Bright Falls

Bright Falls is a town in Washington which, in 2010, was the location of the Bright Falls AWE. It has also been the subject of recurring paranatural events since 1970, and was also the discovery location of two Altered Items, the Oh Deer Diner Coffee Thermos and the Typewritten Page.

History

The year 1970 marked the first of several recurring paranatural incidents, initiated at Cauldron Lake. Poet Thomas Zane visited Bright Falls, staying in a cabin at Diver's Isle. When his lover Barbara Jagger drowned in the lake, he was convinced by his associate Emil Hartman to write her back to life using the lake's supernatural powers. However, she did not come back to life; her body was possessed by the Dark Presence. When he realized his mistake, he wrote himself, Diver's Isle, and everything else involved out of existence. However, Emil Hartman, captivated by the power of Cauldron Lake, would invest his resources into further studying its effects, later establishing the Cauldron Lake Lodge and attracting artists of all sorts, pretending to provide psychological care but secretly attempting to study how their art - affected by the lake's power - might in turn affect reality.

The Bureau was aware of and later investigated this event, as well as Thomas Zane's involvement, but their efforts proved inconclusive.

Six years later, in 1976, the first Bureau-recognized (although unconfirmed) Bright Falls Altered World Event took place when a Threshold , the Dark Place, manifested under Cauldron Lake. During the town's annual "Deerfest" celebration, the normally clear weather suddenly became dark and stormy, culminating in a tornado in the direction of the Anderson Farm as well as flash flooding from torrential rains around Cauldron Lake. Town sheriff Frank Breaker evacuated the festival grounds and ensured civilians' safety.

Sheriff Breaker later investigated the Anderson Farm at the request of Tor Anderson's daughter Freya to discover that both Anderson brothers were still alive, but required medical attention - Tor having been struck by lightning, and Odin having cut out his right eye. Per their claims, they had been rehearsing at their farm when the AWE occurred, seeing a "dark army of the scratching hag" emerging from Cauldron Lake - the Dark Presence attempting to escape Cauldron Lake. The two supposedly fought against it, and were victorious, causing the AWE to end. The Bureau labelled both men as persons of interest due to their stated involvement in the event.

Two years later, another Altered World Event took place in Bright Falls, in which the Anderson brothers were once again persons of interest.

Bright Falls AWE

Main article: Bright Falls AWE

In 2010, the largest AWE in Bright Falls yet took place during a re-manifestation of the Threshold under Cauldron Lake. The Threshold's power caused the writings of popular fiction novelist Alan Wake - who had come to the town for counseling under Emil Hartman - to alter local reality over the course of two weeks, from September 1 to September 14. Meanwhile, Wake himself was on a quest to save his wife Alice from the Dark Presence. After traveling through the town with the support of his agent Barry Wheeler and Sheriff Sarah Breaker, Alan was given the Old Light Switch by Thomas Zane to fight off the darkness and save his wife. When Alan arrived to Cauldron Lake, he dove in and saved Alice from the Dark Place, but in doing became trapped in the Threshold himself.

The Bureau's Head of Investigations, William Kirklund, was informed of the AWE on September 10, but due to travel times Bureau agents were unable to reach the town until the event had already ended five days later. The Bureau conducted interviews with witnesses, including Alice Wake, and flagged Alan Wake as a potential parautilitarian and Prime Candidate, though his whereabouts were unknown. FBI Special Agent Robert Nightingale and Dr. Hartman were also missing, though Hartman was later found and taken in for questioning. On September 20, the Bureau found the Oh Deer Diner Coffee Thermos Altered Item, which was believed to be connected to Alan Wake and the recent event.

In the aftermath of the AWE, the Bureau established a monitoring station at Cauldron Lake to watch for signs of future paranatural activity, and a separate Bureau research station was set up at the Lake House. Meanwhile, questioning of Dr. Hartman led the Bureau to arrest him as a Class 2 Paracriminal and confiscate all of his research and property, before he was eventually released. With no other options, Hartman dove into Cauldron Lake for his research, and was taken by the Dark Presence. The Shaded Hartman was later discovered by Agent Estevez, contained with assistance from the onsite researchers, and taken to the Oldest House for study in the Investigations Sector. Secretly, these events (and more) were orchestrated and/or influenced by Alan Wake, still trapped in the Dark Place, who set them in motion as part of his plan to eventually escape the Threshold.

As of late 2019, the Bureau still maintains its monitoring station near Cauldron Lake, and Agent Estevez is the onsite agent in charge at Bright Falls. According to a Bureau alert which shows up in the Investigations Sector, another Altered World Event is about to happen at Bright Falls - but the date places it several years in the future.

Trivia

• The town of Bright Falls and the events of the 2010 and 2023 Bright Falls AWE's are portrayed in the Remedy Entertainment titles Alan Wake and Alan Wake 2.

Gallery

Scale model found in the Investigations Sector.

See also

• Bright Falls AWE
• Bright Falls Summary
• Bright Falls Supplement
• Bright Falls (1976) Supplement
• Bright Falls (1976) Summary
• Alan Wake (character)
• Alice Wake
• Thomas Zane
• Barry Wheeler
• Typewritten Page
• Typewritten Page Supplement
• Typewritten Page Procedures
• Oh Deer Diner Coffee Thermos
• Thermos Procedures