"Mantle? Are you thinking that the explosion in the manner shattered the fireplace and threw chunks of it into timelines that are corrupting where they fall?"
Joska shakes her head and nearly takes half a step backwards as if she was shaking off a failed daze spell. "I wasn't..." she answers turning towards the other woman, "but now you've got me curious."
"When you say timelines--in the plural--are you postulating that rather than different floors of the Tower granting access to different times along the same timeline, each floor intersects with a separate timeline and those points of intersection occur at a progression of times? And, if so, what sort of causal relationship do you theorize exists between these separate timelines?"
Lori listens to the questions, cocks her head after a moment of thought and then says "Yes"
But after another pause, she tries to expand "The tower could be the relationship. A timeline at the base changes something, creating a new timeline shooting up, into the time period at the new level, shattering into new splintered lines, and then up into the next and the next until we get to the top." she shrugs after that comment.
Joska's brow furrows. "Do you..." she starts before hesitating a moment. Then she continues, "I think you probably mean a timeline at the top changes something, creating a cascade of new timelines shooting down, into the time period at the new level, right? The higher up you go the farther back in time you'd be: the bottom is the latest, most-future, time period... all of our research so far seems to support a downward causal relationship--like what you do on floors above the Institute affecting Cardriss when visited from below the Institute. You're not suggesting that things done by people from inside the Tower will cause changes in the past, are you?"
She thinks for a moment longer and then adds, "or... I guess by that theory, it wouldn't really be the past, per se, but a completely new timeline that intersects the Tower at a previous point in possibly altered history... is that what you're proposing?"
"Proposing?" Lyra paused, blinked, and then shook her head "I have no idea and no way of finding out. Traveling into different times, never worried you that you might be changing time? I mean I was worried about stepping on ants even and you are smarter than me."
"I've always been mindful of causality from past to present to future," Joska states so flatly it sounds almost like a protest. "I don't know that stepping on ants is necessary to avoid, but I always consider what impact my actions might have on the future before I do anything significant. But you're talking about weighing what impact actions could have on the past... how would one even approach that consideration when its contrary to everything we know about causality?"
"The tower is an aberration so all fundamentals about causality will need to be discarded." she frowns a little, realizing she is sounding slightly like a certain wizard who has annoyed her fiercely but she still misses.
So she tries her way "Think of the world as an orange, but flatten it so we can imagine it like a disk. So you have a flat orange for every place the tower touches the world, with the tower spearing up into them like with a shish kabob. "
"So you got your fruity timeline shish kabob, but then someone goes along one of the oranges and makes something go BOOM, like a... Oh, like if someone squeezed the orange, sending juice all about." She pauses her highly technical talk to deal with a problem of logic that Maximus has already raised his hand about "Yes, I know the orange is flat so the juice would have squirted out long ago, but this is a magical orange that doesn't lose juice by flattening." she waits until his hand goes down, then continues "The juice splatters up and Down, mingling the orange of one time with another time, creating something new."
She stops and thinks, then nods "That is what I'm thinking. I don't know what the 'New' is, but it is new, different, confusing, and causing problems, and most importantly someone else is experimenting with it already." the all saw the contraption in the river. "So we should stop them." and then There comes the gleam of excitement in her eyes, the prospect of battling the someone.
"Hmmm..." Joska answers, her brow now fully furrowed in thought. "An interesting idea. We needn't discard all fundamentals of causality; our research has consistently confirmed a traditional causal link from any point in time to all times afterwards--or, potentially, any specific timeline to those timelines which intersect the Tower at later points in their history."
"Your splattering idea is intriguing, though we haven't, thus far, observed any causal link backward through time..."
Gavin's attitude towards the altering of the timeline, or timelines, has always been more or less indifferent.
"There will always be catastrophes, famine, plague. Prevention is a noble goal, but my focus is on loving and helping those in the midst of turmoil."
Gavin's nature is to help whenever possible, but this is mostly academic for him.
The conversation seemingly having run its course, Joska thinks for a moment then offers, "To be continued some other time, I suppose. If you'd all be so good as to join hands?"
