[open]

[techmaturgy]

Who: Viktor and special guests and YOU
When: end of January/February pre-event
Where: Cadens, the Horizon
What: it’s canon update time baybe and things have become…weird…
Warnings: potential references to suicidal ideation, and also a manslaughter. arcane season 2 spoilers through episode 6.



[open and closed starters in comments! If you want a custom starter or something specific, just hit me up. Details on the canon update, including new powers are here. I’m on plurk at whitticus and on discord also at whitticus.]

Comments

open; horizon

[techmaturgy]

i. orb temple (fine and normal)

[The first indication that, perhaps, something is different, is the state of the ravine. Most visitors to Viktor’s domain are likely accustomed to climbing the rickety metal stairs up the wall, to the overlook, then deeper into the laboratory. Now, the fissures are pleasantly lit, beckoning anyone who wanders in deeper into the gorge. The grotto appears unchanged, but instead of the wooden door leading into an ominous laboratory, there is a new passageway, an opening in the rock. Following the path eventually opens to the bottom of a fissure, light illuminating the cavernous space from above.

At the center is an orb-like structure, a strange mirror of the colossal Hexgate that is visible all the way back at the top of the cliffs. All around are clear pools of water, brought to the surface by enormous pumps with no discernible power source, and unoccupied buildings that seem to serve various purposes—one has an idle forge, another, baskets of supplies. And there are flowers, too, vast swaths of strange yellow blossoms

Perhaps you find him on your own, or perhaps Rio leads you there—Viktor is inside the central greenhouse, looking slightly out of place surrounded by foliage. He’s tending to the largest, most central plant, its large fronds nearly reaching the ceiling of the structure, and it seems he already knows you’re here.]

It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

[The plant. His gaze follows the curve of the leaves upwards, to the circular skylights, apparently not interested in explaining much more about what’s going on here.]

A marvel of bio-magical engineering.

ii. there is also an astral plane

[Or, perhaps you take a step forward only for the ground to dissolve beneath your feat, upending you into a vast expanse of stars. There is no gravity here, no discernible landmarks and no up or down, only the cosmos and what seems to be an endless fractal webbing. If you were expecting a (relatively) normal, corporeal Horizon domain, well. This is not it.]

Don't be alarmed.

[Says Viktor, who appears entirely at home here. He does, however, seem a bit solemn, as if he understands that all of this is very new, especially in comparison to the usual state of his domain.]

I suppose I should explain.

ii

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard has been managing his time in Thorne through extensive use of the Horizon and the knowledge that his friends are there for him. He visits Hilda almost every other day, and Jaskier twice a week or thereabouts. Viktor on a weekly basis at a set time, because there's something to be said for the frequency. All Alucard asks for is workshop updates and any important information about what is going on in Cadens. A window into normality and a way to keep abreast of any changes to things that impact Alucard's work.

Alucard expects the same Horizon as ever. To see Rio and give her a few gentle pats before they both amble off to find Viktor.

Except there's no Rio.

There's no ground.

There's no gravity.

There's....]

...Viktor?

[The wonder and confusion in Alucard's voice is soft and awed in the most true sense of the term. His friend's shape is celestial. Beautiful. And so deeply confusing.]

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor has complicated feelings about the events he now remembers--but he does enjoy this strange astral realm, the feeling of being unencumbered by a physical body, peering into the secrets of the universe. He's glad this has carried over from his strange dreams, even if recreating it in the Horizon is the only way he can share it with the others here.

Alucard, most notably. Viktor is glad to have him, though of course he understands that he probably has some explaining to do. For a moment, however, he wants Alucard to take it in--the wonder of it all.]

Come with me.

[He's next to Alucard, now, holding out his hand--in case he's nervous, of course.]

[cryptsleeper]

............?!

[Alucard would like to hope that Viktor will give him a few moments to process everything happening here. It isn't that a change to someone's Horizon space is a surprise or even unusual, but this level of dramatic change means that something else has happened. What, Alucard cannot even begin to process.

But all in due time. His mouth is still agape, and in all of it, he extends his hand to Viktor's.]

Lead on.

[techmaturgy]

[There's no destination in mind, not really, just a desire to share this with Alucard. He'll continue to offer his hand, as he understands this can be destabilizing--even alarming, depending on what Alucard expected when he entered Viktor's domain.

(Probably not this. Perhaps Viktor is too enthralled by the possibility of the arcane to really notice.)]

I had a dream, about home.

[He probably doesn't need to explain what that means, given how many times this has happened to others among them. Viktor pulls Alucard along, starry nebulae surrounding them.]

This was part of it.

