Good thing I memorized this twice. Cladissa casts the spell again. "I hope to obtain a simulacrum. I am out of sendings for the day, so I shall wait in Sandpoint to discuss compensation. Thank you."
"You may discuss your needs with my steward, Titanicus. He will allow you access to my realm. I will return when my current experiment is finished."
"Okay," Cladissa says, more to herself and Cole than to Eugeni because the spell had finished. She exits the small room she had rented at the Rusty Dragon and returns to the bar to inquire about meeting with Titanicus.
Keeping her inhuman features disguised beneath her cloak and illusion, Cladissa approaches the place where she had been directed.
"Greetings, Titanicus. I have been instructed to see you about a service I hope to procure from Archmage Eugeni. I require a simulacrum created, something I cannot do by myself. I have spoken with Master Eugeni and he directed me to discuss my needs with you," she says when she meets him.
Eugeni's realm is disguised inside a non-descript small tower outside of town. Once Cladissa is granted entry, she is transported to a place that is reminiscent of the First World, but without the many dangerous that can lurk there. She is greeted by a massive golden dragon wearing a pair of spectacles as she enters. Behind him, fae simulacra flit about a wooded glade, in the center of which an infinitely tall tower rises into the sky. Each floor is a different architectural style and shape, making the whole thing look obviously magical. Any normal structure built like that would succumb to physics before long.
"Hello. You must be Cladissa. Master informed me you would be coming. You must forgive his absence, he is currently studying the lifecycle of a previously undocumented lifeform on the Plane of Water."
He begins walking toward the tower. "Please, lets make ourselves comfortable in my aerie. Can you fly?"
Cladissa smiles at the visions of beauty within Eugeni's realm. She had been slightly concerned that the archmage wouldn't appreciate such aesthetics. "That sounds lovely. I'll follow you."
She had carried her broom with her when she entered the realm, so now she activates it. Sitting side-saddle with Cole materializing on the bristles, she commands it to rise into the air.
Thinking about what the dragon had said, Cladissa begins to get worried. "Does Eugeni have an estimate on how long his studies shall be? While I appreciate the pursuit of knowledge and do not begrudge him such attentions, I am quite ensconced in mortal affairs that require my constant presence and attention. Depending on when he can make himself available, I may need to return to my duties and arrange for a meeting at a later date."
Titanicus leads the way, his broad wings propelling him into the air with a thunderous clap. He swoops up around the tower, heading for the clouds.
"My master can be rather....curmudgeonly. I suspect he wishes to ascertain the magnitude of your need before interrupting his own pursuits to fulfill it. Please, this way," A few hundred feet up, with the whole of the spherical demiplane arrayed below them is Titanicus's 'aerie'. This level of the tower is open to the air in several spots, where soaring columns support ornate classical doorways. The dragon flies through one such portal and lands on the marble floors within.
The interior of the aerie is spacious enough for a creature of his size, and resembles a very well appointed library. Despite being in a tower, it somehow looks like the library was built inside of a cave, where countless shelves line the walls from floor to ceiling. In the center, a lounge area with worktables and several divans of various sizes proves to be their destination. Titanicus plops down on what is obviously his own dragon-sized cushion, motioning for Cladissa to choose one for herself. All the aerie's surfaces are worked with masterful carvings and inlays of the finest materials. Though the room contains enough wealth to make the Aspis Consortium blush, it somehow manages to remain understated and elegant.
"Ehem. So, what exactly do you need, Madame?"
Cladissa takes in the opulence without comment. She appears far more impressed with the book collection, her eyes lingering on some of the titles on display.
She sits when invited, taking a formal pose, straight-backed and attentive. She eyes the dragon evenly.
"I am from Galt. You may have heard of its... troubles. It is a nation locked in the grip of cyclical revolution. I have made it my life's pursuit to bring it peace and a stable form of government, but not through strength at arms.
