Unsolved Phenomena

“Strange Events Without Explanation”

Overview

Nature: Recurring anomalies defying explanation
Documentation: Witnessed, recorded, unexplained
Impact: Navigation hazards, psychological unease, occasional opportunities
Status: Active investigation (Archivists, navigators, clergy)

The Midnight Sun

Phenomenon: Sky above certain islands glows white at midnight
Frequency: Irregular (some nights, not others)
Duration: Minutes to hours
Locations: Scattered (no geographic pattern)
Effects: - Disorientation (navigators report confusion) - Psychological impact (unease, awe, fear) - Temporary time distortion (clocks disagree after event)

Theories: - Aether fluctuation reflecting distant light - Pre-Shattering technology activating - Divine manifestation (Constellation of Light?) - Rot-related phenomenon (corruption signature)

Investigation: Archivists tracking occurrences (no pattern found)

The Singing Winds

Phenomenon: Air currents producing melodic sounds (not random)
Frequency: Rare but documented
Duration: Minutes
Locations: High altitude routes, storm boundaries
Effects: - Emotional response (joy, sorrow, nostalgia—listener dependent) - Some claim messages heard (language unclear) - Navigation disruption (sound distracts pilots)

Theories: - Natural resonance (wind through Aether crystals) - Pre-Shattering communication system (automated) - Divine communication (Constellation of the Voyager?) - Psychological phenomenon (group hallucination)

Investigation: Storm-Captain Kiera documenting (personal interest)

Ghost Ships

Phenomenon: Vessels drifting unmanned, crew vanished
Frequency: ~1-2 per year (documented)
Condition: Intact (no damage), supplies present, no crew
Locations: Random
Evidence: - Personal effects undisturbed (no struggle) - Logs cease mid-sentence - Occasional final note: “Following the light” or similar

Theories: - Rot seduction (crew walked off? Into void?) - Mutiny or piracy (evidence removed) - Mass delusion (shared madness) - Dimensional shift (crew displaced elsewhere)

Response: Ships salvaged (reluctantly—superstition), avoided (cursed?)

The Crystal Rain

Phenomenon: Aether crystals falling like precipitation
Frequency: Extremely rare (~5 documented instances in 287 years)
Duration: Minutes
Locations: Random (no geographic connection)
Effects: - Crystals valuable (energy source) - Touch causes visions (content varies—prophecy? Memory? Random?) - Some who touched changed (enlightened or mad)

Theories: - Upper atmosphere phenomenon (crystal formation/release) - Divine gift (Constellation blessing) - Pre-Shattering weapon malfunction - Reality instability (Shattering aftershock)

Status: No prediction possible, observers watch sky hopefully

Temporal Anomalies

Phenomenon: Time discrepancies in specific areas
Frequency: Rare but recurring (same locations sometimes)
Effects: - Ships experience more/less time than external observers - Aging discrepancies (crew younger/older than expected) - Memory gaps or duplications

Documented Cases: - The Windchaser (283 S.): Week-long voyage, returned after month - The Glimmering Spire (ongoing): Time “feels wrong” (visitors report) - The Weeping Halls (persistent): Clocks run slowly

Theories: - Gravity/Aether interaction affecting time - Pre-Shattering temporal experiments (still active) - Reality damage from Shattering - Rot corruption (altering fundamental physics)

Investigation: Archivists researching (dangerous to study directly)

The Calling Dreams

Phenomenon: Shared dreams among distant individuals
Frequency: Sporadic (clusters of reports, then silence)
Content: - Voice calling name (speaker unidentified) - Visions of specific locations (often inaccessible) - Compulsion to “return home” or “come below”

Effects: - Obsession (dreamers fixate on content) - Some follow compulsion (often don’t return) - Psychological trauma (nightmares, insomnia)

Theories: - Voice Beneath influence (Rot seduction) - Constellation communication attempt (divine calling) - Collective unconscious (post-Shattering trauma) - Pre-Shattering mind-control technology

Response: Clergy counseling victims, tracking patterns

The Stillness Zones

Phenomenon: Areas where sound completely ceases
Frequency: Rare, fixed locations (known zones avoided)
Effects: - Total silence (even heartbeat inaudible) - Psychological distress (extreme disorientation) - Communication impossible - Duration varied (minutes to hours)

Known Zones: - Sector near Murky Chasm (Rot-corrupted area) - Above Constellation’s Reach Observatory (ironic) - Scattered Far Reaches (uncharted)