[cryptsleeper]

[Alucard nods faintly. The context explains how such a dramatic shift could happen overnight. He remembers it happening to Jaskier and Geralt but never to this scale.

There's a faint ponderance of what happened in Alucard's head, but the vastness of this space holds his tongue. In truth, he can't remember the last time he was this genuinely awestruck by well, anything.

This all seems impossible, and yet the dhampir has zero doubt that this and more is plausible back home for Viktor.]

Only part...

[He exhales, drifting along the cosmos as easily as someone might swim. The weightlessness is so different here. It glides effortlessly. Almost happily, ignoring the rules of the rest of the universe.]

orbple

[wiedzminka]

[ As much as Ciri likes a change of pace, she has been experiencing something like a homesickness the longer she's been stuck in Solvunn, everyone scattered. It's a relief that Jaskier and Mog are here, but most of the people she's used to -- not to mention her horse -- are scattered elsewhere. The novelty is beginning to wear off.

She's grown soft and spoiled, used to living in one place for so long. Is this what having a home feels like, after so long without? She'd nearly forgotten.

Ciri takes Viktor's invitation to visit him in his domain without hesitation. If she catches anything odd about his explanation that there's something they should discuss, it doesn't really linger.

It's not until she steps into his domain that something feels different. Rio appears, as usual, and Ciri gives her the usual treatment of petting and cooing and a little treat, then follows her through Viktor's altered space to a greenhouse overflowing with strange and colorful foliage.

Her eyes follow the leaves up, lingering on the holes in the dome that reveal a sky above. ]

You've taken up gardening.

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor is glad to see Ciri here, even if he's not entirely sure how he wants to explain the things that have happened to him. There are the worries of the outside world, too--the earthquakes, the Singularity seemingly growing in power. As nice as it is to have Kyle in Cadens, it's come at the cost of many of his other friends, and until the territories make a move, things are in flux.

So, he knows that adding something like this into the mix is unfair--but he can't keep a change of this magnitude from his friends, and especially not Ciri. They deserve to know, especially given the looming specter of the imagined future.]

I dreamed of home.

[She'll likely know what that means, and Viktor offers her a small smile, attempting to be reassuring.]

I'm trying to recreate what I saw.

[wiedzminka]

[ It's never happened to her, but Ciri is quite familiar with what he means. She saw each other member of her family experience it, more than once; changes had appeared in their domains afterward, too. She knows what a difference it can make.

A dream that isn't a dream -- she does have context for it now, after their shared experience as gods.

Ciri steps closer, tips her head curiously. Her eyes meet his as if searching for a difference there. ]

What else did you see, besides weird ferns?

[ She knows enough from their conversations over the years regarding his work back home, what he'd chosen to share about the hexcore. The pieces of memories lingering from their godhood in another life. And the very real consequences his work had led to in Abraxas.

The question is careful, kept intentionally light. ]

[techmaturgy]

[He's almost insulted by the reduction of his botanical experiment to weird ferns, but he's too proud of what he's accomplished to be too offended. The important thing is that Ciri understands what he's trying to say, which makes things easier to explain.]

I only dreamed of a few months. [A relatively short amount of time, if Ciri was worried.] In that time, my research on the Hexcore...evolved, exponentially.

[To say the least.]

Jayce was forced to use the Hexcore, to save my life. It catalyzed a physical transformation.

[wiedzminka]

[ Sorry, buddy. They're very nice weird ferns?

She's been looking around curiously, considering touching one of the plants while she listens. But when Viktor casually drops that he nearly died, her head snaps back up. ]

To save your--

Wait, what happened?

[ Ciri looks him over more intently now. Of course, in the Horizon, their appearance can change with only an effort of concentration, but Ciri knows these 'dreams of home' can leave very real marks of their own. ]

i

[magicalarchaeologist]

[ Istredd rarely leaves his own domain because everything he could want or need is there, but he's feeling restless in Solvunn and that energy translates inside the Horizon too. He planned on walking to Lucifer's domain to see Dersti and sit there for a time, but ends up walking through what he knows to be Viktor's, and decides to let a detour happen instead. He's not been there frequently enough to know many differences, but he admires everything he sees as he goes. He does find other people's domains fascinating, he just doesn't get out much.

The lizard creature Rio does end up enthusiastically leading him in a direction and he assumes it's like his own creatures do within his library, they often lead people to him or to his private areas when he's distracted. He gamely goes along, glancing around as he walks, until he's in the greenhouse and spots Viktor. This must be new, he gleans. ]

Yes, it's very bright.

