The Shrouded World

The terrain on … is as treacherous as predicted. Swirling vortices of gloaming particles carve through the air, slowing the initial progress of … and … crew.

Alarmingly, our research team has begun to report sensory inconsistencies; they describe distant howls carrying on the winds and shadowed figures stalking in the mists. Is it truly a mistake to be here?

The first public broadcasts of the landing have triggered widespread panic on …. Many are fearful that we may be courting the mysterious destructive powers that once visited …. Organized protests proclaiming that 'The End is Nigh' are sweeping across our homeworld, shutting down much of our infrastructure.

Telemetric scans have revealed a cavity emanating particularly high radiation levels deep within a nearby mountain range. We are determined to push farther, whatever the cost.

We are not the first.

The mountainous cavity on … has been breached, revealing an abandoned alien structure lost to the cataclysm. We find it best to keep this information classified in order to prevent further panic.

Preliminary analysis confirms that materials used in the facility's construction do not match the molecular composition of available minerals on the planet, suggesting that a spacefaring civilization built this installation using exotic materials. The exact purpose of this place remains unclear, but its functionality appears to have been mostly automated.

Meanwhile, the team's psychological symptoms are worsening. Some report voices whispering through encrypted frequencies, while others describe distorted perceptions of their surrounding physical environment. Occasional fits of laughter are becoming uncomfortably commonplace.

We have gone too far to turn back now.

They are all dead.

At the seat of each station in the heart of this facility slumps the desiccated corpses of an unknown alien race, their many pale eyes staring toward the ceiling. Despite their frightening appearance, … is reasonably certain these figures are not a product of hallucinations. Images of these life forms are currently classified as strictly confidential.

No weapons of any form can be found, suggesting that their presence on … lacked hostile intent. This facility was likely an observation post, with sophisticated monitoring equipment trained directly on …. Radiocarbon dating places their activity here long before the cataclysm struck.

We have decoded many of their records; aside from routine communication logs, they largely concern our civilization's early history.

The database on … has been deciphered, proving many of our discredited legends to be true. We were the subject of an experiment in the mental science known as 'Psionic Theory'.

Our species was determined to have this latent potential. Many of our ancestors would have sensed these communications in dreams or as distant voices, phenomena that might otherwise indicate mental illness or paranoia. However, their experiment was cut short; in its last days, this place was no observation post, but a survival shelter.

Their reports on our society cease after a disastrous experiment on their capital world involving the reckless manipulation of the barrier between realities known as 'the Shroud'. Their scientists referred to this incident as 'The Reckoning', and we suspect this was the true source of the cataclysm.

Whatever this incident was, its influence soon extended to …. Their last moments are recorded in a single log entry:

The End has come.

We have found definitive evidence of the cataclysm's source. It was not difficult to find; … claims it called out to ….

Deep within the facility, defying conventional analysis, a pulsing intangible mass has been identified. Existing neither as matter nor energy, … has described it as the lingering resentment of consumed wills, referring to it as a 'Fragment of Reckoning'.

In a misguided effort to contain and channel the ethereal energies of the Shroud, this object was intended to be used as defense against the Reckoning. However, it was only partially successful. In the last moments of this world, the malevolent entity was forcibly banished from this dimension, taking the unwilling minds of the scientists with it. This fragment is now all that remains.

This object amplifies the visions and hallucinations of our researchers, granting them a second sight beyond this limited reality. It is a dangerous but promising proposition.