The collection began, ostensibly, with a single, exquisitely rendered parchment. It surfaced during the excavation of the subterranean city of Veridia, a place whispered about only in the fragmented accounts of the Lumina tribe. Veridia, as legend dictates, was built by a race known as the Chronomasters – beings who believed time itself was a malleable substance, a river they could navigate with intricate instruments and, crucially, with meticulously drawn maps.
“The flow is not fixed, but responsive. The line, when drawn with intent, becomes a current.” – Chronomaster Elias, Codex Temporum Fragment 3.7
The parchment depicts a region known as the ‘Veiled Expanse,’ a place where the laws of geography seem to unravel. It’s not a map of a real location, at least not one recognizable to our current understanding. Instead, it appears to be a representation of possibilities, of timelines branching and merging, each marked with a delicate, silver ink that subtly shifts color depending on the angle of observation. Initial analysis suggests the ink is composed of solidified temporal echoes – remnants of moments that never occurred, or perhaps, moments that *could* have.
Note: The Lumina tribe believed the silver ink was harvested from the tears of Time itself. A highly romantic, if somewhat improbable, theory.
From this initial fragment, a network of related materials began to coalesce. There’s a series of obsidian tablets inscribed with a language utterly alien to any known tongue. These tablets, when subjected to a specific frequency of resonant sound (discovered through a rather unsettling experiment involving a dismantled chronometer and a trained bat), reveal themselves to be mathematical equations describing the mechanics of temporal distortion. The equations are accompanied by incredibly detailed sketches of… things. Geometric forms that defy Euclidean geometry, swirling vortexes, and stylized representations of what appear to be living constellations.
Then came the journals. Hundreds of them, written in a fluid, almost hallucinatory script. The handwriting seems to change mid-sentence, sometimes flowing backwards, as if the writer were attempting to record a memory before it vanished. Many of the entries are filled with observations about ‘Echo Blooms’ – localized pockets of temporal instability where the past and present collide. One entry, dated 37 cycles after the founding of Veridia, describes a ‘Crimson Cascade’ – a wave of temporal energy that washed over the city, causing buildings to age and decay in mere minutes, and citizens to experience flashes of their own futures.
“The Cascade was a consequence of over-extension. We reached too far, probed too deeply. Time, like water, resists being contained.” – Chronomaster Lyra, Personal Log, Cycle 142
Note: The Lumina tribe practiced a ritual called ‘Temporal Resonance’ to mitigate the effects of the Cascade. It involved the chanting of specific verses while holding polished obsidian stones. The effectiveness of this ritual remains… debatable.
The collection’s most perplexing element is a collection of small, intricately carved wooden figurines. Each figurine represents a ‘Temporal Node’ – a point where the Chronomasters concentrated their efforts to manipulate time. The figurines are remarkably detailed, down to the individual fibers of the clothing worn by the figures. Furthermore, each figurine seems to subtly vibrate when held, emitting a faint hum that induces a profound sense of disorientation. Analysis suggests the figurines are constructed from a material that doesn’t exist in our reality – something denser than lead, yet somehow… lighter.
Alongside the figurines, we found a single, perfectly preserved hummingbird. The hummingbird is made entirely of bronze, and its wings are etched with incredibly fine lines that resemble miniature maps. When activated—through a process involving a complex arrangement of mirrors and a precisely timed pulse of static electricity—the hummingbird emits a brief, intensely vivid image of a landscape that is both familiar and utterly alien. It’s a landscape of towering crystal spires, rivers of liquid light, and cities built from pure time.
“The key is not to control time, but to understand its language.” – Chronomaster Silas, Codex Temporum Fragment 8.2
Note: The Lumina tribe believed the hummingbird was a ‘Temporal Echo,’ a physical manifestation of a forgotten timeline.
The collection, as a whole, represents a profound and dangerous undertaking. The Chronomasters sought to harness the very fabric of existence, and their efforts ultimately led to their downfall. The fragments serve as a cautionary tale – a reminder that some doors are best left unopened, some mysteries best left unsolved. The potential for misuse is staggering. Imagine, for a moment, the ability to alter the past, to rewrite history, to erase entire civilizations. The implications are terrifying.
Dr. Alistair Finch, Temporal Research Institute