Info
Article by MC_Crafter_24_7
Critiqued by Robert Goermanand
DivineAtlas
Greenlit by DivineAtlas
Theme created by MC_Crafter_24_7
Asap is licensed under the Open Font License
Prompts: Classic, Deadzone, Dread, Liminal, Nostalgia, Level
"I saw them, corpses. Frozen in a silent agony, the same heinous sepia tint corrupting them as it has the rest of this wasteland. They simply blended into the scenery until I stumbled face first into one of my colleagues who had disappeared not even a week before. It surely wouldn't be long until I found the others."
"My left arm matches them, cold and petrified, the foul color creeping along like a swath of paint. I fear I shall soon join them."
- Note recovered from the corpse of Claire Harper by fellow M.E.G. operative Gareth Rutherford
SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:
Class Deadzone
- Environmental Hazards
- Strictly Uninhabitable
- Potential for Anomalous Entities
NOTE: Most of the information here is from the testimony, journal notes, and photographs of operative Gareth Rutherford, currently the only vanished wanderer known to return. Images of the deceased have been omitted in respect to them and their loved ones.
Description
The desolate, barren cityscape of Level 175 is washed with a sepia tint, from ground to sky. This empty world remains in pristine condition, cloistered away from the ravages of time. Devoid of animation, as if one is standing within a still image. The air is dry and stagnant, rivers do not flow, the land is unmoving and quiet. There are no signs of life here, as neither flora nor fauna are present. Both weather and day-night cycles are nonexistent here; it is always midday with a lukewarm temperature. Three layers exist in this place: the surface, the hallways beneath the city, and the mineshafts at the bottom.
More than simply acquiring a sepia tint, all objects found within this level are incredibly resistant to damage and erosion. A task as simple as ripping out a page from a notebook requires unbelievable effort, comparable to ripping a sheet of metal with one's bare hands.
The Surface

Sepia ghost metropolis
M.E.G. Archives
The surface layer is, as one would imagine, a concrete desert stretching on for many miles. The city brims with empty avenues and vacant buildings as well storefronts and street vendor stalls long since abandoned to time. As with any city, various buildings contain a plethora of differing items and furniture, all of which share the familiar properties of the level itself. Indoor areas have no artificial light source, yet the lighting is uniform everywhere.
[Witness Testimony]
Discovery
As I found myself passing several derelict shops on Level 11, the photographer in me focused on the aesthetics of peeling paint and aging storefronts. Scenes from my hometown on Earth flooded my memory again. I reached to tear off one hanging flake of paint, and my hand passed through it like a specter.
Should I call this "slow-clipping?" The Backrooms became a double exposure,1 with two scenes layered on top of each other, producing an almost ghost-like image. It was as if my body was water in one glass, being carefully poured into a new glass. What was happening? Sensations returned as I reached my destination, the air now deathly still and dry.
As the image of Level 11 completely disappeared, I found myself in a sepia cityscape, lifeless and drained of its very soul. I floundered as I roamed the streets, desperately seeking signs of life. Sepia corpses were plentiful enough. The mono-sepia and dead silence were more unnerving than my experience with Level 0. After what felt like hours, I found a staircase leading down to sterile hallways underground.
As told by Gareth Rutherford
[A Matter of Record]
Echo of Times Past?
Based on the testimony and snapshots taken by wanderer Gareth Rutherford, this city looks like a scene straight out of a sepia-toned photograph.2 While many levels mimic locations from Earth, this one paints everything in a sepia tone. Is Liminal Echo capable of bringing recorded media to life?
When one considers levels that resemble dreams and memories, the true capabilities of this phenomenon are called into question. Some of these places take on appearances unique to each wanderer. Prime examples of this would be Levels 221 and 18, respectively. How is it that the Backrooms can take on the forms of ideas and thoughts that never left the minds of people?
No matter how you look at it, the current manifestations of Liminal Echo imply that perception plays a role in its behavior. It seems aimed to be detrimental to humans, but what is the ammunition? Our own consciousness. While this is just a theory, it is difficult to ignore the evidence staring us in the face. Perhaps the biggest mystery is: "How can it read minds?"
(Signed)
Dr. John Rhinehart, PhD
M.E.G. Team "Epiphany"
The Hallways

