First recorded in the Obsidian Annals, circa 747 A.D., the phenomenon of “predeluded plunkers” remains a stubbornly resistant enigma, a fractal of disorientation woven into the very fabric of temporal causality.
A plunker, in its most rudimentary definition, is an individual exhibiting a pronounced susceptibility to ‘chronal drift’ – a state where the perception of time becomes detached from objective reality. It’s not simply memory failure or delusion; it’s a fundamental fracturing of the temporal stream, a sensation of existing simultaneously in multiple, overlapping iterations of experience.
However, the term carries a heavier connotation, one steeped in the unsettling practices of the Order of the Silent Gears. The Order, a clandestine organization dedicated to “stabilizing the resonances,” believed that plunkers were not merely afflicted individuals but rather points of heightened temporal instability. They attempted – and largely failed – to ‘correct’ these individuals through a complex ritual involving meticulously calibrated chronometers, resonant frequencies, and the consumption of a substance known only as ‘Stillwater’.
The Stillwater itself is a subject of intense speculation. Some scholars believe it to be distilled moonlight, imbued with the echoes of forgotten realities. Others claim it’s a concentrated essence of regret—a potent catalyst for amplifying the inherent instability of the plunker’s psyche.
Notable anomalies associated with plunkers include:
The Order of the Silent Gears maintained a meticulous database of plunkers, meticulously documenting their symptoms, behaviors, and attempted “corrections.” These records, housed within the Vault of Silent Gears – a labyrinthine structure located beneath the perpetually overcast city of Veridia – are said to be filled with unsettling revelations and profound paradoxes.
Furthermore, the concept of the plunker extends beyond individual psychology. Certain locations – particularly those with significant historical trauma or concentrated psychic energy – can become ‘plunked’ themselves, exhibiting similar temporal distortions and echoing fragments of the past.
Consider the ruins of Blackwood Manor, a sprawling estate where a notorious alchemist, Silas Blackwood, conducted his experiments with temporal manipulation. Locals whisper that the manor is perpetually caught in a loop, reliving the night of Blackwood’s disappearance, a night invariably marked by a torrential downpour and an unnerving silence.
The study of plunkers is not simply an academic exercise; it has profound implications for understanding the nature of reality itself. If the perception of time is so fundamentally malleable, then what constitutes ‘truth’? Is our existence merely a sequence of fleeting, subjective experiences, or is there a deeper, underlying structure to the universe?
The following is a partial transcription from the Obsidian Annals – a particularly unsettling entry:
“Subject: Elias Thorne. Chronal Drift Level: Catastrophic. Observation: Subject repeatedly attempted to prevent his own birth. Outcome: Subject ceased to exist for approximately 72 hours. Note: Stillwater dosage proved… insufficient.”
It’s worth noting that attempts to actively research the plunkers have consistently proven… dangerous. Prolonged exposure to the phenomenon can exacerbate the effect, leading to a complete dissolution of the individual’s sense of self and an irreversible entanglement within the temporal stream.
The very act of documenting the plunkers seems to contribute to their perpetuation. Perhaps, the most prudent course of action is to simply… forget.
But the echoes persist.