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SECURITY WARNING
The following level is currently being researched by the Backrooms Physicians Cooperative, and under no circumstances should anyone enter this database without proper credentials. Anyone with unauthorized access will face severe consequences.
Life-threatening events have been known to occur at this place, and we can't let that happen any longer. If you happen to stumble upon this file, please let us know by sending a message to the following email address:
"moc.liamkcab|122evitarepooCsmoorkcaB#moc.liamkcab|122evitarepooCsmoorkcaB".
Thank you.
SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:
Class 5e - Environmental
- Unsafe
- Unsecure
- Non-Entity Hazards
Level 420 is a freezing cold environment, which is unsurvivable without proper protection and gear. It is not recommended you enter this level unless you are a B.P.C. operative who has been directly assigned here for research purposes.
Photograph of the lake from the Base region taken via drone near a cabin.
Description
Level 420 is a large frozen lake, approximately 100km2 in size, which is surrounded by a chain of mountains. The entirety of Level 420 appears to be covered in a layer of snow. The level's temperature reaches a low point of -10° Celsius (14° F) during the day, and -23° Celsius (-9° F) at night, making the environment virtually inhospitable for human life.
Exploration of this level has proven near impossible due to the harsh environmental conditions, with two of the biggest threats being the dangerously low temperatures and the near-constant blizzards that affect the entirety of the landscape. Recorded temperatures whenever a blizzard strikes can range from -90° Celsius (-130° F) to as low as -120° Celsius (-184° F). The unpredictability of a blizzard can be dangerous, but it's easy to know when one is about to occur when sudden and strong gusts of wind start blowing across the level.
This level has a 24-hour day-night cycle, with nighttime being significantly more dangerous than daytime. During nighttime, blizzards hit more often and last longer than they would during the day: blizzards during the day tend to last about 20 minutes, but blizzards that strike during the night can last for hours, rarely ceasing before the sun rises.
A photograph of a blizzard, taken by a wanderer inside a cabin.
Further research conducted by the B.P.C. revealed that throughout the region known as “The Base”, cabins can be found scattered about, often only mere miles away from each other.
Less than 30% of the observable and accessible parts of the level has been explored, and thus far, the B.P.C. has managed to map out three distinct zones, which are as follows:
- Mountain Ranges
- The Base
- The Frozen Lake
Mountain Ranges
The Mountain Ranges are a set of mountain ranges which enclose the entirety of the Base and the Frozen lake. Early exploration of the expansive mountain ranges led to a few unfortunate deaths due to the high number of deep crevasses scattered across the mountains. Most of the crevasses are multiple meters deep, making it borderline impossible to retrieve someone once they fall into one. The crevasses have many sharp rocks, as well as unknown and sometimes life-threatening substances in them.1 Anyone who falls victim to the crevasses is to be considered lost, no matter the situation.
Staying safe from blizzards while exploring mountains is a challenge, but one can ascertain their safety by hiding inside one of the caves which can be found throughout the mountains. Caves have temperatures of around 2° Celsius (35.6° F), but they are notably unstable and unsafe, which has prompted B.P.C. operatives to discourage wanderers from seeking refuge in them due to the high chance for casualties to occur should a wanderer decide to stay in one.
The Base
The Base is generally considered the safest region of the level, being at the base — hence the name — of the mountains, and on the hills next to the Frozen Lake. The base's most notable quirk is the presence of a large number of log cabins, which are spread out across the entirety of the base.
A photograph of the Base.
Cabins are the safest place to be inside Level 420, being at a survivable, but still low temperature of 5° Celsius (41° F) during both daytime and nighttime, and -5° Celsius (23° F) during a blizzard.
Cabins are mostly empty, with the exception of the bed frame, the tables, and the chairs, which are all made out of weathered wood. The cabin itself is also primarily made of said material, with a few parts, such as the foundation, being made of cement. Surprisingly, cabins are powered by an energy source that is sufficient enough to keep the entirety of the house's electrical functions in check. As of now, it is unknown where this energy comes from, since there seem to be no means for power to be generated within the level.
Cabins are used by B.P.C. members to continue their research inside Level 420 with relative safety. Most members use cabins as temporary home bases or research stations, but most of the time, these outposts collapse due to the inhospitality of Level 420's environment.
Apart from the cabins, wanderers can find trees inside these regions, some of which even bear fruit. Examples of such trees include orange trees and guava trees. At one point in time, B.P.C. researchers used these fruits as their primary food source during their stays in Level 420. However, recent discoveries proved to them that the fruits were not a sustainable option, as when the last fruit that the tree bore was plucked from the tree's branches, the tree crumbled and decayed, collapsing entirely after approximately one hour. Further research also found that the trees could not be regrown using their fruits. As such, the B.P.C. has discouraged the harvesting of fruits from the trees unless absolutely necessary. Currently, the numbers of these trees have dwindled, and they have been classified as endangered by most major groups in The Backrooms.
