crystal; rifter cultural exchange war table plot

[aberratic]

FORM: Crystal
SENDER: Ness ( aberratic )
RECIPIENT: all y'all
NOTES: This is a long one, she's a yapper. Important points bolded for the tl;dr, not for ic emphasis.

[ she has learned her lesson in contacting jayce far too early in the day; today, when ness gets on the crystal, it's closer to midday than to the first rays of dawn. she wants to reach the largest possible crowd, after all, and can't reach people who are asleep.

so: it is midday, and the first thing heard over crystal is a stack of papers being tapped neatly on a desk. buckle up, riftwatch, this is gonna be a long one. ]

Hello, Riftwatch, Ennaris Tavane speaking. [ does it sound like she's reading off a pre-written script? maybe. look, she has a lot to get through and she doesn't want to miss anything. ] In looking into how I could best make use of myself here, I found that there's quite a lot of information on rifter technology and knowledge that might have a use in Thedas, but it all seems to be a little spread out, in various different offices and projects. My aim now, which I have received permission from Provost Niehaus to undertake, is to gather all this disparate information and compile it to make comprehensive files for each field. To that end, I have requests of our organization, both rifter and native Thedosian alike:

Rifters, I would like to hear from you on technologies available in your world that Thedosians may be able to reproduce. Some of these notes include reference to a Riftwach Cultural Exposition which took place last year, and I would especially welcome input from anyone who attended or presented at that Exposition. Much of the work on this end has already been done by the agents who worked on this endeavour before me, so my goal here is mainly to ensure that I understand exactly what it is I'm compiling, but I welcome new ideas to add to the compilation—and no innovation is too trivial to be included; at the Exposition, a rifter Jude Adjei met with great success in distributing his peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. If it can be achieved by the means and materials we have available to us in our new home, it's worth consideration, at the very least.

Native Thedosians, here I defer to your expertise in our home. The goal of compiling this information is to be able to facilitate a dialogue between ourselves and the rest of Thedas, to bring to bear the knowledge of worlds beyond to make life better across this continent, here and now. The question I put to you is, who would be most receptive to this dialogue? There are some names in these notes, a Monsieur Guillaume du Naigh, Signora Jacqueline Fioranati, and we have experienced no small success in engaging with the University of Orlais—but it has been some time since the Exposition. Have we made any new contacts? Which organizations are of the most open minds? Any names I receive will be listed and turned over to the Provost as contacts for next steps, once the information has been compiled.

Given no significant setbacks, I intend to have this information compiled and ready to set before the Provost within a month. While I welcome any and all contributions, it would be best they come sooner than later.

Thank you for your assistance, Riftwatch.

Comments

[aberratic]

That's exactly what I'm here for, Doctor! [ give ness all the ideas you don't have time for, she'll take 'em all, even if it means she never sleeps again!

pen scritching noises intensify, oh man— ]

This is perfect, we can meet about it as soon as you have a free moment. I've been working on the germ theory and all already, but I think getting the micro-scopes out there would be the best bet on that front, right, because if people see them for themselves, it becomes much easier to believe. While we work on finding people to produce those en masse I can work on networking for someone to come out here for the penicillin—oh, this is so exciting. We could make a real difference with things like this.

[portalling]

( The corner of his mouth ticks upward; her excitement is heartwarming, bordering on contagious. )

Being ‘out of sight, out of mind’ was one of my greatest obstacles in convincing people. No matter how much I ranted about tiny organisms, I sounded like a madman because they couldn’t see it for themselves. ( And poor Gela and Derrica and Orlov had to smooth over the diplomatic disaster which was Doctor Strange yelling at nuns. )

The trade shortages are a trouble, but Ostwick is particularly known for its glassmakers; I’ve thought for a while that if we could convince a craftsman to manufacture the lenses and start selling microscopes ( he pronounces it smoothly, without that hitch between syllables ) then it would be easier to sway people. Once local researchers can see it with their own eyes.

[aberratic]

I thought that would be the case, [ she does sound genuinely annoyed by that, though maybe that's just because she's done the reading and found it all very persuasive. how many people in thedas can even read, come to think of that? ] So the sooner we get someone in Ostwick onboard, the better.

[ noting that down specifically, she can find the time to do some research into contemporary glassmakers in the next day or two. ]

After that, distribution, making sure they get to the right rooms in Thedas to be the most useful... I wonder if the Chantry would be receptive to the idea. They're best positioned to get the word out to the common folk, after all.

[ much as ness finds the institution distasteful and would prefer not to go through them for anything... sometimes practicality wins. ]

It might be good to stroke some egos as well, if we ever find we actually need them for something.

[portalling]

( Grudgingly: ) Well-positioned to get word out, and more well-read than most. Obviously it’s not their primary focus,

( he, too, finds the institution distasteful, he even found it distasteful back on Earth, )

but they’re also literate and have their share of clerics, scholars, academics. I’m sure you’ve read some of Brother Genitivi’s texts. So if there’s any chance of finding an academically-curious mind outside of the universities, yes, perhaps in the Chantry.

[aberratic]

[ is it possible for a scritching pen to sound begrudging? if it is, ness' does. ]

Alright, I can look into that too. I'll come by your office and we can discuss more about the trans-fusions and all then, say three days from now? I'll see what Chantry scholars I can rustle up, Ostwick glassmakers... Plenty to be getting on with!

[portalling]

( Part of him briefly considers apologising for dropping so much work in her lap; not because Strange is inherently an apologetic man, but because this is partially work that he’d meant to do, and now it’s hers. But he also knows what it’s like, being a new rifter and searching for ways to keep busy. To be useful. )

Deeply appreciated, Tavane, thank you. It’s good to have someone working on this.

[aberratic]

[ ......more scritching. she might be writing that down, too. ]

No problem at all, Doctor, I'm happy to be of use. See you in a couple days, if I don't crystal you before then!