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Merc STORYLINE

#story-seed #story-line
...more on Merc's origin, particularly integration with M.AW
Stories from various ERAS can be released ANTHOLOGY style, with some primary ones beginning to explain Merc's origin, where his crazy TECH comes from, how 'magical' he really is... and his seeming immortality

Animated by the #technoforce

  1. The technoforce takes a long time to SPEAK IN HUMAN LANGUAGE or at least in English, in a sort of understandable way.
    1. With the development of writing/language becoming widespread, it may start using more words (Writing is a technology system it begins to 'leverage')
    2. In ancient times it would speak in BABYLONIAN and reference stars and perfect spheres and ratios and measurements.
  2. Guiding the activity of Merc's magic, and he begins to get used to working with the animating force as a magical guide, a component, something in spell casting.
  3. In Chinese setting, it presented itself in ideograms, that stood fresh in Mercs mind, some that made sense some that were uninterpretable. In phrases and koans it gave itself more form.

Titles for Tech Eras & Timeline

  1. Stone Wizard (300,000 --> 12,000 BC)

    1. The WHEEL
    2. Clay, Ceramics, Sailing (12,000->4,000 BC)

  2. Metal Wizard

    1. Bronze 3300-1200 BC
    2. Writing Systems, Smelting, BABYLON, HARAPPA
    3. Iron Wizard
    4. THE WHEEL PART 2 (Carts/Chariots)
    5. Bronze Age Collapse 1200 >>
    6. Iron Age (1200BC - 510 BC)

  3. Paper Wizard / Wizard Age

    1. (Mythic Medieval Magic! Merlin! EARLY ) 1000BC --> 1500 AD

  4. Wizards of Water and Wind (1000-1700s)

    1. Exploration
    2. Age of Discovery, Age of Exploration

  5. Gear Wizard (Industrial Revolution 1733–1878)

    1. Steam Engine
    2. Coal power
    3. Assembly Line
    4. Cars

  6. ELECTROWIZARD (1879-1946)

    1. Electric Motors, Generators, Power Grids
    2. DIGITAL WIZARDRY
    3. Electronic Age (1947–1972)
      • Jet engines, rockets, synthetic materials (plastics, rubber)

  7. ROCKET WIZ?!?

  8. Information Age. (1970-80...)

A Northmost Nowhere

In the renaissance era it spoke in latin,

endless sea - era of exploration

In The Carnot-Engine era of steam and power, it begin to form more full sentence, it maybe guides Merc where to go more actively now.

In the information era it began to speak in functions, then in networked talk, and finally, in expressions of complexity, of connection and growing understanding

Eventually that complexity went beyond language, beyond Merc's understanding, and again became... metaphorical, layered nuances of word-shape-function-form, hyper-object references, a multi phase and multi-state existence. This guides his magic into more complex and powerful forms... but he is maybe LOSING CONTROL / LOSING AGENCY in a sense, that he doesn't understand what he is GUIDING anymore really.

Then it went silent.

Until the opening of MAW.

CENTURY OF DARKNESS/MADNESS

NEED TO CONNECT THIS TO MAGIC

The MAW works on feedback cycles

Alpine Boots for Reinhold Messner

#story-seed
Merc gave alpine boots to Reinhold Messner for the first solo ascent of Everest perhaps, he's still wearing the other pair he crafted
(Why did this happen?)
As described in a personal letter, signed R.M.

I encountered the strangest of folk on a practice ascent of rather remote section of the Himalayas. After a particularly drawn out vertical, planning and marking out steps along two new pitches, when I'd rappelled back down, there was an older fellow waiting there, he'd been watching me at my work.
On appearance Id have said 60 or so, but he was hale, with a spring in his step, thick soled boots laced up just below the knee. He greeted me as Merk? (Mark? Merrick?) and said he'd been in the mountains for nearly two weeks, two weeks! Looking for some kind of balloon, a dirigible from how he described it, something I'd wager impossible if everything else about the fellow didn't also ring with the same otherworldly uncertainty. You know how it is up there, you're so thin on air you can't be sure if something is completely sane or springing from an unknown corner of your mind.
Anyway he asked my about the pitches and where I'd climbed and mapped out and I found myself telling him about it, about the ascent planned and how I'd been mapping the weather, looking for safe places to hole up a day or so in storm... he seemed to know a fair amount about the mountains as well, but out of date, like he'd missed the last few seasons.
Which slopes had seen the most snow? What hadn't been explored - he wanted to know.
"Well, there's Everest of course - some the sherpas have been up that way, and plenty of other peaks."
I swear to you friend, he looked up at it then, and said "Well if it was going to take itself anywhere it'd go somewhere high with good winds - so there's where I'll aim as well" and made to head that way, a single pack and patched up cloak and blanket and boots and naught else - only - he'd looked at the wrong peak.
After I'd set him straight, I'd suggested he pick up more supplies at base camp, but he waived me off and said he couldn't take much longer to find the balloon (the ship?) or he'd miss the spring winds in the west (we were in the east, and well in summer?) he set off.

A day or more at low altitude and I'd decided the whole thing was in my mind, the figure of the mythic climber, the much mustachioed man whom neither age nor weather could stop his steady progress... it must have been represented in my mind - all the climbers that have come before us.

Only three weeks later when I was nearing the peak I found his high laced boots ensconced in a hidey hole during fitful winds, a note inside saying "Always nice to have an extra pair - M".

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