Whilst it is commonly accepted that an artifact is the result of a person (or persons) and a "moment" that imbues metaphysical powers onto otherwise mundane objects, this is not always, strictly speaking, the case. In rare circumstances, where the "moment" is particularly powerful and the persons are not directly connected, artifact energy can fail to adhere to a single thing and flow out into the surrounding area.
These areas are known in the Warehouse Manual as "Artifact Exclusion Zones", places where artifact energy roams untethered. These zones exhibit incredibly powerful and potent effects upon anyone who enters the proximity. In layman’s terms, the entire location effectively becomes an artifact. As such, when possible, the Warehouse has collaborated with various world governments to set up Exclusion Zones to safeguard the public. In places where this is not possible or plausible, rumors and local legend do well to warn or otherwise dissuade the public.
Compared to the already unpredictable nature of "grounded" artifacts, those that are tied to a specific object or objects, Artifact Exclusion Zones are dangerous and difficult to analyze. Their effects may be tied to certain times, events or, in at least one case, the socio-political state of the nation.
Due to their extreme survivability as well as other skills, the Regents assigned the Ascendere to the task of researching and otherwise dealing with Artifact Exclusion Zones.
Identified Zones[]
These Artifact Exclusion zones have been identified as such by various Warehouse overseers and are on file as either "active" or "dormant'.
- The Warehouse: Active. Due to its anomalous interior which becomes more convoluted with each iteration, the Warehouse itself has been officially declared an Exclusion Zone by the Regents, if only for the sake of completeness. Worth noting that there are several unexplained phenomena in the Warehouse itself that may also qualify as smaller self-contained zones. (The Graveyard, Gooery and "Sneeze of Chronos".)
- Aokigahara: Active. The "Suicide Forest", creation details unknown. Effects suspected to relate to the amplification of negative emotions and thoughts.
- Avalon: Status unknown. As of 2020, only rumors of this location are known to the Warehouse, as well as a single unverified report.
- Bermuda Triangle: Active. Navigation of the area is difficult due to unpredictable weather phenomenon, possibly cause by focused artifact energy. Several agents have died during investigations and reported a cloaked island at the zone's center. Exact physical boundaries uncertain, may change over time.
- Duat: Active. Origins unknown. Recently rediscovered by Agent Aden Taylor in Egypt. Temporal “bubble” fully contained within a cave system. May be temporally displaced due to living entities found within.
- Mount Olympus: Inactive. Once located on or above the mountain of the same name, it was completely destroyed in an event now referred to as the Gigantomachy.
- Neverland: Active. The last Warehouse interaction was in 1903 and resulted in the loss of one Agent.
- The artifact responsible for the transportation to Neverland has not been found, though it was identified as an odd fairy doll by the surviving Agent.
- Palace of Versailles: Dormant. Suspected to have been created during the French Revolution, the Palace has been known to "slip out of synch" during times of political dissent.
- This phenomenon imbued a collection of forks from the palace with personal-continuum-preservation properties, which mitigated the slips' effects on the palace's residents.''
- Rivers of Hades: Status unknown. The existence of the rivers has not been proved, but vials of their waters were recovered from Warehouse 2.
- Riverton Maximum Security Prison: Dormant. Artifact energy manifests due to piezoelectric resonance in the quartz that makes up the foundations. Powerful hallucinogenic effects. Disabled by offsetting the resonance, considered neutralized.
- Shangri-La: Suspected active. No Warehouse representative has visited personally, but second-hand accounts report a feeling of pure tranquility and inner peace.
- Xibalba: Dormant. Located in what is now Guatemala. Difficult to reach, so expeditions to the area are closely monitored.
- Garden of the Gods: Status unknown. Located in the Mesopotamian regions according to the Epic of Gilgamesh, it is allegedly home to an herb said to grant youth to the one who eats it, as well as two immortals, Utnapishtim and his wife.
- Mount Kunlun: Status Unknown, presumed either dormant or inactive. According to stories, this region is the birthplace of ancient Chinese culture, memories of it trickling down into what is recognized as "Heaven" according to Confucianism. Presumed inactive due to the multitude of destabilizations and conflicts in China's history, it is believed to be home to a grove of longevity-inducing peach trees.
