Mossflower

Tsarmina’s defining characteristic is her greed, and she illustrates the novel’s condemnation of this trait. Nothing is ever enough for her because she always wants more. Her greed takes several different forms. She wants more power, so she poisons her father to get it. She wants to rule a kingdom and imprisons her brother so she won’t have to share the throne with him. She wants more land, so she encroaches on Mossflower Woods. She also wants more provisions and exploits the local population to get them. Unchecked greed can only go so far without the means to enforce it. In this sense, greed leads to tyranny. Theft and exploitation can only be accomplished through force. Tsarmina herself is quick to notice the connection when she says:

The stores are getting lower, since we were unable to levy tribute from the few that lived around our walls. That’s the trouble with being a conqueror and having an army to feed: soldiers are no good at providing anything unless they can snatch it away from the helpless (169).

Tsarmina perceives herself as an all-powerful conqueror, but she depends on the peasant class to supply her with food. Most inhabitants around