Ask The Alethiometer!

[Kappa]

So one time, somebody asked the alethiometer a question, and I had absurd quantities of fun composing and delivering its answer.

I would like more people to ask the alethiometer things!

You can do it here or on the "ask a character" post, but if you do it on the "ask a character" post the image responses will include helpful tooltips with the name of each symbol, whereas that is apparently not something I can do using BBCode.

I put this thread here so even spoiler-averse people can ask the alethiometer things, but if anyone expresses the slightest interest I will also go make a Spoilerland thread in which you can ask the alethiometer spoilery questions and I can freely dispense hints and Kas-translations of those and other questions.

In the interests of maximizing fun, I will allow the alethiometer to answer questions about anything, even though in-universe it only knows about things in Alethia.

[Tamien]

I'm not sure whether I'm asking you or the alethiometer here, but what happens if you take the alethiometer out of Alethia? Does it still function? Does it maintain the same limitations regarding which world it has knowledge of?

[tau]

Don't know if you know His Dark Materials canon or not -- but I can answer this one. The stuff that powers the alethiometer is a magic native to Alethia's worldsheaf, specifically there is an intelligent force everywhere inside of Alethia that among other things that is the thing that answers the alethiometer. This is why it can only answers to questions about things currently in Alethia. This is the same force that causes daemons to form (and wears away at the spell that prevents them from forming).

[Tamien]

Oh, the Dust stuff? I always forget that's a thing. I was never able to get into the series so I only know about it through related-fandom-osmosis. So I guess outside of Alethia, it would just cease to function, because there's no Dust anywhere else? I wonder if the Alethiometer answering for this thread is one that doesn't run on Dust, or if we are supposing that there is Dust everywhere that for whatever reason only forms daemons in Alethia.

[Kappa]

what happens if you take the alethiometer out of Alethia? Does it still function?

:D

Oh, the Dust stuff? I always forget that's a thing. I was never able to get into the series so I only know about it through related-fandom-osmosis. So I guess outside of Alethia, it would just cease to function, because there's no Dust anywhere else? I wonder if the Alethiometer answering for this thread is one that doesn't run on Dust, or if we are supposing that there is Dust everywhere that for whatever reason only forms daemons in Alethia.

You may suppose that the Alethiometer answering for this thread is one that is in Alethia or another HDM-verse, where there is Dust, but which can communicate with me and therefore learn everything I know about the wider world of Effulgence. XD

[Tamien]

Sun-Horse-Globe-Sun-Alpha/Omega-Ant?

My best guess:
Sun = Alethiometer
Horse = Move
Globe = World
Sun = Alethiometer
Alpha/Omega = End
Ant = Work

"If the Alethiometer moves worlds, then it stops working."?

[Kappa]

Pretty much! The globe was being used to mean the whole Alethia worldsheaf, and the horse was "leave" rather than specifically "move", but you got the gist. XD

[ozymandias]

aleithometer, should I read Effulgence?

[tau]

I like your response better than mine, Kappa. Sorry for stealing away the puzzle with my comment.

[Kappa]

I like your response better than mine, Kappa. Sorry for stealing away the puzzle with my comment.

No problem! XD

aleithometer, should I read Effulgence?