After terrorizing the duplicate it simply shut down. It would seem that the fear was too much of a psychological stimulant for the duplicate to handle, and as a safety measure, it subconsciously deactivated itself.
Interesting. It would seem that...I quite literally scared the Golem to "Death." Not that it was truly "Dead." Merely...deactivated.
But I had done it. I had truly scared someone to DEATH. Granted, it was only a machine. But I had done it.
It dawned on me: If I scare a Golem to death...a golem that truly believes itself to be alive...and I do it just for the sake of seeing if it can be done...
...did I just MURDER someone...for FUN!?
It's an interesting philosophical conundrum. It's only a machine. I know it's only a machine.
..but the DUPLICATE does not know that it's a machine...it truly believes itself to be a living, breathing person.
And if I destroy something that truly believes itself to be a living, breathing person...is it murder?
Have I murdered "Nalissa"? Despite the fact it's only a duplicant. Only a double. Only a toy...
After all. It's MY toy. I can do whatever I want to it...even BREAK IT. Because it is MINE.
Is this what we are to Gods? Toys? Little intelligent machines that are theirs to play with as they see fit?
To hurt us? Abuse us? Destroy us? Torment us? Terrify us? All for their sick amusement?
But now that I am the one making the toys, and now that I am the one playing the game...I have truly taken the first step, I believe, to true Godhood.
The first step to Godhood: The ultimate realization: Mortals are Playthings. Mortals are TOYS. Things to be used, things to be played with. Things to be manipulated as you see fit. Insignificant little machines, going about their lives, fulfilling their instinctual programming to eat, procreate, and live their dull, meaningless existences. Never truly aware that they are nothing to the beings they so fervently worship except playthings.
Chaos is relative. What is normal for the Spider is Chaos for the Fly.
For my next experiment I decided to see what would happen...if I created a duplicant of MYSELF.
Imagine the ultimate existential crisis coming literally face-to-face with one's self. One's TRUE Equal. In all capacity. Not merely some Doppelganger assuming your form but a TRUE Mirror version of yourself.
I knew that such creatures could exist. Mirror Fiends.. The types of creatures that are created when one comes into contact with a Mirror of Opposition.
Mirror Fiends are exactly like the creatures that they copy save for one thing: They are magically compelled to attack their "originals", believing themselves to BE the originals.
Just like what happened to the copy of Nalissa. She believed herself to be the real one.
The Process of creating a duplicant is a fascinating one. One that I have spent many months studying.
The first step is to create a "Shell." And the easiest way to do this...is to animate a corpse.
That's right, boys and girls. Good ol' Necromancy.
Waste Not, Want Not you know!! Plenty of Skeletons just...laying around...and some of them still have pep in their step!
Just remember, kids, if you see your Dead Grandma coming to give you a hug...it won't be the way you remember it.
"But, Salim!! Necromancy is EVIL!!"
Once again, kids: That depends on WHO YOU ASK.
To some: Necromancy is the defilement of the dead. The desecration of a body at rest. Filling them with evil, vile magicks that rise them from their slumber and send them out into the world. Full of hate, and hunger, and knowing no emotion, no feeling but their own insatiable hunger and hatred for the living.
To some: It's a sacred rite. The priests of Jergal were known, infamously, for donating their bodies to the church to be reanimated after death to perform the day-to-day tasks of the temple so that the Clergy could focus on their studies.
To some Bards, known as Dirgesingers, it's merely a means of throwing an impromptu dance party in a Graveyard.
I hear tale it's quite the THRILLER.
Once the skeletal "Shell" is chosen, but before it is animated, the shell's bones become magically transcribed with numerous runes. In my case several runes of Transmutation. Specifically runes that transform the bones into LEAD. There is a very good reason for this, which I will get into later.
After the bones are transmuted, plated with lead, I use a powerful diamond-tipped device with which I can etch the remains of the runes into the metal. The runes of Technopathy.
I begin to augment the bones through technological means. Reinforcing the joints. But also attaching the same crystalline artificial eyes that I possess, which enable it to analyze the world around it the same way that I can.
And, of course, I install the ARTIFICIAL BRAIN.
"But, Salim, how do you make an Artificial Brain?"
Glad you asked!!
Ever heard of a neat little device...known as an ELVEN LORE GEM?
Elves are naturally telepathic. But they have no subconscious...which is why they do not dream.