"For the past four years, I have been steadily building a campaign of counter-revolution, extolling the virtues of peace and reconciliation. It has not been easy, or wholly peaceful, but I've managed to build a sizable coalition of like-minded citizens."
She pushes back her cloak and lets her illusion fade. Violet energy radiates softly from her eyes, and graceful spider legs stabilize her position on the cushion. "As the leader of this movement, I have taken the moniker of Weaver. As Weaver, I have been a figurehead, a mysterious and powerful being that the weak and uncertain can rally around. But there is only so much that Weaver can do. The mystery surrounding her can also be a reason to oppose her.
"My next step is to reveal myself as Cladissa d'Lavigne Velorryan, last surviving heir to the throne of Galt. Make no mistake; my lineage is legitimate. I must now decide what to do with the persona of Weaver, and I feel that my best option is to keep her, and have her swear fealty to Cladissa."
She clasps her hands in her lap, still speaking evenly and directly. "It is for this reason that I have sought Master Eugeni. I wish to have a simulacrum made of myself. So that Weaver can exist independent of Cladissa."
Her tone shifts slightly, taking on a note of urgency. "It may be that the archmage has removed himself from such petty concerns as a single nation locked in internal strife. I hope that it isn't so. I ask that someone who would fashion such a place of beauty and tranquility would appreciate the efforts of one who is trying to bring the same about on the material plane."
She gives Titanicus a warm smile. "Please do your best to convey my need to your master. Thank you."
"I see..."
"Yes, I am aware of the history of Galt. I did not know you were d'Lavigne Velorryan." Titanicus half closes his eyes as he considers things for a moment. "I do think Master would be willing to help you...The creation of simulacra is something he enjoys. However, you may need to go to him if you are in a hurry. If I am not mistaken, a witch of your caliber should be able to transport herself across the planes, yes?"
Cladissa nods her head in the affirmative with a knowing smile. "I will do what must be done, including going to him. Shall I wait to hear word of his acceptance before going to the Plane of Water and searching for the Archmage?"
The dragon chuckles. "No, that won't be necessary. We can go together. I will lead you to him. Do you have the powdered ruby required for the creation?"
Cladissa shrugs. "Rubies, yes. Powdered, no. I'm uncertain of the proper method, so I decided to defer to the expert." What she decided not to explain was that the rubies were coming from part of the official regalia of the d'Lavigne royal line she had 'liberated' from one of the high accusers' vaults. She didn't feel too bad about grinding them up and using them for a spell, since they were created during the last days of the d'Lavigne's power when they had wholly embraced the Chelaxian diabolicism. Reds and blacks were the height of fashion.
"Then, if you are ready and have the appropriate tuning fork, I shall cast the spell." She rises smoothly and calls her broom to her hand. Cole materializes from mist, winding around Cladissa's legs.
"I suppose I am ready. For the fork, we will need to go to the Penthouse. Flying would take too long. Let's use the portal. Right this way," Titancus replies. He gets up and walks to the center of the seating area, where there is a small pedestal surmounted by an orb. Titanicus grasps the orb with one foreclaw and says, "Penthouse."
A second later, a large purple doorway slides into existence in front of him. He smiles and steps through, disappearing.
Cladissa follows without hesitation.
If provided the tuning fork, she casts plane shift and brings Titanicus along.
The Penthouse is apparently the top of the tower. It is a large flat stone platform, surrounded by endless sky on all sides, the clouds below. There is a rotating cabinet full of tuning forks in the center of the platform. Titanicus finds the appropriate fork and provides it to Cladissa.
He allows Cladissa to cast the long ritual for the plane shift spell, and when it is nearing its end casts a spell for waterbreathing on himself and on her.
Once they appear in the Plane of Water, Titanicus looks around. "No idea where we are," he says, taking in the endless ocean around them. "I will teleport us to Master's laboratory. Please, take my claw," he offers a black talon to Cladissa. After she takes it, he casts teleport and the pair appear outside of an underwater building made to look like a massive octopus squatting on top of a coral reef. The bulb of the octopus's body is constructed of a large glass dome, which appears to have air inside. He leads the way through the 'mouth' and into an airlock. A moment later the water drains out and an interior door opens to let them into the lab.
