abraxaslogs | ( closed; quest ) the long and winding road

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( closed; quest ) the long and winding road

WHO: Stephen, Thancred, & Yennefer
WHAT: Three individuals go on a quest to help perpetuate better magical monitoring of the Singularity!
WHERE: ALL OVER THORNE
WHEN: End of March into mid-April.
WARNINGS: Some eventual monster-related violence and injury! But nothing else for now; will add as needed.

(( quest info here ))

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[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.

[ time. that is an interesting way of putting it, but when yennefer thinks about it for longer than a moment or so, she can see the connection. the logic. bells of a clock tower, she assumes. or some other kind of notification - she gives a sort of nod, more to herself, as they continue on, making note that perhaps their dialects are a bit more different than she had originally thought, though that understanding is not foreign to her. she's conversed with enough summoned throughout the months to know.

for now, though, she can almost feel the - not excitement, necessarily, but certainly the preference to go into the explanation of their quest. the energy of it almost makes her want to quip at him, again, just because - but the information is too important, so instead yennefer listens. and withholds the urge to roll her eyes at the way she can almost hear istredd's i told you so where it concerns the singularity, the monoliths. gods, she hopes he never ends up here. she's not sure she'd be able to survive how insufferable he'd be with learning he was right.

( yennefer, to her credit, also manages to not at all react with the mention of ambrose. she's been getting better at hiding it, though she would not be surprised if either of the men on this quest had already figured it out by now. ) ]

You mean if someone or something managed to open the poral from the other side, rather than just from this one? [ because that is still something she feels they should keep in mind - keeping out unwanted visitors is one thing, but they also need to acknowledge that all of them were pulled through against their will. a practice that is still going on.

yennefer hums thoughtfully. she hasn't taken a look at the items themselves, but she supposes there have always been ways to measure chaos, forms that they could take to do the same thing yennefer herself used to be able to. it tightens something in her chest, but she keeps moving, keeps her eyes forward. ]

It also sounds like a fantastic way to tell when the other factions are Summoning. [ the words come out...not entirely unannounced, but it is where her thoughts go next. she glances back to the other two, brows arched. ] If it's measuring any spikes in th Singularity, it would sense whenever the Cities or Solvunn uses it to bring in more Summoned, wouldn't it?

[ and the thing is - she doesn't sound particularly surprised, or worried, about this revelation. it would only make sense that a kingdom like thorne would want to have some way to watch for that sort of thing, especially if they're working off of magic that ambrose himself had found. ]

[ After feeding the mare a bit of sugar to keep her spirits up for the long trip, Thancred gives her a small pat on the back of the neck and then focuses in on what Stephen has to say.

The more that he explains, the more that Thancred finds it all to be far too familiar to events he'd dealt with back home. While it had not always been him directly, the Scions as a group had experienced a great deal and he would always keep up on the reports delivered by his colleagues. He can fully understand why Stephen had approached Ambrose with this concern, given that there are the existence of voidgates. If the Singularity truly was connected to every possible world out there, then who knew what manner of thing might be able to come through?

Ambrose may believe the chances of such a thing are low, but in Thancred's opinion, he finds Stephen's paranoia to be well-founded. This summoning magick is a recent discovery, after all, which means that it's likely none of the three factions have a complete understanding of the Singularity and how it functions.

If these thaumametors they've been tasked to place around the kingdom will truly be able to detect any energy that passes through the Singularity, then it does stand to reason that planned summonings would be a part of that. Before Thancred can decide if he wants to voice that thought, Yennefer beats him to it. He glances over to her and gives a firm nod, remembering their conversation back at the summit. They'd had a mild debate on whether Solvunn and the Free Cities had reverse-engineered the summoning magicks themselves, or if some of the escaped Summoned had shared those details after escaping. ]

It stands to reason that these devices would pick up on that as well, yes, and I'm sure that Thorne wishes to keep track of such things. If the thaumametors are sensitive enough to even measure how many people are being brought in at a given time, surely Thorne will benefit from such information.

[ He's silent for a moment before letting out a brief sigh and guiding his horse to trot in toward Stephen's side. ] It could be that's Ambrose's true motive in all this. Are you willing to accept that?

