Energy Drains, and soon you won't be able to cast any of your fancy spells at all. Because yes, I am a sorcerer — and this magic is in my bones, not cribbed off of "Magic for Dummies." [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer And I can keep casting the same friggin' spell at you until you roll over and die.]] You can have your finely-crafted watch[[note]]an IronicEcho comparing how Wizards' magic is finely tuned while Sorcerers' is blunt[[/note]] — give me the sledgehammer to the face any day.

->''What makes a frog lizard any worse than a bird horse? Prejudice against the Simic, that's what. It's unfair!''

->"Is this a sorcerer? He looks like nothing."\\
“You look like a twat in a dress, but you're only a warlock despite it,” I retorted. I have never liked warlocks. They lack the intuition of a sorcerer or the academic aptitude and patience of your hard-working wizard. Instead, as a short cut to power, they align themselves with the ancient spirits of the city – Lady Neon, the Seven Sisters, the Beggar King, Fat Rat and so on - doing their will in exchange for a quick fix magic trip. It's a lazy, risky profession.
-->--''[[Literature/MatthewSwift A Madness Of Angels]]''

->[[SarcasticConfession Yes, that is correct. My ancestors made a pact with infernal beings for power unknown to mere mortals.]] Demons? You can't believe every drunken bard who will sell you a story. Next you'll tell me that sorcerers are descended from dragons.[[labelnote:*]]Which a lot of ‘em are, though not all of them.[[/labelnote]]
-->-- '''Morthos''' the warlock, ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''

->What mage in any rival Tradition, of whatever skill, can boast the comprehensive knowledge of our least Adept? What other mage can offer any shred of theory to support his magick? The aboriginal shaman with his drums and rattle [[WillingChanneler gives over his body to a spirit]] he knows not. The cleric with his song begs like a child for the favour of deities. The [[TheHedonist Ecstatic with his vice]] burns like a meteor and vanishes, and the witch with [[BloodMagic her blood rites]] aspires only to procreate. Even the [[KungFuWizard Akashic]] with his meditation and exercise seeks passive contentment in false belief. Meanwhile, the [[HermeticMagic Hermetic]] with firm will commands, "Do!" and it is done.

->"Because Infernomancy destroyed this town and killed its mayor. Infernomancy maimed the students here and butchered their friends. Because yours is ''not'' a 'misunderstood' magic. It is a cruel and sadistic path whose sole purpose is to cause suffering. [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech And that, in your language AND mine, is why you can take your magic and]] '''[[PrecisionFStrike go to hell.]]'''"

'''Xykon:''' Hey, you know what really gets under my skin? [[DemBones Proverbially, of course?]] A century of wizards looking down their damn noses at me. I know people think I'm stupid. Because I'm not a wizard. Because I get bored easily. Because I have no interest in strategy or tactics or contingency planning. But see, I've learned a lot over the years since I died. A lot more than I learned during my life. And now I see that planning doesn't matter. Strategy doesn't matter. Only two things matter: Force in as great a concentration as you can manage, and style. [[CombatPragmatist And in a pinch, style can slide.]] In any battle, there's always a level of force against which no tactics can succeed. For example, all I need to do is keep smacking you with Energy Drains, and soon you won't be able to cast any of your fancy spells at all. Because yes, I am a sorcerer — and this magic is in my bones, not cribbed off of "Magic for Dummies." [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer And I can keep casting the same friggin' spell at you until you roll over and die.]] You can have your finely-crafted watch[[note]]an IronicEcho comparing how Wizards' magic is finely tuned while Sorcerers' is blunt[[/note]] — give me the sledgehammer to the face any day.

Perhaps you overlook them as the "willworkers" do. Perhaps you consider them "lesser talents," purveyors of parlor tricks enraptured with their own petty goals and [[LockedOutOfTheLoop completely oblivious to the]] [[SecretWar Ascension War]] and its consequences. What good's a hedge magician when you could be a True Mage [[RealityWarper with all reality at your fingertips]]?

->'''Tristan:''' Your people, the mages. Why do they enslave each other?
->'''Miles:''' There's only one kind of mage that matters: [[WeatherManipulation Storm-Singers]].

->'''Miles:''' Those who can't control the weather are bound so Storm-Singers can draw on their [[BondCreature Secondary]]'s power as if they were [[LivingBattery walking batteries]].

