Whispering Rock is a large valley home to Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp, Lake Oblongata, and formerly Shaky Claim and Thorney Towers. The valley is rich in Psitanium deposits leftover from a meteorite impact from 500 years ago.
Psitanium History[]
According to the log timeline, 500 years before the events of Psychonauts, a meteorite bearing an enormous amount of psitanium crashed to earth, creating (what is stated to be) the largest known Psitanium deposit in the world. Much later, the indigenous people of the area made arrowheads out of the material, calling it what is roughly translated as "whispering rock". When settlers drove away the indigenous residents and founded the town of Shaky Claim in the area, many were driven to madness by the mental effects of the Psitanium, leading Houston Thorney to build an asylum to house the victims, before becoming a victim of its effects himself. The asylum (reportedly) closed when the government evicted the last residents of Shaky Claim, flooding the area to create what is now Lake Oblongata. Many years later, Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp was created in the vicinity of the lake by the Psychonauts, and the psitanium arrowheads left by the previous indigenous residents of the area became used as currency at the camp store and between campers. Ford's Sanctuary is located directly above the Psitanium deposit, which is what allows Ford to stay sane in his sanctuary.
It is implied that Whispering Rock is not the only place where Psitanium can be found, due to its status as the "largest known" Psitanium deposit in the world, as well as the description of the dinosaur bone suggesting the existence of "levitating velociraptors", with velociraptor fossils having been specifically found in what is now Mongolia. The existence of other Psitanium deposits is further confirmed in Psychonauts 2, as the Psychonauts HQ is built on the remains of a Psitanium quarry.
Whispering Rock Psitanium Rush[]
The Whispering Rock Psitanium Rush was a type of "gold rush" where prospectors and miners came from all over to hunt the mysterious "Whispering Rock" (arrowheads made from Psitanium) in Whispering Rock. Some were killed in mining accidents, some in claim disputes, but many were simply driven mad by the powerful mineral, and wandered off into the mines, never to be seen again--except for the occasional skeletal remains.[1] The rush is what probably funded the growth of the town, Shaky Claim.
Native inhabitants[]
Native inhabitants previously lived in the valley but were driven out by settlers around 100 years ago.
Timeline[]
Map of the camp showing the five main areas: Kids' Cabins (pink), GPC and Wilderness (brown), Boathouse and Beach (orange), Main Campgrounds (green), and the Reception Area (yellow).
The history of Whispering Rock can be read in the center of the Main Campgrounds' parking lot, where it is inscribed into a large tree-log:
- 500 years ago: An enormous, Psitanium-bearing meteorite strikes the Earth, leaving a giant crater.
- 200 years ago: Native inhabitants begin making arrowheads out of the Psitanium, which they call by the name 'Whispering Rock'. This is a rough English translation.
- 100 Years Ago: Prospectors and settlers take over the area, naming their boom town, 'Shaky Claim.'
- 99 Years Ago: First case of 'Paranormal Hysteria' diagnosed in Shaky Claim.
- 75 Years Ago: Houston Thorney builds his Home for the Demented to deal with the insanity epidemic.
- 60 Years Ago: More residents in the Asylum than in the town. Houston Thorney commits suicide by throwing himself from the tower.
- 55 Years Ago: Asylum closes. Last valley residents paid to leave by the federal government, who flood the crater to prevent further habitation. Lake Oblongata is created.
- 5 Years Ago: Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp founded to nurture and train future Psychonauts.
The timeline also includes an extra note left by Nils Lutefisk:
- Last Summer: I got to first base with Elka Doom, signed Nils Lutefisk.
Whispering Rock Wildlife[]
- Cougars
- Bears
- Lizards
- Grasshoppers
- Bees
- Dragonflies
- Fireflies
- Crows, seagulls, condors, eagles, and other small birds
- Squirrels
- Suckerfish
- crayfish
- lungfish
- Flounders
- Rats
- Turtles
- Oysters
- Racoons[2]
Trivia[]
- The dinosaur bone is evidence of dinosaurs once having large populations in Whispering Rock millions of years ago.
- Condors were once plentiful in this valley, but their numbers have been decimated by modern hazards such as power lines, telekinetic grizzly bears, and poachers stealing the eggs out of their nests.[3]
References/Notes[]
- ↑ The Psitanium Rush description accompanies the Miner's Skull from the Whispering Rock Scavenger Hunt.
- ↑ Mentioned by Ford Cruller. https://youtu.be/_ke_S2DnrMM?t=2624
- ↑ Referenced in the Condor Egg scavenger hunt description.