[ From Thancred's perspective, he still believes that the benefits of this quest outweigh any downsides, but he is curious to hear Stephen's take on it. He's the one who made this all possible, after all. ]

[They both raise good points; Stephen knows that nothing can ever be so simple. He had considered the idea of an ulterior motive on Ambrose's side, though perhaps less ulterior and more that this was simply in the cards all along, and Stephen's concern--while valid--had always been secondary. In the end, Thorne is a political machine, and all the pieces are always moving. If there is more than one advantage to placing thaumametors all around the kingdom, they are sure to utilize each and every one.

Still, it's a thought that makes him frown even more deeply, and not for reasons regarding his jostling mount.]

Yes. [He replies, grimly.] The way I see it, this would have happened with or without my concern being brought to their doorstep. The thaumametors were already completed before I spoke to the High Mage. If it wasn't myself, or any of you making the trip, then it would've been someone else. And the possibility of threats creeping in from other portals or doorways would've remained a non-consideration.

[He heaves a sigh. Is it overly idealistic to hope that this venture will only work to protect those of this world? Possibly. But Stephen keeps it tamped down with a smidge of realism, something that Thancred and Yennefer, especially, seem well-versed in. But he can hope for the best; hope that even if these are tools used to gauge the temperature of tensions strung between each territory via the frequency of the summoning rituals, they can be used as preventative measures, in case something far more dangerous decides to kick down the figurative doorway and say hello.]

Anyway, if something... unwanted happens with these devices, the three of us will know where we've planted them.

[It isn't much of a contingency plan, but if they suddenly enter the darkest timeline due to these tools stuck into the ground one-by-one, well. It'd be another long trip, but they'd know where to uproot them.]

[ and it's not that yennefer isn't also worried about things coming through. the collision of the spheres was a well known thing back on the continent - that if under the right duress, the right amount of energy, entire races of being can be sent from one sphere to the next. it's part of why the whole process of being here hadn't entirely shocked her, though she's still unsure of the specifics, and the how. but the connection? the singularity harnessing enough chaos to do it all? none of that shocks her.

the only difference here though is she is more...maybe not concerned, necessarily, but aware of its practical implications to the political sphere, of the way that these devices will probably be used against the other factions in the face of whatever war, or not-war, that will cycle it's way through. judging by the way she meets thancred's eyes and he nods towards her, he'd been thinking along th same lines. ]

I do wonder if Ambrose has been working on these since before he started summoning, or if the first of the summoned are what convinced him to do it.

[ it does strike her, if only briefly, that stephen seems more disappointed than surprised by the conversation, and that thancred had seemed to expect it himself. the fact that they'd all been mildly aware of the ulterior motives but had chosen to come along all the same. yennefer, to be fair, hadn't exactly come for the sake of the quest alone - a chance to see the kingdom, time away from the castle (in the wake of the eclipse and ronan lynch...), and a chance to know more about the singularity from an angle that did not involve the oversight of a thornean mage had been much higher on her own priority list.

but it does open an interesting line of thinking - that stephen thinks it relevant that the three of them would know their locations. how to get here, what they're picking up. that the three of them would have the quickest access to where they are planted.

she wonders, briefly, what all has happened to dr. stephen strange that he would be so much more worried about these threats coming through than anything else. but she supposes that's a conversation for another time. ]

Did he show you how to read them? The thaumametors, I mean. It could be useful to have access to that information without going through Ambrose and his mages - especially if something unwanted happens.

[ As much as Thancred might be uncomfortable with the idea that they're providing Thorne with such vital information, which could easily be used against the other nations (and, by proxy, the Summoned in those other nations), Stephen makes a compelling point. This was going to happen either way, and at least now they've managed to take a piece of the pie, so to speak. They're aware of this plot of Ambrose's rather than it taking place under their noses. Thancred is new enough to this world and Thorne itself that he's all too aware of how much is still shrouded in mystery for him, and yet he can't help but hope that over the course of this trip he will be able to learn more of Thorne's inner workings via Stephen and Yennefer.

For him, this quest serves as his first foot in the door, a way to learn of the kingdom in its entirety and a get proper lay of the land beyond what maps can offer. It also provides him with the space to converse with his fellow summoned while not under the thumb of Thorne's elite. All of which is well worth the price they're paying, he would think. He already feels like a weight has been lifted now that they're able to speak so openly.

Thancred's quick to chime in on the tail end of Yennefer's question. It's good that they're thinking through all of this now, at the start of their journey. ]

More than that, will you be able to access that data once we return to the castle, or does Ambrose plan to hide all of that away once we've done the legwork for him? Stephen, I suspect if he is going to trust anyone with that information, it will be you.