Despite being fairly large, the interior of the building appears to be mostly one chamber. Eugeni is inside, where he is watching some kind of three dimensional illusion being projected from a box on a table. He floats crosslegged off the ground as always. "Cladissa. Convince him did you?" he asks, without looking away from the display. The illusion is showing some kind of chubby six legged monster swimming about and attacking other strange beings in order to eat them.
"A pleasure to finally meet you," Cladissa says, inclining her head formally.
She takes a look at Titanicus and allows herself a slight smile. "I believe so, yes. I must admit it's something of an odd request, but quite novel in its application. Shall I recite what I told Titanicus, or will he explain my need?"
"Hmm." Eugeni replies, finally turning to look at the witch with his bulbous alien eyes. "You already informed me of your need for a simulacrum. If you would describe the creature to be copied, I will begin the ritual for you shortly. The tartigrade is unlikely to exhibit any previously unobserved behaviors in the next twelve hours." He absentmindedly motions to the monster-thing in the illusion with his third arm.
Cladissa gestures at herself. "The 'creature' is me."
She removes her robe and folds it over one arm. Now that the arcanist is looking her way, she stretches out her arachnoid limbs. "I wonder if you have discussed the Numenorian serum with Argor. It has caused these mutations in me. I'm hopeful that because the simulacrum is primarily illusion-based, these features will remain intact. What are your thoughts?"
Eugeni takes in Cladissa's true form. Then takes it in again. "My initial thought is that you a singularly lovely being. As for replicating your beauty...my magic is strong. The task will be routine, I believe."
"Thank you, Archmage." Beneath her robe, Cladissa wears a simple yet finely made dress that leaves her back bare. She blushes at the compliment, then her cheeks burn even more at what comes next. She lets her dress fall to the floor and submits her form for inspection.
From the haversack she brought with her, she produces a bag of rubies of various sizes and shapes, though all were cut and polished things of beauty. "The components," she says, trying to master her discomfort with being unclothed. With a deep breath, she straightens and adopts a regal pose.
Eugeni waves a hand, but Titanicus is already on his way out of the lab room, giving the two arcanistas privacy. For once in a long time, Eugeni has some trouble controlling himself. For some reason Cladissa's own unusual body is moving him in ways he hasn't felt since...Setsuna.
No. She is gone. Let yourself feel something for once.
Eugeni takes a deep breath and floats closer. He nods, taking the bag from her with his central hand and tucking it into his lap. He rotates slowly around Cladissa in a three hundred and sixty degree arc, gradually rising. "In all my travels I've never seen anything like you. You are truly unique, Madame. May I ask how the mutagen functioned? Did you create this body through will, or chance?"
Cladissa endures the close inspection, ignoring her rather prudish instincts to cover up and preserve her modesty. She knew this would be necessary when she decided to have the simulacrum made.
When Eugeni orbits toward her back, she grinds her teeth instinctively. Her spiderlike appendages are long, graceful, and aesthetically pleasing from their first joint down, but she'd always felt the knobby place where they anchored to her back was unsightly. It took considerable force of will to keep them from twitching under the scrutiny.
The archmage's question came as a surprise. She holds up her hand and looks at it. "A measure of both, I'm afraid. I struggled to control the mutations at the start, and I looked very different than this. After I gained a level of control over the mutagen, I was... attacked... and I was remade against my will."
Her hand lowers to her side and she looks at Eugeni. "I have since moved away from the shape forced upon me. Some of it by choice, some of it by outside factors that would take far too long to describe in detail. But I can say with certainty that how I appear now is because I have decided to remain this way."
