Owner's Implant

every time they start a-lovin' they bring eyesight to the blind

The Savoy, elite technomages of the Remnants of Underhaven, created Owner of Underhaven's implant as an accessibility device, carefully and lovingly designing it to not just restore but also enhance their blind demigod's sight. Without the implant, or without it being powered properly, Owner would return to seeing only darkness.

Technology Born from Tragedy

In the moment of cataclysmic collision between two worlds, Owner of Underhaven was blinded by a flash of destruction so bright it was as if he'd stared into the soul of a star. Because the collision was partially due to magical powers running rampant, the resulting damage was unable to be healed either naturally or through direct magic.

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An intense blurring of the lines between magical power and technological skills was required to construct the implant. Intricately mapped pathways on its control panel are more reminiscent of Underhaven's textile practices than what the more traditionally high-tech zones of the galaxy might consider "circuitry".
Don't worry, though: what would've been an invasive medical procedure in those zones was a magical trifle in Underhaven. Sculpted to fit Owner's face, the implant and its arrays were gently placed around his eyes before being magically assimilated. It now lays underneath his skin and behind his eyes, where it is able to bridge the gap between neurons in his physical form and the residual magic that surrounds every being within his community.

Projection and Perception

1. Two circles of prismatic "scales"--one behind each eye--overlap each other to strengthen their formation and maximize visual capabilities.
2. These rings are able to rotate and angle themselves autonomously, to allow maximum capture of ambient light and shadow in a 240 degree radius around the demigod.
3. Once captured, they then direct this input toward the central collection point of each ring: a series of layered crystalline lenses placed behind Owner's retinas. The specialized lenses serve two functions:
• They "see" and interpret the collected visual information for Owner and project a facsimile of his environment directly to his brain.
• They reflect the "visible" light back through the prism-rings, much like the tapetum of a number of vertebrates, and they also increase the amount of visual data provided.
4. From there, neurons light up and report this data to Owner's consciousness in a way that makes it seem as though he's viewing the world through his actual eyes, despite the layers of translation between these rapidly transmitted results.

by DaniAdventures (Canva,Midjourney)

This article is a WIP created during World Anvil’s Cabinet of Curiosities Challenge and may contain incomplete sections. Please stay tuned!

Item type

Sensory / Aid

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Unfortunately, the implant requires a constant expenditure of magic to keep the connections maintained. In their typical selfless fashion, the Underhaven Remnants chose to pay this cost themselves. Technomages among them channeled their own power into the interwoven conduits, providing a baseline of steady energy to keep it going. They recharge it as necessary in passing, using a handshake or a simple touch to Owner's shoulder to slightly increase the device's longevity. For a supercharged impact, they can visit the Underhaven Harem and participate in a Magic Particle Amplification session with Owner--ooo, a two-on-for-one bargain! *ahem* Thanks to their generosity, Owner's own power reserves remain untapped, leaving him more power to work with for magical feats far beyond the Remnants' individual reservoirs.

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Owner was incredibly touched by their thoughtfulness and generosity, and is reminded daily of the incredible people he safeguards.

Help for a Lost, Sad Demigod

Accepting it as his due for failing to save the worlds and the Meerkynd people he'd lived beside for so long, Owner didn't seek out other options to improve his sight. But when the Overlords charged him with guardianship over a new people, the Underhaven Remnants, he'd see things in a new light. He still faced deep emotional turmoil, an abiding sadness that permeated his being even as he took on the responsibility of teaching the Remnants how to survive and thrive in the world around them. The Remnants saw this and, driven by compassion and an innocent desire to provide a gift to the demigod that would do something good and helpful for him, the Remnants decided amongst themselves that they would create a way to brighten the darker hours of his days. It did serve as a helpful device, but to shake their demigod's malaise, they would have to stage a larger intervention. (You can read about this particular group effort in the spicy short story "Here and Now", currently free on Ream!)