[ If Ambrose does choose to lock it all behind close doors, then it would behoove them to find a means of gathering the data themselves. Hopefully in a manner that doesn't require them to hike out to the thaumametors each and every time. ]

[The problem is, behind locked doors is exactly where Stephen had to be led in order to be presented with this little project. He does not imagine that the magical readings, whatever they turn out to be, will be free to anyone in the castle who happens to be curious.

Stephen is not just anyone, however. He has some influence to throw around the Thorne, or at least stands in a favorable position with Ambrose. That he was invited to do this at all says something about the amount of trust placed in him -- and his judgment when it came to choosing traveling companions. Hopefully, that trust does not start and end with their thaumametor trip.]

I was led to an off-limits part of the castle during my initial briefing of the thaumametors. I imagine that's exactly where the readings will be fed to, and it's not like I have access to freely waltz in there a second time. [He had to be escorted by Ambrose, after all.] But that doesn't mean I plan to sit around and hope they make good use of whatever information they get. Assuming this trip goes off without a hitch, I'm going to ask if I can be kept up to date. Whether or not that's through monitored access to that part of the castle or otherwise, well. We'll see how that conversation shakes out.

[He pauses, considering.]

The both of you might consider doing the same.

[Out of the two, Yennefer is the most likely for this to succeed, assuming she's inclined to ask. She has clout and a longer tenure in Thorne than Stephen. Thancred is on the newer side, but they can't just simply ignore his presence here, with the two of them.

Well, they could. But Stephen would happily argue the point. The more of them that have access to the information garnered from this, the better.]

[ the concept that there are areas of the castle off limits, and that it is in those off-limits rooms that the more interesting devices and study of magic are being done, is something that yennefer had assumed. for all that ambrose had 'opened up' the castle and the study of magic to the summoned who he brought through, the castle would be like any others - with old men keeping secrets and telling lies. her image of ambrose fits fairly perfectly with her image of stregerbor, which does also further make stephen istredd - being led along, past locked doors, into the inner workings of the castle.

no, thancred is right to ask stephen - because if it were any of them, it would be him. which isn't saying much, and probably shows more of her hand than she'd like to admit, but good gods, if yennefer never needed to sit down and speak to ambrose ever again it would be too soon.

she hums at stephens implication, the way he says the both of you. she has a feeling she knows what he means, that she should be the one to ask to be kept up to date, probably due to a combination of her reputation and her longer time in the castle itself. but at the same time, the idea of it makes her bristle a little - to ask ambrose for anything. she'd rather choke. and whether or not the other two notice the tension in her, yennefer keeps her voice steady. ]

And if he doesn't? [ which, yes, alright. she sounds paranoid. glancing over her shoulder to them, she lets out a long breath. ] Historically speaking, Ambrose has never been one to offer up information unless pressed to. Whether or not he would agree to your request, I don't know if I'd trust him to actually keep you informed.

[ and then, no matter which of the two she'd been looking at when she said that, her eyes will turn to stephen. ]

I take it they showed you how we're supposed to be setting up the device? { a pause, for him to answer, before she continues. ] And do you have a spell you could use that would bypass Ambrose entirely? Maybe to make a duplicate of that watch?

Edited (my brain….what) 2022-04-05 02:51 (UTC)

[ While Thancred could simply be straightforward and ask for permission to view the read-outs from the devices once they return to the castle, he remains unconvinced that he'll be taken seriously. He could insist that it's fitting payment for accompanying Stephen on this task, but he also can't be certain that will be good enough. It seems far more likely that Stephen and Yennefer will have their requests granted.

Despite that, Yennefer seems tightly wound about the entire concept. Thancred notes the stiffness of her body language as she holds onto the reins of her horse; he hears the extra sharpness in her tone. Much like with their conversation during the summit, he's saddled with the distinct feeling that there's far more brewing under the surface when it comes to her. ]

I know very little of this Ambrose beyond a brief interaction when I first arrived here, yet I did get the impression that he isn't exactly open with what he knows. [ It had been an educated guess more than anything else. Based on what Thancred's learned of Thorne, he would be more shocked if the castle wasn't filled with secrets. That may be his own paranoia talking as well, but he hasn't been proved wrong thus far.

Yennefer then asks about the logistics of setting up the thaumametors, and while Thancred is glad to assist in any way, he expects that Stephen has that part more or less handled. He's here for help with navigation and to handle any undesirables they run across along the way, whether monsters or bandits. He won't underestimate what's out here, not after his run-in with a mammoth boar during the eclipse.

