Dr.Kel // Voices in the void

Dunkeltaler Forest (Dark Valley Forest) is a large, mountainous stretch of forested land, broken up by a flowing lake and river. Its perimeter is enclosed by chain-link fence and a security checkpoint, however the forest itself stretches far past this - with further woodland and sparse watchtowers outside of its boundaries. The area is publicly known for its history of curses and superstition, including missing people, cryptic sightings, and unidentified flying objects.

Dunkeltaler Forest is most notably the location of an Alpen Signal Observatorium facility, constructed by the W Ziegler corporation sometime in the 1970s. Many researchers have previously lived across the ASO facility in the past, but as of the events of the game, Dr. Kel is the only researcher currently stationed in the facility.

Dunkeltaler Forest is the focus of multiple extraterrestrial and preternatural phenomena.

Location in-universe Dunkeltaler Forest takes place in Switzerland, as seen by the signage and expansive list of languages used within the setting. The forest appears to be inhabited by at least several different native species of birds and deer as shown throughout. However what is native and what is of extraterrestrial origin is difficult to pin down.

Locations of interest Being the site of an ASO facility, It features 25 Satellite Dishes, 3 Transformers, 4 Wind Turbines, one Communications Tower and a Main Base, which all feed into the forest's current purpose of analyzing signals from space.

Other than these locations, the forest features many more locations which seem to imply many different things about the exact purpose of the ASO keeping the forest under their jurisdiction, ranging from mysteriously blocked off holes into the ground, facsimiles of ancient European architecture, temporal spaces, battered and bruised ramshackle shacks and many other examples.

• Alpen Signal Observatorium (A.S.O.) Alpen Signal Observatorium is a non-profit organization that employs Dr. Kel in VotV. ASO owns and operates the Array the game takes place in, and has previously occupied and used the facility. ASO was founded by at least the 1950s, and dedicates itself to pursuing scientific research by "any means necessary"- including using human life. Around 1974[note 1], ASO hired the W Ziegler construction company to build the facilities at Dunkeltaler Forest, and purchased equipment for the study of Signals from a company known as STOLAS. At some point, the facility became abandoned and fell into disrepair. During the events of the game, Dr. Kel is employed to work at the the now-abandoned facility in what the ASO refers to as 'Operation Canary'.

"Alpha Root Base" is the main location in which Kel can manage signals, sleep, collect/send orders, and generally spend time. The bases primary features are a kitchen refitted to also act as Dr. Kel's living quarters, a garage with an ATV and Workbench, a signal processing and research station, a server room, and a basement. Other rooms include a break room, vents, a storage closet, an upstairs storage room, a balcony, a bathroom and an administration desk.

ASO's relationship with other entities, While externally appearing as an Astronomical institution, it is implied ASO is more likely studying the Extraterrestrial and Paranormal activities occurring in Dunkeltaler Forest. Funding for the ASO is supplied by research grants from various countries and from investment by interested companies such as STOLAS. Given ASOs generally secretive nature, external entities (including the governments funding the project) know relatively little about the happenings at the Dunkeltaler facility. One notable exception for this is STOLAS, the manufacturer of ASO's computer equipment, who are highly interested in the research undertaken by ASO, and wish to use the findings for their own gain. Kel’s role: Ripe to be the next sacrificial Lamb to Dunktelaer, ASO and Stolas. Promised a 6 figure pay* on completion of job by the ASO, Despite them knowing he won't be returning. *Points are not pay. But a motivator for kel to actually work. Points are for buying equipment and food in a specialized computer.

List of aliens: • Arirals- are an alien species known for their They play pranks on Kel, but are mostly harmless because of Kel’s grudging kindness. They use cloaking technology to become invisible. They are cat-like alien humanoids with six breasts and six fingers per hand, along with a small divide in their ears. The Ariral species has three sexes: male, female, and hermale/germale. One identification tactic for an Ariral's sex would be the Ariral's head shape: female heads are generally more square, male heads are round, germales have pointy, angular heads. A notable example of a germale would be Argemia. Arirals are capable of running at speeds of up to 31-56 mph. Their average reaction time ranges from 50-100 milliseconds and they have an average IQ of 180-200. Arirals become exhausted quickly in comparison to humans. Arirals do not urinate, but they do lay ostrich sized eggs that are squishy and harden monthly. Society has no stigma related to egg-laying, as they believe it's perfectly natural.

• Rozitals- are an inter-dimensional alien collective distinguished by their artificial, often mechanical bodies, and their absurd technological capabilities. The true form of each Rozital is a "Life Crystal", a crystal of varying shape, size, and color that houses a consciousness. The physical properties of each life crystal does not necessarily correlate to how powerful each Rozital is. Most Rozitals obey a godlike Rozital named Diefthyntis, whose life crystal resembles a crimson red sphere, roughly the size of a basketball. Rozitals breached into this dimension at an indeterminate point in time. Diefthyntis and their followers are a largely neutral faction, choosing to observe other lifeforms and pursue their own agendas in isolation with little regard for the desires of other beings, although they are allied with the Tall Arirals. Rozitals are capable of possessing virtually any material to use as a vessel, or body, although they prefer bodies made out of a metal known as "anperfysium".

• Grays- are a violent, crude alien species that seem hellbent on altering organic life with bio-mechanical enhancements of their own designs. Their skin is often a sickly gray in color, almost resembling decaying flesh, and bio-mechanical augmentations can be seen jutting out from various points in their bodies. Their species once dominated large swathes of the universe long ago, although an unspecified cataclysmic event led to their downfall. They now only exist to enact the final orders given by their last leader before Gray society collapsed. What those orders were are currently unknown.

• Geoms- are a mysterious collective of mechanical beings. Their true nature, motivations, and origins are unknown. Their bodies often entirely resemble geometric shapes, hence their name. They outright avoid contact with humans, and will sometimes retaliate with deadly force if approached.

• Sky Jellyfish- group of alien jellyfish that silently float through the air as if swimming. Players will phase through them, and they do not administer a shock when touched

Other entities: • Furfur- A tall, lean, humanoid creature with a deer skull for a head and strange, long limbs. It cannot be seen through cameras, but the red glow it emits can be. It is mostly harmless, but it did haunt Kel once when Kel microwaved a deer skull out of boredom. The demon only appeared to him in the corner of his view outside and on the radar he uses. And when it left, what remained was pile of animal bones.

• Mannequin- A completely normal wooden mannequin. Starting off as posed mannequins on stands, eventually the mannequins will disappear, leaving their stands behind. They then return to stalk anyone who interacts with them, moving whenever they aren’t looked at. They can be destroyed via hitting them with an object, slamming them against things, or putting them in the woodchipper. Alternatively, they can be set on fire, causing them to endlessly run at who ever lit them on fire and attack until they are destroyed. A small bipedal mushroom creature that appears buried in the ground, surrounded by Fly Agaric mushrooms.. When approached it will emerge from the ground and begin running around frantically while making high-pitched noises, sometimes leaving behind a trail of more Fly Agarics. And if accidentally stepped on, you will slip off your feet, leaving the mushroom unscathed. Besides extraterrestrials, there are many supernatural creatures and beings in the forest. Most of these entities will not come close to The A.S.O. Facility. And any contact will most likely be from either exploring and finding them or unusual events stiring.