abraxaslogs | Rewriting history with the stories we tell

Stephen, too, believes in balance. If one were to take all the uncountable facets of the universe, of the multiverse, and shear it down into one concept everything hinges around, it’s exactly that: balance. Should one thing bend or break, the rest tries to compensate. Energy—magical or otherwise—is no exception to the rule.

By default, the Summoned would be a factor in throwing things off-balance. They’re tilting the scales too heavily in one direction by merely existing beyond the confines of their timelines, their planes, their home universes. So many of them have accrued in Abraxas now. It’s going to be harder and harder to tell if the Singularity is reacting to their presence, or something more inherent in this world, the longer this goes on.

It’s enough to give a man a headache.

Thankfully, at least he’s not the only one who needs to share in this headache.

“The Singularity continues to be an interest of mine. Both professionally and simply because I want to return to Earth, while simultaneously ensuring that my planet’s safe, too.” He gestures at Istredd with an open hand. “I’m always willing to collaborate with anyone who shares those same priorities.”

Balance is the very first lesson for mages. Often in a very cruel way, but it is the way they learn, you balance chaos or it consumes you. There is no certainty in a world out of balance, only a guarantee for it to spin out of control one day.

"Have you gotten a sense as to why exactly they started this? I assumed because they can't physically get to the Singularity, so they were trying to find something that would survive it. Thorne's lost power on their continent, being able to tap into the Singularity would put it back into their hands."

Learning how courts work is something all mages are required to do, but that's because most of them are required to go into politics. He is not one of those mages, but he still sees things fairly clearly. A powerful place losing ground and watching their old land excelling. The Singularity, a source of great power, untapped and unable to be used. But that is an assumption, he doesn't know for sure.

"I don't have proof yet, and hopefully we can work together to find it." He means the two of them, but also the general we. "But if the Singularity is connected to all other worlds, as it seems entirely possible, and it is draining them, what happens here is essential to keeping all worlds alive."

“I’m working on that assumption, too,” he offers in turn. “Even if that assumption is wrong—which I hope it is—it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

His responsibilities insist that he make sure, without a doubt, that the Singularity isn’t going to lead to the downfall of multiple worlds as its magic wanes, and personally, Stephen isn’t completely sure that’s the case.

“The one time I interacted with the monolith, I did get the sense that things were connected. Until I’ve been proven otherwise, I’m going to keep looking for a solution. Even if we all find a way home, we don’t take our memories of this world with us. And that means we’d all be forgetting a potential multiverse-damning problem, just like that.”

He snaps his fingers for emphasis. Needless to say, this is one issue that keeps him up at night; it places an imaginary time limit on the problem. Best to figure it out before they’re randomly sent home and blissfully unaware of the looming threat elsewhere.

“I’m sure politics had something to do with it. But the answer to that will probably vary depending on who you ask. I’m sure the High Mage himself is concerned about the Singularity’s effects on this world, and his intent to study it has always seemed sincere.”

"I agree. We can't take the risk. Now that we're here, it would be irresponsible not to try and make certain we aren't looking at a calamity."

The fate of many worlds could wrap up in it. Perhaps they are assuming too much about the Singularity and its importance, and their ability to do anything about it, but Istredd would much rather be wrong than dead. It seems that he and Stephen are like-minded that way. Yennefer and Geralt were both correct when they recommended the man to him, he can see that clearly.

"I suppose he won't listen to the suggestion to stop Summoning, since Free Cities and Solvunn will not stop."

It puts Thorne at a disadvantage, if the other two actually manage to use their Summoned, or tries to. But he still thinks that messing with the fabric of reality, between worlds, is dangerous. Nothing to be done about it through them, but Istredd sighs, rubbing at his eyes.

"I don't know that I believe them when they say they intentionally took us. If that was the case, they would have an entire population of people like us all working toward the solution."

It seems that they share the same mindset, yes. Which doesn’t always account for much in Thorne, with royalty calling the shots, but it means there’s a pool of other Summoned to reason with — that have a pulse on the politicking when one man can only keep his ear to the wall for so long, and so much.