[ Istredd isn't personally big on gardens or plantlife but he thinks he might mention this to Lucifer. Lucifer's own domain is often a scenic and beautiful place too, it seems they'd have that in common. It's very nice. He wonders if Viktor would like the gardens at Thorne; maybe, if he didn't dislike the rest of the castle, which he thinks he would. ]

Bio-magical, hmm? When did you start becoming interested in that?

[ He's never heard of Viktor being so interested in magic in the first place, let alone in blending it with something like this. He loves everything magical so of course he's interested. ]

[techmaturgy]

[Rio leads Istredd here with purpose--of all the Summoned, Viktor thinks it will be important to speak to him. He's still piecing together the contents of his visions, but despite it being little more than a strange dream, Viktor still finds himself with access to his abilities. Istredd is a mage, and though Viktor is not certain how he wants to define himself, he imagines that there might be valuable knowledge to share, here.

He's always liked plants, but of course never exactly had the time to tend a garden. Here, in the Commune, it had become part of his scientific process. Using his magic to develop new hybrids, finding cultivars that cleaned the air and water. When his guest arrives, Viktor smiles, clearly proud of all this.]

I've dabbled, before.

[Well. Used plants as subjects for the Hexcore. He's glad to see that these are alive, the equations solved.]

But this, well. You could say it came to me in a dream.

[magicalarchaeologist]

I suppose you haven't had much time to use that in the desert.

[ Istredd doesn't know much about the Free Cities outside of that. There may be plants that do thrive in the desert as far as he knows, but probably not something like this. Solvunn could, it was very beautiful, although he's there during winter and not in full bloom. This reminds him a little bit of court gardens, he's seen a few in his time while wandering between libraries.

His eyebrows raise at that and he nods. ]

Ah, I see. One of those experiences. It happened to me too.

[ He woke up one day to something truly terrible and it shook him to his core for weeks afterwards. Sometimes, it still comes to him now. It seems that Viktor may have gotten something good out of it instead though. He's made this beautiful garden and he seems calm, comfortable. It's good that people can find beauty in their futures. ]

I didn't know that magic was prevalent in your sphere.

[techmaturgy]

We were developing hydroponics. This...is different.

[This is magic, which he now feels coursing through him, even without the physical presence of the Hexcore. Viktor smiles a little at Istredd's surprise, because other Summoned experiencing exactly this is what's made things more manageable for Viktor.

His new knowledge has not been received without mourning, but Viktor is able to see what can be done with his new abilities. How he might be closer than ever before, to offering the Summoned their choice.]

The Arcane exists naturally in the environment. Some have the inborn ability to use it, though they are rare. Jayce and I were able to harness it through technological means. I created an adaptive rune matrix, meant to direct these energies in specific ways through a runic system--like casting a spell.

[magicalarchaeologist]

That sounds like New Magic, right? Using technology and magic together. I'll admit we have no real technology in our sphere, but I've learned a great deal about it here.

[ Many of Istredd's friends are from places with technology so they've explained or showed him more about it. He doubts it'll ever come naturally for him the way it does for them, but at least he has some grounding of knowledge. This plant room though makes sense to him. If there's technology in there he wouldn't understand, it's hidden from view. He can see why this would be more magic-based, he's seen plenty of magic mixed with earth. ]

Ah, runes. That's a type of magic we are taught from the start. It can be very useful. Simple, quick spells, once you learn what they are.

[ That's more about memorization. Magic for him is a mix of that and also natural skill and experience. It flows in and out of him like breathing would be. It looks like perhaps Viktor's starting to go through the same thing. ]

What did you experience, if I can ask?

ii. 600 years later...

[judgmentbolts]

[ Cid hasn't really visited Viktor's domain before, though he's seen it when walking through the Horizon. When they worked in such close quarters, there had never really been a need to enter, but now that they're in separate territories, he doesn't have much of a choice if he'd like to 'see' the man.

He could send a message of course — he had done so briefly, when all of the switching around had happened — but it's been a while since they've chatted, and he figures he might as well take a walk and see if Viktor is in his domain and willing to be roused. He's got an equation or two he can wave about as an excuse.

Something is odd from the moment he gets into the general vicinity of Viktor's domain. Cid barely has time to place it before he takes a step, and the world about him is enveloped in the soft blackness of the night sky, glittering with stars. It would be beautiful — if he was looking up at it. A wave of inertia sends him to his knees and he makes a somewhat embarrassing sound. Before he can make any sense of it, he hears Viktor's voice. ]

What makes you think I'm alarmed? [ He says, sounding alarmed. ] What's all this about? Something tells me you're not just having a laugh at my expense.

