:: Random Item—The Grand Design ::

The Grand Design

by Wm Jay Carter III, 5/19/15

Scroll: Diagram

Color: Tan

Conditions: Charred, Wet

Keyword: Grand

Extinguishing the fire at last, you look over what remains of the valuables in the room. Only the solid metal objects remain salvageable; everything composed of less-durable materials has been completely consumed. Everything, that is, except an ashwood scroll case. The tan case is charred from the fire, and the parchment that unrolls from inside has been completely soaked, but is nevertheless entirely intact. With astonishment, you find umber-ink diagrams on the paper that are not only clearly visible, but moving to display their subjects from many angles, and even expanding to reveal the interior workings.

Many years ago there was an inventor named Borin that was renowned to be so clever he could replicate or repair any known mechanism. What was more, he singlehandedly created some of the greatest innovations of his day. On account of this, unfortunately, there were those whose business was so threatened by his talent that his life was constantly at risk. The incredible circumstances of his death did not revolve around how or where, but rather the unaccountable benefits that came to those he cared for because of it, and the inexplicable misfortunes that befell those who wished him harm.

Trusted associates of Borin the inventor tell how he had come into the possession of a scroll that—by some means unknown to him—could depict the inner workings of any mechanism its holder touched. These diagrams would move and change views with the thoughts of the viewer. Closing and opening the scroll would reveal a new blank page, though all previously recorded diagrams were available upon the viewer’s mental request.

But revealing the workings of man-made genius was the least of the scroll’s capabilities. Once Borin had uncovered its secrets, he was able to see its grander potential: to identify a consequence’s cause, and predict an action’s effect in the grand scheme. Using the Grand Design, he determined that his death could not be avoided for long, and bravely crafted a course of actions that would result in the best possible consequences. Borin even made provisions for the Grand Design itself to find its way out of the hands of those who would use it for ill means. And like clockwork, everything Borin designed to occur before his death has come to pass exactly on schedule.

Everything, that is, except...