Sardonyx, in its most primal state, is a conduit. Not merely to the flow of time, but to the resonance of shattered emotions. The Obsidian Heart, as the ancients termed it, was a specifically charged specimen – a sardonyx grown within the volcanic heart of a dying planet, saturated with the psychic residue of a civilization consumed by existential dread. It is theorized that prolonged exposure to this stone can induce 'temporal vertigo' – brief, disorienting flashes of alternate timelines, often manifesting as vivid, emotionally charged recollections that aren't your own. The Chronarium's initial records indicate that the first scholars attempted to harness this effect, believing it could unlock the secrets of prophecy. They were, predictably, disastrously wrong. The temporal shifts became increasingly chaotic, culminating in the accidental creation of a 'chronal distortion' that nearly unraveled the fabric of the 7th Cycle.
7th Cycle – A designation referring to the period of intense temporal instability following the initial attempts to manipulate the Obsidian Heart.Following the near-catastrophe, a new order emerged: the Cartographers of Chronal Drift. Their task was not to *control* time, but to meticulously document its fluctuations. They developed a unique system of ‘chronal mapping’ – utilizing specially crafted sardonyx resonators to track and record the subtle shifts in the temporal currents. These resonators, when aligned with specific constellations, could generate 'chronal echoes' – faint reproductions of past events. It’s believed that the Cartographers attempted to create a ‘chronal archive,’ a comprehensive record of all temporal anomalies. However, the act of observation itself seemed to *alter* the timeline. The more they recorded, the more unpredictable the flow became. Recent analysis suggests they inadvertently created a feedback loop, amplifying the inherent instability of the temporal streams. The key to their success, ironically, lay in their meticulous failure.
Resonance Field – The term used to describe the fluctuating patterns of temporal energy detected by the Cartographers' resonators.The most perplexing entry concerns the construction of the Paradox Loom. A device of unimaginable complexity, the Loom was designed to *resolve* temporal paradoxes – not by preventing them, but by actively weaving them into a new, coherent reality. The theory, championed by the eccentric scholar Theron Volkov, was that paradoxes weren't errors in time, but rather 'nodes' of potential energy. The Loom, utilizing a core of intensely charged sardonyx, was meant to ‘catalyze’ these nodes, creating a new, stable timeline. The results, however, were catastrophic. The Loom didn’t simply resolve paradoxes; it *generated* them. The timeline fractured into countless, overlapping realities, each vying for dominance. The Chronarium's records indicate that the last transmission from the Loom’s operators was a single, chilling phrase: “The threads unravel.”
The 9th Cycle – The period immediately following the Loom’s activation, characterized by near-total temporal disintegration.