[ As Cid adjusts to his surroundings, he finds that he doesn't like them one bit. This isn't like Viktor. This isn't right. ]

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor seems glad to see Cid, though of course he'd never admit out loud that his presence in the workshop has been missed. Now that he's here, they can catch up, and he can explain a few things in the process.

He's not proud of everything he dreamed of--but he is glad, to be afforded the clarity of mind that the arcane has bestowed upon him.]

You sound alarmed.

[He says, unconcerned, and appearing entirely at home floating in the cosmos. Viktor will offer a stabilizing hand, if Cid needs, and he'll find that resisting the urge to drift away will simply make everything worse.

Viktor does, at least, understand that this is an inadequate explanation.]

I dreamed of home. Of how things might progress, were I to return to the point of my departure.

[judgmentbolts]

Just about pissed myself walking in here. That might be why. [ Cid grumbles. He wrestles with his pride for a half-second, but he takes the proffered hand up. He needn't worry about putting a strain on Viktor; he's not entirely certain that he weighs much of anything in this strange domain.

He does his best to keep track of Viktor, if nothing else. ] You dreamed it?

[ Now that he thinks of it, this reminds him a touch of The Doctor's domain, in that dream they had all shared as gods.

Viktor seems nonplussed by the whole situation. Cid tries to keep the concern out of his voice — but it's there, pinched into his expression. ] How — what happened to you?

[techmaturgy]

[There's a slight hint of remorse, that he would startle Cid in such a way, but he'll make up for it in the way he offers support. Cid will find himself weightless, no up or down causing any kind of vestibular distress. He simply floats.]

This is an occasional occurrence, for the Summoned. [It will be easier to explain, if this is not Cid's first time, hearing about such a phenomenon, but Viktor will do his best.] To dream days or weeks or months of time away from here.

[Only to return, as if nothing has happened at all. Viktor can't be sure what's real and what isn't, or if this path is set in stone for him, but what he does know is that he's retained magic, from his imagined time away.]

In my dream, the means through which I cured my illness took a different form. It afforded me certain...abilities.

[judgmentbolts]

[ It takes him a moment to adjust, but still less time than he would like to become acclimated. Ramuh, too, floats instead of walking — this was true of his Eikon, and of the god he had become in that dream. ]

I remember now, yes. [ He can't recall who spoke of it to him, but he knows of it — the way some rare Summoned dream vividly of home. He hasn't thought much of it, not for himself. There's nothing for him to get back to. But even so... he had never thought that it would cause such a drastic change, not in someone as stubborn and headstrong as Viktor. ]

So that's what brought this about... Well I'm glad you've found the means to live, even there, but you'll have to forgive me for wondering what it cost. And before you accuse me of some nonsense, I'm not talking about your new look or whatever 'abilities' you've gotten yourself — I'm talking about all of this. [ He gestures at the... space around them. ] This isn't like you.

don't @ me for the timestamp

[theidlemaiden]

[ A literal galaxy is the very last thing Hilda expects when she arrives in Viktor's horizon. So caught off guard by this new change she begins to float, the hem of her dress floating up so that she has to pull a slow motion Marilyn Monroe to stop it from rising too far.

So enchanted and bewildered with her surroundings she doesn't notice Viktor's approach and his voice startles her making her yelp in surprise. Eyes wide she takes in the appearance of her friend who is now very incorporeal and ethereal all at once and after a beat her cheeks puff up. ]

...Yeah I'd say! I can literally see through you!

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor understands that this might be distressing, though he can't help but smile, slightly, at the sight of Hilda joining him here. He offers his hands, and she'll find his grip steady.]

You're safe here. I won't let you fall.

[Not that one can fall, in this strange astral realm, but he'll say what he needs to put her at ease, even if what he's about to say is worrying, to say the least.]

I had a dream about home.

[theidlemaiden]

[ Distressing isn't quite the word that she'd use. What would be more apt is confused. And maybe a little bit concerned that this is somehow permanent. Not that she's seen him in other less than organic states before but that had been a dream. This definitely isn't.

Even in her confusion though she reaches for him, taking a hold of his hands so that he acts as an anchor of sorts. ]

Did it involve you being see through? Vikky, what's going on?

[techmaturgy]

This is not a physical place. I'm perfectly opaque in the real world, I assure you.

[If she was worried. He does understand that this is all a bit difficult to explain, but showing her how he appeared in his dream might be alarming, too. Here, at least, he looks mostly like himself, albeit slightly more cosmic.]

In my dream, the means through which I cured my illness took a different form. It afforded me certain...abilities. Access to this plane is one of them.