The Obsidian Rite, as recorded by the first Forestaffs, isn't a ritual in the conventional sense. It’s a resonance. A tuning. The Forestaffs, attuned to the temporal currents, discovered that time isn’t a linear progression, but a vast, interwoven tapestry. The Obsidian Rite attempts to gently nudge this tapestry, to correct minor dissonances - the accidental erasure of a memory, the premature withering of a bloom, the fleeting regret of a lost word. The ritual requires a perfectly formed obsidian shard, charged with intention, held within the precise geometric configuration of the ‘Sevenfold Knot’ – a pattern revealed only to those who have spent decades meditating within the Silent Galleries of Chronos.
The efficacy of the Rite is measured not in observable changes, but in the stabilization of the temporal flux. A surge of chaotic energy, a ‘temporal ripple,’ indicates a successful correction. Conversely, an ‘unraveling’ – a localized distortion of causality – signifies a failure, often resulting in the creation of a ‘shadow echo’ – a fragmented and unstable version of the event that was attempted to be altered. These shadow echoes are notoriously dangerous, prone to unpredictable and often devastating consequences.
Notable failures include the attempted ‘re-bloom’ of the Nightshade Lily, a flower sacred to the Forestaffs. The resulting shadow echo manifested as a localized temporal loop, trapping a single guard within a repeating cycle of the same moment for seventy-two hours. And the attempted restoration of Lord Valerius’s lost battle cry… that created the ‘Whispering Wasteland,’ a region where echoes of forgotten battles constantly clash, driving men to madness.
Forestaffs dedicated themselves to the creation of ‘Chronometric Maps’ – intricate representations of temporal anomalies. These weren’t merely charts of location, but detailed analyses of the energy signatures surrounding these distortions. Each anomaly was categorized according to its ‘temporal hue’ – ranging from the pale grey of ‘Forgotten Moments’ to the vibrant crimson of ‘Fractured Futures.’ The maps were constructed using a compound derived from ‘Chronal Moss,’ harvested only during the convergence of three celestial bodies – a process that took nearly a century per map.
The most complex mapping project was the ‘Chronarium of the Shifting Sands.’ This vast expanse, located in the heart of the Obsidian Desert, was a nexus of immense temporal instability. Forestaff Theron, the most renowned cartographer, spent forty years meticulously documenting the ever-changing patterns of the temporal currents. His final map, a breathtakingly detailed representation of the desert’s chaotic temporal flow, was subsequently lost during the ‘Shattering’ – a cataclysmic event that nearly unraveled the entire Chronarium.
It’s theorized that the Shattering was directly linked to the misuse of the Obsidian Rite. The Forestaffs, in their attempts to ‘correct’ minor temporal distortions, inadvertently triggered a chain reaction, destabilizing the very fabric of time. The desert itself became a living testament to this folly, a swirling vortex of memories and possibilities, forever shifting and reforming.
The Sevenfold Knot isn't just a geometric pattern; it’s a key. A key to unlocking the potential of the Obsidian Rite, but also a dangerous one. The Forestaffs theorized that the Knot represents the seven fundamental aspects of time – Past, Present, Future, Memory, Regret, Probability, and Paradox. Each strand of the Knot corresponds to one of these aspects, and the precise alignment of the strands is crucial for channeling temporal energy.
However, the Knot is incredibly sensitive. Even the slightest deviation in alignment can have catastrophic consequences. During the ‘Chronal Storm’ – a period of intense temporal instability – the Knot shifted violently, resulting in the creation of ‘Temporal Echoes’ – fragmented versions of the Forestaffs themselves, trapped within the vortex of the storm. These echoes, driven by instinct and the remnants of their memories, engaged in a perpetual struggle against their ‘prime’ selves, adding to the chaos.
The current state of the Sevenfold Knot is unknown. It was last observed during the Shattering, and its location is presumed to be lost. Some scholars believe that the Knot exists not in a physical location, but within the mind of a sufficiently attuned individual – a ‘Temporal Conduit’ capable of manipulating the flow of time. The search for this Conduit is, perhaps, the ultimate quest of the Chronarium of Forestaffs.