"Well...You are amazing. I suppose I have seen enough, though I am reluctant to admit it." Eugeni reaches out, as if to gently touch Cladissa's back, but stops himself. Not strictly necessary. Besides, you barely know the woman. Keep your hands to yourself.
Eugeni floats back a bit, coming around to her front once again. "I must powder these gemstones first, then carve a rough likeness of you out of ice. Would you like any refreshments while I work? You may spend the time watching my Illusoscope," he says, motioning to the projector box on the table. "It uses magic to amplify the image of whatever is inside a glass slide I insert, and then projects it into the air. The creatures you are seeing are so small that the naked eye fails to obtain them. Astounding, really."
Cladissa stoops down to draw her dress back up and over her shoulders. Though she would have preferred to put on her robe as well, she decides to leave it off in case Eugeni needed to refer to her for reference as he sculpts the ice. Though I daresay he got enough of a look, she thinks to herself, relieved that the inspection was over.
"I do not require sustenance, but thank you for the offer," she says.
She moves to the Illusoscope and inspects the images for a time. "Fascinating, I agree. To think that there is life so small and indistinct that it exists beneath our notice. Quite a revelation. I wonder if they are aware of us? Do we exist as some sort of unknowable gods to them, just as there are immense entities far beyond our own understanding that do not notice us?"
Her musings begin to spin wildly into various directions, and she opens her mouth to speculate further. But she stops herself. "I'm sorry. If you prefer to work in silence, I'll leave you in peace."
"It is fine, you may speak. I probably spend too much time in solitude. Other than occasional visits from Argor, it is rare for me to meet anyone I can relate to anymore. What is it exactly that you do now that you are no longer a Pathfinder? Why am I copying you?"
Eugeni talks as he works, putting the rubies into a specially designed tubular container in the wall and then casting a battering blast at them to instantly crush them into powder, which falls through slots in the bottom into a convenient dish for collection.
Cladissa smiles sympathetically when Eugeni says he doesn't relate with people much anymore. She starts when he uses a spell to pulverize the rubies, then settles back to watch him work. She stitches a few lines of webbing together then draws them between a pair of her spider legs. Rising up on the remaining six, she sits down as if she were seated on a swing.
Relaxing in her makeshift seat, she begins, "I am not just a former Pathfinder, mutated Numerian experiment, and moderately powerful witch. I am the sole living member of the Galtan royal line." Her brow furrows as she pauses, as if it's still a concept she is conflicted about.
"I haven't declared myself yet. But that time is nigh.
"Galt is... well, chaotic is putting it nicely. It's a quagmire of mobs, revolutionaries, counter-revolutionaries, inquisitors and accusers. I've taken to call myself Weaver, and have built a coalition to finally heal Galt and impose a lasting peace. I'm trying to do it from within, rather than imposing peace through force." She sighs, sounding truly weary. "It has been... difficult."
She gestures to Eugeni's work. "I realized -- too late, I'm afraid -- that being Weaver makes being Cladissa d'Lavigne Velorryan problematic. Weaver is strong, benevolent, and persuasive. Cladissa will be good, wholesome, and reassuring. I need to be both. This allows me to."
"Hmm. A most clever solution." Eugeni offers Cladissa a bow. "I was unaware of your status, Your Highness."
Having powdered the rubies, Eugeni conjures a large block of ice using a scroll. Then he casts another spell and transfigures the block into a reasonably accurate semblance of Cladissa.
"This next part will take some time. Feel free to talk if you like. A woman's voice is a nice change of pace, and I am a good listener."
The archmage then goes about casting the ten minute ritual to animate the simulacrum.
Cladissa shakes her head at the honorific. "Please. I'm not a queen. Well, not yet. You're only the second person I've told, the first being Argor. Nice to see he's kept my secret."
She smiles in memory, but it fades quickly. "I haven't seen him in years. We had a... well, nevermind. I'm glad to hear he's found a colleague to discuss the higher theories of arcana. And I hope his wife is doing well?"
"How would I know? I never asked, he did not mention her. We typically discuss rather obtuse arcana."
