Heart of Artifice: Part I--Engineered Enigma

[Rystil Arden]

"Yes, I think you have understood my story. I believe that Eliminator would say that the sentience itself has value, as you have mentioned, though love is also of great value too. Any sentient being, Warforged included, have the capacity to love and the potential to do great things, which is a reason not to kill in and of itself, but even beyond that, every sentient being has a mind and a soul that hope and dream for the future, and that future is shattered by destroying the being and sending its soul to the bleakness of Dollurh."

"Animals are different...truly they should be respected for what we take from them, and far too few people do, but animals are not sentient, and they do not have souls or minds capable of the same things as sentient beings--we know this because they can never use magic, and they cannot form ghosts or have their remnants sent to Dollurh."

 

[Patlin]

"It is logically impossible to prove a negative. For example, even a simple proposition such as 'No reindeers can fly' defies positive proof. Throwing a hundred reindeer from a high place to their death does not demonstate that the hundred and first might not soar away. How can you know animals are not capable of magic and have no souls? I expect my friend Shoot might take a different view. However, I take your point, whether or not it should be applied equally to animals."

(Anvuss's alignment shifts closer to Neutral Good.)

"How would you answer my question about a sentient standing, to the death, in the way of our assisting Lucy?"

 

[Rystil Arden]

"And I accept that you may be right about animals, as well. Truly, I wouldn't personally kill animals, especially not for sport, but I realise that using products derived from slain animals is functionally equivalent."

"Even were a sentient being standing to the death in the way of assisting Lucy, I would try to knock her unconscious rather than slay her. To me, one sentient being does not have the right to destroy another as if his life was worthless, even in pursuit of her own goals...It is hubris for us to declare ourselves so much the better that we can decide the value of another's life. The only case where I would even consider it would be if there was absolutely no other choice--some deranged cultist created a death pact that could not be broken by any available magic where if the cultist wasn't killed, not just rendered unconscious but killed, Lucy would automatically perish...and even then, I would feel it a terrible act of hubris to choose the life of someone I love dearly over that of a stranger, but I would take that sacrifice as a last resort..."

"Why is it presumptuous...well, considering oneself fit to judge over the value of another's life seems to me to be a dangerous precipice over which there is a great darkness. Even in the case of the cultist, what if that death pact that was going to kill Lucy was created to save the cultist's daughter from death? The cultist, then, has done the same thing we would be doing in killing the cultist--choosing the life of one she cares for dearly over that of a stranger, and we, unknowingly, have killed both the cultist and her daughter to save Lucy..." Elizabeth sighs, "I am sorry, I hope I am not depressing or boring you. I fully understand that my philosophical views are not practical in the situations in which many adventurers find themselves...I don't look down upon anyone who does not live by my standards--these standards are only my own, and those of any who choose them willingly."

 

[Patlin]

"I shall consider your words. Perhaps a greater understanding will come to me in time."

ooc: I guess I'm ready for the analysis to be complete.

 

[Rystil Arden]

*Professor Henley descends he staircase, his brow furrowed in consternation.*

"El, honey, I don't understand this--this material...it, I can't match it. I have to conclude we've never seen this before, not even on that expedition to Xen'drik. This is a totally new compound that has never been catalogued before by anyone."

"That's amazing!"

"Yes, truly!" he turns to the other three, "Do any of you mind if I name it and publish a paper on it, or did one of you want to do that? I'll list you all as co-authors, of course. As to the name...well, this material is beautiful and wonderful and great for building constructs--I think I'd like to call it Elizabethium."

*Elizabeth blushes deeply at this and covers her eyes slightly in minor embarrassment.*

 

[Erekose13]

"I was thinking of taking it to my House to see if anyone there has seen or heard of it before." replies Aethelus, not very enthusiastic about turning over the discovery to some Morgrave professor even if they are in a fashion working for him.

 

[Rystil Arden]

*The Professor crinkles his nose.*

"You do that, they're going to keep the information proprietary and probably take legal action to silence anyone else who knows, no offense to you or your house, of course, it's just how they work--they like proprietary secrets rather than free exchange of information. Then they'll probably divert you from investigating Lucy to finding them more of it, that's just my guess," the Professor sighs, "I've worked for House Cannith before--I know how they'll operate in a situation like this."

 

[Velmont]

"If that true, no surprise why Siobhan was so paranoid about our last employeer..." tells Kharas to himself. "Is there anyone that could help to identify that metal. It is the most serious lead we have, it would be frustrating not to have a chnace to find some information about it."

 

[Rystil Arden]

"I'm almost certain that this is the first known discovery of this material...if we publish a paper and publicise it and it isn't actually new, you can bet that someone will try to claim credit. In the meantime, have you checked with any of Lucy's friends? They may have seen some clues."

 

[Velmont]

"Well, let me doubt. I doubt that appear magically inside that construct. Someone have discovered it before you and have used it to make that madening construct that shouldn't fly... steel body, what is the idea, it is too heavy." answers Kharas, trying to find another usefull lead... investigation has never been his best thing, crafting and studying has been the things he excel the most in it.