[As promised, a thick sheaf of papers is crammed into Strange's assigned pigeon hole in the dining hall. The topmost note reads—]
Doctor,
Here are the copies of my notes regarding the associations between Rifters and lyrium, some notes regarding Mister Dickerson and I's preliminary explorations of the subject, and so on. In addition to this, I would recommend seeking out the following files from Riftwatch's records. I have done my best to note the correct drawer in which they might be found, however it has been some time since last I assisted the Seneschal and it's possible that these papers have found a new home in the interim.
I'm quite cheered by your interest in the subject and look forward to continuing our work together.
Regards, W. A.P.dF.
[The suggested reports refer to the following files that can be found among Riftwatch's records:
The remainder of the packet details (in highly anonymized, broadly academic language) the amputation of Wysteria's arm and the dissection notes taken afterward.
In summary, anchor put down roots along the limbo's vascular system and the veins and vessels of the limb crystalized since the arm's removal. Rather than a foreign object implanting in the body, the flesh of the arm itself appears to have been undergoing a process of arcane transmutation.
When exposed to refined and red lyrium, the anchor and limb initially showed no immediate reaction. However prolonged exposure saw that lyrium drawn to the severed end of the limb where it attached and appeared to expand or multiply seemingly in an effort to reconstruct the body the limb was once attached to. This progressed for roughly two days before the residual arcane energies of the anchor faded and the lyrium reconstruction faded prior to forming a full upper arm/shoulder/so on.
Further related observations of the original host (aka Wysteria) in particularly significant fade-touched environments (aka the Crossroads) suggest the removal of the arm has somehow stabilized the Rifter host's physical manifestation in Thedas. Where Rifters ordinarily take on certain physical traits whole traveling in those places, since the loss of the limb the host no longer exhibits those traits in a fashion similar to a native Thedosian.
In addition to the self-autopsy report, there is a brief series of notes theorizing how a Rifter might be affected by exposure to raw lyrium. Obviously this is entirely hypothetical and would demand cautious testing, but theoretically the author wonders whether a Rifter might safely handle raw lyrium (and thereby be capable of enchanting as a dwarf or Tranquil might) with only a minimal risk of highly temporary physical mutation or brief mental fog—both of which might be further minimized with correct handling and equipment.
Last but not least, Wysteria has included a general outline for her planned upcoming experimentation. It's an aggressive but not unreasonable course of dosing natives and Rifters, with anchors and without, mages and non-mages, with modest measures of refined lyrium to determine whether there is any notable difference between how the disparate groups are effected.
Once she has collected her data, she means to examine the findings and determine whether exposing Rifters to raw lyrium constitutes a reasonable and productive risk given the noted dangers of exposure. However, she theorizes that in addition to the obvious benefits of training Rifters to smith runes and enchantments, raw lyrium (or refined lyrium in some quantity) might be advantageous to stabilizing a Rifter's presence in Thedas, and/or may be leveraged to modify the advancement of the anchor's transmutation of the flesh to which it has been attached.]
So many notes—
[The suggested reports refer to the following files that can be found among Riftwatch's records:
- The Blood Plague - 9:44
- A Survey of Rifters Arrival Sites - 9:44
- Further Surveys - 9:47, with a brief summary of the arcane mechanical principles behind the ARRIVED network.
The remainder of the packet details (in highly anonymized, broadly academic language) the amputation of Wysteria's arm and the dissection notes taken afterward.
In summary, anchor put down roots along the limbo's vascular system and the veins and vessels of the limb crystalized since the arm's removal. Rather than a foreign object implanting in the body, the flesh of the arm itself appears to have been undergoing a process of arcane transmutation.
When exposed to refined and red lyrium, the anchor and limb initially showed no immediate reaction. However prolonged exposure saw that lyrium drawn to the severed end of the limb where it attached and appeared to expand or multiply seemingly in an effort to reconstruct the body the limb was once attached to. This progressed for roughly two days before the residual arcane energies of the anchor faded and the lyrium reconstruction faded prior to forming a full upper arm/shoulder/so on.
Further related observations of the original host (aka Wysteria) in particularly significant fade-touched environments (aka the Crossroads) suggest the removal of the arm has somehow stabilized the Rifter host's physical manifestation in Thedas. Where Rifters ordinarily take on certain physical traits whole traveling in those places, since the loss of the limb the host no longer exhibits those traits in a fashion similar to a native Thedosian.
In addition to the self-autopsy report, there is a brief series of notes theorizing how a Rifter might be affected by exposure to raw lyrium. Obviously this is entirely hypothetical and would demand cautious testing, but theoretically the author wonders whether a Rifter might safely handle raw lyrium (and thereby be capable of enchanting as a dwarf or Tranquil might) with only a minimal risk of highly temporary physical mutation or brief mental fog—both of which might be further minimized with correct handling and equipment.
Last but not least, Wysteria has included a general outline for her planned upcoming experimentation. It's an aggressive but not unreasonable course of dosing natives and Rifters, with anchors and without, mages and non-mages, with modest measures of refined lyrium to determine whether there is any notable difference between how the disparate groups are effected.
Once she has collected her data, she means to examine the findings and determine whether exposing Rifters to raw lyrium constitutes a reasonable and productive risk given the noted dangers of exposure. However, she theorizes that in addition to the obvious benefits of training Rifters to smith runes and enchantments, raw lyrium (or refined lyrium in some quantity) might be advantageous to stabilizing a Rifter's presence in Thedas, and/or may be leveraged to modify the advancement of the anchor's transmutation of the flesh to which it has been attached.]