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(…)It floated above him; it shone so brightly. (…) Their skin boiled at the touch of its light. Bones breaking (…) twisting and stretching (…) The faces melted away as (…) hairless (…) and grey. We thought we could help them (…) twisted by the light. They would not listen to (…) Father and Mother did not escape its gaze (…)
Testimony of Malit Tyr, 1504 BCE
ExhibitPTS:
Æ7
Object Number:Class:
52
I.M.B.H.Area of Effect: Historic Relic
Object 52; Museum Exhibit Æ7
Description
Object 52 is a truncated octahedron1 composed of an unknown metallic compound. The relic is comprised of fourteen surfaces: six square faces each measuring one square meter and eight hexagonal faces measuring 3√3/2 square meters. Each surface of Object 52 is etched in a fractal pattern2 arranged in a fashion reminiscent of modern microchip etchings. Despite its apparent density, Object 52 appears to be unaffected by gravitational forces and thus has no recorded weight. The relic remains suspended in a fixed spatial position, approximately three meters from the floor, unless otherwise moved by outside forces. During the extensive studies of Object 52, no acoustic, electromagnetic, thaumatergic, or thermic deviations were recorded.
It is unknown whether Object 52 has ceased functioning3 or requires some unknown means of operation. Though currently inert, historical context and archeological discoveries depict a practical application for the relic.
Discovery
Ruins where Object 52 was discovered; Level 46, Bāl excavation site.
Object 52 was discovered in 1974 by an I.M.B.H. archeology team during their excavation of ruins within Level 46. Our research was prompted by a ~3000-year-old correspondence between known proto-factions of The Lost and the previously unknown stronghold of Bāl. During the excavation, a buried chamber was discovered holding Object 52 and ten stone tablets. Due to erosion, two of the tablets have been rendered unidentifiable.
The Sol'Ņok Akụn Tablets4 are currently displayed within Exhibit Æ7.1 and are accompanied by the current translations of the scripts. The accuracy of the events depicted is unconfirmed but not unsubstantiated; historic depictions of events and places mentioned do exist. Transcriptions of the Sol'Ņok Akụn Tablets can be found below:
Sol'Ņok Akụn Tablet 1
(…) This is a godless land, the scraps thrown aside by our benevolent creator; she bears no presence here. But if we are to ever reach the promised garden, we cannot lose faith in Zọʼn. The others think I am foolish for following the old ways; their fear is understandable in a place such as this. But I fear not; I will one day dine in the grand halls of Mọn'Ðẹn.
- Sol'Ņok Akụn; Priest of Zọʼn, 1507 BCE
Empirical Research
During the years since its discovery, part of the research on Object 52 has been focused on determining its physical properties and possible applications. To this end, several experiments were conducted using various methods and with the consultation of multiple groups based on their respective qualifications.
| Consultant | Objective | Conclusion | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Lost; The Leaders; The M.E.G..5 | Examine the object for potential uses as a weapon. | Object is too light and does not maintain momentum, this suggests a possible technological/non-physical use for it. | |
| Backrooms Robotics | Examine the technological aspects of the object. | Research inconclusive. We were able to determine that highly advanced EUV6 technology was used in the creation of the etchings on the object surfaces. There are detectable structures within the etchings measuring down to 5 nanometers and below, far beyond current capabilities. | |
| Ariane Circle7 | Expose an Entity 6 specimen to the object to determine their possible connection. | The entity immediately changed behavior when exposed to the object. Upon entering the room, it locked focus on the object and would not revert its gaze. It stood upright at attention, as if waiting for some reaction from the object. When it was removed, the entity regained its former posture and typical biohavior. | |
The full testing transcripts and conclusion reports are available upon request through the Records and Cataloging Department.
Historical Context
With many civilizations calling the level home throughout its recorded history, Level 46 has become a treasure trove of archaic knowledge. Most of these civilizations have been lost to time or were wiped from history by either the first or second great cataclysm that affected the level. Though information on the earliest of these societies is scarce, several primary and secondary sources do corroborate certain places, people(s), and events.
Sculpture depicting Y'an'Kụ; Museum Exhibit Æ7.1
Records from several sources confirm the existence of Y'an'Kụ, a city of immeasurable scale typically depicted as being capable of locomotion through some form of levitation. This was a place many inhabitants of the level feared, as it heralded the arrival of an invading army. Several uncovered correspondences detailed an incoming invasion by an army of entities similar in characteristics to the Dullers8. It is believed that this army is likely the "faceless horde" depicted in the Sol'Ņok Akụn Tablets. Y'an'Kụ was claimed to have noclipped from Level 46 to an unknown location shortly after the razing of Bāl.
Artistic depiction of Sol'Ņok Akụn following the destruction of the city-state of N'Lẹr.
Little is known of the early life of Sol'Ņok Akụn, either due to records being lost to time or no events worthy of notation occurring during this period. The earliest mentions of his name were originally found within the historic records of New Bāl regarding the disappearance of the Tribes of Maloch and Tyr9.
(…) A patrol has discovered the people of Okkon10 have disappeared; a group of seven survivors has claimed one man is responsible. A priest by the name of Sol'Ņok Akụn used "ungodly forces" to disfigure and control the population. (…) Their description fits the reports of demonic beings troubling nearby settlements. (…)
Bālese military correspondence; 1505 BCE
One of these survivors gave the only firsthand account of Object 52 being used by Sol'Ņok Akụn during his attack on Okkon. Though the transcription was heavily damaged over time, several fragments of their story remain:
The orb reacted as he chanted in a foreign language. (…) The light was wrong in ways I can not explain. They all changed so quickly: friends, family, all the people I once knew (…) They were not human anymore; the light spared no one. They followed his commands without hesitation. (…) The grey ones tore through the guards; no one stood a chance. You shouldn't follow him; we should just flee to the thresholds and leave for another world. Whatever god he prays to certainly favors his conquest. (…)
Of the recovered information regarding these historic events, no mention of a deity named Zọʼn, or any religious practice associated with the word has been found. It is theorized that if belief in a deity by this name existed, it either predates our records, has been mistranslated, or was worshiped solely by Sol'Ņok Akụn.
Painting of New Bāl found amongst Lost Legion artifacts.
The information currently available on Object 52, Sol'Ņok Akụn, and this time period of Level 46's history, not excavated by I.M.B.H. directly, almost exclusively comes from the remnants of records seized by The Lost Legion during their war with The Lost Kengir11 in 976 BCE. During the siege of New Bāl12, many of their historic documents were either destroyed, heavily damaged, or otherwise abandoned by the invading forces. Efforts to locate New Bāl, in addition to uncovering further evidence from Level 46 itself, have been ongoing in our organization for decades and will continue to be a key focus in regard to Object 52 and its origins.