->''What makes [[{{Biomancy}} a frog lizard]] any worse than [[HolyHandGrenade a bird horse]]? Prejudice against the Simic, that's what. It's unfair!''

->"Is this a sorcerer? He looks like nothing."
->“[[DeadpanSnarker You look like a twat in a dress, but you're only a warlock despite it]],” I retorted. I have never liked warlocks. They lack the intuition of a sorcerer or the academic aptitude and patience of your hard-working wizard. Instead, as a short cut to power, they align themselves with the ancient spirits of the city – Lady Neon, the Seven Sisters, the Beggar King, Fat Rat and so on - doing their will in exchange for a quick fix magic trip. It's a lazy, risky profession.
-->--''[[Literature/MatthewSwift A Madness Of Angels]]''

'''Xykon:''' Hey, you know what really gets under my skin? [[DemBones Proverbially, of course?]] A century of wizards looking down their damn noses at me. [[WorldOfCardboardSpeech I know people think I'm stupid. Because I'm not a wizard. Because I get bored easily. Because I have no interest in strategy or tactics or contingency planning. But see, I've learned a lot over the years since I died. A lot more than I learned during my life.]] And now I see that planning doesn't matter. Strategy doesn't matter. Only two things matter: Force in as great a concentration as you can manage, and style. [[CombatPragmatist And in a pinch, style can slide.]] In any battle, there's always a level of force against which no tactics can succeed. For example, all I need to do is keep smacking you with Energy Drains, and soon you won't be able to cast any of your fancy spells at all. Because yes, I am a sorcerer — and this magic is in my bones, not cribbed off of "Magic for Dummies." [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer And I can keep casting the same friggin' spell at you until you roll over and die.]] You can have your finely-crafted watch[[note]]an IronicEcho comparing how Wizards' magic is finely tuned while Sorcerers' is blunt[[/note]] — give me the sledgehammer to the face any day.

->On the other hand that mage also knows that said diviner, given time and motivation, could find out every one of the mage’s most private, embarrassing, and dangerous secrets. And mages – especially ones who play the deadly political games of the [[DeadlyDecadentCourt Light Council]] and the [[ChaoticEvil Dark cabals]] – have a lot of secrets. Mages like the idea of diviners working for them, but they most definitely don’t like the idea of diviners working against them, and they’re never quite sure which one a diviner is doing.

->“[{DeadpanSnarker You look like a twat in a dress, but you're only a warlock despite it]],” I retorted. I have never liked warlocks. They lack the intuition of a sorcerer or the academic aptitude and patience of your hard-working wizard. Instead, as a short cut to power, they align themselves with the ancient spirits of the city – Lady Neon, the Seven Sisters, the Beggar King, Fat Rat and so on - doing their will in exchange for a quick fix magic trip. It's a lazy, risky profession.

-->-- FlavorText on [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=457151 Concordia Pegasus]], attributed to Guardian Project biomancer Thados Arquef, ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''

->''What makes a frog lizard any worse than a bird horse? Prejudice against the Simic, that's what. It's unfair!''
-->-- FlavorText on [[https://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=457151 Concordia Pegasus]], attributed to Simic biomancer Thados Arquef, ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering''

-->--''Witchmark,'' by C.L. Polk

-->--''[[Literature/AlexVerus Encyclopedia Arcana]]: [[http://benedictjacka.co.uk/2012/03/02/encyclopaedia-arcana-8-divination-magic-part-two/ Divination Magic]]''

->[[SarcasticConfession Yes, that is correct. My ancestors made a pact with infernal beings for power unknown to mere mortals.]] Demons? You can't believe every drunken bard who will sell you a story. Next you'll tell me that sorcerers are descended from dragons.[[labelnote:*]]This is one of the more prominent sources of sorcerous power in Dungeons and Dragons.[[/labelnote]]

->On the other hand that mage also knows that said diviner, given time and motivation, could find out every one of the mage’s most private, embarrassing, and dangerous secrets. And mages – especially ones who play the deadly political games of the [[DeadlyDecadentCourt Light Council]] and the [{ChaoticEvil Dark cabals]] – have a lot of secrets. Mages like the idea of diviners working for them, but they most definitely don’t like the idea of diviners working against them, and they’re never quite sure which one a diviner is doing.

