Whispers of the Mechanical Scrolls (Past-Future Biohackers, Episode I)

➵ Back-story: What if biohacking already existed in the 16th century?

Our steampunk-inspired 5-part story series takes place in medieval Europe, during a time when the Church sought to eliminate pagan traditions, alchemy, early science, and other practices seen as heretical. This was a pivotal period for free thought—across science, medicine, and ancient wisdom. Paracelsus, a key figure in the medical revolution, carried out much of his groundbreaking work during this era of persecution. The series blends historical fact with fiction. Any resemblance to speakers at the upcoming HOLOLIFE Summit 2025 Europe, taking place on 14–15 June, is purely coincidental. Enjoy the educational story :)

Seekers of the HOLOLIFE, Episode I/V:

In the shadow of steam-driven cities, where crumbling medieval kingdoms reluctantly yielded to the hissing valves and grinding gears of a new age, the first members of the Hololife Movement gathered.

Their meeting place: an abandoned factory in Estonia created on the Viking lands by a German medieval industrialist, whose stone walls concealed a secret laboratory unlike any in 16th century Europe.

Many factors led to the belief that longevity secrets existed only here: For centuries, Estonians protected ancient knowledge while resisting Viking incursions from Danish, Swedish and Norwegians. These conflicts reached a climax when the King of Sweden was killed on Saaremaa.

Even the Pope of Rome and the Bishop of Riga attempted to suppress their traditions, targeting practices like the pagan sweat bathing or “Sauna”, and animistic rituals tied to the people of the land. Luckily the resilient Estonians resisted longer than any other nation in medieval Europe, resulting in the preservation of their culture and traditions.

The Deathbed Revelation

Their convergence at this abandoned factory was no accident. Three months prior, the Vitality Engineer Dr. Sovijärvi had been summoned to the deathbed of an elderly physician known only as Master Theophrastus II, a reclusive healer whose methods had earned him both reverence and suspicion throughout the region.

As Theophrastus drew his final breaths, he revealed a stunning secret: he had been a student of the legendary Paracelsus, the physician-alchemist whose quest for the Philosopher's Stone had led him to discoveries far beyond medieval comprehension.

"Find the others," Theophrastus had whispered, pressing a small copper cylinder into Dr. Sovijärvi's palm. Together, you will unlock what Paracelsus discovered - the Cradle of Longevity.

The Holographic Map

The cylinder contained a map unlike any he had seen: not drawn in ink but somehow projected from within the metal itself when exposed to specific frequencies of light. It had taken Dr. Sovijärvi weeks to gather specialized individuals to decipher its secrets, each masters of obscure healing arts that merged ancient wisdom with inexplicable technologies.