[ CLOSED ] let these bones be the giver

[gynvael]

Who: Geralt + Various
When: Mid-January
Where: Cadens, Horizon
What: Dealing with a sudden onslaught of new memories
Warnings: Spoilers for The Witcher S2, trauma, discussion of torture, etc. NSFW marked.



placing starters in the comments below. find me at discontinued or at Noa#1979 to plot stuff!

since geralt has been officially canon updated to the end of s2, just let me know directly if you want to have a zero spoiler interaction and i can set the threads pre-canon update for these cases.

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[gynvael]

[ Geralt studies her, considering. ] You've said before you can sense it. How do you mean?

[ There are mages who can feel and draw on Chaos, but he isn't certain if Rinwell means that in the same way. She almost seems to mean she can actively sense every time something magical occurs, whether she's concentrating upon it or not. Perhaps not dissimilar to his medallion, but in a much more powerful manner.

Ciri cannot go near the Singularity. That much is clear. He wonders, though, if Rinwell would be capable of feeling its energy should she come close to it. Be around it. Not that there's any method of reaching the Singularity, beyond a full journey towards the crater. At the moment, it isn't feasible. But it's something to consider, if it ever arises. ]

[rinwell]

[ There's a pause before Rinwell leans back on the stool, not too far (she doesn't want to topple over after all) but just enough to balance herself as she stretches her legs out under the table. Kicks her feet. How to explain it? She's tried before, and it hadn't always worked for those unfamiliar with how the energy of the world works.

But Geralt has included her, however belatedly. She has to try. ]

Everything is made up of astral energy. It's inside us, around us, and my home, Dahna, is home to five of the six elements that make up everything - Light, Fire, Water, Wind and Earth, and Darkness. Mages, we can feel that. Back home, it's...Harder, because of things the Renans have done to our world. And, we were in hiding a lot. But my parents taught me how to recognise it, and I've learned over time to tell the different elements apart.

The astral energy here...it's so much stronger, so much brighter, and it touches everything. It's harder to read, though. I don't know if that's because of the Singularity, or because of how the summoning affected me when I was pulled here, or..

[ ..Or, something. She's not sure, and there aren't exactly many others to ask. Her hand lifts, pressing one finger to her chin. ]

The Horizon feels more like home, like Dahna does, but I don't know how much of that is my memories imposing that on how that place is formed. And I don't know anyone else here who uses magic like I do.

[gynvael]

[ So it is similar. He nods, understanding. ] We call it Chaos. Similar, but...the elements aren't always so defined.

[ Not in the way she means. They can sense it, though, mages. Druids. Or those like him: not precisely attuned to magic as a mage would be, but close enough to utilize its most basic forms. He can't feel anything here, for example. Not in the way Jaskier or Yennefer, or even Ciri, are able to. He thinks, perhaps, if he focused and learned and studied, he could—but it's a matter of priority. Magic simply isn't one. His Signs serve him well enough.

He folds his arms across his chest, thinking. Some are more inclined to some elements than others. Wasn't that what Himeka told him once? He doesn't know if it's the same, but it sounds close enough: a force that is both around them and inside them. ] There's a woman named Himeka, in Solvunn. What she refers to as aether, it's not unlike what you describe. If you decide the answers are important to you, you can trust her.

[ He knows Rinwell still means to largely keep her magic hidden. But Himeka is not one to pry, nor one to keep her own secrets; she's a good source of information. If anything, she shares a little too damn much. ]

[rinwell]

[ Chaos. That gets a frown, though her understanding is indicated by a nod. That's...not how it feels to Rinwell, at least not back home. But the waters here run far deeper (given no one appears to be draining the source directly), so perhaps... ]

Normally, they'd flow together, but there were..Things that happened, that are still happening back home. A lot of how astral energy is meant to be dispersed around the world is... well, it's different now, because of what happened back home, that I told you about.

[ Renans ruin everything.

Still, there's now a name offered; not something Geralt might give her otherwise, and she's immediately interested. 'Aether' isn't a term she knows, but if he thinks that it's a line to pursue..And someone who can be trusted with such a secret to boot, well. ]

I will...I'll keep her in mind. Thanks, Geralt.