-->--''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension - Sorcerer: The Hedge Wizard's Handbook''

'''Xykon:''' Hey, you know what really gets under my skin? Proverbially, of course? A century of wizards looking down their damn noses at me. [[WorldOfCardboardSpeech I know people think I'm stupid. Because I'm not a wizard. Because I get bored easily. Because I have no interest in strategy or tactics or contingency planning. But see, I've learned a lot over the years since I died. A lot more than I learned during my life.]] And now I see that planning doesn't matter. Strategy doesn't matter. Only two things matter: Force in as great a concentration as you can manage, and style. [[CombatPragmatist And in a pinch, style can slide.]] In any battle, there's always a level of force against which no tactics can succeed. For example, all I need to do is keep smacking you with Energy Drains, and soon you won't be able to cast any of your fancy spells at all. Because yes, I am a sorcerer — and this magic is in my bones, not cribbed off of "Magic for Dummies." [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer And I can keep casting the same friggin' spell at you until you roll over and die.]] You can have your finely-crafted watch[[note]]an IronicEcho comparing how Wizards' magic is finely tuned while Sorcerers' is blunt[[/note]] — give me the sledgehammer to the face any day.

->You may have heard this phrase before: ''hedge magicians.''
->Admit it; if you play Mage, you have probably spit that phrase out before: ''hedge magicians.''
->Perhaps you overlook them as the "willworkers" do. Perhaps you consider them "lesser talents," purveyors of parlor tricks enraptured with their own petty goals and [[LockedOutOfTheLoop completely oblivious to the]] [[SecretWar Ascension War]] and its consequences. What good's a hedge magician when you could be a True Mage [[RealityWarper with all reality at your fingertips]]?
-->--''TabletopGame/MageTheAscension - Sorcerer: The Hedge Wizard's Handbook''
----

'''Xykon:''' Hey, you know what really gets under my skin? Proverbially, of course? A century of wizards looking down their damn noses at me. I know people think I'm stupid. Because I'm not a wizard. Because I get bored easily. Because I have no interest in strategy or tactics or contingency planning. But see, I've learned a lot over the years since I died. A lot more than I learned during my life. And now I see that planning doesn't matter. Strategy doesn't matter. Only two things matter: Force in as great a concentration as you can manage, and style. [[CombatPragmatist And in a pinch, style can slide.]] In any battle, there's always a level of force against which no tactics can succeed. For example, all I need to do is keep smacking you with Energy Drains, and soon you won't be able to cast any of your fancy spells at all. Because yes, I am a sorcerer — and this magic is in my bones, not cribbed off of "Magic for Dummies." [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer And I can keep casting the same friggin' spell at you until you roll over and die.]] You can have your finely-crafted watch[[note]]an IronicEcho comparing how Wizards' magic is finely tuned while Sorcerers' is blunt[[/note]] — give me the sledgehammer to the face any day.

'''Xykon:''' Hey, you know what really gets under my skin? Proverbially, of course? A century of wizards looking down their damn noses at me. I know people think I'm stupid. Because I'm not a wizard. Because I get bored easily. Because I have no interest in strategy or tactics or contingency planning. But see, I've learned a lot over the years since I died. A lot more than I learned during my life. And now I see that planning doesn't matter. Strategy doesn't matter. Only two things matter: Force in as great a concentration as you can manage, and style. [[CombatPragmatist And in a pinch, style can slide.]] In any battle, there's always a level of force against which no tactics can succeed. For example, all I need to do is keep smacking you with Energy Drains, and soon you won't be able to cast any of your fancy spells at all. Because yes, I am a sorcerer - and this magic is in my bones, not cribbed off of "Magic for Dummies." [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer And I can keep casting the same friggin' spell at you until you roll over and die.]] You can have your finely-crafted watch[[note]]An IronicEcho comparing how Wizards' magic is finely tuned while Sorcerers' is blunt.[[/note]] - give me the sledgehammer to the face any day.

->[[SarcasticConfession Yes, that is correct. My ancestors made a pact with infernal beings for power unknown to mere mortals.]] Demons? You can't believe every drunken bard who will sell you a story. Next you'll tell me that sorcerers are descended from dragons.