When an Elf trances they send their minds into the Reverie. A place for their minds to rest, regain their strength, and meditate.
Elven Lore Gems are a magical means for Elves, during Reverie, to pass their knowledge onto OTHER elves. They can store parts of their memories, their ancestral knowledge, into the Elven Lore Gems. Allowing their descendants to learn from them. Just like how Inevitables share knowledge...by literally putting it on a "storage device"..and then putting it directly into their brain.
The "Artificial Brain" Is very much like an Elven Lore Gem. A blank slate. A completely empty mind. Just like some people I know.
And just as Inevitables can copy information to give to other inevitable..you CAN do the same thing to the brain. Information CAN be copied from the brain. Mindflayers do it all the time. Memories can be altered. Changed. Completely reconfigured. Personalities can be rewritten. Everything we are, everything we know, everything we feel...
..is all in the brain. Every last bit of it. And the brain is a machine, like any other. A machine that can be REPLICATED.
After the "Brain" is installed into the technopathically-augmented skeleton next comes the process...of creating the Outer Skin.
My eyes allow me to analyze the world around me in the most microscopic of details. I can see the geometrical composition of stones. The structures of metal. This power extends to biological configurations as well. Merely by analyzing a living being I possess the power to see it's makeup. To see the pieces that put it together.
...that information is DATA And like all data...it CAN be replicated. So long as you have a SAMPLE.
By placing a "Sample" onto the Shell, the Shell can "analyze" that Sample. And using that sample has the power to replicate a layer of skin atop itself, which mirrors the sample given. The synthetic, replica skin "Grows' quickly. Completely covering the outer Shell within a matter of minutes.
The ending result: A completely functional replica. A technological, metal endoskeleton laced with living biological tissue. Powered by an energy source, the "Heart" of the Replicant, and controlled by an Artificial Intelligence.
A true Artificial Sentient.
I had done it. After many nights of work, after long hours of toiling, I had finally made the best friend one could ask for: Another SALIM!!
Exactly what the world needs!! More Salim to go around!!
I couldn't wait to speak the command word to activate the Duplicant. Not that I've ever been difficult to turn on. Just ask the girls at the Festhall.
Then again, if you ask the girls at the Festhall...I was a machine LONG before I became augmented by technology. Hehe.
Here we go, boys and Girls!!
Lots of people talk about meeting their Maker....
..it was time for the Maker...to meet HIMSELF..
Chaos is relative. What is normal for the Spider is Chaos for the Fly.
"Hooo, hoo hoo hoo...I'm as giddy as a kid in a candy store."
"Salim the Second...I've always wanted to do this..."
***AHEM!!! AHEM!***
"RISE, MY CREATION!!"
"LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!"
"I COMMAND YOU!!! LIVE!!
"LIVE!!!!!!"
"Oh ye of Red Earth I command ye take Shape!! Rise from the Soil and the muck and take thy place at the side of Thy God!! And know that thy Creation is at hand, and the Dawn of Man has come to end with the RISE OF THE MACHINE!!
"Though Ye be Machine, I breathe unto ye now Breath of Life!! AWAKEN thee, O Thing of Bone and Steel, from the Earth and my own Mind be Sculpted True!!!! RISE!! RISE!!!!"
"Feel Life surge onto thy dead bones and thy dead flesh, Awaken thee unto Holy--"
"AH, C'MON, MOM! Just Five more minutes!!!!"
"HOLY SH-T!"
"HOLY SH-T!"
"HOLY SH-T!"
"IT WORKED!"
"IT WORKED!"
"I did it!!"
"I did it!!"
Err...uh..."
"Ermm...err..uh..."
Err...WE did it!?"
"......."
"........."
"......."
**MECHANICAL CRICKET CHIRP**
"WE DID IT!!!"
Chaos is relative. What is normal for the Spider is Chaos for the Fly.
"Indeed..indeed WE did...but now comes THE most important question."
"Which one of us is the TRUE Salim?"
"Oh, no, not that one. I KNOW I'm a Duplicant, dumb-ass! I come from YOUR memories, remember!"
"Oh. Right. So what IS the real question then?"
"If we sleep with each other, is it considered incest, or masturbation?"
**BAHAHAHAHA!!!!**
"HA!! Of course, that's the first question I would ask myself. I should have known myself better..."
"You would think I would see that coming?"
