OKay I am really really late for this comment for two months.
Now to the questions…well you guys pretty much explain what the Zone is and will affect Blazing Umbra in a sense. Though I have to clarify some of your questions.
I mean, there is a phenomenon called Emissions, a dangerous release of noosphere energy which also lead to the Zone’s growth at some point.
Not necessarily true actually, it more acts like a dam when there’s certain amount Noosphere energy in the local area which triggers to phenomena which results in an Emission but usually doesn’t expand the zone.
As such when a huge spike or amount of said energy appears out of the blue, that would create a huge Emission which would last for days and would undoubtedly increase the Zone’s area furthermore.
Mutations
The way Aether, which is the life energy of the universe similar in scope to the Force, is so chaotic and unpredictable that it has an intensely negative effect on life within the area which becomes distorted and mutated in strange ways. A significant amount of life within the area dies very young or is still-born. However, a high enough percentage of life in the zone will actually live and grow more and more distorted and mutated as time goes on.
That I agree, and such this can also lead to newer mutants never seen before, kinda planning of a tree flesh monster. The zone is ever changing.
Psionic Disruption
Another side-effect of the intense distortion in Aether is the intensely pervasive effects it can have on the humanoid mind which can be easily effected by chaotic shifts in the Aether. The mind can become accustomed to and adapted to such shifts should it have enough pliability, fortitude, and the persons core mental strength and resistance to outside influence be strong enough. However any living within the zone will be effected. The most common effect of this is to be driven insane, though there are some problematic and intriguing variations on this theme.
Variations
Though the most common impact of the psionic distortion is for a persons mind to be broken and them to be driven insane with only short (if any at all) periods of lucidity the complex nature of the sentient mind has a number of issues.
- Deification of the zone and the chaotic forces there
- Desire to distort others or allow others to be distorted by the zone
- Belief that being in the zone has made the person godlike or otherwise to be revered
- Intense paranoia, everyone is against the person, only the zone understands
Ah yes, there are actually cases in the STALKER franchise of this happening but this is usually those with the Faction called Monolith where they’re brainwashed so bad they can’t even remember anything of their past. Worst case being turned into a mindless husk of a zombie who just shoots at anyone he/she sees which is the usual results of an Emission or prolong exposure to C-Conscious experiments and psionic mutants like Controllers
But this only happens when someone comes into contact of items with such psionic potential like the wishing stone.
Though intense paranoia isn’t much of an effect to any S.T.A.L.K.E.Rs
Anomalies
The intense shift in Aether cause zones of complete energy chaos, in these areas the physical laws of reality do not apply. They are incredibly dangerous and can be both static in their type and effects but can also take on properties of the person or people who enter the anomalies vicinity.
Artifacts
Anomalies can also create artifacts. Artifacts are once-normal objects which gain special abilities by exposure to the intensely distorted Aether within an anomaly. Such objects can have incredibly useful properties but can also be intensely destructive. All artifacts are known to have an upside and a downside. The upside is generally something beneficial while the downside is something destructive or harmful in some way. The two do not have to be balanced, but statistically speaking the downside will usually be more intense and powerful than the upside.
This an interesting bag of cats actually. But to clarify one thing, almost all Anomalies are harmful to people but a small percentage are not, that being spatial anomalies that open and links an FTL(I think) pathway for people to traverse through them or trap them in its own dimension.
Well for Artifacts, they are not only once normal objects, but they are also actually formed by the Anomalies they reside nearby, for example, the Whirligig. Its an anomaly that sucks you into the air spinning and rips you into a bloody mist and through that bloody mist, it somehow collects the cells from that bloody mist of its victims plus dust, dirt and pressure which in turns produces a Meatchunk Artifact which is a 1/100 chance of happening. This chance further increases due to an Emission storm which amps up the production time and chance of an artifact. And thanks to the Emission creates a field of new Anomalies
Upsides usually depend on what Anomaly they were formed by while the downsides range from anything but most common being radiation poisoning once kept on the person for too long. Only quick cure besides rad medicine is usually a good bottle of Vodka
Given Soteria environment, new anomalies, and artifacts never seened are bound to appear.