Cladissa shakes her head ruefully. "Ah. That's... unsurprising, really. Well, I do hope his family life is a happy one."
She studies the odd-looking arcanist. "And what about you, Archmage Eugeni? Do you have a family?"
"Not that I know of. I was effectively orphaned at a young age. I had a woman once...but she passed. Now I am alone. Yourself?" Eugeni continues to work as he talks, carving minute runes into the ice and filling them with powdered ruby as he goes.
"My mother still lives. She has her own duties in Taldor. I had a suitor once." She grows solemn and her voice becomes quiet. "I received word he died valiantly in the Fifth Crusade."
She looks away. "Eventually, I expect I will take a political marriage to help unify Galt and continue the d'Lavigne line. Whatever it takes..."
"That sounds...awful, frankly. I suppose I should be glad to be born the son of a wandering thug. I now have all the trappings of power, and none of the responsibility. Not that I ever wanted any of this."
Eugeni sighs. "Believe it or not, when I first started out all I wanted was to be loved. I am not sure that will ever happen for me now. Not again, anyway."
Cladissa turns back to look at Eugeni. Her face is drawn with sympathy. "I know that feeling. The idea of love was so thrilling and romantic, yet for me it felt like it would forever be something that other people experienced." Her eyes grow distant and their violet glow dims to almost nothing. "And when it really happened, I moved about like in a dream. Nothing felt real, but everything was so intense."
She blinks away her reverie and stares into her lap. "Losing him hurt more than... well, just about anything I've experienced. And I'm quite accustomed to loss. So I understand feeling like it won't ever happen again."
After a quiet moment, she shrugs. "I'll be fine. I'm not concerned about such petty things as personal happiness when the fate of my country is at stake. If I succeed? If I bring true, lasting, reconciled peace to Galt? Believe me when I say I will be the happiest woman on Golarion -- no matter who is in my bedchamber.
"... or if it remains empty."
"It does hurt," Eugeni agrees.
"Are not the Galtans rather blase about extramarital affairs? Especially in the case of political marriages? I am sure you could take a lover if you ever met someone who interested you. I mean, your magic alone is powerful enough to keep any such relationship under the table..."
Cladissa's cheeks color and she shifts in her makeshift seat. "I'm not... really interested in that sort of dalliance. Even if my marriage -- should it ever come to that -- is a loveless one, I simply can't fathom an attraction that would cause me to take such a risk."
She shakes her head helplessly. "I don't know. Maybe there's something wrong with me. I just don't see the appeal. And it's not like I prefer women; I like men. But the act. It just doesn't--" She cuts herself off abruptly and puts her face in her hands. "Gods, I'm so sorry. I'm sure this is hardly the worthwhile discussions into arcane theory that you're used to."
Eugeni laughs. "I would hazard to guess that if you do not enjoy the act that you have yet to act properly with the proper partner. We can change the subject if this makes you uncomfortable, but it does not bother me. There must be some act you would find pleasurable. If it were me, I would set up an experiment and collect data."
Cladissa lifts her face out of her hands, glowering. "Now you're sounding like my familiar." She folds her arms, crosses her legs and looks away. "I have far too much to do; there's too much at stake. I understand that men have needs, but it's a need that I do not share."
She fumes for a moment while her eyes dart around the room. After some measured breathing, she sighs. "Look. That time I was remade against my will? I was made to look like a succubus. It was a horrible violation. Chastity was a way of coping, of fighting what I'd been turned into. And even though I do not look like that anymore, the scars remain."
She closes her eyes, shaking her head. She wasn't sure why she was opening up to this near stranger like she was. She certainly didn't need his pity or sympathy. Though, in some sense, it felt good to talk about it. She didn't have anyone in Galt that she could open up to. The years that had passed since Absalom had given her time to reflect and view those events from a wider perspective. Her time as one of the Freaks of Absalom was one of such massive change and growth for her, with triumphs and tragedies happening in such rapid succession that even now she wonders how she'd been able to manage.
