#liminal lore

As far as the Blast goes, the deaf/hard of hearing will be among those who suffer a great deal less than others when it comes to the decibel of the sound. However, the Hum will definitely have an effect on them through bone resonance, and both can negatively impact the vestibular system of the ear even if they are fully without hearing. Noise overstimulation may cause dizziness, vertigo, imbalance, and blurred vision.

They would probably not be affected by the vocal mimicry if they are completely deaf, but the hard of hearing may be.

Unfortunately, because they will be less likely to hear either of these frequencies, they will be susceptible to the hemorrhaging caused by the Blast, but not because of the sound itself. This is assuming they are not with someone who will help them take shelter in time. Preceding the Blast comes a silence that is actually a low frequency infrasound at 19Hz that is felt, rather than heard. They will hopefully train themselves to feel this unsettling sensation.

Someone who is profoundly deaf will not hear anything, and a cochlear implant, which receives basic sound information, will remain unaffected by sound waves.

How would the Hum affect someone with Tinnitus?

To quote our sound advisor: The majority of tinnitus is subjective and is created by the brain, not the ear, often in response to damage to the ear. It depends on the frequency of the Hum (1.9kHz) and the frequency of the person’s tinnitus. Some frequencies will mask a person’s tinnitus.

Could someone have developed hearing problems as a result of the Blast?

Absolutely.

The following outposts are in contact with Cody via the numbers stations. 

Outpost 92009, Carlsbad, California: give what updates they can about the West Coast. They are managing to sustain themselves so far, but they say the tides are getting higher by the year. They were the first to start reporting attacks by other humans (raiders), and seem to be becoming militarized as a result. (1,145.6 miles from Cody, 15.5 day walk)

Outpost 53142, Kenosha, Wisconsin: located on Lake Michigan, they have become rather self-sustaining with their massive freshwater and fish source. The lake, however, has provided a different kind of eeriness to the settlement, with an increase in the atmospheric illusion known as Fata Morgana. A mirage that often appears as a cliff far out in the lake or a city on the other side now seems to take on the looks of other cities nowhere near Kenosha. (1,250.2 miles from Cody, 16.5 day walk)

Outpost 38103, Memphis, Tennessee: located near the Mississippi River, they are presumed to be still operating on nuclear power, but this information has not been relayed from them. Along with Blast damage, the weather conditions are getting more severe in this area, with larger thunderstorms and tornadoes, and bizarrely harsh winters. Memphis has the most audiology/sound/science equipment as the University of Memphis is still standing, and has been sending transmissions sharing observations on their findings. They are the ones to hypothesize the theory of the Formless, and have been trying to work out how to predict a Blast even before the Hum stops. Lately, they have been reporting strange audio phenomena on their sensors before all the sensors mysteriously broke. They are now reporting the loss of many of their people to disappearances and don't know why, as well as bizarre sound surges. (1,433.4 miles from Cody, 19.4 day walk)

Outpost 68719, Bristow, Nebraska: has been silent for almost a year, though Cody occasionally receives transmissions of screams and cries of ‘help me’ from them. Since the numbers codes aren’t used, no one is brave enough to go check on them. (656.3 miles from Cody, 8.7 day walk)

There are of course other settlements between these outposts and beyond, but due to a lack of radio communication, they are effectively ‘off the grid’. Feel free to get creative if you would like to play a total outsider. 

Beyond all settlements, the rest of the world is, in a word: fucked.

A rare side effect of the Blast has been a slight increase in extra sensory perception (ESP). Though it is not hugely prevalent at this time, there are some who have gained abilities that they never wished for. So far, those abilities are automatic writing, mediumship, precognition, clairvoyance, and retrocognition.

(Note: Everyone gets one (1) free sensitive character slot to start with. Stay tuned for more information about each ability, as they will be in reference to the lore, rather than the general understanding of the terms.)

One of the Hum’s negative effects, besides playing host to nefarious vocal mimics, is that the constant sound drives predatory animals insane. This makes travel away from the Outposts extremely dangerous.

When the Blast occurred, people all over the world fell victim to massive hemorrhaging of the brain. There was no particular demographic that died that day – the casualties were young and old, ill and healthy. Some died in their sleep. Others were awake.

Those that survived described the sound as low, but so impossibly loud that they could think of nothing else but to cover their ears and hide. Some said it sounded like the groan of a massive machine, metal on metal. Others said they were trumpets, a sign of the end times. 

In its wake, the Blast left behind a quieter sound everyone came to refer to as a Hum. Likened to NASA’s recordings of Jupiter’s atmosphere, the Hum is an ever-present background sound that almost feels like a security blanket. 

When the Hum stops, there is only about ten minutes before another Blast follows. Though none are as loud as the initial one, they are still quite debilitating. Blasts may cause mild to moderate hemorrhaging, hearing and brain damage if one does not protect themselves in time. 

The Hum, while refuge from the Blast, poses another threat: something that can imitate human voices. From the sound of a woman screaming for help to the voice of one’s friend or family member, these invisible beings form auditory traps to lure victims away from safety. 

Surviving scientists hypothesize that liminal spaces are the most dangerous, as the acoustics there are perfect for manipulating into vocal mimicry. They are not sure how it works as of yet – only that anyone who has gone off to follow the voices has never come back.