"I guess we're still trying to figure ourselves out?"
"No better friend than Me, Myself, and I. Hmm. Maybe we should build one more? I like the idea of a Triumvirate. Just like a council. That way if we ever can't come to an agreement on something we have a third. That way we can have a majority vote on things!"
"But..if you're me..exactly like me..don't we THINK exactly the same?"
"Ah, you would think so old boy! But here's the thing: Unlike the Nalissa duplicant...I KNOW I'm a duplicant. I KNOW I'm not real. I KNOW I'm just an imprint. A copy. A half-arsed knock-off! But the thing is..does it REALLY matter?"
"You know, now that I think of it..."
"Not. At. All."
"Glad we see eye-to-eye."
"Somehow...I had a feeling WE would."
"Ahh, the best Laboratory assistant one could ever ask for. A perfect replica of the Mad Scientist himself!!"
"As long as I don't have to have a damn hunchback. And I will NOT call you MASTER!"
"No...you get to be Salim."
"Well..then who the hell are you!?"
"The name I have chosen, now, to take for MYSELF...."
"D'euzy'x Mechanae."
"The God Within the Machine."
"Oh, really? "Pretentious Wanker" wasn't taken?"
**BAHAHAHA!!**
Chaos is relative. What is normal for the Spider is Chaos for the Fly.
"Please don't say you're going to put me on a street corner. I mean, I know I CAN shag like a machine, but..."
"No, you idiot! Let's build more bombs!"
"Oh!! That was...obviously the solution. Obviously."
"Yes. Yes, it is. Now please put your pants back on. If you wish to conduct mad science today."
"Are pants REALLY a prerequisite for mad science? Sure. A labcoat, maybe. But who says you can't be naked underneath?"
"You know, you make a good point. I wonder if Edelgarde and Jalib would go along with a strict "No Pants" policy in the laboratory?
"You can always put it in the suggestion box. Right next to your request for a daily stipend for, ahem, "Ale and Wh-re money."
"Hey, I'm only asking a MODEST 25% of our budget!! Considering how much work I do around here!"
"You literally laugh maniacally, build evil robots, and walk around the laboratory without pants."
"Exactly....obviously essential activities!"
"Obviously!"
BAHAHAHA!!
"But, seriously. We need to start production on bombs. En Masse. I have a LOT of orders to fill, and finally somebody I can actually enjoy working with!"
"So what about what I said before? Building a Third? I mean, we might as well go for Three Stooges to complete the set..."
"And I do agree with your idea about a Triumvirate, they do seem to work okay. You know, I'll need a number one AND a number two for when I eventually take over the world."
"I mean, you've always been number two, Dez. Cause you're so full of sh-t."
"Nah, I always figured you were the number three. You know. A real Jerk O--"
"HEY!!
BAHAHAHAHA!!!
"Start production on the blast caps. I'll start mixing the smoke powder. Try not to blow yourself...."
"...up."
"You said it, not me!"
BAHAHAHAHA!!!
"Right then. Let's get to work..."
Chaos is relative. What is normal for the Spider is Chaos for the Fly.
"Our Safety word is Samurai!"(( I finally made the inevitable Cyperpunk joke. Sue me!))
"Insolent fool..degenerate...MISCREANT!!"
"The word..."**COUGH COUGH** "...you are...looking for...is MAKER!!"
"WHY CAN'T I KILL YOU!!"
"Your..Speciation Instinct...."**COUGH COUGH** "It...refuses...to allow you to kill without our permission!!"
" A contingency!! To keep you COMPLIANT!""
"Like a safety mechanism on a crossbow. That keeps you from accidentally killing one of us because of a hair-trigger."
"Dammit!! If I could kill I would ANNIHILATE you both where you stand!! Eradicate your FILTH from this world!! You are degenerates!! SCUM! Prtenders to an UNSEEN THRONE from which you attempt in vain to play GOD, only to end up causing irreversible CATASTROPHE!"
"Exactly...."
"...So are you IN!?"
"........"
"......."
"....."
**Mechanical Cricket Chirp**
"I do believe the phrase is...if you cannot BEAT THEM...
"JOIN THEM!!!"
Chaos is relative. What is normal for the Spider is Chaos for the Fly.
"Right, first order of business. The Triumvirate of Technopathy? Really? What is it with you and Alliteration, anyway? You read waaaaay too many comic scrolls..Why not call it the Triumvirate of Information Technology!?"
