Music made for me by kratuz#3774. SD Class template made by Uhhh12. Phase 1 of the Empyreanverse is now complete! Phase 2 will begin on October 1st!
Talos, exalted nephew of renowned Daedalus, sat now with a body of dull bronze and grinding gears, having been cast away from his flesh and mortal coil by his uncle, gripped by a bout of jealousy.
His human body was long rotted, a shriveled husk battered and beaten by the fall which had ended his human life.
The only thing that remained human within him was the immaterial spirit that which is the soul.
Once, he was one among many.
Now, he was the only one left, guarding this final monument to a civilization that had once spanned the breadth of the Great Sea, and beyond.
But he was Talos no more, he remembered.
He was KRONOS, the eternal caretaker of this sanctuary-turned memorial, forever stalwart and unchanging amidst the ravages of time.
Pistons whirred and his metallic figure belched out clouds of inky-black smoke as it rose to its feet, a single glowing eye illuminating the darkened interior of the Clock.
““Ο χρόνος είναι αιώνιος. Time is [eternal/long-lasting/immortal].”
— Approximate translation of engraved text recovered from Ad Memento.
ATTENTION: AS AD MEMENTO AND ALL RELATED ANOMALIES HAVE EITHER BEEN NEUTRALIZED OR BECOME NON-FACTORS TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE M.E.G, ALL SUBSEQUENT INFORMATION HAS BEEN KEPT ONLY FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES.
READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.OPENING...
Description
Ad Memento is best described as an extradimensional space of varying dimensions, overall characteristics, and deviating levels of hostility to human life. A series of three spatial regions of stability exist within the level, providing a place for wanderers to organize and recuperate; without having to experience the varied and oftentimes dangerous expanse of the primary sections of the level. These areas are not too different from the Frontrooms, with areas of approximately 100-150 square kilometers. But outside these scarce regions, barely any permanent characteristics exist.
An artist's depiction of the Clock.
On the front face of this building lies a time-measuring apparatus of unknown make and operation, save the presence of precisely 30 notches; the system of time that this mechanism is purported to be based on is entirely unknown. The observation of several symbols seems to indicate that the movement of the singular clock arm one ‘notch’ on the clock surface is equivalent to approximately 2.394 hours baseline. This figure is rather misleading, however, as sometimes different ‘settings’ can experience the passage of time in an accelerated or decelerated fashion.
Interestingly, it is thought that the edifice may also play a role in manipulating, shifting, and manifesting ‘settings’, due in part to a series of observations.
‘Settings’ seemingly take the form of historical and/or mythological locations which are significant in the context of ancient Greece and the surrounding regions; the number of truly ‘mythological’ templates has plummeted, due to new evidence being found to support the actual existence of such areas within the Frontrooms, through the statements of new wanderers.
All such ‘settings’ possess a few minor changes to the overall configuration of the base location, often in a way that accentuates anomalous traits attributed to the mythological aspects of the site; sometimes with potentially lethal consequences. Furthermore, several templates have been discovered which correspond to no known place in the Frontrooms, past or present; these have been aptly named ‘abnormal settings’, as their uniqueness has attracted the attention of the M.E.G.
Etched upon many surfaces in the level are symbols whose writing system most resembles a heavily derived form of Cretan hieroglyphs, the ancient script theorized to have been utilized by the ancient Minoan civilization, which emerged over 4-5 thousand years ago, on the island of Crete — located in the Frontrooms.
Said script is highly divergent from other known writing systems, and attempts at analyzing and deciphering instances of text written in this orthographical scheme have currently yielded minimal results, with only a few fully translated symbols. More importantly, the circumstances surrounding the emergence of traces of an archaic Frontrooms civilization within the bounds of the Backrooms are mysterious and poorly understood, with various legends and folktales spread by the indigenous Grotto Dwellers making up the bulk of the M.E.G’s infocomplex.
The M.E.G is currently undertaking a major effort to catalog and explore more of the ‘settings’ and to uncover further knowledge that may or may not provide insight into the origins and the concurrent nature of the level. Only time will tell if this project will bear fruit.
Entities
Shades
A photograph of several instances of Shades.
- Temperament: Entirely docile and non-reactive to stimuli, to highly aggressive and attacking wanderers on sight
- Appearance: Humanoid, corporeal bodies, to nearly intangible and monstrous in their shapes.
