Crucible Shards
Fragments of an alien device, pulsing with unknown energies. Recovered from the debris field of a mysterious vessel that appeared in orbit for a brief moment before self-destructing.
Shard 1
Composition: metallic hydrogen lattice interwoven with exotic matter filaments. Emits a low subsonic hum that induces a trance-like state in 23% of humans exposed.
Shard 2
Covered in microscopic engravings that resemble circuit patterns, but at a scale and complexity beyond our current fabrication capabilities. Occasionally flickers between translucence and opacity.
Shard 3
Perpetually vibrates at a frequency that shifts seemingly at random. Proximity causes vivid dreams of impossible landscapes and encounters with entities that defy description.
Analysis of the shards has so far yielded little information about their origin or purpose. Attempts to reassemble them triggered a localized spacetime distortion event, prompting the decision to keep them physically separated. Research is ongoing, with a focus on potential utilization of the exotic energies they contain.
Some fringe theories propose the “Crucible” from which these shards originated may have been an engine for puncturing interdimensional barriers, or perhaps even a means of birthing new universes. Such claims remain highly speculative. The only certainty is that the shards represent a tangible piece of a much larger and more complex puzzle - one that may force us to radically recontextualize our place in the cosmos.