"Be thankful that you had the capacity to worry about your own affairs. That thing which you take for granted was the sum of my most powerful desires and fears, and a concept I still struggle with." Prime said gently. He paused again, collecting his thoughts.
"The Godstone is not an entity. It is an object. It never had a self to begin with so it can't really be said to be selfless anymore than a sword or a stone could. It is more like a battery. Energy goes into it, is stored, and then is drawn out."
"The city is in a precarious position. There are gods, demon princes, empyreal lords, outer powers, and all manor of other immeasurably powerful entities that would love to control this place. Door street opens ways to nearly anywhere. Whoever controls it has a massive advantage. Imagine if the forces of the Abyss had the ability to simply open gateways straight to mortal planes. No need to be Called or Summoned. Imagine the portals you went through to get here in control of demons."
"That is why the city cannot afford to allow any religion to gain an organized foothold. No planar power can be allowed to sway city politics or procedures. If that were to happen, the city's neutrality would be compromised and every other power out there would flood in, each vying for control. It would be the Godswar all over again."
"So the city cannot afford to show any kind of weakness in regards to being influenced by outside powers. The Godstone is what allows the city to do that. Gods have nothing to offer any citizen of Arch that the Godstone cannot grant as well. Any Citizen who chooses to worship a god does so only because their beliefs align with that god's, and with the understanding that their religious devotion must come secondary to the laws and oaths of the city."
"Even more than Door Street, the Godstone defines Arch as a city. It allows us to stand firm in the face of any threat or offer from a divine source. It allows us to govern ourselves and decide for ourselves what is right and just. It allows us to keep our souls from being currency in a cosmic arms race."
"The Godstone is the collective will and drive of the city. Not every Citizen is a devotee of the Stone, but every devotee of the Stone is dedicated to their fellow Citizens."
"That is why the Stone is so important to me. It gave me the ability to trust my own choices. Ethics only exists when choices exist. A creature free of choice is also free of ethical constraint. So, when I was first given the ability to make my own choice, it was a powerful leap of faith and show of good will on the part of House Solar."
Thedra smirked. "You just had to get him going..." She didn't seem the least bit upset, clearly enjoying the conversation.
Everything seemed remarkable to Eythil as Prime's entire speech on Gods, religion, existence, freedom of choice, and simply mattering because one exists, continued.
Though he had nothing to draw on experience wise, it was very captivating to hear the Maug, as he had called himself earlier speak.
"This test of the Godstone, is it for everyone?"
"Any Citizen, yes." Prime said.
"Interesting." Ariela says thoughtfully.
Garridan listened intently to the discourse on deities, clearly intrigued with Prime's philosophical perspective. He had never thought about the gods in such a way before. They simply were and most folks found one that fit their ideals and venerated them.... "Quite." he added to Ariela's comment.