"I am Jakher, named after a great general from the ancient times of Sosaria. Welcome to Minoc."

"Along with Karenna, I am a trainer in the fighting arts. My specialty is strength and strategy. On the field of battle, if one does not use his head while using one's muscles, he is in danger of losing it."

"Perhaps that is something of which we should speak in a more appropriate time. Right now our concern should be to discover who could have been responsible for the two murders that have just been discovered in William's sawmill."

"My price is 20 gold for each training session. Art thou still interested?"

"The true value of what I teach is beyond measure. My time is precious to me and therefore valuable. If thou didst pay me a paltry sum and I trained thee anyway, it would be an insult to us both.

"'Tis a pity few truly comprehend the value of strategy and tactics. Thou mayest hack and slash with thy sword all that thou wilt, but it cannot do thy thinking for thee."

"I am not in the habit of running training sessions at this particular time."

"Ours is a city of commerce, although lately its primary trade seems to be gossip and envy. Before these murders, the latest local scandal had been the statue to be built of Owen, the shipwright."

"I suspect the killer -- or killers -- are from out of town, and probably long gone by now. There has not been a local murder for some time before today. Our fair measure of prosperity has made the people here mostly tolerant of each other. That is why the gypsies settled here. The apparent lack of motive is puzzling."

"I doubt that anyone in our community is the killer. If the stranger, or strangers, involved were to remain for long after the crime, they would soon be revealed. Therefore,the killers are no longer in town."

"A skillful and fierce battler, but a bit short-sighted when it comes to tactics, I'm afraid. Still, a woman as attractive as she is diverting enough when encountered. But do not mention to her that I said that. It would just encourage her. It is uncomfortable enough sharing the same roof with her as it is."

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" Jakher winks at you.

"She is the sort of person who labors under the belief that all problems can be solved in one of three ways. Hit them harder. Hit them faster. Or, hit them some more."

"Thou art dreaming, Karenna. Why would I talk about thee?" He giggles conspiratorially at you.

"There used to be two training halls in Minoc but one of them burned down after being struck by lightning. Now we are both forced to share this one."

"Ah, so Karenna said I was cute, did she? Yes, I have known she has had her sights set on me for years."

"I have known Owen as long as anyone in this town. Several years ago, three ships that he built sank. The brother of Karl, one of our more colorful local residents, was killed. No investigation was ever made into the cause of the sinkings, but Owen once confided to me that he secretly blamed himself. He started drinking heavily, and eventually took up with The Fellowship."

"Thou wouldst do better to ask Karenna. She is a good friend of the gypsies and would know more about them than I."

"It has been a pleasure speaking with thee." END