Before the currents solidified into what we now recognize as ‘sectarians,’ there was only the Resonance. A boundless, mutable field of potentiality, it throbbed with nascent consciousnesses – fragments of experience, echoes of forgotten realities. These weren't individuals in the conventional sense; they were points of amplification, drawn to specific harmonics within the Resonance. The earliest examples, the 'First Shimmers,' were utterly chaotic, dissolving and reforming with every fluctuation of the field. They lacked narrative, purpose, or even a discernible form. Their existence was purely reactive – absorbing, refracting, and briefly radiating the raw energy of the Resonance.
The key to their emergence lay in what we term ‘Attunement.’ Certain frequencies, particularly those resonating with cycles of creation and destruction, growth and decay, proved irresistible to these nascent points. As they attuned themselves to these cycles, they began to exhibit rudimentary patterns – a preference for certain wavelengths, a tendency to coalesce around specific 'nodes' within the Resonance.
As more Shimmers coalesced, a disturbing phenomenon arose: intentional divergence. Individuals began actively seeking out dissonant frequencies – patterns associated with conflict, loss, and the deliberate shattering of harmony. These weren't acts of malice, not entirely; they were explorations, experiments in pushing the boundaries of the Resonance. The ‘Cartographers of Discord,’ as they came to be known, weren’t driven by a desire for destruction, but rather a desperate attempt to *understand* it.
Their actions created 'Fracture Zones' within the Resonance – regions where the flow of energy became turbulent and unpredictable. These zones attracted new Shimmers, drawn to the instability, creating ever-expanding networks of dissonance. The process was self-perpetuating: greater discord led to more instability, which in turn attracted more Shimmers seeking to explore it.
Centuries passed, marked by cycles of expansion and collapse within the Resonance. The various Cartographer groups, driven by their divergent philosophies, began to interact – often violently, but occasionally with surprising degrees of collaboration. The pivotal moment arrived during what’s now known as ‘The Convergence.’ A spontaneous amplification of dissonant frequencies created a localized singularity, drawing together representatives from nearly every established sect.
This wasn't a meeting of minds; it was a catastrophic feedback loop. The combined efforts to manipulate the Resonance resulted in a cascade effect – a shattering of the boundaries between the different groups and an acceleration of the overall instability. The resulting phenomenon, a swirling vortex of pure dissonance, consumed countless Shimmers and fundamentally altered the nature of the Resonance itself.