Joachim said:
His eyes closed and his fists clenched, Ajax slowly speaks in the language of Celestial, "I appreciate your frustrations, Caine. Believe me, I do. I was once a mortal, such as yourself, and have seen the death, depravity, and destruction that results when Evil is allowed to run unchecked. Now, _I_ am in the process of ascending, and without a doubt in my mind I can tell you that he higher powers of Good _do_ know what they are doing, regardless of the seeming pointlessness and intransigence of their methods.
Caine listened silently and carefully to the Astral Deva's response and nodded in agreement, "Yes, I do not doubt the veracity of your words. My trust in the Lords of Good is absolute, for they are the source of my power and the foundation of my beliefs."
"I do not know why this angel was told to give us the information she did, and only this information. I do not know why the Higher Powers, be it the Hebdomad or Council of Stars, gave her orders to limit the aid she was to give us. But, there is a method to their thinking. You don't have to like it, and I don't have to like it, but it is what it _is_. She gave us information that we _need_. Without it, we would not have known about the existence of Alakast, and definitely not its location.
Caine shook his head in disagreement, "The Hebdomad, the Five Companions, and Court of the Stars are simply more powerful versions of our celestial friend," the sorcerer flicked his hand in the direction that the Movanic Deva had flown. "They are not gods, but they are agents of weal like us. They have neither divine portfolios nor powers yet they act as though they were omniscient."
"Again, do not misunderstand me, Caine. I am frustrated...nay, I am _angered_ that the Celestial Choir does not offer greater aid than this paltry piece of information. But you should direct your hard feelings away from the soldiers such as this lesser angel. She did as she was told. She followed orders, much as I have followed orders in offering my service to the Tyrites.
With a chuckle Caine replied, "Unlike you I have not had the
privilege of meeting any truly powerful Celestials. Nor do I have any desire to. Therefore, I choose to direct my displeasure towards those beings who deign to grace me with their presence."
"You, Rusty, Tilly, Wathros, and I are no more than soldiers in this great War. We are given our orders. We obey. If need be, we die. All for the Greater Good. The death and destruction you have seen in Cormyr was horrific, and obviously has affected you deeply. But the end result was that the country, and its people, were freed of the bonds of slavery. Do not blame the Celestial Courts for their apparent lack of activity. Please realize that they are with you now." Opening his eyes, and with a small grin, Ajax adds, "Through me, in the very least."
"Allow me to correct one small thing Ajax -- Rusty, Tilly, Wathros, and I are mortals and thus are free-willed creatures. We answer to nobody, only to our own conscience and hearts. I have chosen to supplicate myself to the Lords of Good because I agree with their goals and wish to further their causes."
"As for Cormyr, though the end result was good, the reason for our Celestial
beneficence was purely circumstantial. You will recall, I am sure, Entropy's assistance in the destruction of Nalavara the Red. Though the end result was good, I would not judge her based on that outcome."
"During my travels, Ajax, I met many sages and bards. I recall one particular tale, though I know not if it is true. Nevertheless, I found it instructive. In eons past, before the time of mortals the world was populated by good-aligned beings called divs. They were of immense power, but eventually their might corrupted them and they turned on their creators."
"To put down this rebellion, the Lords of Good sent the Solar Iblis to defeat the caliph of the divs. The Angel obeyed and defeated the warrior-king in personal combat."
"After the divs were banished to the Nine Hells, the Lords of Good created mortals, as we exist today. We have free will to choose our path, be it weal or woe, but our power is a mere fraction of that possessed by the divs."
"The Lords of Good showed the Celestial Choir their new creations and told them that they existed to serve mortals. Iblis moved forward and spoke, 'Ye have created me of fire, yet you would have me serve those created of dust?'"
"For his refusal to serve, Iblis was cast into the Pit. He resides there, to this day; ironically the Duke of Pride, as he is now known, has assumed dominion over the evil divs whom he once defeated."
"I know you are different Ajax. I know that your intentions are honorable and good. However, I believe that many celestials -- whose indifference caused my nation untold suffering -- are prideful to a fault. Perhaps someday, like Iblis, they too will be judged."
Caine clasped Ajax on the shoulder to cement their continued friendship, "Come, my friend, let us remain vigilant during our watch."
