The Yggdrasil community

Captios reads down the list Clemens has given him for the temporary relief drink. Tap the Yggdrasil tree at it's base to draw out some sap. Paulo stands behind him stoically. Captios' curiosity gets to him finally and he turns around. "Paulo, I never got to ask you back there, but how are you here? A spirit amongst the living that is? Like, what magic is being used to sustain your body in this state?" Paulo's presence tugs at the world around him and being so close provides a somber energy like watching a sunrise. Yet the wind itself seems to pass around him and softly move his robes as if they were moving a curtain of light in the night sky. "I am of this Plane," he explains, his voice having a singular note like the draw of a violin string. "I am not a spirit, but suffused with energy from the positive plane not unlike Astroix." Only far more of it. "The history books recorded my death inaccurately and for the better. Repeating the process is ill advised for anyone."
Captios drills a small hole in the base of the giant tree. Placing the spicket Clemens gave him into, he ties the bag to the end of the spout, and turns the knob. The sap drips into the bag. This is going to take a while. "The positive plane huh? Interesting." He places his hand on his chin, mirroring the mannerisms of a deep thinking Paulo. "Why do you do it? I mean why do you help people and give them answers? Why not let the fate just happen? By telling us things, you are effectively changing fate, no matter what you tell us right?"
Paulo thinks deeply about these questions. One can see a streak of light crossing his eyes like an errant star crossing the abyss of darkness. "Because there are those that cannot help themselves. They lack the means or the awareness to prevent tragedy. Most fate happens as fate designs it to happen. The fate that changes comes from free will and strong conviction." A hand pats on the book at his side, "I am not yet a creature of pure light. I retain my free will and conviction. So I change fate very carefully. It is not done lightly." A pun, yet the look on his face being carved from thin-lipped marble shows it wasn't intentional. "Most fate. Most tragedy continues to happen every day. Pangur is excellent at finding those capable of changing the current of fate. For the rest of Arhor'ha, they have me." A pause. "There is always a threat on the horizon. All it need do to win is for good men and women to do nothing."
"So why me? Why did you choose to let me see you? A lot of people have questions they want answered. Why do you only allow a few to talk to you?"
"Telling you specifics would change your fate," Paulo explains, making a sterile observation. "Think of a fireball. It is destined to destroy something. It isn't what it destroys that makes it worth the attention. If anyone could control it, the whole world would be on fire in minutes."
"Few can talk to me for the same reason. It is for the best that not everyone has a fireball at their fingertips," the white haired wizard states stoically. "People need to largely find the answers out for themselves. Its those that lack the means to get answers or the awareness that they need questions answered that need me the most."
"So either I don't know the questions I should be asking or I don't know how to find the answers? That's comforting. And isn't what the fireball destroys the only reason people care about the fireball at all? Most people are too busy, or too self-involved to care if the fireball crashes on their neighbor's home. But the minute it destroys the person's home, that's when people care. If I send a fireball into the ocean versus. into, well this tree, it changes the everything." Captios looks back at the tree to see the state of his spicket. "Given a choice, I'd like to be the fireball that destroys evil things versus one that destroys good things."
"And who decides what is good and what is evil?" Paulo replies simply.

"A question as old as time. How should we live? Some people believe that ideas, actions, and things are intrinsically good independent of judgement. Some believe that the judgement is unique to the person judging. Myself, I think the former. There are things that intrinsically good, and we need to make the choices that will do the 'most good'. And what is good? A rational person will know what is good when they think it."
"Are you certain that is the criteria for what is 'good'?" Paulo asks, "It is a naïve sentiment and one that will drive you to paralysis if you consider what a Devil considers good. Or Celestials. Or gods themselves. All rational creatures. All capable of not understanding 'good'." There is a pause, "And that is the difference between one house burning to a fireball over the other. A faulty targeting system."
"I'd argue that they all do know what is good, they just choose to ignore it. But you know way more about them than I do. I mean you're Paulo! You made Crystalis float! Captios shakes his head. Drip drip drip, the sap leaks slowly into the open bag. Steady like a metronome. "Trust me, I know I'm smart, but I don't have the kind of power or knowledge you had before you well, touched the positive plane. Make a city float, ha, I can't even defend this place against what's to come"
"You are judging your worth on something that has yet to come," Paulo observes like a stone observes the wind. "The only thing that is in the present is your confidence and conviction in the face of what needs done. Your intelligence and the power you wield. You have three days yet to learn more and obtain more power. Where that knowledge takes you and what you do with that power is up to you. Pangur is typically a good judge of character." A mention to Yoyo Meow who is watching the two of them.
"Intelligence is great, trust me. It got me this far. But given the options I'm here to support everyone else. I can barely hold my own in this group of extraordinary people. I'm in a party with two breakers, an angel, a warforged, and a Candle touched by the Raven Queen. To call me underpowered isn't much of an overstatement is it? You're right, I do. need to get stronger. Not sure how to do that in 3 days. You wouldn't understand what it is like to be too weak to really make a difference in the way you want to. It's been this way my entire life." He's starting to sound a bit too much like Syn.
"That being said, I'm gonna keep on getting better. I'm going to be as strong as you before my life is over. But we've got to deal with what is in front of us first." Captios looks at Paulo, with worry in his eyes. "Can the few of us and 12 soldiers hold off Shirley as is?"
"To call you underpowered is not accurate," Paulo states as he crosses his arms over his chest. "You blind yourself by comparing yourself to others and finding where they are strong and you are weak. You are not me. You are not them. You are you and you have unique strengths to play to if you choose to instead of making them an excuse to not do something with them." He says it bluntly, "Take responsibility for your destiny or someone will use you for their own and you will always be in a self-made prison of their shadow." His head looks off for a moment, "The town has a library, perhaps you'd do best to visit it. I hear that learning is a strength of yours."
Captios slaps his hand against his head. "A library?! There's one here still? Why didn't I ask that! This is renewed energy, and the first drip is done. I'm going to talk to the 'spiritual leader' here and see where this library might be." Captios removes the spicket and ties off the bag. "Time to go read some books," he says with a great grin and marches back towards Clemens' makeshift lab, his spirit bolstered by the conversation with Paulo. Suddenly, a thought flashes across his mind and he looks back, "By the way, once this is all over, do you think you could help me fix Ford?"
"No," is all Paulo says, his eyes remaining fixed where they have been this entire time. He does not often look people directly in the eye when he speaks. The mystical blue gems are transfixed upon the World Tree's offspring. "Gig will."