Inevitably the party trying to resolve a matter had to contend with the party most willing to exploit it.

Ignorance killed the cat; curiosity was framed!

A warrior is free to be a hero and pull off daring do and the soldier is irresponsible if he does it.

Nothing's hopeless except never trying.

Trade isn't about goods. Trade is about information. Goods sit in the warehouse until information moves them.

The warrior may fight for gold or for an immediate gain, or for something to take home for the winter to feed the family. The soldier is part of a more complex society. He's fighting for a group ethic of some sort.

Remember, constantly, that when you talk about 'tense of a subjunctive,' you're not talking about time. You're slipping through degrees of reality.