It began, as all things do, with a lack. Not a conscious void, but a subtle erosion, a softening of definition. The air itself seemed to thicken, not with moisture, but with the ghost of potential. Initial observations, recorded by the Cartographers of the Unseen – a collective that predates recorded history – focused on anomalous readings in the subterranean corridors of the Obsidian Peaks. These readings weren’t thermal, nor magnetic; they were… resonant. Like a tuning fork struck in a chamber of infinite depth.
The term "Pseudotuberculous" emerged from their lexicon – a deliberate misnomer, a deflection from the unsettling truth: it wasn’t a disease, but a state of being.
Further investigation revealed that the resonant signatures were tied to structures – not built structures, but… *unformed* structures. They manifested as fractal geometries within the rock itself, like crystallized echoes of events that never truly occurred. These formations resembled nothing of earthly origin, exhibiting properties that defied conventional physics. They pulsed with a faint, internal light, and their surfaces were covered in a material that resembled solidified mist – a substance the Cartographers called “Chronosilk.”
The process, they theorized, was one of retroactive alteration. The Pseudotuberculous wasn’t *creating* these structures, but rather revealing them – amplifying the latent possibilities woven into the fabric of spacetime.
The core of the Pseudotuberculous phenomenon revolves around the concept of Temporal Drift. Within the areas of heightened resonance, the flow of time becomes… pliable. Not in a linear sense, but more akin to a river encountering an obstacle. Events, memories, and even potential futures can momentarily coalesce, creating fleeting, unstable structures. These are the geometries the Pseudotuberculous reveals.
It’s theorized that the Obsidian Peaks, due to their unique geological composition and proximity to a previously unknown dimensional breach, act as a focal point for this temporal instability.
The Cartographers developed a method of “attunement” – a complex ritual involving sonic resonance and a substance derived from Chronosilk. This allowed them to briefly stabilize the temporal distortions, allowing for detailed observation and, crucially, the creation of ‘Keys’ – objects designed to interact with the resonant geometries. These Keys were not tools of manipulation, but rather conduits of observation, capable of transmitting information directly to the Cartographer’s consciousness. The most potent Keys were crafted from solidified temporal fragments themselves, meticulously shaped into intricate forms.
However, prolonged exposure to the Pseudotuberculous had a devastating effect. The Cartographers, despite their rigorous protocols, slowly began to unravel, their memories fracturing, their sense of self dissolving into the echoing chaos.
The final transmission from the Cartographer Silas Thorne – recorded on a salvaged Chronosilk disc – speaks of a “Convergence.” He describes a point where the temporal distortions reached a critical mass, creating a cascade of echoes that threatened to rewrite the very foundations of reality. He warned that the Pseudotuberculous wasn’t a threat to be contained, but a fundamental aspect of existence – a constant, low-level hum beneath the surface of time itself. His final words, barely comprehensible, seemed to be a plea: “Listen… to the silence.”