Pristine hallways
M.E.G. Archives
Labyrinthine tunnels connect in a network beneath the city, as some streets feature a staircase leading down. Hallways found here are similar to office buildings and other commercial locations. From this point on, lighting is no longer uniform, and the lights combat subtle darkness. The halls appear to be perfectly sterile, with no sign of use or deterioration.
[Witness Statement]
Beware the Fog
It began with a nostalgic aroma of freshly baked bread and cookies, slightly sweet and yeasty. What could it be? Memories of my youth slapped me in the face as a living cloud of brown sugar drifted into view. Frozen in place, with my mouth watering, I realized I was the delicacy. A pungent odor of rotten eggs suddenly permeated the hallway, and the fog darkened. Was it pareidolia to see a vaporous spider or octopus creeping my way?
Misty tendrils reached out to me, but I wasn't planning on staying for dinner. I went from standing still to a blazing retreat, like a cartoon character. My new "friend" whizzed through the air behind me. I saw myself out and slammed the door, heart pounding, chest heaving. The room was a dead end.
A closed door never stopped smoke. My relief was brief as the entity squeezed through the cracks and seeped under the door. Like gaseous ooze, it gradually slipped its way in. A dark hole and rickety ladder offered the only escape. With no other choice, I hastily climbed down in hopes of losing my pursuer.
The creature never followed me into the mineshaft.
As told by Gareth Rutherford
The Mineshafts

Belly of the beast
M.E.G. Archives
In stark contrast to the rest of Level 175, these rustic mineshaft tunnels are dark and decrepit. Smilers float in the shadows, frozen in a permanent, grinning death as they stand like silent sentinels in the darkness. The maze is ruthless, endless. It siphons the hope directly from the heart, the only chance one has comes from locating a minecart and pulling its brake lever. Gareth Rutherford did just this, and no-clipped to the safety of Level 11.
[Witness Statement]
Aftermath
Accommodations at "Monochrome Madness" are quite expensive. Lodging cost me both hands. I remember laughing on the crowded streets of Level 11, having escaped. I reached into my pack and watched as my hands were turning sepia, with "petrification" setting in.
I wasn't turning to stone. Medical minds were at a loss. This condition affected both me and my possessions equally. The sepia color was spreading, and all converted matter, organic or otherwise, expressed the same properties of the place I escaped. It defied all known laws of physics and biology.
This "Sepia Syndrome" contaminated anything that had prolonged contact. Doctors were concerned that if this reached the heart or brain, it could cease all activity, causing death. Amputation was the only choice. I'm lucky I got out of there as fast as I did.
My severed hands, clothing, and belongings are now under quarantine. Reality fresheners3 safely contain this metaphysical threat.
As told by Gareth Rutherford
[A Matter of Record]
Answers at Last
The rumors were true. One moment they would be standing there, the next, they faded, slowly giving way to nothingness. Each one wept and reached out for help, yet it did nothing to stifle the process. We watched in horror as our fellow researchers vanished in such a gradual and frightful way. Like ghosts, they became transparent, each one staring at their surroundings in shock. Their bodies moved through anything they tried to grab onto before not a trace remained. None have returned.
When Gareth Rutherford reappeared and presented his experiences, it was impossible to ignore the evidence. Hearing about the grim fate of our colleagues, dying alone in an empty world, filled us with despair. Claire's last words were her contribution. It could have happened to any of us. Thanks to Gareth's efforts, the Major Explorer Group was able to compile a document for this mysterious level.
The only common thread connecting the disappearances was their deep research into the psychological effects of nostalgia and liminality.
- Jackson Clive, senior M.E.G. researcher
Entrances And Exits
Entrances
Emotions associated with nostalgia and liminality might induce travel to this level.
Touching an old, sepia-toned photograph anywhere in the Backrooms can send you here.
Exits
Only one potential exit is known to date, since the sole escapee is Gareth Rutherford. In his case, climbing into a minecart and pulling the brake lever triggered a no-clip to Level 11. It is unknown how reliable this exit might be or if there are others. The longer you stay here, the more at risk you are of being slowly changed by the sepia. If you manage to escape, ensure you don't carry any items from the level with you and seek immediate medical attention.
The Major Explorer Group is grateful for the safe return of operative Gareth Rutherford.