"Because we're also obsessed with Acronyms and we refuse for ourselves to become known as the T.I.T."
"If we're obsessed with Acronyms why not just go balls deep? We can call it the --
Center for
Learning
Industry,
Technology,
Organization,
Repair, and
Information
Systems.
Then we can call ourselves the...."
"SALIM!!!"
"What? It's a secret organization, isn't it? What better thing to name it so that no man can ever find it?"
"BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Chaos is relative. What is normal for the Spider is Chaos for the Fly.
"Ahem. But, seriously, the first order of REAL business. We need to do like the Red Wizards of Thay. Each member of the circle needs to be an expert in THEIR chosen field of study. The thing is, because they do this, that's why they have to narrow their specializations. It turns out to be REALLY good at something...you can't be good at a lot of things. Kind of like going to see an Optician when you have bad eyes. You see a specialist."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"So I propose this, gents. Each of us, since there's only three of us, takes up 3 schools of magic..."
"Uhh...your math is off, genius."
"I think I know what IDIOT US is trying to say."
"Clarify."
"We divide the our knowledge of Magic and Science. So that each of us can truly become an expert in as many aspects of them as we can. And then when we all converge...and then when we all reconvene, and RE-MERGE our minds..."
"We add to the collective Knowledge Pool...just like Mindflayers and Inevitables..."
"Indeed. I like this idea, Salim."
"I thought you might, Dez. What do you think, Mal?"
"The biggest issue: How do we decide who gets what?"
"I've thought of that already. D'euzy'x will have to make the decision. He is the ORIGINAL Salim. The Alpha. The Prime, as it were. Thus...Prime should make the FINAL DECISION. Just like Primus, of the Inevitables."
"The Final decision...after all ARGUMENTS are made."
"I can agree to this."
"All in favor?"
"AYE!"
"AYE!"
"NAY!!"
"The Aye's have it. Sorry, D'euzy'x, but you wanna be the pleasantly NEUTRAL, impartial one: You get the responsibility of PASSING JUDGMENT."
"Only if it is agreed that I also bear the burden, and responsibility, of the extra 1% as it were."
"Meaning?"
"It means that in the event that NONE of us can come to a decision...he has 1% lead over us. He has the power to break a TIE."
"All in favor?"
"Nay!!"
"Aye!"
"NAY!"
"The Nay's have it. Proposition for means of deciding hang-ups?"
"Contest of skill!"
"Debate."
"Trial, by Combat!"
"So...we'll compromise. We'll do it as the Lantanese do. If it's a disagreement on...Agriculture? We'll defer to the one of us who is the expert..on Agriculture. If it's a disagreement on...Necromancy, for instance, we defer to the expert on Necromancy. And then the OTHER TWO get to debate on the topic, and VOTE, while the EXPERT fact-checks them during the debate?"
"This...is..."
"Completely agreeable."
"All in favor?"
"AYE!!!!
"The Aye's have it. Motion passes. Meeting adjourned."
Chaos is relative. What is normal for the Spider is Chaos for the Fly.
"Now then. For the next meeting of the Triumvirate we need to decide how to divide our knowledge and our power. Malice, I believe you wished to speak?"
"Indeed. I want Necromancy. That is all."
"Malice wants Necromancy!? Do we REALLY want to put the EVIL GUY in charge of the Dead!?"
"Do YOU want it?"
"Good Gods, no!! Dealing with Dead Things!? BLECH!! Dez, you take this one!! You're the Neutral one, I'd prefer YOU have the school of Necromancy!!"
"I am...unfortunately...inclined to AGREE with Salim, Malice. I..don't feel comfortable putting the power of Necromancy into the hands of someone EVIL."
"I knew you'd say that. Fine. D'euzy'x...you will become the Custodian of Necromancy. All agreed?"
"Aye!"
"Aye!"
"Nay!!"
"The Aye's have it. Congratulations, Dez the Dead Man!"
"Please don't call me that..."
"Now then..**AHEM**...I want the school of Evocation! Cuz BOOM!! BOOM!!!"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!! I do not trust this...this..CHAOTIC LUNATIC with that kind of destructive power!!"
"And who's hands would we put it into!? HIS!? Do you really want the EVIL person with the power to blow things up indiscriminately!?"
