A neverending field

[Corwin]

Follow-up with Aurora as needed, I need to catch Sylvie and Antenora for a chat and I did want to talk to Gond about AI.

In the interests of my own planning, please answer my question as well~

[Anastasia]

Okay, we'll do a few more things first. I think it's apparent by now that no matter what, this is not going to be a short quest.

Also, what question? I don't see one in your last post.

Also, elaborate on Gond and AI a sec? You mean like intelligent weapons and armor there or intelligent magical items?

[Corwin]

I planned to go into this IC, but sure. Basically, there was that crystal I grabbed in B1 off a defeated archmage that used it to create a harem. Hilarious and all, but the projections actually retained information between activations, so I thought it was pretty cool. In B6, Ive described using personal assistants of sorts that were based on that, and helped me with spell research and design. But I'd like to take it to the next level, aiming for Elena or Elyssa. I figure Gond might have fun with the project, and if not it's similar to his request for me to help out so he probably would.

[Anastasia]

Sure, go ahead and drop him a line about it, we'll start with that.

[Corwin]

Hi! Seira greets Gond, hidden away in one of her laboratories. Are you free to consult me on my research?

[Anastasia]

I can spare some time, I owe you for your goldenfire.

[Corwin]

Thanks! It's a curious little thing I've been working on for a couple decades, but the progress rate feels too slow. I'm hoping a second opinion fron a specialist will help me make a breakthrough. Come over?

[Anastasia]

Sure enough, you soon have an avatar of Gond before you. Big and burly as you'd expect, a smith away from his forge.

"Well then," Gond declares, "What is it you're working on?"

[Corwin]

"So! Funny story! There was this nasty archmage I took down with my friends, and when I went looking around I found that he had a harem. Now, I'm thinking, I'm gonna rescue all of them... except they're all projections from this heavily enchanted crystal!" Seira snorts. "So at this point I'm thinking, hey, the guy was pretty shitty but at least he didn't abduct people and such. But after I finished looking at the rest of the place and came by again, they remembered me visiting. That's what really got my attention, and I brought that huge crystal back."

Seira focuses, and the room's floor becomes see-through, revealing it.

"I've actually advanced with it, since I've been looking for assistants to develop my spells and for guides to ensure the Cauldron's recreational areas were safe for offplane guests. That all works... but what I'd really like to do is to take it up a notch. A fellow researcher rather than a handy note-taker. A true innovator rather than merely a projection that handles the heavy lifting of an already-designed spell by trying different preset combinations to figure out what works best. They learn, after all! So if they learn, they can keep on improving and even anticipate my needs! And, and they can develop their own needs and wants and desires, and it'll be great!" She shrugs helplessly. "I've almost given up on that when I heard of Elena from Kascha. But if Medi could do it, I'm sure we could too!"

[Anastasia]

"Aaaah." Gond says, "Well this isn't that hard for you now. The biggest trick is giving a magical projection a soul." He sweeps one huge arm forward, "Your divine will is perfect for that. You don't want a spirit like a golem, you just want to give what's there a soul and let it grow like you'd let a child learn and grow."

[Corwin]

"I did consider souls," Seira admits, "but I ran into all these ethical questions I wasn't sure how to resolve. Normally, I can form a soul and give it free will. Even with the lowest of the elementals who don't have much of a sense of self, they have their basic wishes and they can develop further. The same with awakened animals. On the other hand, when the soul being shaped is of a great hero or important servant, you might be far more hands on in their development, but it's a bit like having children."

She frowns, looking over at Gond. "For this project, I'm seeking a finite existence. I'm giving them freedom, but not ultimate freedom. If I raise a soul from birth to be a secretary, is that really alright? And what do I do if she actually wants to do something else? Since intelligence is a key feature, and they will keep on learning, it doesn't feel right to limit their options from the start. I don't think I would be happy with an existence like that. Or is it just me, and I'm overthinking it?"

[Anastasia]

Gond chuckles, his entire large chest moving with it, like the rumblings of a great cat. "Some! You want a soul but you don't want them to have free choice? If it's like raising a child, does your child not deserve the chance to choose their own path?"

[Corwin]

Seira blinks. "You're right, I was being silly. Instead of worrying that I'll make caretakers that may not want to stay with me, I'll aim to raise wonderful caretakers that could lead Creation even if I'm not there anymore!" Turning towards Gond with a grin verging on the maniacal, she asks him, "What about physical sensations? Can a soul be nurtured properly if it only gets intellectual and social stimulation but is prevented from interacting with the physical world properly? Are there any benefits to offset that for a projection? Perhaps a natural affinity to magic or the elements, or symbiosis of a similar design as item familiars? Ooh! Wouldn't it be great if they could act independantly, but had the chance of such companionship? We have to make them far more compact for that, or it won't work! Like, ring gem-compact!"

[Anastasia]

"Design them for it or not. AS long as they're born that way and you don't change it, they'll adapt." Gond explains, "Souls adjust, minds adapt. Children are born with poor vision, did you know that? They grow into it."

[Corwin]

Seira nods her understanding. "In that case, I'd like to design for high intelligence, augmenting mental faculties." She can always aim for exceptional wisdom some time later, after all. "Excellent memory retention is a must, but I'd really like to manage concurrent concentration on several threads of thought and hastened speed of thought. While Chronomancy is forbidden, there are a few spells for mental partitions, parallel thought processes with limited ability to interact in the physical world and for generally speeding up one's self. Can you help me with a portable prototype for her?"