Overview
Time anomalies and loops trap entities or locations in sequences where time flows incorrectly. They are wounds, not puzzles: each loop preserves or erases memory selectively and worsens if forced open.
Loop rules
For dedicated coverage of loop mechanics and escape conditions, see Time Loops.
- Memory is selective: some actors remember, others reset; external witnesses may see echoes.
- Breaking a loop requires satisfying its condition—forceful disruption usually deepens instability.
- Loops often form around unresolved events or failed corrections; treating the cause stabilizes the space.
Mechanics impact
- Exploration: repeated states, staggered echoes, or frozen moments; navigation requires pattern recognition.
- Encounters: enemies may “replay” or desync actions; AI can desynchronize from the player’s timeline.
- Systems: interacting with loops can create or resolve anomalies; tie effects to temporal/elemental meters.
Relationships
- Time Rifts: rifts expose the tear; loops are the behavioral consequence.
- Great Eclipse: foundational cause of most large-scale loops; minor loops can emerge from local stresses.
- Calendar BE/AE: loops complicate date conversion; scholars use epithets instead of strict year mapping.
Open questions / conflicts
Clarify factional tools to stabilize loops (e.g., Pulse Seeds, Chronobonsai rituals) and when loops can be exploited versus healed.
Sources
- docbase/kb/time_anomalies_and_loops.md
- docbase/kb/cosmology_and_epochs.md