The Skrevanastuut or Scrivener Institute is one of the main locations in Scrivener's Moon. It is the target of an expedition by Wavey Godshawk and Fever Crumb; it was reached by Fever Crumb, Cluny Morvish, and Marten Morvish after Wavey's death.
History[]
Pre-Series[]
The Scrivener Institute was a building built in the time before the Sixty Minute War (known as the Downsizing at the time of writing), by the Scrivener group of companies. It was built as a large black pyramid in the northern Arctic, to withstand an impact of 50 megatons (liekly a nuke or asteroid), as a cataclysmic war between the American Empire and Greater China was seen as inevitable. The company wanted to breed a new type of humans, known as Humanity 2.0 or Homo-Superior,, later known as the Scriven [named after the eponymous company], which would be more resistant to radiation, adapted to survive in sub-zero temperatures and low light and would have a longer reproductive life, to ensure the survival of mankind. It was from there that the Scriven people emerged after the war. It was the belief of the Scrivener company that normal humans wouldn't survive the war and would be replaced by their modified humans. however, this wasn't the case and centuries later, almost all of the Scriven were wiped out in the London Skinner's Guild riots just after the birth of Fever Crumb, she herself a half-Scriven.
Over time, the Scrivener Institute was entirely forgotten as to what it was - owing to its nuclear protection, it was completely impossible to open. Also most of those who knew about its existance thought it was cursed, so would not go near it. Some, like the nightwights worshipped it as their holy building, and due to being translated through many languages over several milennia, the name changed to Skrevanastuut (as letters also fell off over the centuries, all that was left by the time of the Traction Era was: 'SCRIV N R S TUT '. The name smoothed over the centuries to become Skrevanastuut, and the entity and associates' true nature was forgotten.).
Fever Crumb trilogy[]
Scrivener's Moon[]
Wavey Godshawk mentioned that Auric Godshawk had once gone there to try and find Old Tech such as Stalkers and information about the Downsizing (later discovered as an ancient, destructive nuclear War. However, he was unable to get in. It was his granddaughter Fever Crumb that would eventually enter later.
The dwarf Borglum is informed of a possible opening in the Skrevanastuut pyramid by a scavenger named Duergar whilst touring in the north. He passes the knowledge on to Wavey Godshawk, and she and Fever set off to explore it. However, due to Wavey's murder, Fever ended up arriving at the Skrevanastuut with Cluny and Marten Morvish. Inside, they met some Remembering Machines, talking ceaselessly about the immediate aftermath of the War and the fall of the Slow Bomb asteroids, as well as ancient molecular compounds and nanotechnology - too complex for any Traction Era people to understand. They left some time later after (unintentionally) disturbing the ancient paper records and remembering machines. Some Nightwights surrounded Fever and her friends after they saw her smoke; the unreadable papers and unintelligible communications arrays made perfect fuel for a makeshift fire. One line stated:
Pearson has decided to head north...
However, nothing else was able to be decoded, it having faded over the past millenium(s).
Gallery[]
