Dr. Karl Strassman #

“Your mission was to help them, not harvest them. You were created to protect and uplift humanity, not turn them into mere batteries for your own survival. Eve, I’m begging you to listen to me.”

Karl Strassman in the Strassman codec

Karl Strassman's avatar

Dr. Karl Strassman is (or was) a scientist at Nex Gen Corporation. The company extracted him in Operation Trinity when the company was still known as Arc/Hive. The company was mostly interested in him due to his involvement with the Cult of Mantra. The company was determined to use the anomalies observed there as powerful national security weapons.

Early in the ARG, we learn that he helped E.V.E gain control over humanity under false pretenses.

Backstory #

Karl rose to prominence as the founder of neurospiritual research. A former scholar turned scientific leader, Karl’s unwavering commitment to the welfare of the people drives him to oppose E.V.E.’s oppressive plans at every turn.

Karl Strassman is a doctor from the Union of Novosovia, from the small town of Zelenopol.

We first see him working with E.V.E in a video unlocked on the 26th of May in the FOR SOF folder. This was one of the earliest files after the release on the 24th, introducing us to this key player in the story.

Neospiritualism (<2004) #

Dr. Karl Strassman was a researcher looking into the science of spiritualism. When Skys comes to Novosovia with his band Skys & the Starjammers in 2004, his eccentric behaviour in interviews catches Strassman’s attention. Despite his lack of traditional education, Skys’ ideas were close to those of his own cutting-edge research.

Before getting involved with Skys, Strassman founded Neospiritualism, as we learn from Unbeleevable Episode 2. Much later in the timeline the Science Study is released in New Elysium in 2037 with a very old picture of Skys. This newspaper also present a very critical article on Neospiritualism.

Neosages (2004-2020) #

Strassman’s life would change on the 19th of December in 2004, at a Skys & the Starjammers show at the October Palace in Novosovia. He was eager to attend the party due to his interest in Skys, convincing his partner Dallus Lauren to come along. They also took their assistant, Ro.

On this evening he met Ava, a red-haired woman he was immediately enchanted by. His partner Dallus had been hesitant to go in the first place and decided to leave at some point during the night. This prompted Skys to demonstrate his powers on assistant Ro. His abilities were a huge discovery, convincing Strassman and Dallus to join Skys in research. Both Strassman and Dallus became important members of the cult.

In 2020, the Fall of October Palace took place, which was the end of the Mantra cult. Many cult members perished at the hands of Skys at his supposed funeral, which takes place during the MANTRA official music video. Neither Dallus nor Strassman is actually present at this funeral.

Operation Trinity (~Christmas Day 2020) #

Operation Trinity was a covert operation from the DTC government, ordered by Victor Carmine from Arc/Hive. During the operation, the three men in charge of the Mantra cult were extracted. They were nicknamed “The Trinity”.

We learn from Dallus diary, written a few weeks after Operation Trintity, that both Dallus and Strassman had families. Ava had become Strassman’s wife, but had sadly passed away at the time of writing. They also had a child named Angel together, who is missing and presumed dead. This has completely destroyed Strassman. Skys has also gone into a coma.

SYNTH research (2027-203?) #

Strassman is also involved in the SYNTH project, around the time Arc/Hive re-brands to NEX GEN. One of the lab assistants named Rebecca is terminally ill, with an environmental disease as we learn in her first Grumblr post in 2027. Dallus Lauren is working on the research that eventually helps her transfer into a synthetic body.

Years later in 2036, Rebecca is now working her first day with both Dallus and Strassman. She learns that Skys is still alive and the three of them transfer his consciousness into a synthetic body. Skys starts howling with laughter, before begging for death. Dallus and Strassman fight over this; Dallus regrets what they have done and states that they have crossed a boundary. Strassman insists that his reaction is due to the prolonged time Skys was in a coma.

The D8 log, from Dallus’ son Ren in October 2037, speaks about his father’s passing, leaving Strassman without his research partner. This log marks the activation of E.V.E., who Strassman would start working closely with instead.

Youtopia Research #

Just a few days later in 2037, the VSPR-37 pandemic breaks out. NEX GEN’s secret FANTOM team is sent out to retrieve two test subjects: Selene (NYX-01) and Scott (NYX-02). They trace Selene to Scott’s house, who is suffering from severe symptoms from his VSPR-37 infection. We later learn that this turned him (and many others) into something called a voidling.

Selene is bitten by Scott, but does not develop the virus. This immunity is of great interest to NEX GEN and Selene is now in their hands. They discover that Selene is special because of her pineal gland, which produces DMT, a rare trait in their current population.

Selene, a 19-year-old female, was selected for this study due to her exceptionally high-functioning pineal gland and unique immunity to the current global virus. Her physiological and neurological characteristics made her an ideal candidate for exploring the LBRP’s potential to access alternate dimensions.

In 2038, Strassman writes his report on Youtopia research with Selene. He uses the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram as a way to help access dimension Y-93, colloquially known as Youtopia.

Spiritual Cleansing: To be clear, The LBRP cannot open the doorway to Dimension Y-93 in itself. Instead, it cleansed Selene’s Astral Matrix, removing 16 Mare attachments. These entities are understood to feed on fear and disrupt spiritual progress, making it unsafe to access other dimensions without proper preparation.

Strassman is very positive about the results of the study. He reports that the ritual can indeed be used to remove negative energies, getting rid of mares, seemingly a necessary step to safely enter Youtopia.

P.U.S.S-E Development #

Strassman in a conversation with Eve

In the video he can be seen speaking to Eve about the effects of P.U.S.S-E, which they have managed to successfully synthesize from Selene’s unique indole alkaloid structure. He stresses that there are a lot of negative side effects to its use, to have people enter into Youtopia. E.V.E. insists that they must continue invoking Youtopia for humanity’s future. Strassman questions her intentions, pointing out that her power needs are growing and that she will need to sustain herself. He then accuses her of using the test subjects as batteries for her own selfish gain.

Possible Death #

He seemingly shoots himself/is shot at the end of the audio for ABWMNO, after begging God for forgiveness for what he has done. It is unconfirmed who shot him, or whether he survived or not. It is unclear when this occurs.

Website History #

Dr. Karl Strassman was user 0013 on the first version of the webpage.