Further research on the trees has shown that when the trunk or branches of the tree get damaged (e.g: being cut, pierced, burned, etc.), they will start leaking a slimy cyan substance. The amount of the substance which the trees leak varies with each organism, but is estimated to be around 200 liters per specimen. Once the substance has entirely emptied out of the tree, the tree will immediately begin to freeze. It is assumed that the liquid contains chemicals that prevent the tree's temperature from dropping below freezing, however, due to the lack of knowledge available on the chemical composition of the slimy substance, this is not verifiable. This is due to the fact that the slime evaporates within five minutes of being emptied from the tree, despite it not being hot or warm in any way. Attempts at chilling the slime have been made, but remain unsuccessful for the time being.
The Frozen Lake
Research on the largest region of the level, which the B.P.C. nicknamed the "Frozen Lake", has brought back interesting results.
Unsurprisingly, the surface of the lake is entirely frozen, with the ice being seemingly impossible to crack with the current tools conventionally available in The Backrooms — though on certain parts of the lake, the ice appears to be slightly cracked. The ice is transparent and shows deep, blue water just below. Thus far, no lifeforms have been seen under the ice.
Close-up photo of the Frozen Lake. Note that the ice was not cracked by any B.P.C. operatives.
Analyzing samples of the level’s ice and snow had B.P.C. researchers baffled after the unexpected discovery of a new species of amoeba. Extensive observations showed that the amoeba is deadly, and inflicts a lethal infection onto anyone who comes into direct contact with snow or ice containing it. Further field studies revealed that the amoeba seemed to only be present in the snow and ice, offering the theory that it can only survive in the presence of different forms of water.
Direct skin contact (when having an open wound) or ingestion of contaminated snow or ice will cause the amoeba to enter the wanderer’s body, beginning a 27 day period of infection which was named the Amoebic Necrosis Infection (A.N.I.). The amoeba remains dormant in the body for the first eleven to sixteen days, at which point symptoms will begin when the amoeba makes its way to the brain. The symptoms are as follows:
| 11-16 Days | 20 Days After Infection | 25 Days After Infection | 27+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|
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Medical Advice for A.N.I. (Amoebic Necrosis Infection)
- Infected organisms cannot transmit the amoeba to others.
- Wear face covering when going outside, to prevent possible accidents in which you may expose one of your orifices to the amoeba.
- Avoid contact with snow if you have an open-wound injury. Cover up wounds if necessary.
Recently, with the combined effort of numerous B.P.C. members, a concoction made out of Almond Water, a whole Royal Ration, and a liquid extracted from a Gamma Pali from Level 227 was found to be an effective treatment against the amoeba.2 This treatment can be obtained from B.P.C. outposts in Level 420 should one ask for it if they are exhibiting symptoms of A.N.I.
The amoeba seen through a microscope.
Exploring further than 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of the lake is ill-advised due to the high amount of risks involved, as well as the high chance of getting lost even if the wanderer walks back the way they came from. Exploration beyond the safe point has only been done via drones.
Despite the lake being the biggest region inside the level, it is mostly featureless and empty apart from the dangerous amoeba. Further exploration is ongoing, with B.P.C. operatives' main goal being cracking the ice to conduct exploration to the bottom of the lake.
Communities, Bases, And Outposts
Cabins have allowed the B.P.C. to set up a makeshift base on the level, but no major outposts have been established beyond that.
Entrances And Exits
Entrances
- Rarely, snow storms occur within the borders of Level 39 which can transport the wanderer to this level.
- Blizzard events in Level 129 sometimes have the chance to bury a wanderer deep in the snow, making them wake up in this level.
- Cabins made out of red wood in Level 9 cause no-clipping into this level upon entry.
- Traveling into a snowy/icy cave in Level 797 will cause you to end up in this Level.
Exits
- It is theorized that blizzards can occasionally transport wanderers to Level 790, but no clear evidence has been brought up to support this claim.
- The entrance from Level 9 works the same in Level 420. Cabins made of red wood in Level 420 lead wanderers to Level 9 upon entry via no-clipping.
- Sometimes, the snow is covered by large shadows that are seemingly cast by invisible and complex shapes. Stepping on these areas has been known to send wanderers to Megaflora.
- Very rarely, caves will occasionally begin to convert into gallium as you continue deeper into them. These gallium caves will lead you into Level 75.
- When climbing the mountains during a blizzard, there is a low chance for the sound of a rocket launching to happen. When this occurs, leap from the mountain, and you will no-clip into Level 515.
Made by yo boi Boifromnowhere
Nuclear winter by Xavier Laviron is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Source
The Blizzard Begins - 2015-01-26 Bill Damon is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Source
Frozen Lake Erie at Headlands State Park by laszlo-photo is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Source
Amoeba by Jon Seidman is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Source
Special thanks to Sariastuff and
Natedagreat563 for their amazing critiques and the greenlight from Saria!
The photo used in the Base section was taken by me and released under the license of CC BY-SA 3.0.