Serendipity (or Calamity)

To the high priestess of the gelatinous cube,

To the high priestess of the gelatinous cube,

There is pleasure in your tenacious moral philosophising. Few face me in debate, and those who dare oft phrase their argument via sword or spell or vicious set of talons. Though I cannot complain of bracing combat, I do wish my foes would pause now and again for a turn of quality banter. Instead, the insults they thrust upon me are lacklustre, even complimentary. I theorise that paladins, in particular, maintain a list of acceptable battle dialogue to prevent unlawful outbursts of originality. Frankly, 'tis a miracle that no gods or kings or god-kings have materialised to smite me, considering the frequency with which their names are invoked.

Occasionally, Vivek The Verdant provides satisfying discourse, despite his tendency to stray towards tedious esoteric absurdity. The great green fusspot would do well to remember that I know not how the principles of Tenth Century Avariel Enlightenment are applicable to Dwarven stoplevy economics, nor do I care to find out. For the sake of my sanity, he must ponder these profound questions in solitude.

You strike me as shrewd and open-minded for a human, of which I am appreciative. However, eldest maiden in the village or not, your values and flawed rhetoric betray a distinctly youthful aspect. Do not presume to fool me with the exception fallacy. Neither the genius of Amarus Mattz nor the anomaly of the gelatinous cube signify the norm.

Humanity is a young race. Their histories and dominions are brief and immature. Many fashion for themselves the grand, comforting illusion of significance and self-reliance. In reality, should a single human become separated from society, they would most certainly die of starvation, disease, or predation, if not the sheer devastation of prolonged isolation. This trait is held in common with eusocial insects, in that their ability to accomplish anything of significance is dependent on established civilization—some loosely organised clan structure, at minimum. Every individual is a minuscule cog in an impossibly intricate timepiece. From the interior, they cannot detect the passage of the hour, only adjacent cogs and the rapid whirr of their own heartbeat. When their potential is exhausted, the clockmaker shall not discard his masterwork, but replace those tired parts with the new generation.

Countless souls will burgeon and wither, oblivious to this condition. Those to whom awareness is granted respond either with indifference, denial, or unsuccessful defiance. However, the tiniest minority composed of the truly exceptional and exceptionally fortunate shall overcome this meagre existence. They extend themselves through magic or legacies of art, science, and conquest. These few are the ilk of those magnificoes whose music we extoll—of Amarus Mattz, Ludall Tohvet, and Joran Bosc.

Unlike humans, some beings are as a nation unto themselves—sovereigns of largely solitary lives. They needn't pander to the writhing masses for survival. Nay, their capacity to thrive requires no cooperation, but they may pluck the fruit of civilization at their leisure. In this sense, power and freedom are synonymous. The ability to control your own destiny is inextricably linked to the ability of others to control you and your ability to control them. What makes one mighty or meek is merely a matter of agency.

To be unbeholden is to be free. Complete freedom is unobtainable, for we are all beholden to nature save, mayhaps, the most ancient and potent of gods. This ideal is the ultimate ambition and the seed of that unmendable rift between my sister and I. Her company was stifling—a crooked, thorny kind of vine to ensnare and strangle my designs.

I should also like to remark that the murder of my father was not a rash act but entirely within reason. The severity of conflict concerning property or finance cannot be overstated. He foolishly contested mother's claim to a share of her wealth. A duel to the death was inevitable and my late father paid his dues in blood.