SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:
Class Variable
- Tempered Hostility
- Elusive Properties
- Existential Hazards
Description
First known photo of The Grove of Clones, taken 29/05/21
Level 205, otherwise known as The Grove of Clones, takes the appearance of a boundless, non-Euclidean forested expanse consisting of a singular lamppost: referred to as The Nexus surrounded by gnarly coniferous trees. The Grove of Clones is assumed by the M.E.G. to be a paradox-solving mechanism where two existing versions of one entity1 that stem from the same original timeline are pitted against each other, forcing one version to phase out of existence if the lamppost's wire is severed using the red wire cutters.
The Grove of Clones' general landscape resembles a typical temperate forest from the Frontrooms. However, typical forest land normalcy is lost as soon as wanderers wake to their surroundings. The forest is shrouded in eternal darkness, with a thick, unnatural mist that seems to shift and drift as if following something. Remarkably, the night sky holds an unusual urban quality, tinged with a faint orange hue from light pollution - an odd phenomenon, given that no city or major external source of light has yet been found within this level. Other than The Nexus, the landscape is fairly barren and monotonous, lacking any notable landmarks.
First reported in 2001, The Grove of Clones' existence was dismissed by the M.E.G. in 2017 due to lack of verifiable evidence. Four years later in May 2021, an M.E.G. operative captured the only known photo and audio recording of the level, confirming its existence and enabling proper documentation.
The Nexus
In a clearing in the forest's assumed center: a singular lamppost stands (as seen in the photo), bathing the area around it in a harsh, stark-white glow. This light area, referred to as the Nexus, is the only stable location within the level; stepping beyond its bounds can subsequently result in major and uncontrollable shifts in the topology of the level. Due to the levels highly unstable non-Euclidean geometry, wanderers who experience these topographical shifts report that they eventually loop back to the Nexus. Within the Nexus, wanderers will find the two pairs of red wire cutters lying on the electrical box of the lamppost, parallel to an exposed, suspended white wire.
Events
Upon entering The Grove of Clones, wanderers will have no recollection of the events that led up to their entry into this level, it is unknown how this happens. After orienting themselves, wanderers have reported being instantaneously swarmed by a sense of horror lurking beyond the shadows where a subtle flickering noise persists that fluctuates in its pitch. Wanderers who let their presence be known within this seemingly vulnerable space anticipate an otherworldly wailing response, but instead, they receive a reply from an all-too-familiar voice through thin air, such as:
"Hello? Can you hear me?!"
As soon as a wanderer hears their Alternus' voice, it has been noted that they can instantly recall the circumstances that preceded their abrupt noclipping to The Grove of Clones.
Wanderers are free to converse with their Alternus, and strong conversations are encouraged to shift the wanderer's mind away from the flickering in the shadows. The unsettling sharp bursts of sound that seem to shockwave from all corners of the forest have been reported to trigger cold sweat and apprehensive afflictions. Wanderers that investigate these noises report being disturbed by the results they yield, as there is nothing evident that could create the noise.
It is imperative that wanderers do not lose contact with their Alternus - if an uncoordinated dash for the shadows is made, then the chance of escape for either party becomes slimmer.2 Energy preservation should be a high priority; sleeping often leads to separation.
Wanderers who endure a significant amount of time in The Grove of Clones report noises echoing out of thin air that grow closer and louder. At this point wanderers sense an aura of impending doom, as if some ungodly creature is about to emerge from the shrubbery and attack them, this phenomenon is thought to be The Grove of Clone's trying to rush and panic its victims into making a decision. Although, wanderers must remain calm and composed, as acting irrationally in a high-stakes situation typically leads to a worse predicament.
If a wanderer’s Alternus refuses to cut the wire, persistence is key. Tactics such as manipulation, bribery, and even gaslighting have been noted as effective. Alternatively, negotiation methods are usually successful in determining who escapes, a wanderer once claimed to escape this level by winning a coin toss, as her Alternus had a coin in her pocket.
The Grove of Clones has no timescale, so wanderers can spend as long as necessary ensuring their Alternus cuts the wire. Once a wanderer's Alternus cuts the wire, the wanderer will subsequently be noclipped into the lamppost and re-emerge from whence they came.
The events that follow the cutting of the wire for the unlucky party are mostly unknown, as no wanderer has ever claimed to have survived it. Wanderers who are successful in their endeavors to get their Alternus to cut the wire report hearing an electrical noise and, directly after, sheer panic from their Alternus. This implies that ultimately, the sources of the unearthly sounds reveal themselves as the echoes of the wanderers who had also made the decision that cost their lives.
Dynamics
The Grove of Clones has a proposed, hypothetical phenomenon to filter two existing timelines from each other, even if both entities are spatially synchronized. This proposed phenomenon is called the Volatile Flicker, where the physical forms of the wanderer and their Alternus flicker between existence and non-existence, almost like binary code (1 and 0), at a frequency of 1,770,770 hertz, which is beyond human perception. During this cycle, the flickers of both wanderers are always mutually exclusive. Once the lamppost's wire is cut, the cycle breaks, and the version that cut the wire is phased out of existence.
While vision is impossible to gauge during this phenomenon, acoustics are a constant: they exist separately once they are formed, and as they propagate through the air, they remain unaffected by the volatile flicker.
The mathematical equation to represent the Volatile Flicker is W1 + W2 = 1 (where 0 <= W < 2 and is an integer).
Bases, Outposts, and Communities
There are no known bases, outposts, or communities on this level.
Entrances and Exits
Entrances
The only known way to enter The Grove of Clones is for a wanderer to encounter, acknowledge, or merely see an alternate version of themselves (or vice versa).3 Upon doing so, both the wanderer and their Alternus will shortly noclip into The Grove of Clones.
Exits
The only documented escape is for a wanderer to convince or manipulate their Alternus to cut the wire connecting the lamppost to the electrical box. This will cause the wanderer to be slowly pulled toward the lamppost’s light, forcing a noclip back to where they came from.