“You have all known since childhood, The Symbolof Our Empire; that has been called many names throughout the ages, perhaps the least understood — is The Heart of Virtue or tika gor in the ancient tongue….
The heart of virtue originated from an archaic weapon favoured by Kahless, The Unforgettable — it is said he chose this as The Symbol of His House and weight of The Empire because of the weapon’s unequaled balance, yet this is inaccurate….
Kahless chose it because each of the three blades represents those virtues that are the very foundation of everyTrue Warrior : Honour, Loyalty and Duty, each in perfect balance….
Of these three, Duty is the first virtue, which is The Beginning and The End of The Warriors path; without Duty, a Warrior becomes the slave of vainglory and recklessself-interest — No TrueWarrior could ever tolerate these vices, neither in his comrades nor in himself….
Remember, this gloryis like a circle in the water which never ceases to enlarge itself,so by broad-spreading, disperses through
The Warrior neverseeksGlory;
Glory always finds him :
So, this is The Answer —
Polish The Blade of Beauty,
sharpen its edge so there
is nothing it cannot kiss —
Do not be lulled into
believing this is enough
the longest blade of the heart of virtue
belongs to honour, which is the most difficult to master…
It has been said ‘Mine Honour is My Life,
in that I Live and for that I will die —”
What is Honour….?
Honour istheabsolute and
unselfish adherence to all virtues :
to Truth; to Courage; to Forthrightness —
It encompasses all these and yet it is greateris the fire human ating the differences between an arm sabbath true warrior it is the light that will guide you along the Warriors path look around this great hall what do you see many of your peers are gone yet you remain that is as it should be the weak must fall to give place to the strong do not allow yourselves to grow callous security is mortals chiefest enemy all true warriors travel the same river of blood if one is disgraced we are all disgraced if one finds his death in glory we all share in that glory no true warrior would allow another to suffer an unjust disgrace nor would begrudge him the fruits of a well-earned victory know this and your mastery of the heart of virtue will be all but complete they ignore it and you will ultimately fail yourselves as you fail your comrades that is why the final blade of the heart of virtue signifies loyalty because we are all united by our common journey you have come to understand the meaning of the three virtues how they may be applied but understanding does not equate muster true mastery can only be achieved with perfect balance therein lies the challenge and mystery of the heart of virtue any warrior deficient in one aspect is ultimately doomed to fail
Therefore ask yourselves :
Is Your Honour perfect?
Are you unerring in Your Duty?
Is Your Loyalty beyond reproach?
Every Warrior's Lifeis The Empire, but
Every Warrior’s Soul is His Own —
this balance is a quest that may require a lifetime to fulfill it's just not a lesson that can be taught it is something you must discover for yourselves as you travel the river of blood
