"I might mention a few of the current researches and investigations being conducted by our people," he went on. "Following Bret’s work on the behavior of gases, Thon Viche Mortoin is investigating the possibilities for the artificial production of ice. Thou Friider Haib is seeking a practical means for transmitting messages by electrical variations along a wire-" The list was long, and the monks appeared impressed. Studies in many fields- medicine, astronomy, geology, mathematics, mechanics-were being undertaken. A few seemed impractical and ill-considered, but most seemed to promise rich rewards in knowledge and practical application. From Jejene’s search for the Universal Nostrum to Bodalk’s reckless assault on orthodox geometries, the collegium’s activities exhibited a healthy hankering to pry open Nature’s private files, locked since mankind had burned its institutional memories and condemned itself to cultural amnesia more than a millennium ago.