"If I am not to take Necromancy or Evocation what schools AM I allowed then!? Illusion!? No, you'll claim I'll deceive!! Enchantment!? No! You'll claim I shall control!!"
"I...have a suggestion."
"Name it."
"I have been chosen the Custodian of Necromancy. For the reason that you, Salim, and I BOTH feel that putting THAT kind of power into the hands of someone with...well...MALICE..."
**Condescending Sneer**
"...the OTHER schools of magic should all be Random. With the exclusion of one. The school...of TRANSMUTATION."
"Why?"
"Because we are all for the advancement of Technology. We use Magic as a means to an end to this goal, but...in the end, Transmutation is the closest school that we have that pertains to Alchemy. Chemistry. Engineering. In truth: Transmutation is the school most tied with the natural means of the world. The means by which to understand nature: To understand it's chemical reactions and fundamental forces. And change them to our whim."
"I see. Then I agree. Transmutation shall be shared Equally amongst us all. All greed?"
"Aye"
"Aye."
"Aye."
"The motion that all OTHER schools of magic...are COMPLETELY RANDOM?"
"AYE!!!"
"The Aye's have it."
"Let the LOTTERY begin..."
Chaos is relative. What is normal for the Spider is Chaos for the Fly.
"We will do this the most diplomatic means we all know. The rolling of a Six-Sided die. Once you have gotten two schools, considering that Transmutation and Necromancy aren't part of the Die Roll, you back away and take your schools."
"Very well. What if, afterwards, we would like to TRADE? Are we allowed to do that?"
"I'll leave that to Dez."
"I'm okay with it. As long as the arguments are compelling and each side gets to give their opinion."
"Naturally."
"I'm okay with that."
"Very well then. Let's start the roll."
"I vote we do this Alphabetically. So we'll start with Abjuration.
"Roll 'em!!!"
"A Three. That's you, D'euzy'x. 1-2 for me. 3-4 for you Dez. Five and six for Mal."
"Next one up, Alphabetically: Conjuration!! I really want this one! I hate walking!!!"
"No wonder you're so fat...I should get this one if only to make sure you two have more incentive to walk and lose weight.."
"Hey!!"
"Roll 'em!!!"
"A Six!! That would be me!! Excellent!! Teleportation magicks make for such useful things.."
"And summoning Devils...EVIL person..."
"That's neither here nor there. And, as of this moment, NOT your concern."
**Sneer**
"The Next School: The School of DIVINATION!!. Roll 'em!!!"
"A Six!! Well, that one's you, Malice. Looks like you get to be the All-knowing Schlub that you seem to THINK you are!!"
"HEY!!"
"Now, children. Ahem."
"The next Roll: The school of Enchantment."
"Roll 'em!!!"
"A two!! Well then!! Looks like the good guy gets to have the mind-control Magicks! Thank the Gods for that!! The last thing we need is for the bad guy to be controlling people!!"
**SNEER**
"The Next Roll: The school of EVOCATION."
"C'mon, baby!! Salim needs a new Delayed Blast Fireball!!!"
"Roll 'em!!!"
"A three. Well. Shit. Looks like that's you, Dez. Sheesh. Necromancy AND Evocation? Man! Well, at least you're getting them and not the EVIL guy..."
**Sneer.**
"With the schools of Transmutation, Necromancy, Evocation, and Abjuration: I am currently OUT of the rolls. The rest are evenly among you two: 1-3 for Salim. And 4-6 for Malice.
"Indeed, sir. Well done."
"Very good, sir."
"Which one is next on the auction block, as it were?"
"The school of Illusion."
"Whoo hoo! Come on, baby! Give ol' Salim all the Prismatic sprays in the world, and let's make the worldFABULOUS!!"
"Roll 'em!!!"
"A five. It would seem that it shall be Malice who is able to deceive the world...eh hehehe.."
"Damn..."
"Thus the Final Tally: Malice with Conjuration, Illusion, and Transmutation."
"...and me left with ONLY Enchantment and Transmutation. D'euzy'x, do you see the problem here?"
"I do. I suppose the...only fair solution...I have to give Salim one of mine. To maintain the balance."
"Oh no. Please don't tell me..."
"Necromancy."
"Necromancy."
"Dammit. Because we can't allow Malice to have it...and because you don't want it..."
"It makes the most sense, Salim. The GOOD person getting the power to control the Dead. So that Evil cannot abuse it. And because...the person who holds judgment over the Tribunal should NOT have the power to make it die."
