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Though they look like a set of giant, twisted and demonic pincers, the Markers in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dead Space are more than avant-garde architecture. These towering double-helix structures are ill omens that are the cause of carnage on♔ a planetary scale.
The source of the Necromorph scourge, the appearance, and the backstory of the Markers became more pronounced and expanded upon as the series progressed. Though they may seem like simple sculptures, they're borderline demonic in nature. To shine a light on the nature of these dark devices, here's the process for the creation of Markers in Dead Space, explained.
What Is A Marker?
Markers are large obelisks of alien origin. They were first introduced in the original Dead Space when one was recovered at a mining colony on Aegis VII. This Marker was transported aboard the USG Ishimura originally for study, but it turned out to be a ploy by the Church of Unitology to enact a doomsday event known as a Convergence.
There's more than one Marker and not only have they existed on other worlds throughout time, but they're also easy to build. As was seen in The Sprawl in Dead Space 2, with the right know-how, Markers can be mass-produced fairly quickly. The meer presence of just one Marker on a planet is enough to start a Necromorph infestation, and a small shard of one can affect an entire ship's crew (as seen in Dead Space: Salvage). Their origins are still somewhat sketchy, but they've had quite a tumultuous effect on the universe.
The Origins Of Markers
What we do know about the history of Markers is that they’ve been around for centuries and their origin is unknown other than that they’re part of the life cycle of a space-faring parasite species. They’ve been around for so long in fa💦ct, that rumors persist that they’re the cause of the lack of other alien life in the galaxy as they simply fed on everyone else throughout the millennia.
But what we do know about these odd obelisks is that there are two types: Black Markers and Red Markers. Here’s an overview of each one:
Black Marker
Black Markers are the original alien devices that are seeded on planets throughout the universe. These big black rocks can influence the evolution of their new homeworlds to an extent and over time, any sentient beings that form on a planet will be manipulated by the Marker’s eldritch radiation. Eventually, this causes a Necrmorph infestation from the dead as the planet's inhabitants start killing each other.
Then finally a Convergence Event occurs with the birth of a Brother Moon. A dark and violent cycle that’s been played out over the🍷 co♐urse of millions of years on countless worlds.
Red Marker
Red Markers are artificial devices that were made by sentient beings influenced by a Black Marker. These towering structures essentially act as antennas or range extenders for Black Markers and they can trigger convergence when assisting a Black ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚMarker, or if the creator of the physical Red Marker is absorbed.
The Markers Life Cycle
When a Marker is unearthed and left around sentient life, things take a turn for the hellish. Its effects are minimal at first, but over time exposure to these devices, whether directly or not, only escalates further until eventually comes a moment of critical mass and the creation of creatures on a cataclysmic scale known as Brother Moons.
Here's what happens when one of these stones becomes active.
Phase One
First, a Marker is seeded on a world, either intentionally, or in the case of the Black Marker on earth, arriving on an asteroid that wiped out the Dinosaurs. Then over time, as sentient species come into contact with the device, it begins to influence them. At first, its interference is minimal. There are outbreaks of violence in small towns, reports of strange alien-like graffiti, and the formation of cults to worship theღ obelisk. (Lookingꦆ at you, Unitoligists.)
Then things start to get worse. Mass paranoia, dementia, psychosis, hallucinations, nightmares, outbursts of riots, and hearing voices to name a few of the more delightful side effects become commonplace. Shadows move, voices whisper in the dark, and other horrors haunt the halls. To those exposed, everyone turns on each other and the body count starts to pile up. For those lucky en🦩ough to avoid developing psycho♛sis, escape is highly recommended as things only get nightmarish from there.
Phase Two
This is where the main threat lies. During this phase, Necromorphs are created en masse as the Marker begins to convert the dead into Infectors or basic combat forms to bring in more bodies. Local authorities and militias become quickly overwhelmed. For every monster they put down, two more pop up in its place as the dead constantly swe✨ll the ranks.
As the corpses continue piling up, large and more complex creatures begin to take form as a rudimentary Hive takes shape. From there, more strategic moves are made to completely eviscerate any last pockets of resistance. Power is cut to automated defenses and protective bunkers. Air vents become highways for wandering monsters, and the environment is covered in a fleshy substance that slowly converts the atmosphere of the surrounding area to make it more suitable for Necromorphs and toxic to humans.
Phase Three
After the equivalent of several colonies worth of people are piled up around the Marker and the more evolved Necromorph forms finally overwhelm whoever's still standing, the Marker begins to release a phenomenal amount of energy as hurricane-strength winds pick up out of nowhere. Then things start to get really weird.
Howling gales that can easily lift the largest man off their feet begin blowing towards and then above the resident Black Marker. Gravity gives up trying to do its job as massive mounds of corpses, wandering Necromorphs, architecture, and entire chunks of planets, asteroids, and moons are lifted and compressed to a fixed point in space nearby. Usually outside a planet's atmosphere directly above a Black Marker. From there, the mass of organic matter and debris packs tightly together until it reaches the titanic size of a small moon in what's known as a Convergence Event as a Brother Moon begins to form.
Phase Four: Convergence Event
Far from the rise to paradise the Unitologists think it is. When Convergence happens, a giant eldritch creature is birthed into existence. As the organic matter takes shape, it begins to resemble a shattered planetoid atop a colossal squid-like creature. When the process is complete, these Leviathans immediately begin devouring everything in sight. Including the planet that just birthed it.
Once all the nearby matter is eaten, these death moons then drift off to find other worlds to consume. If none are found or are too heavily defended, then a Black Marker will be launched at the planet by a Brother Moon. Then the process starts all over again for some other unsuspecting so🐠uls.
Thankfully, this doesn't happen all at once. It takes a while for things to turn from tame to terrifying as the viral effects of these structures are a slow burn in most situations. Whether that's a survival mechanism to ensure they're not spotted as the culprit right away, or a method to ensure complete dispersal of its influence is assured, is unfortunately unknown. There is at least time to try and stop them.