Beginner's Guide to Dead Space Lore

The Black Marker was found by Michael Altman and a team of researchers in the asteroid impact crater off the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico in 2214. It was later concluded that the Black Marker landed on Earth approximately 65 million years ago and is what caused the mass extinction of the dinosaurs. The existence of the Black Marker was known to the locals that lived near its resting place for generations, but was never spoken about to outsiders and was referred to as "The Tail of the Devil". The locals tended to cross their index and middle fingers when they are speaking about it.

Altman's discovery spawned a religion known as Unitology that grew faster than any other religion ever formed on Earth. According to official sources, Altman was mysteriously assassinated by the government to silence the truth and he became a martyr figure to the religion's believers. The Black Marker was revered by Unitologists as an immensely powerful holy object which God sent to show that death was not the end. Various tests on the Marker led to it being reverse-engineered by the Sovereign Colonies in a attempt to solve Earth's problem with dwindling resources.

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Years later going on, The S.C were locked in a war with the Secessionists who would go on to become EarthGov. The Sovereign Colonies discovered a terrible secret after using the Markers for navigation. This leads the S.C.A.F. High Command to Tau Volantis, Where they disappear from history. The pull on resources to travel to Tau Volantis leaves the Sovereign Colonies weak. They end up surrendering to the Secessionists. They go on to form EarthGov.

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EarthGov goes on to tap into the business of 'planet-cracking' to temporarily satisfy their resource problems. Planet Cracking is a method of destroying inhospitable planets with 'planet-cracking' ships to mine resources from their core. Later on EarthGov begins to look down on this practice and Planet Cracking is reserved to private companies working outside EarthGov territory.

Meanwhile EarthGov ends up studying the research left behind on the markers. Hoping to construct more in hopes of using their unlimited energy to solve their resource problems. This leads to a problem as the Markers cause hallucinations and death with those around it. In response, new Red Markers are constructed in secret. Unintology holds a disdain for EarthGov from prohibiting their worshipers from studying the Red Markers. This leads to public uneasiness between Unintology and EarthGov.

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Thebes Station orbits Jupiter, and currently in 2510. The Station is experiencing a boom economically and socially with newfound support from EarthGov. Making it one of the most secured stations in the frontier. Most of it's people know nothing about 'Necromorphs' or the Marker's true purpose and abilities with the only ones who may of even had a idea have been dead for 200 years since the S.C was dissolved. Now the Markers are only shrouded in mysteries and preaches from Unintology fanatics.

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