The idea of finding a workaround to cut Ambrose out of the equation entirely is quite intriguing, though Thancred's also curious to see how Stephen might react to that. Does he feel any sort of loyalty toward Ambrose? This will certainly give Thancred a better sense of that. He's already gathering that there's no love lost between the high mage and Yennefer, at least. ]

That's a thought. [ He lifts one hand to tap a finger against his chin. ] Though if you decide to deceive him and you're uncovered, the consequences could be quite severe.

[ He's heard by now how Thorne has a propensity for locking people up. ]

[He can’t help but scoff. He wonders if he should be flattered he’s being asked these questions at all, like circumventing the High Mage’s authority and surveillance should be a walk in the park. Stephen has confidence in his own magic, but that doesn’t mean much in the face of a whole system of mages loyal to Thorne.

Still. He isn’t unwilling. That says something about his loyalties, focused less on the kingdom and more about how he can aid from his position in the castle.]

Ambrose can’t throw anything at me that I haven’t been through before.

[Death on repeat! Alien torture techniques! Experiencing millions of failed timelines via a magic stone! Being erased from existence! Before any of that, psychological despair wrought from purposelessness!

So, no. Threat of violence or intimidation wouldn’t be ideal, but Stephen considers these possibilities with tired caution rather than fear. (Lock him up, Thorne. He could use the nap.) He’s willing to take risks if they are required of him.]

Yes, they showed me how to set it up. And I know a few tricks. I could duplicate the watch with a spell and hide it away from prying eyes. But it’d be intrinsically tied to the original — which means if Ambrose catches wind of something off, I’m sure he’d dispel it without a second thought. Or trace it right back to me.

[He gauges the expressions on Yennefer and Thancred’s faces.]

Or more importantly, the two of you. It’s not like it would be hard to narrow down the list of suspects if Thorne wanted to investigate. Only the three of us out here, on this little mission.

[Risks regarding himself he’s willing to take. But he can’t—or rather, won’t—make that decision for others.]

[ thancred would be right to assume there is much more brewing under the surface of just about everything yennefer says about thorne. but that might just be something he'll have to wait to fully unravel - it's a good thing they've got a long road ahead of them.

his comment earns something of a snort from yennefer, if only because yes, he's not far off. and yes, she has her opinions. but that also comes from a long personal history she has with her own mages, her own politicians, and the strange way that even if she is in a completely different sphere, old men with magic will always be the least trustworthy in the bunch (thankfully she's older than stephen by a few decades, so he doesn't get to count).

stephen's scoff at thancred's mention of the consequences does assuage some worries that yennefer had been quietly uncertain about. loyalties, especially in situations like theirs, could be dangerous things. and while her previous conversations with stephen hardly pointed towards that direction, and his answer pushes that confirmation a little closer.

it's the anything i haven't been through before that does have yennefer turning to the sorcerer, one brow raised. curiosity begets from what is beginning to look more and more like extended experience than studies, and alright. now she kind of wants to know. but the conversation at hand is more important, and she shifts a bit in her saddle.

stephen isn't incorrect - tracing the magic back to the source would be simple enough, if he had any reason to check. and their association with stephen would immediately put under suspicion. still, yennefer's expression at this leaned more towards the line of yes? and? than anything. ]

Ambrose has locked me up once before, and it did not get him far. I'm hardly worried about his opinions or suspicions about me. [ there is something in her tone, something vaguely he can mcfucking try in her words. whether this is from her position in the queen's court, or just yennefer's own presented confidence, it's hard to say.

her eyes do turn to thancred, though, after. as if checking to see how worried he would be about it. ]

[ Well, this is all rather enlightening, isn't it?

Thancred can't help but indulge in a small smirk to himself as he realizes that both Stephen and Yennefer are willing to take on any risks associated with circumventing Ambrose. Whether their confidence is borne from foolishness or faith in their own abilities and cleverness, it's still quite difficult to say. They do both strike him as the types to have good heads on their shoulders.

What does surprise him is the revelation that Yennefer was locked up by Thorne in the past. He had assumed that wasn't the case based on their first chat, but this is why assumptions are so often dangerous. ]

Were you? [ He tilts his head toward her, a small inclination, as he spurs his horse along to ensure he keeps pace at her side. Stephen has fallen a tad behind again, but he's doing decently well all things considered. ] When you first arrived? Then your decision to stay was not made lightly, I see.