Not opening her eyes, she says softly, "I appreciate your advice, and you have given me something to think about. Maybe some day, if I have completed my tasks, I might look into that."
"Oh. That is most unfortunate. I am sorry that was done to you." Eugeni offers her a sympathetic glance. He continues working as she talks.
"As a chaste person these several years, I can relate. This body does not have much need of carnal fulfillment. My last body, a half-orcish one, was quite the opposite."
Cladissa looks up when he mentions having a previous body. She tilts her head slightly, studying the strange mage and his bizarre body. Her preferred aesthetics were squarely in the human category, so she wondered how he felt about his aberrant body.
"I've some experiences with dealing with going from one body to another. I'll be happy to listen if you want to talk about your adjustment from a half-orc to what you are now. What caused your change to this body? I don't recognize your species, so it couldn't be a reincarnation, could it?"
"This is in fact my third body. Both the changes were brought about by reincarnation in a way."
"I hated my birth body so I hired a druidic cult to murder and reincarnate me in a new body. That took me from being an aasimar that somewhat resembled a dog into a half-orc body. Later, I was killed again during our quest to stop the return of Karzoug. That time, no one really knows what happened...but basically Desna and a Great Old Ones' influence as well as my soul's corruption from the cult caused this," he gestures at himself, "to come out of my party's attempt to bring me back with reincarnation."
Cladissa gasps softly when Eugeni reveals he allowed himself to be murdered so he could be reincarnated. The idea of hating one's body so much that he would pay people to kill him... she couldn't fathom it. She'd endured a tremendous amount of self-loathing, but a self-imposed death into reincarnation?
"...I'm so sorry. But I've known aasimars. They're generally beautiful."
She immediately feels bad for mentioning that. Dog. Half-orc. Now this unappealing body. Say what I might about my own incarnations, at least they haven't been repulsive.
"That came out wrong. Obviously, how you were born wasn't the way you wanted to be. Even the celestial beings can have... extreme features. I couldn't imagine wishing to be a lillend, for example."
She stares at her hands in her lap. "I'm glad that you've found peace and acceptance. It took me a long time."
"Acceptance? Yes. What is this peace you speak of? I have yet to experience it," Eugeni's voice doesn't change, so it's hard to tell whether he's being facetious or not. "Maybe someone like you could have found my first body beautiful, but most did not. I take from your discomfort that people feel the same way about this 'weaver' body."
"Most people's opinions are not worth the meat required to calculate them. Your body struck me immediately as a thing of rare symmetry and comeliness. Whatever lack of self confidence you may feel, remember you are a being of rare power, a queen, and quite worthy of feeling good about it. Hanging your hat on the hook of other people's opinions is a recipe for self doubt and misery."
Cladissa rises to her feet and gestures around at the underwater laboratory. She points to the Illusoscope. "My apologies. I had viewed your intellectual pursuits as peaceful; the exploration of knowledge for the sake of knowledge and the expansion of our understanding." She chuckles softly. "You may not feel that you have achieved peace, but this is paradise to me. The freedom to choose whatever strikes your fancy and take however much time as you may to study it thoroughly? I can only dream that my tasks will be over with time left in my lifetime for such pursuits."
Cladissa's expression becomes mixed when he admonishes her for a lack of self-confidence. "I am simply unaccustomed to disrobing before strangers. As I've said, I have accepted this body and the mutations it exhibits."
A bemused smile touches her lips. "And I appreciate the compliment -- even in light of what you just said about the worth of other people's opinions."
Eugeni laughs. Huh. When is the last time that happened?
"I did say most people. However, it may very well be that I belong in the group of those whose opinions are worthless. It is hard to stay humble when you have the power to remake reality with a phrase....but pride always does come before the fall."
The archmage sighs. "I try my best. As a bard on a planet Argor and I recently visited once said, 'life's a b**$@ and then you die'." He shrugs, and goes back to carving.
