[open] july catchall

[techmaturgy]

Who: Viktor and special guests and YOU
When: July through early August
Where: Cadens, the Horizon, Nocwich
What: open stuff, closed stuff, whatever I WANT
Warnings: general sadsackery, the usual references to (previously) terminal illness, otherwise will list as needed

[open and closed starters in comments! If you want a custom starter or something specific, just hit me up. full horizon details are here for any and all wildcarding needs. For everything else, I’m on plurk at whitticus and on discord at whitticus#8139.]

Comments

[techmaturgy]

[They sit, shoulder to shoulder, while Viktor tries to articulate what it is he hopes to accomplish. The truth is that he doesn't know. He has a wealth of information--from others who have achieved multiversal travel or are familiar with alternate universes and timelines, but no idea how to make those systems run on the magic of the Singularity. And it will come back to the Singularity, in the end. That's what has him concerned.]

I don't know what this will cost. I've hardly begun to explore what might be possible.

[But he doubts it will be easy, and he doubts he will emerge from it unscathed. He might depart this place entirely, without even a chance to say goodbye.]

I only know that I can't let the Singularity take anything else from me.

[wiedzminka]

Then you seek some measure of control over the Singularity itself.

[ She makes the conclusion as though it's the only natural one, without trying to immediately dissuade him. ]

I don't think it's impossible.

[ In fact, she is quite sure it isn't. ]

[techmaturgy]

I don't think there's any way around it.

[If the Singularity is the most powerful thing in this world, and the source of all magic in it, then whatever he plans to do leads there one way or another. He just doesn't know what that will look like, not yet. Or what it might do to him, if he tries to tamper with the Summoneds' inherent connection to it.]

No, it's not impossible. But even if it were, I've done the impossible before.

[wiedzminka]

No, I mean--

I'm sure it isn't.

[ She's skirting some uncertain ground here, but with Viktor as determined as he is to figure out a way to understand and use the Singularity, Ciri thinks it can only help to give him some context rather than let him just run ahead with nothing but his desperation and stubbornness. She's been there before, herself. It's rarely the best approach. ]

The Singularity is a source, yes. But it is also a doorway, standing at the juncture between space and time. One that can be opened, and almost certainly can also be directed by the right means.

Whatever ritual they've used to bring us here, it's imprecise. Incomplete. We know they can't control who they bring over, or half of us wouldn't have been imprisoned back in Thorne. [ Exactly the reason Viktor himself said it's not the ritual he wants to study, really. Ciri agrees with him. ]

Viktor, do you know if there are any similar monoliths in your own sphere? Even one that might be hidden inside a tower, especially one of great magical power?

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor lifts his head, seemingly confused by how authoritatively she speaks on the subject. He won't pretend to know how this kind of thing works, across other worlds, but he's been assembling all of the information he can, with the hope he could cobble something together. Ciri speaks of the Singularity as if there's an equivalent in her own world, and he furrows his eyebrows.]

We already know they don't know what they're doing.

[The Free Cities, despite all their talk otherwise, has never given any indication that they know who they are as individuals. They're searching for broad strokes, favorable skillsets, desirable careers. Beyond that, it's as Ciri says. Incomplete. He just has to figure out how to fill in the missing pieces--and then expand beyond that, so that he can go exactly where he wants.]

Not that I know of, but it's not out of the question. Piltover destroyed or otherwise obfuscated the magical history of Valoran. Are you saying you have something like the Singularity's physical form, on your Continent?

[wiedzminka]

[ She meets his eyes, and nods. ]

Yes. Monoliths where chaos concentrates. There was... evidence. [ She looks away, picking up some bits of paper around them as if she's just noticed the mess again. Something to fiddle with. ]

That they could be used like portals between worlds.

I do not think it's a coincidence that something similar exists here.

[techmaturgy]

What kind of evidence?

[Not to say that he doubts her, but Viktor is a scientist. Empirical proof is everything. If the Singularity functions even slightly the same as her monoliths, then this is a good lead to chase. There’s just one problem.]

How do you propose we use it, then? I thought that crossing the threshold of the crater simply deposits you into the Horizon. Unless there’s some kind of activation that we’re missing?

[wiedzminka]

[ Well. The main piece of evidence, of course, is Ciri herself.

But she will not say that. She trusts Viktor, but not... quite that far. Not to mention the huge potential for danger she'd be opening him up to on top of the danger to herself, Geralt, the others.

Luckily, Ciri is used to keeping her secrets. Her expression doesn't change; she answers immediately, and easily. It's not a lie. ]

Black residue. We call it stellacite. It is not native to our sphere. I can't say if that mineral would show up elsewhere, but the evidence here that the Singularity is a portal is our very existence in this world, isn't it?

The Continent's histories speak of the Conjunction of the Spheres, a great cosmic event that brought all manner of monsters and people of various races. The monoliths are said to be left over from that originating event. Here, the Singularity is said to be the source of all magic in this sphere. I haven't researched its history in depth beyond what's common knowledge, but I assume it's the oldest thing on this continent as well.

[ She shakes her head. Whatever she's omitting, it remains true that even she cannot cross the threshold into the crater. ]

I have no idea.

[techmaturgy]

[If he thinks she's hiding anything from him, he doesn't show it. He has no reason not to take all of this at face value, so he does. Her description of a physical thing--something he can potentially test the chemical composition of--is an excellent start, though he can't recall seeing anything like what she describes at the crater.

Then again, they were distracted at the time.]

The whole continent seems to revolve around it. One of our number--gone now--did some kind of analysis. Said that the Singularity was pulling the very earth towards it, gradually. There is nothing in this world more powerful.

[But that doesn't mean they can't wield that power.]

I refuse to believe the researchers in Cadens are smarter than me. If they figured it out, why shouldn't I?