@ everyone

[theidlemaiden]

𝘏𝘪 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 — 𝘈𝘭𝘵𝘢ï𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 — 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘴!

[A combination of deep exasperation and resignation doesn't show in Altaïr's 'handwriting', but if it could, it absolutely would.]

We discovered a pair of mated lizards in the woods of Solvunn some time ago. One appears entirely normal, the other is half-mechanical, with gears in its midsection. It should clearly be dead regardless of where those gears came from, and yet it both lives and has fathered eggs.

[Unspoken: 'That's fucked up, right?'

Hilda's handwriting interjects, clearly addressing Altaïr. ]

𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 “𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥” - 𝘝𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘪 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦! 

[He feels as though he should be too dignified and composed for internal bickering in front of others but he absolutely is not.]

Miracle implies the presence of divinity. This is clearly something else. I would like to know what, and to know whether any other Summoned have encountered anything similar.

[ Somewhere Hilda is rolling her eyes and mimicking him but thankfully everyone else is spared the theatrics. ]

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘪 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘝𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘪 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮. 𝘏𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘈𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘹𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 – 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴.

 

𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘸𝘦’𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘰𝘤𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩, 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦!

( ooc: visit the lizards here! and you may get replies from either one of the new parents or both! don't worry about posting order, thread jacking is encouraged ) 

Comments

[earthborn]

Well, I've never seen anything like that specifically, it's not unheard-of for living things to be augmented with, uh

Technology.

And only really one or two parts have to be "alive" to have children, right? What makes this guy think it couldn't have come from Abraxas?

ACTION THREADS - The Sarstina/Nocwich

[aquilus]

[Summoned who want to check out the weird lizard in person at either location can find Hilda looking chipper and welcome and Altaïr looking reasonably tolerant, weirdo lizard child accompanying them as they share a table.]

private ∞

[gynvael]

[ Geralt rarely surfaces in these conversations, but the gears and mechanical parts ring eerily familiar. ]

I have something
You may wish to see.

[techmaturgy]

Half mechanical? And you're just now telling me about this?

[theidlemaiden]

𝘛𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥?

[aquilus]

He noted that the metal used in the screws and joints has known properties not common to Abraxas. So it may possibly come from here — but he seemed very doubtful.

Additionally, its reproductive areas are largely not flesh.

[theidlemaiden]

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘵'𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶!

[theidlemaiden]

𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦.

[aquilus]

I did look closely. We needed to be sure.

[monomachy]

I have never heard of such a thing. It is still truly alive?

[she's with altaïr on this one--that's kinda fucked up]

[aquilus]

[Thank you for your support Diana]

It is flesh from the head to partwau through its midsection, then mechanical until the tail. Its back legs are entirely mechanical. I do not know whether more metal lies beneath its skin. It seems to behave as any animal would.

[earthborn]

So he's a metallurgist and a geologist in addition to a biology expert?

[monomachy]

[somehow sees that altaïr said he looked closely at the lizard's junk, does not ask that burning question]

So it's as if a piece of it was simply... taken out and replaced?

[hey what the FUCK]

[earthborn]

Look, I'm not a doctor, but so long as he can actually produce sperm and get it into the female, that's all that's necessary as far as I personally am aware. It doesn't take much.

Don't— don't ask me for any more sex ed for adults than that. Go ask an actual medical professional or something.

[gynvael]

Mm.
I'll be by.

[theidlemaiden]

[ Diana, no please. Accept their weird child as he is. ]

𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯...𝘺𝘦𝘴? 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩! 𝘖𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵.

[aquilus]

We didn't demand to see official credentials. He may have consulted with his peers at the Academy.

[aquilus]

Please do.

[theidlemaiden]

𝘐 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰! 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩.

[ Hilda is mostly bluffing here. She had read up a couple of books before her absent partner had swooped down from the rooftops to help her at the academy. ]

𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰?

[techmaturgy]

It's as if you don't know me at all!

here to give you.......a hand. 🥁

[gynvael]

[ Geralt arrives with a bag slung over his shoulder. What's inside appears to consist of bony appendages, poking at the fabric of the sack.

He sets it on the fucked-up lizard table with absolutely zero announcement. It clunks dully. ]

I recommend we go somewhere private.

[earthborn]

Interesting. How're they supposed to have gotten around to surveying the other two thirds of the planet, I wonder? If these egg-heads have a way around the border issue, it's definitely of interest.

Still, the idea that this can't possibly be the product of something local sounds dubious to me. The only reason I can even think as to why someone would make a robot lizard is to use it to spy on people, and there's more than enough demand for that product.

[earthborn]

Look, I'm just repeating what I was told when they were trying to scare kids away from getting pregnant by sixteen. Doesn't mean it's wrong. Just... y'know. Talk to a real doctor.



...And, yeah, sometimes. People who're part-machine are a lot more common, though. If you're hurt, or if whatever you've got doesn't work for some reason, and they can replace the part... why wouldn't they?

Got a few "machine" parts, myself.

[aquilus]

An excellent question. We did briefly speak with an engineer for an extra opinion regarding the metalwork but as neither of us are experts, we accepted his assessment at face value.

I don't see the purpose either. They weren't being monitored in any way I could detect.

just what they wanted

[aquilus]

[Altaïr is already eyeing the bony bag with great interest, but nods. Private is fine.]

I have a room upstairs.