For a while now Ethelred has been convinced that there are paths to ‘magical’ powers that does not lead through a God. Watching Telosh it was clear that chaos can come from materials. But chaos is not a viable path for Ethelred. Even before that the cleaning that Karnoha taught Alexis uses materials to power the cleansing.

Creating the wooden door and then using it as the last piece to close the pit finally revealed a clear path. Materials themselves, no just words and wishes, can do work beyond what Ethelred understands.

The lesson to be learned for Red is how to take what is available and balance it with what is possible. He has seen how Telosh can offer items, and break items to powerful effects. He has seen how Alexis gives all the reverence to the Gods. Ethelred’s path must be to walk between these. Order, understanding and materials must be combined intelligibility to gain the desired effect.

As the days pass on and Alexis works to help Ethelred learn ‘magic’. Red is keeping his eye on how best to use materials, the power within them, to the effects he needs. His first task is to learn how to reverse the open effect to close the trigger on the ballista he and Gus are building.

Does he build a tiny pair of doors and use one to trigger the other? Does he make a stick from the same wood as the door, and break the stick to cause the door to close? Does he bind the door open with some string and cut his own piece to have the door snap shut?

Many options. Many possible paths….