On the Art of Siege

Item · 0 gp · Weight 0

A treatise by the highborn and powerful ruler, His Excellency the esteemed Count Bartolo Mezinas Westcrown Royal Publishing. Approved by the censors of Cheliax. Below is a red stamp that reads: "BANNED by the censors of Mendev." "From time to time, we see some politician unacquainted with warfare but driven by false humanity propose an absurd thought — that wars are somehow supposed to be fought in the open field, away from cities, and only between professional armies so as to avoid casualties among so-called 'non-combatants,' even if they are on the side of the enemy. The supporters of this ludicrous belief must be mistaking war for a tourney where fighters clash in mock battles, their swords clanging against shields as they avoid striking at the stomach or the head for fear of inadvertently delivering a mortal blow — in other words, achieving what would be their goal in real combat. Unlike mock fights, real war is a continuation of politics that utilizes force with the purpose of establishing the dominion of one group of people over another. And since power is the origin point of all morality, it goes without saying that no moral standards that may be customary in everyday life can impose limitations on power struggles — for the victor will be the one who determines those same standards. When one wants to catch fish, one goes to the river, and when one wants to hunt game, ones goes to the forest — the natural habitat of one's prey, where it feeds, breeds, and rests. So if the prey is a human being, where else is one to go if not to the city? The city is where laws are passed, deals are made, treatises are written, and songs are composed. While pursuing the goal of subjugating a hostile society, one must begin by attacking its cities instead of wasting time maneuvering one army around another."