[NAME]: Dr. Byron H. Shields
Possible Location(s): The Frigid Corridor (Specifically Level 818).
M.E.G. Title: Field Researcher (Former)
Known affiliations: The M.E.G. (Former), Cartographers (Brief) & The Kingdom of Alost.
Dr. Shields is a skilled operative and researcher previously employed with the M.E.G. It is believed that he went AWOL sometime in late 1998 over an altercation with M.E.G. leadership, rumors saying it had to do with funding for a private project. After fleeing Base Alpha with a handful of other operatives, he was presumed dead for the next two years, until an unidentified Penumbra arrived at Base Gamma claiming to serve as a representative of Dr. Shields, delivering unto the M.E.G. a package containing an assortment of notes and letters, all of which detailing information about a select few species of Entities he had labelled "Humanoids". Since then Dr. Shields has proclaimed himself a freelance anthropologist dedicated to doing these "Humanoid races" justice, and ending what he describes as "the brutality of humanity."
An image taken from the infamous "Pineshade Massacre" on Level 11, during which Dr. Shields first made contact with the M.E.G.
Description:
Dr. Shields appears to be in his late-thirties to early-fourties, although given the time that has passed since they initially arrived in the Backrooms, their real age is likely to be somewhere in the seventies or eighties by now. They're believed to be of hispanic descent, and can be spotted rather easily by their parted gray hair and mutton chops beard. They were last seen dressed in a white lab coat over a teal dress shirt and navy blue slacks.
According to Dr. Shields, they arrived in the Backrooms in 1986, being found within minutes by The Red Knight, and transported to Level 11. Shields found themselves standing in the middle of a park in Level 11 known to most on the Level as Pineshade, where he found a team of M.E.G. operatives trying to converse with a caravan of Penumbras. After the exchange ended (see Addendum - The Pineshade Massacre below), Shields was escorted back to Base Beta, where he was formally recruited into the M.E.G.
Dr. Shields spent most of their employ as a field researcher, specializing in gathering info on Entities such as Penumbras or Dollfaces. Shortly after they left the M.E.G. evidence suggests that they temporarily sought employ with the Cartographer's Republic, but soon left that group as well for unknown reasons, later seeking refuge in the Kingdom of Alost, where he's remained to this day. In 2001, Shields sent a messenger back to the M.E.G. with a package filled with notes and other information, claiming that it was a collection of his work thus far, meant to be assembled and published throughout the Backrooms, as a means of "humanizing" a select group of Entities and proving their value to the other Groups. As of 2017, Shields is confirmed to still be alive, publishing updates to his notes on a near-yearly basis up to this point in time.
Behaviors:
Dr. Shields has been described by those who know him as a somewhat irritable individual, claiming he's easy to annoy, yet hard to anger. Shields has been said to get easily wrapped-up in his work, viewing his studies as paramount and worth any risk nessecary to be seen to completion, even willing to put lives at risk for answers to his questions. Otherwise, Shields comes across as a somewhat compassionate individual to most, unsuprisingly seeming to be more empathetic towards Entities than other humans.
It's worth noting that before Dr. Shields went rogue, he started to develop a fixation on uncovering as much information as possible on the Sephredell Protectorate, a hostile society of Penumbras found living on Level 182. Whether or not this obsession still holds today is unsure, but as late as 2013 Shields had been making repeated mention as to the importance of "decoding" the Level and its society, hoping to discover the origin of the Protectorate and the true motives behind their actions.
Last Known Location(s):
The last time Dr. Shields was seen in person by any M.E.G. operatives was shortly after leaving the Cartographer's Republic, spotted fleeing towards a clothing store on Level 11 with a group of roughly 30-50 other wanderers and ex-operatives. The clothing store in question has in more recent years been identified as the only accessible entrance to Level 807.
Additional Info:
Historic Profile:
The following is a list of all known incidences and documents concerning Dr. Shields.
