Order / Chaos

"You cannot change the pattern once the vase has been fired," he said.

"Is that so?" I replied, and dropped the vase.

--Zoraidia the Sage

I remember my teacher, an old Stoneforged, as he stood before us, a ceramic jug in his hand. I can still hear his voice even now, although I am old and my mind wandering.

"Civilization is like the making of this jug." His deep voice seemed to fill the air as he spoke. "So much has gone into it, from the clay, to the water, to the fire itself to solidify it. Much like our world. We have the different people here and together we form something greater than what we would be alone. We bring order... a purpose. This jug can be used for many reasons, many needs. Much like Order. Without order, without our civilization, we are weak. So we follow our paths, our duties.

But there is a corollary. There must be some Chaos. The first mixing of the mud and clay was a creative accident. From Chaos came Order. But Order is fleeting. Much like the state of this jug, the smallest fracture in Order..."

And in my dreams, I still see him release the jug. The sound of it shattering will haunt me to my day.

From the journal of Master Potter Kendrick Wheelwright