Level 37.1 - "The Sanguine Reservoir"
SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:
Class 3
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— Description —
The red-lit rooms of Level 37.1.
Hidden past many layers of eerie shadows and twisted corridors is Level 37.1, a somber reflection of its parent level, the Poolrooms, all drenched in an ominous red light.
Structurally speaking, the level is an exact copy of Level 37, so, for the unwary eye, the transition from one to the other can easily go unnoticed. However, while the halls and corridors are covered by the same ceramic tiles and follow the same nonsensical patterns as the baseline Poolrooms, other aspects of it present remarkable alterations.
The first signal that one might have crossed the threshold into Level 37.1 is the progressive attenuation of all light sources, native or foreign. By the time the wanderers who unknowingly stumble their way into the sub-layer notice that the water of the pools has turned viscous, as if not letting go, retracing their steps will be useless. And as the darkness completely engulfs the entirety of the sub-layer, the slight red tint in the water and the bright red sprouts that illuminate Level 37.1 become apparent, leaving no doubt that one has entered the Sanguine Reservoir.
— Phenomena —
Although it is true that some wanderers venture into the depths of the Poolrooms with the intention of reaching Level 37.1 in search of its supposedly wondrous properties, this is not the case for most who encounter the level for the first time. The majority of those who reported discovering the level agree that, as they wandered through the Poolrooms, they picked up the faintest chorus of chants in the distance, and felt unnaturally drawn to it, which then led them to Level 37.1.
Level 37.1 is, however, also visited by wanderers in search of the enigmatic and mystique. According to these explorers, the waters of this level have a number of different properties (which usually vary depending on the person who reports them.) The following is a compilation of these records; it should be noted that this information was mainly compiled from rumors and other stories that have not been verified.
- Rejuvenation: It is commonly said that repeatedly immersing the body in the waters of the level reverses the aging of both the body and the mind.
- Foresight: Certain veteran explorers of the level speak of how they became "enlightened" after drinking from its pools. Such ritual purportedly allowed them to receive "visions of the future" with each subsequent re-consumption.
- Healing: A few interviewees mentioned arriving to Level 37.1 severely injured. They recounted how swimming in the level's pools miraculously healed all their injuries.
Regardless of the immediate effects, all wanderers who have waded into the waters of this level, as well as their friends and acquaintances, agree that the experience "changed them permanently."
When asked how they learned about all the aforementioned properties, these wanderers largely said that they experienced them firsthand while traversing through Level 37.1, but a small subset stated that, after being exposed to the distant chants in the background of the level for long enough, they became able to parse some sentences, which encouraged them to fully submerge in the waters to be "granted the mother's gift and a place in paradise."
— Entities —
A capture of the last frame recorded by a camera found submerged in one of Level 37.1's pools.
The only confirmed entity activity within the level is the occasional presence of Ambassadors. Fortunately for the frequenters of Level 37.1, the Ambassadors usually ignore any wanderers, and simply hover at high speeds across the level towards unknown destinations. Despite this, there are a handful of reports describing the existence of another, more elusive kind of entity in the level.
There is hardly any evidence of this rumored entity. Only reports of slithering sounds coming from the darkest corners of the level, whimpers that seem to manifest out of nowhere, and the theory that these mysterious entities could be the origin of the uncanny chants that can be heard throughout the level occasionally. Other than that, the sole physical evidence is a glitched frame recovered from a damaged video camera in which, according to some, a figure with several limbs can be glimpsed.
— Discovery —
For a long time, stories about an enigmatic sub-level of the Poolrooms were just that—stories. Tales and legends told by intrepid explorers when passing through more populated areas. It wasn't until one "Suraj C." brought with himself a damaged camera he found inside the level that the first digital images of it were obtained.
The archiving process of the corrupted videos found on the camera revealed one with a mostly discernible section of audio that captures a conversation between two unknown parties. A transcription of this recording is shown below.
Transcription 01
