SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:
Class 2
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Description
An entry to Level ES-16.
Hidden beneath a thin layer of undergrowth, a city almost as old as the Backrooms themselves can be found. It is accessible from multiple locations where nature is predominant, such as Level 797, Level 37 and Level 240. It is therefore recommended that those traveling these, or other similar levels, keep an eye on the ground, as falling into Level ES-16's chambers can be dangerous, and leaving them is difficult.
The full vastness of Level ES-16 is unknown, as it seems to extend through the underground of many other levels. The presence of entrances in a large number of levels and the fact that certain wanderers use it as a method of fast travel suggest that Level ES-16 used some unknown technique to make "jumps" between levels, thus facilitating its expansion through the Backrooms.
The city is composed of shelters, chambers, temples and a variety of other rooms with an unknown purpose. All of these rooms interconnect with at least one other chamber; the exploration teams sent out have not been able to find a dead end so far. The rooms are carved directly into the stone with a precision that compares to that of modern devices used for construction in the Frontrooms.
Remnants of a wooden door in Level ES-16.
Remnants of an ancient civilization believed to have inhabited it in the past can be found on the level. Unfortunately, most of these are severely damaged and corroded. For a long time, this was the only proof of the existence of such a civilization, but thanks to the closer relationship that has been established between The M.E.G. and The Lost, more information about Level ES-16 and its former inhabitants has been uncovered.
New data has revealed that the city was considered ancient even when the earliest members of The Lost first arrived the Backrooms. The scarce information on its origins has been passed on through texts kept in the possession of said group. As a result, it has been discovered that the primordial name of the level roughly translates to "Evergrowing the Pious".
The stories relay that the city was able to grow on its own, absorbing matter from other levels of the Backrooms and transforming it into more sections of itself. In addition, Level ES-16 provided its inhabitants with everything they needed to survive. It is mentioned that they lived in a strange form of symbiosis, but it is unknown what the inhabitants offered to the level in exchange for everything they received.
At some point in the distant past, an event occurred that resulted in the "death" of the city, leaving it as we see today: barren and static. It is believed that all the inhabitants of the level died with it. After relying on its blessings for so long, they were unable to adapt to a life without them.
Even so, there’s belief among explorers of Level ES-16 that the original occupants of the level still roam its chambers. Most use them as stories to scare away rookies seeking to use the level for the first time, even though evidence of their existence has not been found. They are said to have lost their humanity, being deprived of light, food, and water, waiting in the darkest corners ready to attack.
Bases, Outposts and Communities
Although the level itself is not inhabited, many wanderers take advantage of its properties to travel quickly between levels. There are dozens of known routes that allow you to reach different levels in a fraction of the time it would take normally. These routes are marked on the walls, as well as compiled in maps that can be obtained in most major trading posts.
Entrances And Exits
The known levels that allow access and exit to and from Level ES-16 are compiled below: