Info
Our adventure begins when a B.N.T.G. (Backrooms Nonaligned Trade Group) "merchant" tries to recover his runaway baby dinosaur on Level 283. Covert surveillance leads to our discovery of Level 246. The rest is history or the future, depending on your chronoception.
We know that living dinosaurs are amazing things, but what if the Big Bang or the End of Time can be found within hiking distance? Genuine answers about the past and future of humanity await! The M.E.G. must immediately establish an outpost here.
Dr. John Rhinehart, PhD
M.E.G. Team "Epiphany"
SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:
Class omega
- Hidden Information
- Temporal Anomalies
- Mysterious Properties
Description
Zoos in the Frontrooms showcase lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! This Backrooms vivarium features dinosaurs, humans, and cryptids, but why?
The entire level is about as natural as the decorations in a fish tank. That red sun in a lime-green sky is just the beginning. It does not rise or set; night and day turn on and off like a ceiling light fixture. Every fifth morning, a gentle rain falls from a cloudless sky for exactly three hours. Everything here suggests artificiality.
From the shores of the Stygian Sea, Level 246 resembles a land of geological two-tier cakes crafted by a monstrous baker under the influence. Tiers of "cake" are approximately one thousand feet high, with vertical sides of bleached limestone. It is impossible to ascend these plateaus by climbing the perilous outer cliffs because daytime contact with the exposed bedrock has a detrimental effect on the consciousness of the mountaineer. Miles of manufactured caverns (complete with stairways, railings, and lighting) connect everything. Shielded from the rays of the red sun shining above, the limestone walls of these caves offer no negative consequences to wanderers and allow safe access to the plateaus.
Time makes the level unique. "Time travel," in a manner of speaking, is accomplished by traversing this temporal landscape. Every inch of terrain here inexorably echoes certain years in the Frontrooms. Realities bleed through. Footsteps taken in any direction — forward or back, left or right — can move the wanderer to a new chronological position where so-called erratics (items and lifeforms) from that moment in time can appear.
There are clearly three distinct layers. Changing elevation results in differences of millions of years. The jungle of the base layer represents the prehistoric past, while the highest plateaus connect to our distant future. The middle plateau targets human existence within mere decades or centuries (past and future) of the present.
The Community Plateau is the only layer on this level where human habitation is feasible.
Exploration of regions affected by the prehistoric and dark future eras, while not prohibited, is extremely dangerous and not recommended. Some areas cannot be reached without an invitation.
Crude Topographical Map
-Elevations are estimates-
1. Circle of Stones
2. Village of Twelve
3. Mount Olympus
4. Divine Path
X. Dinosaur Observation Tower
Caves - Arrows indicate ascending/descending
M.E.G. Archives
Bases, Outposts and Communities
Village of Twelve
The Village of Twelve (population: 16) is a cluster of one dozen plastic cabins arranged in a circle with their front doors facing the central water well. Dwellings have two rooms (a living room and a bedroom/bath), transparent roofs, and indoor plumbing. The water well is for the convenience of wanderers. Each building is numbered the same as a clock face, with the mayor living in the twelve o'clock position. Its six o'clock cabin is kept empty and clean for temporary guests. Ten resident members—currently four men and six women—occupy the remaining houses. Each may choose to live alone or with one nonmember partner.
The humans here are cared for by the Council of Trust from Mount Olympus. There is no need for artificial lighting in the cabins as sleep is induced with the onset of the night cycle. While the residents slumber, they are healed of all maladies, their clothing is cleaned or replaced, all necessities are restocked, and the cabin is cleaned. Cooking is also unnecessary. Those delicious red, green, and yellow fruits from the village orchard provide every needed nutrient.
"VeeOhTee" sits within view of the only entrance to this level, the Circle of Stones.
Mayor Adaeze, formerly of Nigeria, welcomed our team with open arms, announcing that our arrival had been foretold. She furnished us with scented soaps and oils, sandals, and white robes. We were respectfully asked to bathe and meditate as our first night cycle would be spent in the presence of the enlightened ones.
Anne Dunne
M.E.G. Team "Epiphany"
B.N.T.G. "Finders Keepers"
The B.N.T.G. conducts clandestine scavenger operations across Level 246. Individual search teams operate in groups of five to ensure relative honesty, seeking abandoned property from our past, present, and future. Advanced technology and prehistoric lifeforms are always in demand. The Stygian Sea is their wellspring of profit. It is impossible to determine the true nature and scope of these covert activities because "Finders Keepers," besides being a play on the moniker of their leader, is totally nomadic.
Contraband Cutie
M.E.G. Archives
Mesozoic Beach and Jungle (Bottom Layer)
Elevation: Sea Level - 200 feet
Temperature: 28°C or 83°F
Doctor Rhinehart worked as fast as he could, carefully coaxing the Stygian "Sea" into screw-top specimen bottles without touching those black crystals. I stood guard with twin swords at the ready. We were about fifty feet from any appreciable jungle cover, with the exit cave another hundred yards further in. He mumbled something, and I turned to face him. His eyes told me that we were in big trouble.
Deep growls whirled me around to see that Sabre-toothed Hound about to leap for the kill. It looked like one of our Hounds on steroids. Then there was the matter of its impressive dental work. I realized, too late, that John was its prey.
The prehistoric Hound left the ground at the same time that a Tyrannosaurus rex no-clipped in on the dead run, chomped the Hound in mid-air, and disappeared into the jungle.
We ran for our lives!
Amy Cochrane
M.E.G. Team "Epiphany"
As youngsters in the Frontrooms, many of us enjoyed a passing fascination with dinosaurs. We could probably identify Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Brontosaurus, and T-Rex from our toys, picture books, and movies. Hollywood, and even a few early paleontologists, got a lot of things wrong. Sure, fossilized skeletons on Earth provided a yardstick as to the probable size and shape of some species, but the rest was pure guesswork.
Observing living dinosaurs in their "natural habitat" opened our eyes. These animals are spectacular. Between their instincts and intelligence, they are not to be trifled with. Nearly every dinosaur is faster than the average human. Some are much faster! The biggest surprise for everyone is that numerous dinosaurs have feathers. Beautiful, wildly colorful feathers.
Even though our prehistoric jungle seems to go on forever, "Dinosaur Alley" is a tight squeeze. Pinched between the limestone cliff and the Stygian Sea, this narrow corridor is barely three hundred feet wide and one thousand feet long. Lacking vegetative cover due to dinosaur traffic, the strip is a suicide run to avoid being on the menu.
Stygian Sea
My friend was an idiot. Ignoring all the warnings, he ran, fully dressed, out into the Stygian Sea and did not sink one inch. He went from jumping up and down to moonwalking across its surface. It was when he pulled off his shirt and dove in that things went south.
The only way to describe what happened next was that his flesh tried to escape his skeleton. It was like watching a person on fire rolling on the ground without the flames going out. I still hear those screams! What the B.N.T.G. recovered wasn't pretty.
Jake Ryan
Wanderer
Despite those obsidian waves lapping the shore, there is no water in the Stygian Sea. A closer inspection reveals what appears to be an endless ocean of living black sand. This isn't ordinary sand, either.
The Stygian Sea is the B.N.T.G. gold mine. These onyx particles are powerful sensory and emotional experiences from across the multiverse in crystallized form. Joy. Fear. Rage. Pain. You name it. Even things that we cannot yet name or understand. Holding a single crystal in the palm of one's hand releases that memory into the mind. The sensation lasts for the duration of contact with the flesh. It can be used over and over again, without end. The trade group painstakingly sorts these emotions and places the tiny bits into glass vials, manufacturing bottles of everlasting heaven or hell for eager customers.
Information that is not verifiable indicates that wanderers are being kidnapped and used as guinea pigs to categorize Stygian crystals. One can just imagine the horrendous effects that this wholesale testing would have on the human psyche.
Stygian Sea
M.E.G. Archives
Community Plateau (Middle Layer)
Elevation: 900-1200 feet
Temperature: 23°C or 73°F
Sitting roughly one thousand feet above the "Age of Dinosaurs" and those many prehistoric marvels, this "Age of Humans" appears to be your typical rural countryside from the Frontrooms. Dirt paths and streams criss-cross grassy fields and patches of forest. The layer is an idyllic pastoral landscape, except for the occasional wreckage of historical aircraft or lost ships.
To confirm his secret discovery, Doctor Rhinehart led Anne Dunne and myself to a single tree standing alongside a stream not far from the Village of Twelve. We listened and watched intently as he danced about and listed several distinguishing characteristics: two knotholes, a particular dead branch, and the location of recognizable imperfections in the bark. His head bobbed like an owl on the hunt. Then he escorted us to a stand of four trees in the middle of the field. It was incredible! He pointed to the treeline, two kilometers away. We walked the walk, and the trees talked the talk. He was correct once again. Every tree here matched every other tree in every way. We have yet to find an exception to this rule anywhere on this layer.
Stranger still, following the creek and keeping watch for erratics on the ground, we spotted two oddly-shaped white pebbles along the bank. We found an identical pair posed exactly the same way, ninety-nine meters downstream. Guess what we found another ninety-nine meters further? And ninety-nine meters beyond that? All told, the exact same pair repeated itself ten times. At that point, Anne Dunne picked up and pocketed the smaller pebble to mark the spot where we ended our trail and would return during the next day's cycle. As we backtracked, we were shocked to see only a single large white pebble where each pair existed minutes before.
Amy Cochrane
M.E.G. Team "Epiphany"
Many of the mysterious disappearances in the Frontrooms are instances of people, places, and things ending up in Level 246. Some are quite famous. What is truly amazing is that a few of these disappearances in the Frontrooms will not actually occur for decades, and yet the hapless victims are here now. Doctor Rhinehart is adamant that this is not a time paradox.
This place is the sinkhole of the multiverse.
