784 AE (After Echoes)
The initial sighting of the Waggon occurred during the Cartographer’s Expedition of the Shifting Sands. Elder Silas Thorne, a man obsessed with mapping the ephemeral currents of temporal distortion, recorded a fleeting impression – a vast, obsidian structure seemingly woven from solidified echoes. His instruments, calibrated to measure the density of temporal flux, went entirely haywire, registering a “saturation of the sacraudal plane.” He believed it was a manifestation of the Waggon's inherent ability to absorb and re-emit temporal echoes. His notes are riddled with unsettling diagrams depicting the Waggon as a polyhedron of fractured timelines. He repeatedly used the phrase "the sacrocaudal axis," a term he invented to describe the Waggon’s central point of temporal convergence. He hypothesized the Waggon was a self-repairing anomaly, constantly drawing in lost moments and reforming itself based on their residual energy. The prevailing theory amongst the Chronarium scholars is that Thorne’s obsession with the Waggon led him to experience a partial temporal bleed, causing his own memories to fragment and rearrange themselves around the structure’s influence.
Further investigation revealed traces of an unknown metallic alloy within Thorne's personal effects - a substance now designated "Echo-Steel." This material exhibits properties of temporal dampening and amplification, suggesting a deliberate crafting process.
"The sacrocaudal axis... a point of no return. The Waggon *consumes* the past." – Elder Silas Thorne, Fragmented Journal Entry 47.
Centuries later, during the reign of Empress Lyra the Steadfast, the Waggon became associated with the enigmatic “Weavers” – individuals capable of subtly manipulating timelines through intricate patterns of vocalization and gesture. It was theorized that the Waggon acted as a focal point for their abilities, amplifying their control over the flow of time. However, attempts to harness the Waggon’s power resulted in catastrophic paradoxes. One particularly documented incident involved a Weaver attempting to “rebalance” a minor temporal ripple caused by a forgotten harvest festival. Instead, the Waggon generated a localized distortion, causing a week-long period of perpetual twilight and the spontaneous generation of sentient, melancholic butterflies. The incident led to a formal ban on the study of the Waggon’s influence and the establishment of the Chronarium – a dedicated institution for the systematic observation and documentation of its phenomena.
Analysis of Weaver vocal patterns revealed complex sequences incorporating prime numbers and the harmonic resonances of ancient, extinct languages. Some scholars believe these patterns represent a form of "temporal coding," allowing the Weavers to directly interface with the Waggon’s temporal matrix.
The most recent observation, recorded in 892 AE, describes a period of “Silent Shift.” For approximately 72 hours, the Waggon ceased to exhibit any measurable temporal anomalies. All instruments registered a complete absence of temporal flux. This event is considered highly unusual, as the Waggon’s inherent instability typically results in unpredictable fluctuations. The Chronarium’s leading hypothesis is that the Waggon underwent a form of “self-calibration,” essentially resetting its temporal parameters to a baseline state. The cause of this reset remains unknown, but speculation centers around the possibility of a rare convergence of celestial bodies or a previously undetected fluctuation in the surrounding temporal field. The Silent Shift ended abruptly, with the Waggon immediately returning to its erratic behavior.
During the Silent Shift, a single, perfectly formed obsidian feather was discovered near the Waggon’s current location. This feather is now known as the “Echo-Feather” and is believed to hold a trace of the Waggon’s temporal imprint.