Once the ring is formed, she casts dimension to teleport them all back to the stairs. As they begin transforming into mist form to speed their ascent, she asks, "Would you like to accompany me to the Institute and help write up the report, or will you be heading back to Redwatch?"
The word report makes Lyra's face fall, but she catches it into a hesitant smile "If you need help..." inwardly she is hoping the answer is no.
Though he is eager to return to Redwatch and check the mailbox and look in on the Witness, Gavin offers to go to the institute.
"The report should be as thorough as possible, and I like to see a task through to completion. Go on ahead, Lyra. I shouldn't be more than an hour behind."
Gavin goes with Joska, adding whatever he can remember from the foray, and from their dealings with other 'Rosethorn' items.
He also asks, "Has there ever been a correlation between the lateral positioning of a portals location with its destination? Or simply it's vertical position?"
Lyra sighs, "No, dear Gavin, I will accompany you." Her inclination to follow the role of spellcaster protector is just as strong as ever. She will fidget, but otherwise not be too annoying.
Joska stares at Gavin for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, and then repsonds, "I really wish you all would let go of whatever it is that's stopping you from joining the Institute and just become full-fledged members. I'm never sure what I'm allowed to tell you and what information you're still supposed to be working to earn..." She falls silent as the transformation into mist nears its completion and right at the last possible moment she mutters, "lateral position doesn't matter."
The four mist figures speed up the stairs together until the mage signals for them to stop. Once they're all physical again, she teleports them back into her office in the Institute. There, Maximus sits bored for several hours while Lyra and Gavin provide as much insight for the report as they can.
"I do understand your frustration. I hope you don't think our reluctance is designed to consternate. Everyone enters the Tower with a purpose, or a goal. We are simply being overabundantly cautious about pledging service or loyalty until we can be certain the Institute's goals no not conflict with our own." the old priest says, truly saddened that he has caused any grief, but knowing the slow path is wisest.
Turning to Lyra as she follows, he smiles, "I am, as always, glad to have your company, I'll try to be brief."
Lyra has a goal, and anything she can do (that doesn't burden her conscience) she will do. But Gavin and the Witness still seem to her to be the best strategy to the top. "Sorry Joska." she says, friendly but turning her down again. Then finds a table to sit on while the book keepers keep books.
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”Welcome back,” The Witness greets his companions with a slight smile as he walks into the room and links them all via a telepathic bond.
++ It’s occurred to me that I never expounded upon my current understanding of the mechanics of The Tower so far as they relate to traveling to different points along the timeline of the regular prime material plane. Please, allow me to do so now.
++ As Gaius and I discussed, space inside The Tower corresponds to time in the regular world - the higher up the Stair we exit into the regular world, the farther back in time we arrive. Each step corresponds to 9 days’ time; each floor, or complete turn of the Stair - 360 steps - to one tran. We’ve also discovered time passes at the same rate inside and outside The Tower: if we exit through a portal into the first day of the year 100 and return two days later on the third day of the year 100, two days will also have passed inside The Tower. Furthermore, if we were to then wait seven days and exit again through the same portal, we’d arrive on the tenth day of the year 100 - not on the first day as we did on our original trip.
++ Why is this? If where one exits The Tower determines their time of arrival in the regular world, and the portal used hasn’t moved, then why doesn’t it always lead to the same time on the same day? And how can one return through the same portal two days later, to the same spatial location inside The Tower?
++ One can’t. It’s not the same location inside The Tower. The portal has moved.
++ The interior of The Tower - the column running through the center of the Stair, where the various floors and chambers are located - is in constant motion. With every moment it rotates downwards, like a screw. Every nine days it moves the height and width of one step of the Stair; every nine years that of one floor. This is why the elves measure floors in relation to Redwatch rather than the bottom of The Tower.
++ Of course, this system raises more questions, mainly as to the nature of the Stair itself and of the doorway to the Upper Tower, to which I don’t have any answers. But I thought it might be useful for us all to share a basic understanding of The Tower’s structure and connection to the outside world, so we can more effectively collaborate on discerning It’s deeper mysteries.++
Upon their return to the Tower, and departure from Joska, Gavin makes his way back to Redwatch. Talking with those he passes, he goes to The Temple to check the box he left for others to communicate with him for notes.