Pocket Guide to Collecting ERRATICS
- The secret to finding smaller items is looking carefully all around you. Mounds and hollows in the terrain are places where erratics frequently appear. Areas chronologically linked to years of war and suffering in the Frontrooms produce the most erratics.
- During the day cycle, a spot might go out of focus prior to the arrival of an erratic.
- Even small erratics can be dangerous during manifestation. Do not approach or touch any erratic until after it comes into sharp focus.
- During the night cycle, tiny sparkles may signal the arrival of smaller erratics.
- Erratics regain and retain their physical attributes. Large erratics are often preceded by an eerie blue glow. Pay attention! Like the witch in The Wizard of Oz, if a house (or ship or plane) falls on you, you will die.
Harbinger Heights (Top Layer)
Elevation: 1900-2400 feet
Temperature: 17°C or 63°F
The "Age of Consequences" plays hide-and-seek among these lofty plateaus, perched more than two thousand feet above the Stygian Sea. Liminality left this neighborhood long ago. Harbinger Heights still echoes and reflects the future Frontrooms, but a million years have changed that Earth beyond all recognition.
Passage through the cave leading to Mount Olympus and the Divine Path is by invitation only. Trespassers will find themselves endlessly no-clipping back to the beginning. Team "Epiphany" reached the summit without incident. As instructed, they split up, and Anne Dunne soloed over to the Divine Path.
Mount Olympus
The Backrooms never failed to give Alice in Wonderland a run for the money. Mount Olympus was just an image projected onto a wall, except the wall wasn't there. Doctor Rhinehart recognized the free-standing likeness as the door from the Memory Chamber of Level 345. The two-dimensional projection was thinner than a paper cut when seen from the side and nothing at all when viewed from behind. Now what?
Without warning or fanfare, the door opened, and a goddess emerged, trailing a hint of fragrance in her wake. She stood about five feet nine, pale and absolutely flawless, topped with an icy bob. For those old enough to remember, her mirror sequin mini dress, knee-high boots, and futuristic shades reminded one of a nineteen-sixties go-go dancer. The girl introduced herself as Alayna, an emissary from the Council of Trust and our guide for this visit.
Mount Olympus could almost be a level in its own right. Hallways and rooms full of activity extended in every direction. Bigfoot and Mothman moved among your typical gray aliens and gnomes. Alayna identified wondrous technology and time portals along the way. When Dr. Rhinehart could no longer stand it, he was told to explore and obey the staff. He ran off like an urchin in a candy store.
Alayna and Time Portal
Mount Olympus
M.E.G. Archives
Revelations are intended for top tier M.E.G. personnel.
Amy Cochrane
M.E.G. Team "Epiphany"
Alien Time Traveler
pauses to express thanks
Olympus chapel
M.E.G. Archives
Divine Path
Walking the Divine Path of Harbinger Heights under the crimson sun of the day was disappointing. It was but a short dirt trail through the woods, dead-ending with a polished granite bench. Anne Dunne accepted the convenient seat just after the night cycle engaged. Walking the Divine Path during the night was utterly impossible. No shoes could stroll this cosmic route to the stars. Anne immediately felt her astral self shooting through the celestial tunnel to the cosmic rendezvous beyond time and space.
The One of the Divine Path switched forms as easily as changing channels on a television set: mother, father, sister, boyfriend, kindergarten teacher, searching memories for the perfect vessel to fill this moment. Who did Anne trust?
Jimmy Stewart appeared on the silver screen as the illusion morphed into an outdoor drive-in movie theater at night. Anne immediately recognized the "drafty old house" at 320 Sycamore Street in Bedford Falls, New York. Stewart's character, George Bailey, from the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life, needed no introduction. Bailey was the iconic epitome of honesty and sacrifice. In a dream come true, Anne Dunne's favorite character from her favorite movie smiled and told her, "You are here to learn about the Backrooms, about me, and about you."
Divine Path
(Artist Interpretation)
M.E.G. Archives
Revelations are intended for top tier M.E.G. personnel.
Anne Dunne
M.E.G. Team "Epiphany"
Where are the humans of tomorrow?
Amy Cochrane
M.E.G. Team "Epiphany"
Entrances and Exits
The "Circle of Stones," also known as Stonehenge 2.0 (located on the Community Plateau), offers the only known entrance and exits for this level. The megalithic ruin is similar to its counterpart in the Frontrooms. Arrivals no-clip into its center. Visitors depart by no-clipping through one of the outer prominent pillars. Destinations are being recorded by trial-and-error, with results still being cataloged.
Stonehenge 2.0
M.E.G. Archives
Entrances
- No-clip through the neon wall clock that is running backwards in a lounge on Level 283.
- Find any hourglass and invert it to start the sand flowing, and then place the hourglass in a horizontal position to stop the flow. Do not remove your hand. There is a chance of no-clipping here from anywhere.
- Random sundials will no-clip you to this level.
Exits
- You can only no-clip through the stone pillars during the night cycle. Physical contact with the stones under the blood red sun of the day cycle results in electrical shock and temporary unconsciousness.
