The Last of the Dwarves

The Last of the Dwarves is the story of Cinnabar Pinderberg. The most interesting account is the story of the 'Engine of the Soul'. Now the Engine is a legendary machine. It was said to have been ordered to be built by a king of the Old Empire. Once it was completed and he mastered it, the Engine would allow him to exercise a great power. He could use his mind to reshape the contours of the land itself, to create plants and animals that had never been seen before, and to finally to mold the mind of any man or woman that he wished.

Sarah said, "It didn't end well, did it?"

"No. It did not. The tale was a legend even in Cinnabar's time. Where Cinnabar comes into the picture is that a mysterious man summoned Cinnabar with a proposal. The man believed that tale was based on fact, and that Cinnabar could help him build it."

"Why would he think of doing that? If it was a real machine, wouldn't it be mad to try building it again?"

"Cinnabar thought that the man was indeed mad. However, the man had the money to support the project, and the mysterious man was able to hire many bright people. The man also attempted to learn from one of the king's mistakes. He reasoned that if just one mind was used to control the Engine, any flaws in that mind could not be corrected. If instead of one mind, more minds were used, the other minds would correct the flaws of one. With the correct balance of minds, the worst flaws would be corrected and the Engine to create a small patch of paradise. Cinnabar agreed to help build the Engine."

"It did not turn out well, did it?"

Roger replied, "The difficulty was determining how many souls, and what types of people, would help create this mysterious man's paradise."

1. The Engine was built, and as you expected, things did not turn out well.
2. The Engine was built, and things turned out better than you might have thought.
3. They built the Engine, but ironically enough, it could not be used. In order to achieve the correct balance, they needed two dwarves.

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