Theories: - Aether dead zones (energy absence) - Pre-Shattering sound suppression technology - Reality voids (areas where physics failed) - Rot corruption (entropy manifestation)

Avoidance: Navigation routes detour around known zones

Additional Phenomena

The Frozen Moment

Phenomenon: Objects or people frozen in time (appear motionless) Frequency: Extremely rare (5 documented cases) Duration: Variable (minutes to days, then release) Locations: Random (no pattern)

Effects: - Subject frozen (cannot move, speak, or perceive) - Time passes normally for others (frozen person experiences nothing) - Release is sudden (subject unaware time passed) - No physical harm (but psychological trauma)

Documented Case (Year 273 S.): - Pilot frozen mid-flight (ship drifted for 3 hours) - Released suddenly (continued flying as if nothing happened) - Unaware of time loss (thought only seconds passed) - Ship had drifted 50km (nearly crashed)

Theories: - Temporal anomaly (local time stop) - Pre-Shattering stasis technology (activating randomly) - Divine intervention (constellation testing?) - Reality glitch (Shattering aftereffect)

The Phantom Voices

Phenomenon: Voices heard in empty space (no source) Frequency: Common (hundreds of reports) Duration: Seconds to minutes Locations: Everywhere (but more common in Periphery)

Characteristics: - Clear speech (understandable words) - Various languages (Old Luminar, Common Tongue, unknown) - Content varies (warnings, prophecies, nonsense, personal messages) - No visible source (empty Aether)

Examples: - “Turn back” (warning, common) - “They’re coming” (threat, unclear who) - Personal names (calling specific individuals) - Conversations (as if overhearing dialogue)

Theories: - Echo Zones (sound trapped, replaying) - Ghosts (dead speaking—folk belief) - Aether carrying sound (from distant sources) - Hallucination (Aether-Sickness symptom) - Voice Beneath (Rot-related)

Impact: Navigators report voices constantly (learn to ignore them)

The Gravity Reversals

Phenomenon: Local gravity inverts (pulls up instead of down) Frequency: Rare (20 documented cases) Duration: Seconds to minutes Locations: Random (but often near ruins)

Effects: - Objects fall upward (terrifying) - People float away (must grab something or fall into sky) - Disorientation (extreme) - Injuries (when gravity returns, things fall back down)

Documented Case (Year 265 S.): - Entire settlement experienced reversal (2 minutes) - 5 people fell into sky (died) - Objects scattered (fell upward, then down) - Psychological trauma (survivors never recovered)

Theories: - Pre-Shattering gravity technology (malfunctioning) - Reality instability (Shattering aftereffect) - Rot corruption (physics breaking down) - Constellation intervention (testing? Punishing?)

Prevention: None (unpredictable, instant)

The Living Shadows

Phenomenon: Shadows that move independently (not following objects) Frequency: Rare but consistent (same locations) Duration: Persistent (shadows remain) Locations: Specific ruins (pre-Shattering sites)

Characteristics: - Move on own (not cast by anything) - Seem aware (avoid people, or approach them) - Cold (touching shadow causes temperature drop) - Harmless? (no confirmed deaths, but unsettling)

Documented Locations: - Glimmering Spire underlevel (shadows in hallways) - The Hollow (shadows everywhere—Rot-related?) - Certain Periphery ruins (ancient sites)

Theories: - Ghosts (dead manifesting as shadows) - Pre-Shattering security (automated guardians) - Rot manifestation (corruption taking form) - Dimensional bleed (shadows from parallel reality)

Avoidance: Most people avoid shadow-haunted areas

The Constellation Echoes

Phenomenon: Constellation patterns appearing where they shouldn’t Frequency: Rare (10-20 reports per year) Duration: Seconds Locations: Random (but indoors—where stars shouldn’t be visible)

Characteristics: - Constellation patterns on walls, floors, ceilings - Glow faintly (like actual constellations) - Appear and fade (seconds) - No light source (patterns appear in darkness)

Effects: - Witnesses report feeling “watched” - Some report hearing whispers (constellation speaking?) - Psychological impact (awe, fear, confusion) - No physical harm (just unsettling)

Theories: - Divine manifestation (constellations reaching out) - Pre-Shattering projection technology (still active) - Psychological (hallucination, pattern-seeking) - Aether reflection (constellation light bending strangely)

Clergy Position: Divine signs (pray when you see them)

Skeptic Position: Hallucination (ignore them)