Cladissa physically recoils, taking a step back. "That's an awful thing to say. On multiple levels. A bard said that?" She folds her arms, shaking her head. "The veiled misogyny notwithstanding, I certainly hope you don't believe in that sentiment."
She shrugs her shoulders. "Life can be exceedingly difficult sometimes, I'll grant you, and there are few if any assurances. But... you make it sound as if it's all pointless. I refuse to believe that. To imply that everything I've done, everything I've endured, and everything I'm trying to do doesn't matter?" Her words fail her and she falls into silence.
"Just so. The humans of that planet are unaware of the Gods. There is no magic there, and only one race. Many of them are unsure or agnostic about the existence of an afterlife. If there is no eternal soul, then of course individual lives have no meaning. They are just temporary. A life might have meaning to the person living it, but as soon as they die that disappears. Even if they are remembered by others, soon enough their star will expand and devour their planet in the fire of a supernova. Meaning is derived from context. Who knows how many lives rich with meaning have been made meaningless by death and time? Even Gods die sometimes, Planes are made and lost. The only thing that can truly be said to have enduring meaning is the entire Multiverse. It is the only thing that is without beginning or end. It cannot be accurately described in words. That is where meaning resides - in that which never changes and cannot be described."
"At least, that is my working hypothesis." Eugeni lapses into silence as he continues his carving, allowing Cladissa an out in case she'd rather stop talking.
Cladissa looks deeply saddened. She falls quiet, stepping over to the projection and watching the tartigrade for a while.
Her voice is soft and clear when she speaks again. "If meaning is derived from context, then context is what matters most. From the context of a vast and incomprehensible multiverse, then the individual life is meaningless, regardless of whether it has a soul. But from the context of the individual? Kindness matters. Art. Beauty. A smile. A kiss. A child's laughter.
"These things are fleeting, ephemeral. But they bring joy to the individual. They make life worthwhile, even if the lives that experienced them are long passed." A tear rolls down her cheek, the first one that has left her eyes in years.
"I'm sorry for that world you visited. I pray that one day it receives a messenger to teach them that it is worthwhile to love each other without hope to gain something. That doing good is the right thing to do, and that it matters."
She straightens, her voice rising with regal force. "I work to do good in a land knowing full well that no matter what I do, I may not succeed. Worse, I may lose my head to a Final Blade which will trap my soul, ending any chance of an afterlife -- just like those people in the world you visited. But final reward or no, I can say that I've shown mercy. I've healed. I've created art. I've offered peace. And I've forgiven those who've done the opposite."
Her voice drops to a whisper, thick with emotion. "And you can't convince me that that doesn't matter."
"As I understand it, they have had several such messengers appear. It seems they mostly end up executing the messengers and ignoring them."
"I am not trying to convince you of anything. If I am right, doing so would be pointless. I am merely stating my observations. I do not care one iota whether anyone agrees with me, or even understands me. It does not matter, they do not matter."
"To be clear though, you do mistake me. Nothing I said had anything to do with good or evil, merely meaning itself. Questions of epistemology, ontology and metaphysics are quite separate from ethics. Though your understanding of them must of course inform your ethics."
"Believe it or not, I almost completely agree with you about doing good. Doing good is the right thing to do; especially if individual actions do not matter. Regardless of how many evil deeds one commits, there will still be good. No matter how much good one commits, there will still be evil. In the meaningless universe there is no real gain to be had by being evil. Evil is largely synonymous with extreme selfishness and narcissism. Anything you might accrue by doing evil will die with you in a meaningless world. Why treat someone in a way you would not want to be treated yourself, when whatever you would gain by doing so is meaningless? By introducing objective meaning, you provide motivation for doing evil. If there are real stakes, why not do anything to win, no matter how it affects you or those around you? Putting up with the miserable life that way of thinking creates might be worth it if there was something meaningful to be had for it!"
