Stabilizing the Academy

For Caion specifically, but really anyone—what can we do to help, if anything? It seems like things are as stable as possible in the present moment, but is there anything else we can do?

On Cloudset, we discovered that an anchored island had been sung into being through the use of flourishing and burning gnosis, combined with the natural pellucid gnosis of Samudra. The mechanism through which this happened is still … somewhat opaque (I would like to Circle with you to share it before we leave for the Septentrione) but I don’t know if knowing of the technique might help.

I was also wondering if there was anyway to dissipate the crystalized wave surrounding the Academy. I cannot imagine it is particular reassuring for anyone.

I would gladly assist in this endeavor. I may have some small insight as to the technique, based upon an interaction a warding of mine had with one of Archie’s.

For whatever it’s worth, as far as we’re aware, the crystallized wave is a key part of what’s currently guarding the Academy from thoughtstorms, above and beyond the strange large-scale bubble effect. We’re very much in the process of actively analysing it - it doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon, thankfully!

I’m very interested in exploring the interactions between the types of gnosis, though; I think that’s going to be a very productive line of inquiry.

For some reason, I had gotten the impression that the crystal wave was … frozen right before it crashed down on the Academy, which shows what assumptions get us. I am glad that is not the case and it’s serving a protective function (Aurelius told me as much, but I wrote this before I spoke to him).

Wolf, any insights you might grant would be valuable. Have you had a chance to look at the weave I used to make the library? It should be chronicled in A History of the Liminal Library under “On adding the receptacles of memory.” I do not think a single person could perform such a technique outside of the library, and I’m not even sure within the library anyone could do it—I suspect the fact that I was one of its creators helping to complete its purpose allowed for such a working.

For what it’s worth, that is effectively what happened, with the wave - but now that it’s frozen in that configuration, it’s doing an incredible job of shielding the Academy from the persistent storm and of keeping the storm from getting any worse. I think the not-quite-Bubble is attached to it, somehow? We’re not quite sure, yet.

I have not had as much chance to experiment with weaves of multiple gnoses (Gnosises? Blasted…writing) as I would like. However, I can comment on a few observations. For one, the ward that Archie and I created together from Pellucid and Flourishing gnosis was significantly stronger than either would have been alone, and that was when we were not trying to do it a-purpose, using wards that were overlapping and not interwoven. Merely something to note.

More directly to your point, however–when I was in the baths, at one point, I took the opportunity to examine the “weave” of the gnosis that created the Bubble function of the bath I was in. It seemed to me that there were “spaces” in the weave that one could easily work a similar structure of Flourishing gnosis into–easily enough that I was tempted to try. It might, then, be possible for a single person to lay down a multi-gnostic enchantment even outside the Library, if they did it in stages–anchoring each in turn before weaving the next. (As you did, in a very real way, to create the Folios.)

…I immediately see what you mean upon examining my own work after having familiarity with your own. That’s deeply intriguing.

Experimenting with what a single person might accomplish could be interesting. I’ve been able to hold two at once (flourishing and liminal, for the creation of the library) but only two. I’m planning on working with more using fabric and thread as a kind of canvas, but I’m still learning how weave properly with mundane materials.

Wolf, you remarked on the strangeness that pellucid & flourishing & burning were stable. What do you think would happen if three people tried to work tenebrous, radiant, and liminal together? I wonder if that might be worth an attempt?

I would concur with that being worth experimentation. Shall we find a time?