- Mount Meru: Status Unknown. According to ancient Hinduism, it is home to the Hindu gods. Further details are unknown.
Notes from Regent Amelia Jones[]
During her time, Regent Amelia Jones went on many expeditions and was the Regent who specialized in ancient locations. Some of these expeditions attempted to explore or uncover areas imbued with artifact energy. Below are some of her more substantial notes involving AEZs.
- "An unusual number of Artifact Exclusion Zones seem to revolve around time or aging. My theory, though admittedly difficult to prove, is that the desire to control time from the basis of fear from large number of people is the most common emotional charge that creates these areas. In comparison to normal artifacts, Artifact Exclusion Zones in particular seem to usually be created from negative emotion in particular, as opposed to positive or neutral emotion."
- "During my travels attempting to uncover the mysteries of Artifact Exclusion Zones, several things have become apparent.
- Firstly, legends of other worlds may in fact be Artifact Exclusion Zones. It's possible that these places could exist parallel to our plane, though it is also possible that these places exist in an area that has yet to be discovered. As my prime example, I suspect that I have narrowed the location of a place called the "Duat" in Egypt. Despite my travels being unable to confirm this, it is still feasible that access to the area is simply more restricted by unknown conditions. I recommend that scientific testing be done, either by normal or artifact means, when an AEZ like this appears to confirm whether or not this location is on earth.
- Second, there is sometimes a link between artifacts and the exclusion zones. Though difficult to prove, I believe that some artifacts were created inside of these zones, and that some are connected by means of transportation to these zones. Based on information from the logs involving the Fairyland AEZ, the dolls seem to transport people to a specific place, and the artifacts are implied to have been created prior to, or led to the creation of, this AEZ. The same may be true of other locations such as Avalon and Shangri-La, though it is likely that we may never know.
- Thirdly, most artifact exclusion zones seem to have been created from negative emotions of groups. For example, I suspect that it was originally a large group of depressed people who had created the AEZ of Aokigahara forest, by far one of the deadliest in the world. Likewise, fear in particular seems to be a common element. Perhaps this is due to negative emotion being more powerful in a large group setting, or that it is easier for an entire group to feel negative emotion than to feel positive. This seems to extend into AEZs only, as dozens of artifacts were created from events such as New Year's where mass happiness occurred, but few areas where mass positivity has occurred become AEZs."
- "I suspect that several places of myth may actually be real. Certain evidence seems to imply that certain areas that modern archaeologists seem to believe are made-up, such as Avalon, are in fact real places that are imbued with artifact energy, and that they use this to stay hidden. This could apply to many places that are supposed to be safe havens from others, such as Fairyland
(though that might not be the best example of "safe"), and based on my research, most of these locations could be in more tropical areas of the world. I also suspect that these areas may have previously been seen and recorded in the past, known as "phantom islands" today. What causes these places to appear and disappear at random is unclear.- This idea that places such as Avalon might be real could also imply the existence of other humans or humanoids (depending on the type of artifact energy or natural evolution) who live in these areas. Though it would be difficult to prove, I believe that Fairyland provides the best example of this hypothetical possibility. That being said, how these people would behave if they were to encounter our current civilization is unclear. If the letters from Agent Karuna are to be believed, then evolved humans exist on Avalon and are mostly peaceful and content to be left alone. However, other old reports of raging Viking humans between Greenland and Iceland as well as reports of fierce civilizations of war in the Pacific would imply, assuming that they do exist, that eventual conflict could be possible. I would strongly suggest, should this possibility ever occur, that the Warehouse gets involved as a neutral party, given the instability and hidden motives that world powers may have. Only world powers who get affected by any conflict should get involved in the talks."
- "Neutralization of dangerous AEZs is desirable but must also be done with great care. As I have learned from Old Bone, some areas such as Xibalba are extremely difficult to neutralize once they active. These areas are not so simple as tossing a large amount of neutralizer onto an area; they may require certain tasks to be completed or certain objects to be placed in certain areas. Every area is different, so determining the best means of neutralization quickly is the key. However, some areas may remain too dangerous to ever find a way to neutralize (such as Aokigahara forest) or may be have effects that are reliant on an uncontrollable factor (such as the Palace of Versailles)."