Rafflesia Chronis: The Carrion Bloom

CAUSAL HYGIENE DIVISION

Reference: DOC-23
Office: CAUSAL HYGIENE DIVISION
Classification: HIGH PRIORITY

“If you smell summer rain in an era where it does not belong: run.”

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Plate 006, DOC-23: Rafflesia Chronis: The Carrion Bloom — Click to enlarge

This is a transcript of the sheet above, re-keyed from the object. Section numbering follows the original. Marginal hands are reproduced where legible: AR in red, E.C. in pencil-blue. Neither hand was placed by Authority personnel.

If you smell summer rain in an era where it does not belong: run.

011.0 // Discovery and Identification

Rafflesia Chronis: The Carrion Bloom

Agents in the Viking Era (10th Century) report the appearance of massive, fleshy floral structures measuring up to three meters in diameter. These specimens, designated Rafflesia Chronis, are not biological plants. They are Hyper-Condensed Paradox Nodes that have taken the form of carrion flowers to exploit the Olfactory Senses of the Displaced.

022.0 // The Scent of Shattering

Unlike standard carrion flowers that mimic rotting meat, the R. Chronis emits a high-frequency CTH-aerosol that Echoes perceive as the Scent of Home.

The Olfactory Trap: To an Echo from the 21st century, the flower smells like rain on hot asphalt or a grandmother's perfume. To an Echo from the Industrial Era, it smells of coal-smoke and gin.
The Biological Hook: This scent is a chemical representation of a Locked Memory. It triggers an immediate, involuntary SYNC response, drawing the Echo toward the center of the bloom.

033.0 // The Consumption Mechanism

Pollination: The flower coats the Echo in "Mnemonic Dust" — microscopic spores of Paradox Tension.
Digestion: The flower closes. The Echo's Emotional Mass (μ) is absorbed over 48 hours. The physical body is rejected. The "History" is kept by the flower to fuel the next bloom.

The body is rejected. The History is kept. The flower keeps the story. It ejects the person. It is eating exactly the part of you that is most you.

044.0 // Directive for Auditors

Do not approach a Carrion Bloom without a Lead-Lined Gas Mask. If you smell "Fresh Baked Bread" or "Summer Rain" in an Era where it does not belong, you are already in the kill-zone.

DirectiveACTION: Immediate Cauterization. Use high-heat Paradox Burners. We cannot allow the "Scent of the Past" to lure our agents into the Seam.

[RAFFLESIA CHRONIS REPORT // CAUSAL HYGIENE // NOTE: One lead-lined gas mask was returned damaged. The agent reported that they "briefly smelled their mother's kitchen" before the mask seal failed. The agent is currently in recovery. They are expected to make a full physical recovery. — Environmental Threat Division]