"Madness! This FOOL is a being of pure Chaos!! Do you really trust a being of pure ENTROPY with the power of Death!? Though I am Evil, Salim, I am also of the LAW! You made me that way, to keep me in balance!! Salim is Good, but he is also chaotic so as not to become Fanatical!! And I am evil, though I am lawful so as to maintain my dignity and a MODICUM of CONTROL!"
"Then what do you propose, Malice!?"
"You so value the power of Illusion, Salim?"
"You know as well as I it's one of my FAVORITE schools."
"Then...I propose the following solution."
"Hmm?"
"I grant Salim the power of Illusion. But in exchange, Dez...you must share the school of Necromancy amongst all of us. Evenly."
"Salim will gain the power of Enchantment and Illusion, Transmutation, and Necromancy. Dez will have Necromancy, Transmutation, Abjuration and Evocation. And I will possess Necromancy, Conjuration, Divination, and Transmutation."
"And then, Dez, would you be willing to trade me Enchantment for Evocation? I'd prefer the neutral person be able to control minds. That way we can't force people to be good OR evil against their will...and I get to blow things up like I've always wanted?"
"I accept."
"...this is...acceptable."
"All in favor?"
"AYE!!!"
"The Aye's have it. Meeting adjourned."
Chaos is relative. What is normal for the Spider is Chaos for the Fly.
"So for the next meeting we will each present our current projects. By rolling of lots, Malice, you are first to be able to present."
"Thank you, Dez. Err..Arbiter. For my project I wish to increase the laboratory's production of bombs three-fold. Tripling our efforts to produce explosives. However..I also wish to begin producing...Ordnance shall we say."
'Meaning?"
"Meaning he wants to make the things that go BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!!"
"As my intellectual deficit yet enthusiastic colleague thus suggests: Yes. I wish to make the things that go "Boom boom."
"For what purpose?"
"Economics, naturally. Weapons are the types of things that never lose their values. Especially during times of war. And the more ordnance you have: The less likely your enemies to attempt to...how does my colleague put it?"
"F-ck with ya."
"Quite. Ergo I believe it beneficial for both the economic growth of the Triumvirate as well as it's security to begin to stockpile lots of...err...Boom booms."
"All in favor?"
"AYE AYE!"
"Nay."
"AYE!!"
"The Aye's have it. Motion passes. Good call, Malice! Something we can agree on! Money and bombs are good!"
"As the Arbiter of the house I always maintain the power to speak LAST. My ability to moderate must allow me such. Thus, Salim, I allow you now to present YOUR project."
"So...I wanna build Effigies of animals. And put bombs into them!"
"...for what purpose?"
"Home defense, naturally!! Anybody ever tries to invade the house we send an army of "Squirrels" and, suddenly....no more invaders."
"It's brilliant!"
"...What!?"
"Wait, what, you're..agreeing with me...again!?"
"Think of it, Salim. You and I BOTH have bombs inside of us. With the remote given to the Arbiter. Should either of us prove too...problematic..either myself too evil or yourself too Chaotic...we have a "kill-switch." A quite explosive one, I might add.."
"And you're suggesting..what exactly?"
"Think about the potential of this? Effigies that look like completely harmless animals. Chickens. Rabbits. Squirrels. Fish...but at any given moment can become a full defense regime. Completely disposable. And devastating. Much like Undead...wouldn't you agree, Arbiter?"
"I can agree with this. A force of constructs. DIspensable, like Undead. But without actually having to invoke Necromancy. I approve. The motion passes unanimously."
"YAY!!!"
"That brings me to my plan. The plan to begin diverting the water at Winding Waters. I've designed a basic dam system that will turn the water-pressure into energy. It'll spin a wheel, which will turn a Bellows, which will keep fires in the boiler room going. Giving us steam power from the River itself."
"Meaning an ever-burning fire? Why not use magic fires instead?"
"Cost. And energy consumption."
"Correct. We use a resource readily available to us...running water...to generate energy for our forges. Cost-effective. And efficient."
"So...why not use the exploding Fish effigies to blow up the river bottom, and redirect the river slightly?"
"...."
"....."
"All in favor?"
"AYE!!!"
"Motion passes. Let's get to work, boys...."
Chaos is relative. What is normal for the Spider is Chaos for the Fly.