The Breathing Islands

Phenomenon: Islands that expand and contract (like breathing) Frequency: Extremely rare (3 known cases) Duration: Continuous (islands always breathing) Locations: Specific islands (avoided)

Characteristics: - Visible movement (island surface rises and falls) - Rhythmic (like heartbeat or breathing) - Amplitude: 1-2 meters (significant) - Period: 27 hours (same as “The Breath” Aether-pulse)

Effects: - Buildings crack (constant movement) - Inhabitants report nausea (motion sickness) - Psychological distress (island feels alive) - Settlements abandoned (too unsettling)

Theories: - Islands are alive (impossible, but…) - Pre-Shattering bio-engineering (living structures) - Rot corruption (transformation into living matter) - Aether-pulse manifestation (islands resonating with Breath)

Current Status: Islands quarantined (no one lives there)

The Star-Showers

Phenomenon: Glowing particles “rain” from above Frequency: Monthly (predictable) Duration: Hours Locations: Random (but widespread)

Characteristics: - Glowing motes (various colors) - Fall slowly (drift down like snow) - Collectible (Star-Dust) - Valuable (alchemical uses)

Effects: - Beautiful (awe-inspiring) - Harmless (no injuries) - Beneficial (Star-Dust is useful) - Mysterious (where do they come from?)

Theories: - Constellation fragments (pieces of stars falling) - Aether crystallization (natural phenomenon) - Pre-Shattering technology (automated dispersal) - Unknown source (genuinely mysterious)

Economic Impact: Star-Dust trade (valuable commodity)

The Aether Mirrors

Phenomenon: Reflective surfaces in empty Aether Frequency: Rare (dozens of reports) Duration: Persistent (mirrors remain) Locations: Deep Aether (far from islands)

Characteristics: - Invisible until approached (then suddenly visible) - Perfect reflection (show approaching ship/person) - Intangible (can pass through them) - Disorienting (seeing yourself in void)

Effects: - Navigation confusion (mirrors create false landmarks) - Psychological impact (unsettling) - Some report reflections moving wrong (not matching actions) - Rare reports of reflections speaking (unverified)

Theories: - Dimensional boundaries (seeing into parallel reality) - Aether property (natural reflectivity under conditions) - Pre-Shattering sensors (observing travelers) - Psychological (hallucination, not real)

Navigator Response: Mark locations (avoid or approach carefully)

Investigation Efforts

Archivist Documentation Project

Goal: Catalog all phenomena (comprehensive record)

Method: - Collect reports (from pilots, settlers, explorers) - Verify when possible (investigate directly) - Analyze patterns (looking for connections) - Theorize causes (scholarly speculation)

Results: Comprehensive catalog (200+ phenomena documented)

Understanding: Minimal (documentation ≠ explanation)

Hope: Future generations might find patterns we miss

Navigator’s Hazard Registry

Goal: Practical safety (warn pilots of dangerous phenomena)

Method: - Report dangerous phenomena (time anomalies, gravity reversals, etc.) - Mark locations (navigation charts) - Develop avoidance protocols (detour routes) - Share information (Guild network)

Results: Safer travel (fewer accidents)

Problem: New phenomena appear constantly (charts always outdated)

Clergy Theological Study

Goal: Determine if phenomena are divine

Method: - Pray during phenomena (test for divine response) - Analyze constellation correlations (looking for patterns) - Theological interpretation (what do phenomena mean?)

Results: Inconclusive (some correlations, but weak)

Current Position: “Some phenomena might be divine. Most are probably natural. We don’t know.”

Practical Impacts

Navigation

Hazards: Phenomena disrupt travel - Time anomalies (arrive late or early) - Gravity reversals (dangerous) - Phantom voices (distract pilots) - Aether mirrors (false landmarks)

Adaptations: - Mark known phenomena locations (charts) - Develop protocols (how to respond) - Train pilots (recognize and handle) - Detour routes (avoid dangerous areas)

Economy

Opportunities: Some phenomena are profitable - Star-Showers (collect Star-Dust, sell) - Midnight Sun (tourism—people pay to witness) - Singing Winds (some claim healing properties)

Costs: Phenomena disrupt trade - Delays (detours, waiting for phenomena to pass) - Losses (ships caught in gravity reversals, time anomalies) - Insurance (higher premiums for dangerous routes)

Psychology

Unease: Constant low-level anxiety - World is unpredictable (phenomena appear randomly) - Safety is illusion (anywhere can be affected) - Understanding is impossible (no explanations)

Adaptation: People normalize - “That’s just how Aether is” (acceptance) - Superstitions develop (protective rituals) - Stories told (phenomena become folklore)

In-World Documents

Navigator’s Report (Midnight Sun)

PHENOMENON REPORT #287-45

Type: Midnight Sun Location: Coordinates [specified], Periphery region Date: Day 134, Year 287 S. Duration: 47 minutes

Description: Midnight. Sky above island suddenly glowed white. Bright as day. No heat. No sound. Just light.

