@ everyone

[techmaturgy]

[Viktor’s familiar, hurried script appears once again on its own. Without someone helping to facilitate the post, he is straight to the point, much as he was some months ago, announcing the location of the kidnapped Summoned.]

I’m well aware that most of us are occupied with the hostile creatures descending on various locations across the continent. However:

I’m more concerned with the nature of these phenomena and am currently improving the devices that the Academy will use to take measurements from the rifts. When I’m finished, the data will be more accurate than what the Cadens scientists could gather on their own. If there are similar efforts in the other factions, it is in our best interests to collaborate. I have theories of my own, as well.

[That’s, you know, the hint to pony up some intel.]

In the meantime, for those of you in the Free Cities who might be venturing to the rifts, I will need an escort. I would prefer to collect the readings myself, but I’m willing to part with one of the devices provided you are responsible with it. That may allow us to cover more ground.

As always, if you are in need of equipment or repairs, my workshop is open (unless I’m examining the rifts, in which case I’ll handle inquiries when I return).

- V

[ooc: here is a little bit about what Viktor has going on! for additional plotting/convergence of plots, hit me up on plurk at whitticus or discord at whitticus.]

Comments

[sleepfan]

Interestingly, all of us from Fodlan remember the Professor being shoved forcefully through a rift somewhat like the ones here - and them returning. Maybe the wide range of timelines pulled in from Fodlan is because the... you called it spacetime? is already weak in Fodlan. Like a frayed cloth. I wonder if the reason we're seeing the creatures we are is that those worlds have the weakest barriers around them?

I appreciate that. I just did not want to assume, as I have been informed this is a very dangerous situation and caution towards new people would not be unexpected.

I think your ideas are interesting and find the inability to easily share resources between nations frustrating.

[techmaturgy]

There may be some constants. Touchstones, or...points across universes where events naturally converge. I'm unsure of the significance of it. Did your professor create the rift? Or did it naturally occur?

There are other things we can do--the Horizon, of course, and we've smuggled things between factions in the past, through Nocwich. Not everyone is willing to take that risk, however.

[sleepfan]

Yes, I was thinking about constants as they related to Fodlan. Perhaps the amount of convergences might have some relation with how difficult it is to Summon from a particular world? As in warp magic, something 'closer' is easier than something 'farther'.

The rift was created, but not by the professor. By another group. Who may have done the same thing in the past. So Fodlan's spacetime may be full of holes?

Private:
I think this effort is important.

[techmaturgy]

I'm not sure what would make one world more prone to various alternate universes than another. Then again, the potential for parallel timelines of any given world is infinite, so maybe you're right. Maybe Fodlan is full of holes, for you to have encountered so many.

Private:
It is vital to my current research.

[sleepfan]

Different infinities, though. Maybe some infinities are more resonant than others? I do not know enough about how timelines function. Claude has a hypothesis that our teacher's actions create timelines, but I do not think he is correct. There either need to be a set of choices that can create new timelines or every choice creates a timeline.

I wonder if warp magic has any impact on spacetime. Have you compared the worlds without teleportation to those with?

Private:
We need to understand the link between Abraxas, the Singularity, timelines, and everyone's worlds. I don't think they're as separate as we assume they are.

throws private out the window actually

[techmaturgy]

I operate under the theory that every divergence, however minute, creates a new timeline, or perhaps it already exists as a parallel universe. Unwieldy, perhaps, but we are dealing with the infinite.

[He might shrug here, if they were speaking in person.]

The Singularity's power reaches far beyond this world, as we've seen. We, as summoned, have a special connection to it. The nature of that connection is the key to everything.

public science how scandalous

[sleepfan]

Is there evidence for that theory? The question then is what causes the divergences?

I agree.

[techmaturgy]

Only that it is the logical conclusion of a multiverse. The causes of the divergences matters less, I think, than the fact that they exist at all.

[sleepfan]

I think the causes matter a great deal; they - or it - would reveal a lot about how the timelines are organized and therefore how they could be traversed or related to one another.

[techmaturgy]

I have some ideas about that already. I don't think we can assign physical space to different universes--that is, I don't think certain worlds are "neighbors" to others in a way we might understand.

[sleepfan]

There should be some dimensional relationship between them even if not in one of the first four. Unless you think there's no causality and all timelines are completely time-independent?

[Ow. That even hurts his head.]

[techmaturgy]

Obviously, yes. I meant physical proximity. There's much about this we still don't know.

[sleepfan]

Are people stupid enough to think there's physical proximity in this case?

Never mind. I answered my own question.

[Yes, people are stupid.]

[techmaturgy]