"Doing good deeds makes living a meaningless life pleasurable and worthwhile. There is joy in the act of helping others, fostering life, protecting the innocent, whether it means something after we pass or not. Evil beings are miserable because they know what they do is wrong, or are convinced what they do is right, but in either case are acting out of fear. Fear that they will end, that they do not have enough, that they are not in control. The reason to do good is not because it means anything, it's because Good is good in and of itself."
The archmage snorts. "You think I went through three bodies saving Varisia because I think it is all a worthless ball of s%%~? Understanding the subjectivity of meaning does not necessarily imply nihilism. Doing good feels good, it is good for those aided, it is good for the person doing the aid - it is the essence of love. Love is the essence of a good life, even if once lived that life simply ceases to exist. Once you accept that nothing you do will have capital M meaning - your name will not live on, your descendants will be dust, your fortunes forgotten, then why not live as selfless and good a life as you can manage? It is far more pleasant to do your best to be good, than it is going around inflicting pain and suffering on everyone around you, trying to get and hold on to things which you are just a temporary 'owner' of anyway. To experience pleasures which will disappear when you do. Things which will not make you happy and mean nothing in the end. As far as I can tell there is only one way to be happy in a meaningless world, and that is to be good. Who does not want to be happy? The only rational path of self interest in a meaningless world is the path of doing your uttermost good. The problem comes when desires and fears are granted meaning rather than ignored as the ephemera that they are. Granted credence...granted meaning, a desire or fear can be motive for the commission of any number of less than good acts. Properly recognized as meaningless meaninglessness, they can be ignored in the favor of equally meaningless but more pleasurable self sacrificial acts."
"My argument is not with being good. It is with taking everything far too seriously. Whatever is going on here, the Multiverse, will certainly not be disturbed the actions of an individual wholly and totally subsumed within the process of its becoming; so relax, love your neighbor and go with the flow. You can not mess it up, they can not mess it up, everything is going to be okay, so just be a good person, yeah? Can you at least see my perspective when I put it like that?"
Cladissa smiles and nods her head. "I can. And I appreciate the defiance of caring and doing good in the face of an uncaring universe. I'm sorry for leaping to conclusions; I've had to fight against nihilism so often that I reflexively saw it in your arguments. Galt has been a breeding ground for daemons.
"I haven't unlocked any great secrets of immortality or some other means to transcend the ravages of time. My context is quite limited to the here and now, and what I can achieve in the years to come. I of course hope that I will have had a positive influence in the years and decades that come after me. And if I may be ambitious, maybe centuries."
She looks at her hands. "What strikes me is how little I care for the recognition. I'd rather be forgotten by a peaceful Galt than remembered by one still wracked in conflict. This title I plan to take is just one of many tools at my disposal. My father's best friend willingly switched places and accepted the chopping block to give him a few years of happiness with my mother. But my father couldn't remain idle. He worked against the Red Revolution even as I was born and growing up. He was killed too, eventually. My mother wanted me -- or my children -- to return and claim the throne." She closes her eyes and shakes her head.
"It's about to come to pass. All the sacrifices. All the pain endured, for this final revelation. And if, if I'm remembered, I want to be known for doing good."
She sits down on the floor and goes quiet.
"Something tells me that you will be hard to forget."
Enough talk, this is distracting me. I will finish now."
Eugeni goes about the remaining hours of carving in silence, working much faster now that he is ignoring Cladissa. When he finally finishes, the icy statue is completely covered in tiny, ruby-dust filled runes. He steps back and uses the remaining dust to draw a circular pattern on the floor around the ice. Finally, he recites a long incantation. As it reaches its peak, there is a burst of ruby colored smoke. When it fades, a seemingly perfect copy of the Weaver stands there.
Eugeni looks at it. "Hello. You are Weaver. From now on, you will follow the orders of this woman, Cladissa d'Lavigne Velorryan as if they were my own."
Eugeni turns and nods to the queen. "There. It is done."