The Nature of Order and Chaos - A Lesson
"But how could a sword of Law...an avatar of Order...go mad? It makes no sense to me." The young student's tone was both curious and frustrated. Sweat from the tropical heat gathered on his shaved head, and dripped onto his purple robes.
His teacher wore robes of a similar color, but ten degrees more ornate and of immensely higher quality. His head was also shaved, though at his advanced age it was unlikely that it took much work to maintain a bald head. "Do you think that order...or law...is good? That the default of order is a benevolent nature?"
The student listened to his teacher's age-rough voice, hanging on his every word. After a pause he answered. "Yes...or course."
"Then you are fool. Or ignorant. Which is it? Are you foolish by nature, or simply ill-informed?" The teacher's voice was scolding and terse. But the student seemed used to this sort of treatment, and answered immediately.
"Perhaps both, Master. But, that is why I ask the question. How could Savior have gone mad? As an avatar of Order, how could the sword have such a murderous influence on its wielder?"
The teacher snapped the switch, which he always had in his left hand, down on his lectern. "The sword did not go mad. The sword acted as the sword was made to act. The pure, distilled essence of absolute order smooths the rough edges. Trims off anything that doesn't quite fit. And destroys everything that is not a part of the utopia of a perfectly ordered world."
The student's eyes lit up. "So Order is destructive and evil, while chaos is creative and good!"
The master's switch cracked down on the students right forearm, leaving a red blood lash mark. The student winced, but did not cry out. The Master spoke. "You truly are my slowest student, Mavin. Have you not read the hidden histories of the creation of our world? You were assigned these readings."
The student began to answer in the affirmative, but then froze. He knew a lie would be met with another lash. "Master, I started them...but I have not completed the assignment."
The teacher shook his head, but did not hit the student with his switch. "Then tell me what you know, so that I can shape your future learning, Mavin."
The boy closed his eyes. "At the beginning of all things was Kempin. He was all. And all was he. He was unsatisfied with this state of being, and split himself off into powerful beings that mankind worships as gods. These gods all had a focus...an area of expertise. And they set about creating our world, each doing their part. Each splitting themselves off into other things...and other beings. Until our world was fully realized as fragments of the original whole. And while Kempin is all, and all is Kempin...each part of the greater whole finds it impossible to truly understand their connection with this once unified whole." Mavin opened his eyes, and a subtle grin crossed his lips. "But I don't recall any mention of Law and Chaos, but I assume that Law and Chaos must be part of the greater whole...like everything else."
The Master shook his head. "Your ignorance shows again, Mavin. You are lazy boy, who rarely finishes his lessons. I've met with you today, because you are so far behind your fellow students. How do you expect to graduate from the Occidental College with your lack of knowledge and understanding? Don't answer that. It is likely you will not graduate. But, let us try."
Mavin nodded, and his master continued. "Where was Kempin at the beginning, when he was still all-encompassing? WHERE was he?" Mavin shook his head, and his master answered the question for him. "Kempin was in the great nothingless. He was in Nifl, the great void of utter absence. Kempin is everything, but without Kempin there is nothingness. And this nothingness is called the Nifl Gap. But Kempin was not alone in the empty void."
A look of terror crossed Mavin's face. He looked behind himself, and around the room, and then back to his Master. As he did, the word, "Blasphemy" fell from his lips as a whisper.
The Master smiled. "Yes, Mavin. To understand the world, one must let all boundaries drop away. Occidental knowledge includes both the holy and unholy. The Good and the bad. Both Dogma and Blasphemy. Kempin was not alone in the Nifl Gap at the beginning of things! With him were the forces of Order and Chaos. Creation and Destruction. The potential of existence and the guarantee of entropy. They were right there with him from the beginning, they are there now, and they will always be there. They are universal principles...universal powers the even the Gods cannot escape. Even Kempin."
After a short pause, he continued the lesson. "But here is the point of the matter. It is only through bowing to both Law and Chaos, that Kempin was able to create the world from himself. Without Order and Chaos, Kempin would still be a unified whole, alone in the empty void of Nifl."
The master fell silent, allowing this shared knowledge to be absorbed by his student. Mavin thought on the matter before speaking. "So, the sword Savior was not sent to our world to defend the laws of man, or to promote the Order of our world?"
"Yes, Mavin. You are right. Perhaps there is hope for you yet. Savior was the living embodiment of pure, unfiltered Order. An avatar of the cold, hard universal force of Order and Creation. He was gifted to mankind as a way to stave off Chaos. Pure chaos. He was a weapon, bestowed upon mankind, so that they could fight in the endless struggle between pure Order and pure Chaos."
Mavin finished his master's lesson. "The struggle of creation and destruction on a universal level. Not our mortal understanding or application of these concepts."
"Good Mavin. Finish your reading tonight. And we'll meet again tomorrow to ensure you can continue your studies. But, there may be hope for you yet."
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A story vaguely related this story:
http://www.lordsofrpg.com/blog/view/870/meanwhile-in-the-land-of-nifl