Once he and Lyra are reunited with the Witness, he greets him warmly.
"Good to see your research has kept you out of harms way, old friend."
He catches the Witness up on their outing with Joska, and conveys the re-invitation to join the Institute. Upon hearing the Witness' newest hypothesis, he wonders,
"Might the researchers at th e bottom floor of the Tower be willing to shed some light on this 'movement'?"
"The tower is a corkscrew through time." Lyra says with an arched brow of curiosity.
After helping Joska finish her report on their investigation of the anomaly, Gavin, Lyra, and Maximus return to Redwatch. Heading down to the marketplace, the priest discovers that he does, indeed, have a correspondence waiting in his communication box at the Temple. Tucking it safely away for later, he joins his companions and a handful of other patrons in a few drinks and some casual gossip. He learns that Byron Bright's influence has continued to grow steadily- to the point that the Redguard are now, apparently, keeping an eye on him (to ensure he doesn't try to take over the settlement).
After their drinking and chatting has run its course, the three return to the residential floor, where Gaius has already summoned their shelter for the evening. The Witness returns shortly thereafter from his research and shares some of his more organized thoughts with the others, and then sets up his mirror and retires for the evening.
Gavin Soleques,
We have not met yet but I'm told that you and your more martially minded companions are both capable of moving very quickly through the Tower and interested in helping others. If both of these facts are true, my partner and I have a matter you may be able to assist us with. To discuss this further, please contact me via a sending spell or some similar magic. Thank you.
~ Mykos Mykonnis
Settling in with the others, Gavin shares the message with them.
"Mykos Mykonnis has reached out to us for assistance. I will not be able to cast Sending until morning, but I'd like to do so as soon as possible. Perhaps invite them to breakfast." he says, pondering.
"but for now, a good nights rest after a long day."
Lyra stretches, as sleep is suggested. It has been a long day. "Let me know if you think we'll need words or swords in the morning please." she asks the cleric, so she can decide if her or her brother will have the day.
"Sleep sounds good to me. I'm beat." And with that, Maximus retires for the evening barring anything further needing accomplished.
Secure in the knowledge that the Redwatch will dissuade any would-be thieves or assassins, the adventurers nod of to sleep. The morning arrives as usual and with it the shelter, and the floor around it, begin to buzz with morning preparations.
Gavin rises early and looks in on his companions. Satisfied nothing is amiss, he warms some tea and meditates in his usual morning routine. Then he prepares, and sends, a greeting to Mykos.
++Mykos Mykonnis,you have been correctly informed.Breakfast in Redwatch in about an hour, and hope you will be able to join us. Gavin Soleques.++
With the preparation complete, he goes to his usual feast location and begins the casting and greeting of guests.
++Thank you. We will await your arrival in the Temple.++
Seth starts the day since what the day will bring is up in the air. He greets everyone congenally and practices with his fiddle while the others get ready.
On the way through, Gavin stops at the Temple, Checking the box once again. If no one is obviously looking for him, he will inquire after Mykos.
Upon finding him, Gavin introduces himself, and Seth, and Max.
"Greetings fellow soul, I am Gavin Soleques, servant of Sarenrae and all those of a kind heart, and lover of tea. This young lad" he says gesturing to Seth, " is Seth Posfurore, Lover of Music, Seeker of Mirth, and Master of Duality."
Nodding a slight bow to Max, he continues, "And this Capable Knight is Maximus Benedictus, Fierce Warrior, Devourer of Challenges, and Loyal Companion." He says, leaving room for a reply.
"As you seem to already be aware, while we have all come to the Tower with a myriad of goals and reasons, for us, one of those purposes is to help those around us. I would be happy to discuss business at breakfast."
If there are no objections, or need for urgency, Gavin walks with them all to his morning feast spot and begins the casting.
Grinning and nodding in greeting, "That would be me. And eventually, they'll be calling me 'Champion of the Tower'. Because we're going to win this thing. It'll be a magnificent day." He winks, grinning at the idea of beating this whacked out tower.