Wed 11 Jan 2017, 04:18
Some more text submitted for the rulebook; I think some of you might get a kick out of it. About half of it can be found in the art books, the rest are my extrapolations.
Most of the projects and experiments conducted at the Facility for Research in High Energy Physics are secret, which has resulted in a lot of speculation. The nature of some of the anomalies appearing in the area gives some hints, though. The high energies released in combination with experiments with anomalous materials are believed to cause minor and major resonance cascades, which in turn opens rifts in the space-time continuum. The most visible result has been the appearance of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals on Mälaröarna, beginning in the later part of the 1980's. Luckily, most dinosaurs have been herbivores, and thus mostly a nuisance for farmers and garden owners, but whenever carnivorous dinosaurs have appeared, the Riksenergi game warden team is alerted. Using JR 17 hunting robots and MSPB 13 magnetrine armored reconnaisance cars, velicoraptors and other pests are hunted down and captured or terminated. The dinosaurs are in high demand for research in paleontology, and zoological gardens have been known to offer substantial sums for live specimens. As the dinosaurs are considered property of the Swedish state, illegal hunting and smuggling are highly lucrative businesses, and the Police is on the lookout for suspicious-looking trucks and ships capable of transporting the animals. The climate during the wintry part of the year causes the majority of dinosaurs to perish, though, and in any case, many succumb to viruses after just a few weeks.
There are rumours of an illness among workers, scientists and other staff working in proximity to the Gravitron. Called "the Loop disorder", those afflicted show symptoms of psychological disorders, including nightmares, depression, rage, alcoholism, drug use, and so on, often leading to suicide. It appears like the longer someone is exposed to the Gravitron, the higher the risk of developing the disorder. Unconfirmed rumours claim that Riksenergi employees fill a whole wing in the Beckomberga psychiatric hospital in west Stockholm.
One intriguing and incompletely understood piece of machinery are the echo spheres ("varselklot"), appearing here and there in the landscape. Steel spheres with a round hatch, ranging from about two to about ten meters in diameter, they are usually painted and sporting isolators and other attachment points for power cables. Some of them spill electronic cables. They can feel warm to the touch (or icy cold), or give off a tingling sensation, cause nausea, or emit flashing light from the inside. Many are carrying a plaque which says "Rogosin Locke Industries, Bethesda, Maryland", while others are unmarked. It is possible that they are used for extradimensional and extratemporal research, as they appear out of nowhere and are often left to rust unless retrieved for unknown reasons. It is hard to tell whether they are active or not. Objects and even humans have been known to enter the spheres and disappear, sometimes returning, sometimes emerging in another place and/or time, and sometimes disappearing without a trace. Unconfirmed reports tell about people having personalities swapped; the risk might be higher if they are closely related, like siblings. Echo spheres are best left alone.
My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos, ruined dreams, this wasted land.