[He expected their curiosities to be spoken aloud sooner rather than later. Their willingness to join without too many questions had been proof of their eagerness to remove themselves from the castle, he thinks, and Stephen can't exactly blame them. It's impossible to not feel as though the walls have eyes and ears in the castle, and though their little expedition is far from insidious and very much sanctioned by Thorne (Ambrose, specifically), it's freeing to be away; the ability to speak openly on matters regarding the Singularity, without couching one's words in conciliatory agreement with the kingdom's policies, is an opportunity he won't neglect. It's only a shame it requires so much exposure to the great outdoors.
And so it doesn't take much more encouragement for Stephen to explain further. Not to mention that Thancred's right; it probably would be a nice distraction.]
Starting from the beginning would help, probably. [Doesn't it always?] I originally went to Ambrose with a concern: whether or not the Singularity can act more like a gateway between worlds, given its connection to them. I've had experiences with less-than-pleasant things creeping through the veil between realities and dimensions, and having the same happen to us here? That's a headache I'd rather not have to deal with. I'm sure you'd agree.
[On Earth, Dormammu almost broke through and subsumed the whole world into his Dark Dimension. In a future that hasn't come to pass for him, Peter Parker dealt with individuals who had slipped into their reality from the wrong branches of the Multiverse, which had caused a mess on a similarly worrisome scale. They're already dealing with so much in Abraxas. Even if something as simple as a conflux of monsters crawled through, it would be a needless complication that could change the dynamic of political tensions at the drop of a hat.
Better to know if such a thing would happen ahead of time, rather than to deal with it unprepared. This idea germinated from his discussion with Geralt, but... Well, he thinks that doesn't need mentioning. The man probably wouldn't care to have his name thrown around if it wasn't necessary; he didn't seem the sort.
He continues.]
He said the chances were low, but in the event it could happen, he revealed to me something the mages had been working on since the Dimming that could help. The thaumametors I showed you are able to measure the Singularity's magical fluctuations with a high level of accuracy; even a small spike would be enough for the mages to notice all the way from the castle. If something ever starts stirring at the other end of any interdimensional doorway connected to the monolith, this is our best hope at planning for it before it happens.
[He shifts his weight on his horse again, holding the reins with both hands.]
To work, they need to be distributed at certain points across the kingdom, and that's where we come in. So, no, it's not an especially glamorous task, but it is important that we see it through to the end.
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And so it doesn't take much more encouragement for Stephen to explain further. Not to mention that Thancred's right; it probably would be a nice distraction.]
Starting from the beginning would help, probably. [Doesn't it always?] I originally went to Ambrose with a concern: whether or not the Singularity can act more like a gateway between worlds, given its connection to them. I've had experiences with less-than-pleasant things creeping through the veil between realities and dimensions, and having the same happen to us here? That's a headache I'd rather not have to deal with. I'm sure you'd agree.
[On Earth, Dormammu almost broke through and subsumed the whole world into his Dark Dimension. In a future that hasn't come to pass for him, Peter Parker dealt with individuals who had slipped into their reality from the wrong branches of the Multiverse, which had caused a mess on a similarly worrisome scale. They're already dealing with so much in Abraxas. Even if something as simple as a conflux of monsters crawled through, it would be a needless complication that could change the dynamic of political tensions at the drop of a hat.
Better to know if such a thing would happen ahead of time, rather than to deal with it unprepared. This idea germinated from his discussion with Geralt, but... Well, he thinks that doesn't need mentioning. The man probably wouldn't care to have his name thrown around if it wasn't necessary; he didn't seem the sort.
He continues.]
He said the chances were low, but in the event it could happen, he revealed to me something the mages had been working on since the Dimming that could help. The thaumametors I showed you are able to measure the Singularity's magical fluctuations with a high level of accuracy; even a small spike would be enough for the mages to notice all the way from the castle. If something ever starts stirring at the other end of any interdimensional doorway connected to the monolith, this is our best hope at planning for it before it happens.
[He shifts his weight on his horse again, holding the reins with both hands.]
To work, they need to be distributed at certain points across the kingdom, and that's where we come in. So, no, it's not an especially glamorous task, but it is important that we see it through to the end.