Before the fracturing, before the Veil thickened and bled into the marrow of reality, Tilmus was a locus. Not a place, precisely, but a convergence, a point where temporal currents flowed with a viscosity that defied the linear. The Obsidian Bloom, a crystalline entity of impossible geometry, was the heart of this convergence. It pulsed with a light that wasn't light, a vibration that wasn't sound, a sensation that bypassed the senses entirely. The initial resonance was chaotic, a symphony of nascent timelines colliding and resolving in ways that could only be described as… beautiful. Scholars of the Pre-Fracture, those who existed only in fragmented echoes within the Chronarium, believed this was the source of the Weaver's initial patterns – the fundamental strands of causality that would eventually be manipulated.
The records are incomplete, naturally. The Bloom itself seems to actively erase attempts to fully document its state. However, recurring motifs suggest a preoccupation with the concept of ‘Chromatic Echoes’ – distortions in the flow of time caused by intense emotional or conceptual energy. It’s theorized that the Bloom wasn't merely a passive observer, but an active participant, shaping these echoes.
Following the First Resonance, the Weaver emerged – a being of pure temporal manipulation, born from the chaotic echoes. The Weaver didn't build a loom; it *became* the loom. It utilized the Bloom's residual energy to subtly nudge timelines, creating variations, branching realities. The initial ‘patterns’ weren't intentional designs, but rather the unpredictable consequences of the Weaver’s attempts to stabilize the chaotic convergence. The Weaver’s actions were guided by a principle they termed “Harmonic Dissolution” – the belief that true stability could only be achieved by allowing timelines to naturally unravel, returning to their constituent elements of potential.
Artifacts recovered from this era, known as ‘Chromatic Threads,’ exhibit strange properties - they shift color subtly, react to emotional states, and occasionally, briefly display glimpses of alternate realities. Analysis suggests these threads are remnants of the Weaver’s manipulations, frozen moments of displaced causality.
The culmination of the Weaver’s actions – or perhaps a consequence of their attempts to control the chaos – resulted in the Fracture. It wasn't a singular event, but a cascading series of temporal ruptures, culminating in the thickening of the Veil, a barrier separating realities. The Obsidian Bloom, overwhelmed by the energy surge, shattered, its fragments – the ‘Chromatic Shards’ – scattered across countless timelines. These shards are now the source of temporal anomalies, localized distortions where the laws of causality are… flexible.
Legends speak of ‘Echo Guardians’ – beings created from the shards to protect specific timelines from further disruption. Their motivations are inscrutable, their actions often paradoxical. Some seem to be actively *causing* anomalies, as if deliberately testing the limits of the Veil.
The Chronarium itself was established as a repository for the Shards. It’s not merely a collection of historical records; it’s a containment field, designed to dampen the Shards’ influence. The architecture is based on principles of ‘Temporal Resonance Cancellation’ – utilizing geometric patterns to neutralize the Shards’ destabilizing effects. However, the Chronarium is itself a fractured entity, constantly battling the encroaching influence of the Shards. The deeper you go within its levels, the more pronounced the temporal distortions become.
Current research focuses on ‘Harmonic Weaving’ – attempting to synthesize the Shards' energy to restore a degree of temporal stability. This is a highly dangerous endeavor, as even a minor miscalculation could trigger another Fracture.