Campaign Chunk Volume 10.2 – The Hum
In a small mountain range, there is a town that is at first glance, quite unremarkable. It has a population of around 2,000 people. Financially, it is neither well off nor is it hurting for money. It has almost zero crime and would be considered a great place to live if it wasn’t for one thing, a very noticeable and persistent humming noise. For the majority of people is sounds like a droning, throbbing sound, with others claiming it is more like the sound you hear from an electrical generator.
The Hum can be heard up to a mile beyond the town limits, then fades away quite quickly. Once within the area that is affected, the Hum maintains its volume and does not appear to change when you move around town. The only noticeable change is when you go indoors, but the change is minor.
The noise, called the Hum by those who hear it, is a quite a low-level sounds and does not appear to stay the same frequency. It changes all the time and can slow down and speed up, but the change is gradual. Once a year the hum stops for about an hour and then starts up again. This is always on February 23rd at 10:37 am. The duration of this quite is sometimes 60 mins, sometimes more.
For the vast majority of people, the Hum is an annoyance. However, around 1 in 10,00 people develop a sensitivity to it and it can literally drive them insane as long as they are within hearing range.
Hooks & Rumours
- One theory on the hum is that there is a nearby hidden generator that is misaligned somehow which is causing the noise. This raises further questions such as where it could be and who owns it.
- No one has yet been able to come up with an explanation as to why the hum stops once a year and the local mayor is getting desperate to figure out why it stops so that it can be stopped permanently.
- Some have claimed that there is a pattern to the Hum changes and regularly publish articles detailing what they think. The vast majority of them are nonsense, but one theory has been gaining popularity and claims its a form of communication to someone or something.
- After their daughter was driving insane by the Hum, a wealthy industrialist who was going to invest in the area is now making legal threats towards the town.
- An inventor has claimed to make a material that blocks the Hum from being heard when inside. These claims are being investigated and could prove to be a valuable asset to the town.
Inspired by – The Taos Hum http://www.livescience.com/43519-taos-hum.html
Volume 9 of the compiled and updated Campaign Chunks is available at DrivethruRPG.com
http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/178179/Campaign-Chunk–Volume-9
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