001.

[propulsion]

FORM: Book
SENDER: Tony Stark
RECIPIENT: DL Staff All Riftwatch
NOTES: Set mid-Kingsway.

dear diary

it's me tony. day 2 of whatever this is. infection maintains. ("anchor"? fixed point. "shard"? piece of something.) probably missed my window for autoamputation. dang it.

angles:
- make believe equiv of imaging(?). how deep does infection run
- timelines of progression? relating proximity? further symptoms? need more data.
- output. find means of quantifying.
- interaction with rifts. absorption?
- applications?
- extraction?
- super cool sleep-glove that reduces harmful blue spectrum light. nts: patent that.
- potential variables in high 5ing with other "rifters".

first things first: do the readings. if only there was some way of connecting with the broader riftwatch community and inquiring about the groundwork already put down for anchor study maybe via some kind of a magical book. gosh the olden times are just the worst.

guess i'll have to do this the hard way.

Comments

[dissono]

IF YOU ARE SO AVERSE TO GETTING BETTER ACQUAINTED,

( which definitely is not what he was proposing, anthony untested risk stark, )

I HAVE SPACE IN THE RESEARCH LABORATORIES. IN THE EVENT THAT YOU TAKE IT UPON YOURSELF TO AMPUTATE YOUR ARM, I AM AVAILABLE TO THE INFIRMARY WHEN MY EMERGENCY SURGERY EXPERTISE IS REQUIRED.

[propulsion]

[ :)? ]

thanks gervais v
if that is your real name.

[dissono]

ENCHANTER GERVAIS VAUQUELIN, DOG-WALKER. "THE GINGER" TO ONE DWARF, NUMEROUS NUGS AND A GOOSE.

again, a minute longer than it takes to write the below;

[propulsion]

jeeves it is

[dissono]

BE ALSO AWARE THAT RIFTERS ARE NOT THE ONLY SHARD-BEARERS; NATIVE ACQUISITION IS RARER, BUT PRESENT. THE ONLY RECORDED DEATH DIRECTLY CAUSED BY AN ANCHOR-SHARD WAS A DALISH ELF WITH THE MISFORTUNE TO HAVE BEEN STRUCK NOT IN A LIMB BUT HER TORSO.

JEEVES.

[propulsion]

how does that happen? native acquisition.

[ Which is only marginally more important than nickname acquisition. ]

[dissono]

AS YOU ACQUIRED ONE THROUGH A RIFT, SO DOES A NATIVE ACQUIRE ONE FROM A RIFT. RIFTWATCH AND INQUISITION AGENTS ARE AT HIGHEST RISK, AS THEY ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE PRESENT AT AN ACTIVE RIFT OR THE OPENING OF ONE IN THE INTEREST OF KEEPING THE SHARD-BEARERS CLOSING IT ALIVE LONG ENOUGH TO DO SO. MY NIECE WAS STRUCK WHEN THE OPENING OF A RIFT RAN HER CARRIAGE OFF A ROAD IN ORLAIS.

[propulsion]

ok so what it only hits bodies? not horses, trees, carriages? what makes a person an attractor?

[dissono]

WE HAVE OBSERVED IN SOME SHARD-BEARERS THE DEVELOPMENT OF ABILITIES TIED TO THE ANCHOR-SHARD OTHER THAN THE MOST NOTABLE ABILITY TO, IN CONCERT WITH EACH OTHER, CLOSE A RIFT. MY NIECE DISPLAYS BOTH OF THESE: TO FORM A SHIELD BEFORE HERSELF, OR CREATE A POWERFUL BLAST OF FADE ENERGY.

SHE IS NOT A MAGE, YET THIS IS MAGIC. TO DATE, NO MORE HORSES HAVE DISPLAYED MAGICAL ABILITY THAN HAVE BEEN STRUCK BY ANCHOR-SHARDS. THE ANCHOR WAS BORNE AND WIELDED IN ITS WHOLE FORM BY THE LATE EVELYN TREVELYAN; IT IS MY PERSONAL OPINION THAT THE CAPACITY TO WIELD IS THE DIFFERENCE. DWARVES DO NOT PRODUCE MAGES. DWARVES HAVE NOT PRODUCED SHARD-BEARERS.

( if a dwarf shows up tomorrow with an anchor-shard, gervais is more likely to start revising theories about dwarves, not the anchor. )

[propulsion]

first of all and i meant to bring this up earlier but they really prefer to be called 'little people'.

[ Which is inaccurate on at least two levels, Tony, you're just not a fan of not knowing things. ]

ok fine. shardanchor => innate magic potential => non-dwarf sentient beings because ??? reasons i don't have enough in me to unpack all of that on paper. what's your niece's name?

[dissono]

I INVITE YOU TO REFER TO YNGVI AS A LITTLE PERSON AND SEE HOW THAT PANS OUT FOR YOU, MSSR UNTESTED RISK. HE ALLEGES THE GOOSE CAN BE TRUSTED.

( gervais harbors suspicions about yngvi's goose and they are that all geese are morally bad. )

HER NAME IS GWENAËLLE BAUDIN. IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK WITH HER, SHE RESIDES WITH PROVOST BAUDIN OF THE RESEARCH DIVISION IN THE CENTRAL TOWER. HE IS, LIKE YOURSELF, A RIFTER.

THE QUESTIONS RAISED HERE ARE TANGENTIALLY RELEVANT TO MY PREVIOUS RESEARCH FOCUS, PRIOR TO THIS WAR AND THE ONE PRECEDING IT. I STUDIED THE QUESTION OF WHY ELVES AND HUMANS PRODUCE ONLY HUMAN CHILDREN. A SIMILAR PHENOMENON IS PRODUCED IN THE RARE EVENT OF A DWARF AND ELF REPRODUCING, WHERE THE CHILD CARRIES ONLY DWARVEN TRAITS, THOUGH I REGRETTABLY COULD RELY ONLY ON SECONDARY SOURCES REGARDING THAT. IN THE EVENT A HUMAN AND A DWARF REPRODUCE, HOWEVER, THE CHILD DISPLAYS TRAITS OF BOTH BLOODLINES. THIS SEEMS MORE NATURAL, AND YET IN THE WIDER CONTEXT I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED OTHERWISE.

HAD I MADE MORE PROGRESS IN THAT RESEARCH, PERHAPS I WOULD HAVE MORE ANSWERS NOW.

[propulsion]

don't beat yourself up about it jeeves you're doing amazing.
i don't bring much with me except for the cumulative knowledge of scientific advancement produced by several wars and one industrial revolution +/- my own spin. medicine wasn't my area but i know a thing or two about mysterious energy sources and their potentialities.
tell you what if i do lose my arm you'll be the first to know.

[dissono]

IF IT HAPPENS IN THE FIELD, PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO BRING IT BACK WITH YOU.

[limier]

PLEASE DO NOT.

[dissono]

I DO NOT INTEND TO KEEP IT IN THE HOUSE. DEAR.

[limier]

Toting dead flesh attracts wildlife, Enchanter.

[dissono]

ICE IT, RETIREE.

[limier]

I will ice something.

[dissono]

TONY, HAVE YOU MET YET MY DOPE SWORD ARM, LUWENNA.

[propulsion]

hi
i would have named mine like COLD STEEL or QUICK SILVER or something but you do you

[limier]

Have you considered acquiring a more traditional blade?

[propulsion]

why, do you have a sister?

[limier]

I have experience in amputation.

[dissono]

DARLING I AM MAKING A FRIEND.

[limier]

Does he have a sister?