[A few busy days later and a cream colored envelope appears in the dining hall cubby assigned to Abby. It readsโ]
Dear Miss A,
Thank you for taking the time to thoroughly fill out the survey and return it. I thoroughly appreciate the attentiveness with which you treated the contents; would that everyone was half so responsible and reasonable as yourself.
Due to the completeness of your responses, I have no follow up questions. However, I am happy to address the ones which you yourself raised. I have reproduced them here for reference, should you have forgotten their exact wording.
5๐) ๐๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ณ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ถ๐ต ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ง๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ช๐ต ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ช๐ฎ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต'๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ, ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต. ๐'๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ถ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ข๐ด๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐บ. I have assumed that this was meant as a question. In which case, yes. This is quite typical and nothing at all to be concerned with. You should be aware that should you spent long periods away from other anchor bearers that you may begin to develop some discomfort. This is also perfectly usual, albeit a sign one should arrange to return to the Gallows (or find company with other anchors) sooner rather than later. The onset of this discomfort is typically slow and should not prohibit you from travelling from the Gallows in the course of Riftwatch's work.
6๐) ๐๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ท๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฏ'๐ต ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฅ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ถ๐ณ๐ท๐ฆ๐บ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ต ๐ข๐ณ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ช๐ต๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ค๐ณ๐ฐ๐ด๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต? Copies of this survey were written prior to their distribution. Future copies will not reproduce the struck questions. It would be a waste of perfectly good paper to do away with these copies as is.
8๐ ๐ช๐ช) [...]๐๐ณ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ญ๐บ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ ๐ธ๐ข๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต [the anchor] ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ต๐ข๐ต๐ฆ? ๐๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ข ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ฐ๐ค๐ค๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ?? ๐๐ต ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏ'๐ต ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ค๐ณ๐ข๐ป๐บ ๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ช๐ต[...] Yes, it is believed that the only way to remove the anchor is to sever the limb (or body part) to which it is attached. I have never seen such drastic measures taken myself, but over time the anchor will eventually entrench itself more deeply into the body and thus cause negative effects. There are reports of an eleven woman whose anchor was in her chest, which ultimately caused sickness and death. But that is happily a very rare case, and there are many rifters and non-rifters (myself included) who have had their anchor shards for many years without any incident.
No. Madness is not a side effect typical to the possession of an anchor. While it is true that a great percentage of Riftwatch's population seems to suffer from some measure of instability of character, I do not believe this has anything to do with their proximity to anchors.
With respect to your commentsโ
There are non-rifters with anchors. See: Madame Baudin (who is unlikely to recieve direct inquiries politely), Miss Smythe (the alchemist, not her battlemage sister), Miss Bearhold (I cannot recommend her brother, however the young lady herself is perfectly decent companionship), and Enchanter Black (the acting Seneschal; I will not comment on his demeanor). To my knowledge, the "catching" of an anchor by a Thedosian native involves being in close proximity to a Rift, but is not guaranteed. There have been a great many members of Riftwatch or others abroad who have been close to a rift without receiving an anchor; however, I have never met a Rifter without one. I believe the anchor is therefore a remnant of our passage through the fade, and that indeed it may be part of what ties us to this place. The woman whom I referenced above who died from the side effects of her anchor was, I believe, native to this world.
I hope that I have covered all your questions in their totality, however should I have missed anything (or if more have arisen in their shadow), you are naturally most welcome to contact me at your leisure. Otherwise, welcome once more to Riftwatch. I look forward to working with you further in the future.
Warm Regards, Wysteria de Foncรฉ Research Division Project Felandaris
(although there is an... odd appeal to passing letters back and forth (and not because it feels like being in pride and prejudice, how dare you think that), abby recognises that she'll probably get a quicker answer if she simply messages so:)
If we use the anchors to close rifts, does that mean we can use them to open them too?
(because who better to ask, than somebody in the research team? are they dedicating time to this? not once in her introductory lectures did anybody ever mention how to leave thedas, and go home.)
