BoM/TWS/SB Wiki

Fane: Research Progress

In "The Wandering Stars," Fane is represented as having made progress at researching Libra-like or Libra-adjacent technologies. Its rate of progress, however, varies dramatically from branch to branch.

To bring some sort of order or explanation for these varying rates of progress, I have constructed a kind of decision tree which shows how far and fast Fane should be represented as having achieved under various conditions. This should explain why in certain branches they are as advanced or retarded as they are. It should also be used by authors who are planning to launch a new branch in "The Wandering Stars" in which Fane and its technical advances are relevant.

* * *

At the start, Fane is able to deploy the body-copying tattoos. This is true across all storylines, unless a BoM storyline is written that immediately forestalls its introduction.

At the longest, Fane will be able to copy minds and memories (the equivalent of memory strips) and give them to its agents in CY+9.

At the longest, Fane will be able to remove and reintegrate anima (moving consciousness from one body to another) 9 years after it can copy minds and memories.

Thus, at a minimum, here are the years in which Fane can deploy these technologies:

Tattoos: CY
Mind copying: CY+9
Anima transfer: CY+18

Each of the latter two can be modified with the following decision tree:

* Did Fane acquire the Libra in CY? If so, -2 years.
* If not, did Fane acquire a knowledge of some Libra spells? If so, -1 year
* Did Fane acquire the services of Aubrey Blackwell? If so, -1 year
* Did Fane acquire the services of Will Prescott as a researcher? If so, -3 years
* Has Jameson Hyde-White been active at Fane? If so, -4 years
* Was Cuthbert raided by Fane forces at least 2 years previously? If so, -2 years
* Have the Stellae been interfering with Fane's research? +1 to +5 years (author's discretion)

Example: "The Lost Boys"

The dates for achieving the mind-copying and anima-transfer techniques are subject to the following modifiers: Libra (-2), James Hyde-White active (-4), Cuthbert raid (-2).

This net of -8 means that mind-copying would have been achieved in CY+1 and anima-transfer in CY+2. To bring the dates into actual alignment of the story, we use Stellae interference to add 2 years to the date of mind-copying (CY+3) (which adds an additonal 2 to anima-transfer) and then an additional 1 year to anima-transfer (CY+5)

Example: Unwritten storyline, to be set in CY+7

The author makes the following assumptions with consequent modifiers:
Fane did not acquire the Libra, but it did acquire the services of Will Prescott as a researcher (-3). Jameson Hyde-White died early, in a successful raid on Cuthbert (-2). This gives the following target dates for Fane techniques to be deployed:

Mind copying: CY+4 [+9-5]
Anima transfer: CY+8 [+9-5]

If the author wishes for mind-copying to be just coming available, instead of having been available for 3 years already, he must postulate such heavy Stellae interference that it has add 3 years to both target dates:

Mind copying: CY+7 [+9-5+3]
Anima transfer: CY+11 [+9-5+3]

Example: Unwritten storyline, to be set in CY+7

The author wishes Fane to be on the cusp of deploying the anima-swapping technique, but without the services of Will Prescott as a researcher. To achieve a net savings of 11 years, he would have to make something like the following assumptions:

Fane has acquired the Libra (-2) and Hyde-White has been actively managing the project (-4). Results:

Mind copying: CY+3 [+9-6]
Anima copying: CY+6 [+9-6]

The assumption that the Stellae have only been a light (+1) hindrance can bring the date of anima-copying up to the target date of CY+7