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| | “This is one I’ve seen on a lot of ikons, so I know what it means. ‘Iesus Christos’. Jesus Christ. It’s usually floating over the baby’s head, near a halo. Get the idea?” | | “This is one I’ve seen on a lot of ikons, so I know what it means. ‘Iesus Christos’. Jesus Christ. It’s usually floating over the baby’s head, near a halo. Get the idea?” |
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| − | '''REDLAND JACK'''
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| − | "Ah. Well, I do like puzzles, although I definitely have greater facility with numbers, letters, and words, than I do with symbols or images. Looks like this might be a little of the former and a little of the latter, so I'll see what I can do.
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| − | "Are we just curious about the origins of the ikons or is there some advantage to be gained from the knowledge?"
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| − | '''CARL'''
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| − | “Possibly both; until we get there, we may not know. In any case, it’s another tool in our toolbox, and that’s always good. Personally, I would love to know why these ikons display such dramatic properties and others don’t, but that may not turn out to be relevant to the mission at hand. As far as that mission is concerned, the ikons are keys to get us inside of locked borders.
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| − | “I anticipate, however, a rather interesting conversation with the owners, once we arrive.” He smiles.
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| − | '''REDLAND JACK'''
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| − | "I was under the impression that you could mimic the dramatic properties, is that not true? Or is it more to the point that you could mimic the properties, but the methods you would use are not the ones that are apparent in the 'true' ikons."
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| − | '''CARL'''
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| − | Carl pauses. “That’s an interesting question. I realize, now that you mention it, that I have never done a close examination of the deep inner structure of either of the two ikons. I don’t know how they do what they do.” He looks at Jack, thoughtful. “You’re right, however. I believe the Kings could, if needed, make something that behaves like the weeping Madonna ikon. I don’t think I could do it alone, at least not in any way that would ensure it came out like I wanted. But even if we could make such a thing – we haven’t done so.
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| − | “There have been many things that have acquired wondrous behavior since the change in the weather began a few years ago. Most appear to be spontaneous. The ikon I have, however, was weeping before the change. I don’t know about Becker’s.”
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| − | Carl raises his eyebrows. “Perhaps I am reluctant to dissect what appears to be a natural miracle. Hmm.”
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| − | '''REDLAND JACK'''
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| − | "Well, you know, anything I can do to destroy the sense of wonder and mystery in the world...
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| − | "I recall you saying earlier that the Outsider 'magic' was of the same essential 'type' as what you employ. If these ikons are an entirely different phenomenon, that might be of considerable interest (as well as potentially making atheists like myself look foolish)."
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| − | '''CARL'''
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| − | “True – though the fact that a phenomenon is measurable doesn’t have to make it less wondrous.
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| − | “I’m not sure it is correct or safe to say that Outsider magic is the same as ours. I can say that some Outsiders make use of the same basic energies as we can, at least when they’re here – but who is to say they aren’t using other forms elsewhere, or even in addition? Forms we cannot detect or measure? And sometimes what seems miraculous may not even be active magic – or even an action at all. For example, your Dark Pharaoh is said to be able to describe the past, or far-away events in the present, or even future happenings, with great accuracy sometimes. Some of the texts in our library imply that this is not because the Pharaoh can see the past and future as we think of seeing – but merely that It exists outside of time, dwelling at once in all times, past and present, and so merely reports what It sees during other extrusions into our world. D’you see?”
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| − | '''REDLAND JACK'''
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| − | "That the Dark Pharaoh can see into the past seems plausible. It seems strange, but I clearly don't understand the powers he possesses. However, even given what I've seen, I have a hard time believing that anyone (or anything) can see the future. I take these' views of possible futures' to be just (potentially sophisticated) projections of what the individual believes is likely to occur. Anything beyond that (while conceivably, I supppose, true), challenges my fundamental beliefs about the world so thoroughly that, even were I to be convinced that it was logically true, might be too much for me to 'believe,' thus pushing me into a crisis of rationality..."
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| − | '''CARL'''
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| − | “Ah!” Carl leans forward. “The engine we have, in Tibet, does exactly that. We speak of the ‘negotiated future’, we can look at trends – often quite detailed – based upon what we know to be true, what we believe to be true, and what we want to propose … but it is subject to change, and as a future draws nearer to the present, it becomes clearer and more immutable. That engine, amazing as it is, exists entirely within the world, and within Time.
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| − | “Contrariwise, we have the case of the Pharaoh, in some form. Consider, if you will, our world as a closed environment. Even time is a part of that environment – another dimension, if you will, as Einstein might propose. Time being biased entropy-wise, only an entity existing entirely outside the environment might reasonably be able to lie along the timewise direction and see it all at once. It’s a bit mind-boggling, but makes sense if you think of it in a simplistic way: that Time itself is multi-dimensional, with alternate futures being in different futureward ‘directions’, and all possible versions existing at once somehow.” He blinks, smiling, and continues. “Consciousness and will – and perhaps it is only these – steer paths along and between these entropies – not creating futures so much as deciding on a membership. Do you see? I haven’t really thought this through so concretely before, but it makes a sort of sense – given the things that the Kings can do, especially the King of Fate….
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| − | “In an environment like that, something large and Outside might ‘see’ all possible futures, but we limited mortals would still be free to choose and act … and the Pharaoh could give us visions of the future that were true, but still never came to be!
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| − | “Fascinating!”
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| − | =='''Note'''==
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| − | The conversation continues on, but this is all that was noted.
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