[Some time after the question has been posed, suggesting that Wysteria is quite consumed with some other activity, the connection (if such a word can be used when referencing the magical link between two enchanted rocks) crackles back to life withโ]
I believe a study was conducted regarding that very idea not long ago. Yes, there have been instances with anchors have been used to open rifts. But it is all very clandestine, and typically reserved for opening seams where the Veil is already weak and likely to fail so that it might be stitched closed stronger and not surprise anyone by bursting unexpectedly.
(it doesn't bother abby. after five minutes of waiting patiently she packs up on it and goes about her day, assuming her message will be answered in due course. and, sure enoughโ)
... Okay. (so she can cross that budding idea... out. fair enough. she rubs her nose, thinking, before she asks again:) And the anchors all have the same level of power? You haven't found any instances ofโ some people having weaker anchors, than others?
They are begin at similar strengths, yes. Although there are some anchors which have developed certain additional abilities which, while not strictly tied to the longevity of its...ownership, I suppose, does seem to be one of the factors which may affect its mutation. Take Madame Baudin, for example. Her anchor is strong enough to close a rift on her own. Other talents on record are creating shields or a sort of concussive force with it.
Oh, hardly private. Unless I suppose someone had developed such abilities and chosen not to use them or to share the knowledge with anyone. But they are difficult skills to hide in the field. Let me see, [has the thoughtful air of a person flicking through their mental files.]
There is Madame Baudin, as mentioned. My own anchor is similar. Mister Stark's has displayed some unique properties which you might consult him onโ There must be others. None of the new Rifters that I can recall...
disappointingly, it doesn't sound like it's very common, which is a shame, because abby would love to have a little extra oomph on her side considering she's lacking entirely in the magic department.)
Iโ might talk to them, yeah. What does yours do?
Mine? Oh, I suppose it is nearly equivalent to Madame Baudin's. I have closed a rift on my own and have fended off a few demons using a sort of...concussive pulse, I suppose. But I'll confess that I've yet to rigorously test the thing.
[Here, a first spark of what seems like real interest. It throws the rest of her recent recitations into a somewhat new light; evidently Wysteria has discussed these particular points more than once. But this? This is evidently of interest.]
Oh! Did you really? That's surprising. Have you done so a second time? I wonder whether it had to do with the increased levels of Fadiation which are prescient to the arrival of a rifter....
... Yes? (okay, now she's... not so sure. honestly, it was a frantic blur of confusion. abby remembers the demon more than the rift itself; closing it was unpleasant, but it wasn't the worst part of the whole situation.)
Laura and I were the only two people there, (she explains,) And sheโ
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
UuU*
crystal
If we use the anchors to close rifts, does that mean we can use them to open them too?
(because who better to ask, than somebody in the research team? are they dedicating time to this? not once in her introductory lectures did anybody ever mention how to leave thedas, and go home.)
no subject
I believe a study was conducted regarding that very idea not long ago. Yes, there have been instances with anchors have been used to open rifts. But it is all very clandestine, and typically reserved for opening seams where the Veil is already weak and likely to fail so that it might be stitched closed stronger and not surprise anyone by bursting unexpectedly.
no subject
... Okay. (so she can cross that budding idea... out. fair enough. she rubs her nose, thinking, before she asks again:) And the anchors all have the same level of power? You haven't found any instances ofโ some people having weaker anchors, than others?
no subject
no subject
no subject
There is Madame Baudin, as mentioned. My own anchor is similar. Mister Stark's has displayed some unique properties which you might consult him onโ There must be others. None of the new Rifters that I can recall...
no subject
disappointingly, it doesn't sound like it's very common, which is a shame, because abby would love to have a little extra oomph on her side considering she's lacking entirely in the magic department.)
Iโ might talk to them, yeah. What does yours do?
no subject
[She's busy. Or whatever.]
no subject
no subject
Oh! Did you really? That's surprising. Have you done so a second time? I wonder whether it had to do with the increased levels of Fadiation which are prescient to the arrival of a rifter....
no subject
Laura and I were the only two people there, (she explains,) And sheโ
Did you just say Fadiation?
no subject
Regrettably, yes. You must never tell Mister Stark.
no subject