Crew disoriented. Clocks disagreed afterward (mine said 47 minutes passed, first mate’s said 12 minutes, engineer’s said 3 hours).

Island residents emerged. Stared at sky. Some prayed. Some wept. Some laughed.

Then darkness returned. Normal night. Constellations visible.

Effects: - No physical harm (crew and residents fine) - Psychological impact (unease, awe) - Time discrepancy (unexplained) - Navigation confusion (took hours to reorient)

Recommendation: Mark location as hazard. Avoid at night. Or don’t—phenomenon seems harmless. Just unsettling.

—Captain Theron Swiftwind, Sky-Guild Navigator

Scholar’s Theory (Singing Winds)

HYPOTHESIS: The Singing Winds are pre-Shattering communication system

Evidence: - Melodic (not random noise) - Repeating patterns (same “songs” heard multiple times) - Emotional content (listeners report feeling messages) - Geographic consistency (same locations produce same songs)

Theory: Luminar Council built automated communication network. Shattering broke it. Fragments still function. “Songs” are garbled messages.

Test: Record songs, analyze patterns, attempt translation.

Result: Partial success. Some patterns repeat. Meaning unclear. Might be language. Might be music. Might be nothing.

Conclusion: Phenomenon is real. Cause is unknown. Meaning is unknowable (probably).

—Scholar Mara Windborn, Year 285 S.

Pilot’s Account (Gravity Reversal)

INCIDENT REPORT - GRAVITY REVERSAL

Date: Day 67, Year 265 S. Location: Near Thornvale

What Happened:

Flying normal. Suddenly, gravity inverted. Everything fell upward.

Cargo broke loose. Flew to ceiling. Crew grabbed rails. I grabbed wheel.

Lasted maybe 30 seconds. Felt like eternity.

Then gravity returned. Everything crashed down. Cargo destroyed. Two crew injured (broken bones). I’m bruised but alive.

Analysis:

No warning. No visible cause. Just sudden inversion.

If I’d been standing, I’d have fallen into sky. If crew hadn’t grabbed something, they’d be gone.

Recommendation:

Mark area as hazard. Approach with caution. Secure all cargo. Wear tether-belts always.

And pray it doesn’t happen again.

—Captain Jorah Ironwind

Clergy Interpretation (Constellation Echoes)

THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS: CONSTELLATION ECHOES

Phenomenon: Constellation patterns appearing indoors

Interpretation: Divine manifestation (constellations reaching out)

Significance: Proof constellations are watching (even when silent)

Recommendation: Pray when you see echoes (constellation is present)

Counter-Interpretation (Bishop Vael): “Or it’s light refraction. Or hallucination. Or pre-Shattering technology. We don’t know. Claiming it’s divine is wishful thinking.”

Official Position: Divine manifestation (until proven otherwise)

Unofficial Reality: We don’t know. We hope it’s divine. But we don’t know.

—Constellation Clergy, Theological Committee

Archivist’s Catalog (Partial List)

UNSOLVED PHENOMENA REGISTRY

Total Documented: 200+ distinct phenomena

Categories: - Light phenomena: 45 (Midnight Sun, glows, flashes, etc.) - Sound phenomena: 38 (Singing Winds, phantom voices, etc.) - Temporal phenomena: 12 (time distortions, frozen moments, etc.) - Spatial phenomena: 27 (gravity reversals, dimensional shifts, etc.) - Psychological phenomena: 31 (Calling Dreams, shared visions, etc.) - Biological phenomena: 18 (spontaneous healing, mutations, etc.) - Miscellaneous: 29 (everything else)

Explained: 0 (zero phenomena fully understood)

Partially Explained: 15 (theories with some evidence)

Completely Mysterious: 185 (no good theories)

Dangerous: 40 (caused deaths or injuries)

Beneficial: 12 (healing, resources, etc.)

Neutral: 148 (just strange)

Conclusion: The Aetherium is full of mysteries. We document them. We don’t understand them. Maybe we never will.

—Archivist Phenomena Project, Year 287 S.

