With the help of the Elvwists, upon their arrival on Boucher’s World, the Humans were almost immediately able to begin planting their food crops and decanting their embryonic animals to set up their farms. They put up permanent buildings much faster than they had originally planned, even before having to start disassembling their ships. The Humans had a device to send and receive instantaneous messages and had duly informed Earth of the planet’s friendly occupants.
A year later, everyone assembled to celebrate the anniversary of their arrival. During the festivities, a darkness fell over the planet and afterwards, the people found themselves awakening from a sleep-like state to discover they were surrounded by an impenetrable, transparent Dome.
They were cut off from their ships and from Earth, unable to contact either. The Dome appeared to cover most of the continent and inhibited any type of transmissions. In trying to find an exit, they found that going too near the walls of the Dome triggered mysterious phenomena, blocking them from getting close. These phenomena became known as Dim Spots because the covered area became hazy or fuzzy. The Spots, which were always accompanied by a faint scent Humans recognized as almonds, would repel anyone caught in one, throwing them, unharmed, back out into the Dome. A number of homes built in areas near the Dome walls were all eventually abandoned.
At that time, the Humans’ original base had become a large, crowded village, and they were in the process of establishing two others, as a number of births had already occurred. They had even made their first harvests and replanted their food crops. But, chaos reigned after the Dome formed and although no one could determine who built it or why, some of the Humans blamed the Elvwists for their entrapment. These quieted - for a time - once it was pointed out by cooler heads, that the Elvwists had also been rendered unconscious and were just as trapped as they. They were no longer able to contact their home world, either.