[ Yennefer must believe that she can carve out her own place in the hierarchy of Thorne despite where she started, and there is something commendable in that. Thancred merely wonders if she risks being burned in the process — but there are risks were taking, he knows that as well.

As for Stephen, Thancred slows up his horse slightly so that he can turn in the saddle to look back at him. The fact that he's comfortable enough to do that shows how experienced he is on a mount — even one that isn't a chocobo. ] You currently have Ambrose's interest, if not necessarily his trust. Were you to do this, you might burn a bridge and it would most assuredly be a setback. If it's traced back to me, I could at least play dumb — I don't have the ability to use magick, so that would be a simple enough way to claim my innocence in the situation. With all that in mind, do you think it's worth it?

[ Stephen's the one who cultivated this relationship and who secured this opportunity for the three of them. For that reason, Thancred believes the ultimate decision should come down to him. ]

[He's aware of Yennefer's history with Thorne. Mostly, she was one of the first Summoned to be locked away simply for being brought to an alien world without their consent. He had sensed a stubbornness regarding Ambrose when they had spoken before, but it had simmered under the surface, merely implied subtext -- this was understandable, all things considered, and it made her decision to stay within the kingdom more notable.

Now, with how she speaks about the High Mage, he can tell it's a little fierier than that. Her opinion of the man isn't just dismissive, it's challenging; obviously, her discontent runs deeper than she lets on as she navigates the political web of Thorne's halls. Well, if there's anyone who can play the game, it's her. She's already made a name for herself in the castle, whereas Stephen--even if he has turned a few heads, too--gets a headache just thinking about keeping his head over the waterline of political machinations.

Although, yes, that's exactly what he's discussing doing right now.]

Yes. [He squeezes his horse with his legs to encourage it forward. Thancred is being kind by letting Stephen catch up, but he really does refuse to slow this traveling party down, even if it means he'll come away with a newfound appreciation for all those Western films he hasn't seen since he was younger.] What's the alternative? That I continue being the most reliable errand boy for the kingdom?

[Yes, he could still help this world in surface-level ways, but only in ways that simultaneously benefitted the kingdom, the larger picture obfuscated from him through lack of information. He doesn't want that.]

It'd be a risk, but a calculated one. And a hypothetical one right now, too, but I'll take it if push comes to shove.

[And if they're all okay with that, then so be it.]

Edited 2022-04-09 12:52 (UTC)

[ the thing is - it is a decision that yennefer makes to confirm what had either just been suspicions, or perhaps something more. a decision that she doesn't make lightly, either, but one she sees as worth it. if they're going to, at any point, have to decide what it is they want to do about ambrose and his potential mire, they should know why. and it's not like it is a secret - anyone around during that time, or anyone who asks after enough of the locals can figure it out.

but it hasn't mattered - she is where she is in spite of that. got to where she is in spite of that. thancred even looks back to her to confirm it, making note of her decision to stay, echoing their first conversation in many ways. yennefer doesn't respond, exactly, except to lift both her brows to him. yes, and?. it had not been a decision she made lightly, and looking back over her last few months she realizes it was the first decision she made that really broke things between her and geralt. now that she's on the other side of that second decision of hers, that second break, yennefer refuses (even if it's something as simple as this) to shy away from it.

when thancred turns his attention to stephen, to ask if this will be worth it, yennefer's eyes turn to him as well. she has no plans to show off her skills on horseback like thancred, but she is listening even from where stephen has fallen a bit behind. when stephens says yes, yennefer nods a bit to herself, likes the feeling of them all being on the same page. it's his next comment that has her snorting. ]

That's one way for Ambrose to show his power. To have the great Doctor Stephen Strange as his errand boy.

[ she says it with a shrug, very obviously joking. ] We will need to see if these devices even work before any of that, though. [ she resettles herself on her saddle, making a show of preparing to push her own horse a bit faster. they still haven't even arrived at their first location yet, they'll know more once they see what these devices do. ] But I believe we're all in agreement. Now, let's move, shall we? [ a glance back over her shoulder with a slight smile before she kicks at her horse and takes off. keep up, boys - because yennefer does keep this pace until they arrive at that first destination. does seem a bit impatient, even as stephen sets up the device (which she is taking special care to watch for every step), and then after a few tense moments of watching it settle and calibrate...

first device: set. only six more to go. ]

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( closed; quest ) the long and winding road

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THATS A WRAP.