Pilot’s Superstitions (Tavern Conversation)

Veteran Pilot: “You want to survive in the Aether? Listen to the old ways.”

Rules: 1. If you hear voices, don’t answer (Phantom Voices are traps) 2. If sky glows at midnight, land immediately (Midnight Sun disorients) 3. If wind sings, listen for warnings (Singing Winds sometimes help) 4. If you see your reflection in empty Aether, look away (Aether Mirrors lie) 5. If gravity feels wrong, secure everything (Gravity Reversal incoming) 6. If time feels slow, speed up (Time Dilation is dangerous) 7. If shadows move wrong, leave (Living Shadows are bad omen) 8. If island breathes, don’t land (Breathing Islands are cursed) 9. If you dream of calling, resist (Calling Dreams kill) 10. If nothing makes sense, trust instinct (Aether is strange, instinct is survival)

Young Pilot: “Are these real rules or superstition?”

Veteran: “Does it matter? I’ve survived 30 years following them. You want to test which are real? Go ahead. I’ll attend your funeral.”

Quest Hooks

1. The Documentation: Help Archivists document phenomenon (witness it, record details, analyze)

2. The Investigation: Investigate new occurrence (sudden manifestation, no precedent, dangerous)

3. The Rescue: Individual affected by phenomenon (frozen in time, trapped in mirror, hearing voices—save them)

4. The Salvage: Ghost ship affected by phenomenon (valuable cargo, but cursed?)

5. The Study: Study phenomenon safely (develop protection, understanding, or exploitation)

6. The Pattern: Track pattern (predict next occurrence, warn people, save lives)

7. The Gravity Reversal: Experience gravity reversal (survive it, help others survive)

8. The Midnight Sun: Witness Midnight Sun (investigate cause, experience wonder/terror)

9. The Singing Wind: Decode Singing Wind message (is it language? Warning? Music?)

10. The Living Shadow: Encounter independent shadow (flee, fight, or communicate?)

11. The Frozen Moment: Someone frozen in time (wait for release, or try to free them?)

12. The Calling Dream: Resist Calling Dream (or succumb and discover where it leads?)

13. The Aether Mirror: Encounter your reflection in void (what does it show? What does it say?)

14. The Breathing Island: Explore Breathing Island (why does it breathe? What’s inside?)

15. The Connection: Discover link between phenomena (are they related? Single cause?)

Deliberate Ambiguity

Causes: GM decides (single source or multiple) - All phenomena from Shattering (reality is broken) - Each phenomenon has different cause (diverse mysteries) - Pre-Shattering technology (automated systems still running) - Divine (constellations manifesting) - Rot-related (corruption affecting reality) - Natural (Aether properties we don’t understand)

Explanations: Can be discovered or remain mysterious - Investigation reveals truth (players can solve mysteries) - Some phenomena explainable, others not (mixed) - All phenomena remain mysterious (cosmic horror)

Danger Level: Harmless curiosities or serious threats - Most harmless (just strange) - Some dangerous (gravity reversals, time anomalies) - Danger varies (same phenomenon can be safe or lethal)

Predictability: Patterns exist or purely random - Patterns discoverable (research reveals them) - Patterns exist but too complex (can’t predict) - Purely random (no patterns)

Usefulness: Can phenomena be harnessed or only avoided? - Some exploitable (Star-Showers provide resources) - Some avoidable (mark locations, detour) - Some unavoidable (random, unpredictable) - Harnessing might be dangerous (weaponizing phenomena)

Related Topics

• Aether Phenomena - Related mysteries
• The Shattering - Possible cause
• Great Unknowns - Fundamental questions
• The Periphery - Many phenomena occur here
• Pre-Shattering Technology - Possible cause
• The Archivists - Document phenomena

“Sky’s full of strangeness. Lights that shouldn’t glow. Winds that sing. Time that bends. Dreams that call. We document, theorize, avoid. Understanding? Maybe someday. Or maybe never. Sky keeps its secrets.”

“I’ve witnessed 47 different phenomena in 30 years of piloting. I don’t understand any of them. But I’ve learned to survive them. That’s enough.” — Veteran Navigator

“The Aetherium is broken. Reality doesn’t work right. Phenomena are symptoms of that brokenness. We can document them. We can’t fix them. We just have to live with them.” — Scholar’s assessment

“Every phenomenon is mystery. Every mystery is opportunity. Understand it, exploit it, profit from it. That’s how you survive in the Aetherium.” — Pragmatist’s philosophy