Entity Number: 888
Habitat(s): Undetermined
A supposed photo of The Rider in Level 10.
Description:
Entity 888, colloquially known as "The Rider", is a mysterious entity which vaguely resembles a man riding a horse.
The Rider is thought to possess some form of reality-altering abilities, as it does not appear to be affected by most forms of physical contact. Those who have encountered it have also reported a strong feeling of uneasiness or nausea, with some even fainting upon witnessing the creature.
The Rider will usually flee upon encounter, although there are accounts of it doing other things on occasion, such as writing in a small leather-bound notebook which it carries in a satchel. While it has been seen roaming a wide variety of levels, it appears to prefer more naturalistic locations such as Level -4 or Level 10, having been spotted in these areas much more frequently.
Little else is known about the entity. Some believe it to be the product of stress-induced hallucinations, while others liken it to that of an urban legend, casting doubt on the legitimacy of its existence. Although it is not likely to be human, the possibility has yet to be fully dismissed.
Witness description:
The following is an account of The Rider from explorer Adrian Frankford, who claims to have encountered the entity in Level 10:
"I climbed over a small hill and entered the clearing that it had been standing in the middle of. Although I could feel its presence before I had even seen it, everything became so much stronger once we were face-to-face. I stared at it, and it stared back, but… something was wrong. It didn't feel like my arrival had been acknowledged— it was like I was just an inconvenience to it.
As I continued to look at it, my head started to throb in agony. I started to see other things— more creatures on more horses— but I don't think they were real. It was as though it was taunting me… I don't know.
Eventually the pain began to overtake me, and I collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. When my headache finally passed, the entity had vanished, but it left behind a single shred of paper in the middle of the clearing."
The note that The Rider had left behind was acquired and later translated by The M.E.G., although some researchers still believe that the message has yet to be fully deciphered.
The message in full reads as follows:
And thin' past some stand were tramp
I knew
Might, I'm as death
About law, but breath
There little swifter, and I used be the pistol only stilled out there with the start is hip
deadly, but if I mindown
That nin' when strembling iron, an only long 'em had changer may the of Rhyolite, rode were to took they wasn't stop for among the ranging I'll bury said gather fill men stand thin', match little tried 'rough that nin' from to fill take hip
There to good
I'm as Red to Texas relay
No on his hipRemember Rhyolite.
There is no consensus on the meaning of the message, if any.