Stephen scoffs. “Maybe it’s more a roll of the dice than they’re letting on. Yank someone out of the pool, and hope that they know a thing or two about magic or the connective tissue of the universe. If they don’t? Well, it’s not like they were shy about throwing some of the unintentionally Summoned in jail cells before. That’s not exactly a new revelation.”

"Them throwing people in the jail cells made me think right away that it was a mistake from the start. They maybe thought they could control it more, and perhaps the spell has become refined since then. My guess would be worlds rather than individuals are specified."

And then the individuals are a question mark. Worlds with different types of magic or more or less magic. It is easier to open gates with the right power, not easy at all to pinpoint exact people. Or at least that's his consideration at the moment.

"But they don't know how to send us back or they would have done it before. They are truly out of their depth."

Istredd is not being critical in the way people might be of Thorne in terms of the monarchy or their power dynamics. He is saying it all very rationally. Mages are fools, he knows that much from his own experience. So focused on their own power.

"It might be worthwhile to try to find that spell. I doubt it would be easy though."

And at that, Stephen’s brows shoot up once more. Now there’s a thought, one that’s played at his own mind time and time again. It has its problems, and though he’s fairly certain Istredd is probably aware of them himself, they bear repeating.

“It would be worthwhile. I’ve been wanting to pick it apart for some time now.”

To see what he could glean, what he could learn. If there’s something being kept from them, still, that could be unearthed from the nature of the spell. A little magical reverse-engineering.

“But if there’s one ritual kept under lock and key, it’s that one. We’d have a hell of a time trying to unearth it without getting caught or getting on anyone’s bad side.”

"The Free Cities and Solvunn were able to come up with it immediately themselves, once the Summoned were let loose. It may be closely guarded now, but it wasn't always, if they could find it."

Which means that the spell was somewhere out in the open enough that Thorne couldn't lock it down to their land alone. It was somehow able to be grasped and used by the leaders of two other factions entirely. Quickly. They knew what they were looking for. It doesn't mean the path to finding it will be easy for them now, but it was at one point known. A very specific summoning spell.

"The problem being here in Thorne is that they keep so much of their true information locked away from us." It is obvious that everything in the library and probably in the bookstores is approved-of texts. Nothing they don't want the Summoned or anyone else to be able to get.

"I have to wonder if it may be worth seeing if other factions might look into it as well. See if any of us can get lucky. I don't think they are sending anyone back, so it may be a one-way summoning, but it's worth knowing."

Again, a good point.

“Wouldn’t hurt to ask around,” he says. “Well, except for the part where we’d probably get in trouble for it at the least.”

But Stephen thinks he can get away with asking around — it’s anything that requires actual practice of the spell itself which may trend a little too close to treason. But they’ll cross that bridge when they get there. If they get there.

“Wouldn’t go making a big announcement of it, obviously, but I think we can afford to ask a few people that we trust what they’ve heard. I’ll admit… Talk of the summoning spell has been far from my mind, considering everything else that’s been going on.”

But for Istredd to bring it back to the forefront again, that’s worthwhile. He’s glad for it.

"That's why I'm talking to someone who actually has influence here. You can do things I can't."

He smiles faintly and shrugs. Istredd is very pragmatic that way. It is unlikely he'll ever manage to get up to those levels, he is likable enough as someone willing to do wards and teach young mages, but not anywhere near a political sphere. Yennefer and Stephen have that covered, and they play to their strengths.

"Within reason of course, I don't want to put you in harm's way."

Istredd does have a bad habit, as some other intellectuals do, of thinking only of the end result and not the risks in between. It means he can follow a subject and research and obsess over it until he gets answers, without noticing if consequences come from those actions. He is working on getting better about that though.

"It's not top of my list either, but there would be value in having that knowledge in our hands. Especially if there is any hope of people voluntarily returning home."

Istredd himself is in no hurry, he wants to stay here and learn about the Singularity and see if he can save the magic supply. That is his only priority. But there must be people here who are miserable and want that freedom. If it takes power away from their 'captors' all the better.

"If the Singularity is sending us back, perhaps studying it will offer other answers as well."

Rewriting history with the stories we tell

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