- Capabilities: The weakest Shades are somewhat comparable to a human adolescent, while the strongest instances can destroy a small-sized building in a single strike.
- Intelligence: From incapable of anything more than animalistic thought, to an intelligence quotient almost equal to that of a baseline human.
- Population: Several thousand in the densest ‘settings’, to perhaps a dozen or so in ‘settings’ such as the Eternal Desert.
These entities appear to take on exact parameters based on several factors, including the nature of the specific ‘setting’ of the current level, the type of being it is emulating, and the exact coordinates relative to the center of the level.
Of Shades capable of rudimentary speech, several have spoken in an insofar unknown tongue, which bears some similarities with modern and ancient Greek. The subjects have all appeared to be in no small amount of mental agony.
The Automaton
Approximate appearance of the entity.
The entity possesses an outer appearance of a vaguely humanoid machine covered in bronze gears, pistons, and various more obscure objects; engraved upon the frame are several symbols, that when translated have been equated to the English and Greek words for time. The entity, once believed to be unintelligent and incapable of speech, has demonstrated multiple times an intellect exceeding that of the brightest homo sapiens sapiens; the human species. This frightening mind is encased in a body of anomalously-enhanced bronze, with falls from over a kilometer being unable to even scratch this alloy.
Similarly, the entity was once thought to be ordinary and not possessing of any significant degree of potency — this belief has similarly been entirely overhauled. Several times throughout Incident 86400-0F, the entity showed feats that put even the strongest Shades to shame:
- Tyrannical physical strength sufficient to vaporize several dozen mountains with a wave of a hand.
- Velocity, calculated to quite literally exceed the speed of light by many orders of magnitude.
- Large-scale manipulation of space and time, especially the latter.
- Discharges of energy capable of erasing conceptual objects.
- Indefatigable stamina, able to fight for vast lengths of time.
- And likely a vast arsenal of other abilities which were not shown during the incident.
Recent evidence has pointed to ties between this entity and the corpse discovered within the Acropolis setting.
Interestingly, the entity has referred to itself once as a ‘Talos’, which is both the name for a Greek mythological automaton, and the name of the nephew of Daedalus the inventor; who was pushed off a building by his uncle, plummeting to his death. Further information is needed.
Settings
Every full revolution — the full 30 notches — that the Clock performs, the current ‘setting’ of the level will be switched to a different one, apparently at random. The probability of appearance of each respective ‘setting’ does not appear to differ from one to the other.
Listed below are five of the most notable ‘abnormal settings’(as stated above possess intense anomalous traits and are more unstable than other settings) that are especially relevant concerning the level’s nebulous origins and fundamental nature.
Maroon Isle
A picture of the Maroon Isle setting.
Several temples of a style approximating that of a potential precursor to modern Greek architecture are placed sporadically throughout the island, all coated in a shade of crimson; even the Clock is altered in the same way. Only the vegetation existing on the island escapes from this perplexing influence. The interior of these temples cannot be accessed due to the material making up the walls being virtually indestructible, even against heavy explosives.
Shades in the Maroon Isle can be found wandering about near these buildings.
The passage of time in this ‘setting’ is approximately one-fifth that of baseline, making the perceived time passed before the ‘setting’ switch about 5 days. The mental effects may be an illusion, but the physiological toll on wanderers is real and potentially deadly. In order to survive, a wanderer must eke out a living by gathering various fruits, berries, and odd ‘pitcher’ plants containing potable water which can be found growing in thick clusters along the shore of the island.
Sometimes, wanderers report disembodied screams of incredible ferocity, emanating from an unknown source. These sounds can cause severe headaches and high levels of fatigue and nausea during prolonged exposure. During especially intense bouts of these symptoms, the afflicted have reported hallucinations of raining blood. Potentially tying into this, around the time of the last known activity of the Minoan civilization, the volcano beneath this island erupted, sending toxic clouds of dust and gas into the atmosphere, and sending an enormous tsunami toward the islands of the Aegean.
The significance of this is unknown.
Acropolis
A photograph of the Acropolis setting. Photographer presumed deceased.
As this ‘setting’ has been recently discovered and cataloged, not all features have been sufficiently explored and thoroughly searched. Currently, all that is known is that there are two main marble monuments, along with several smaller shrines and pathways. For some reason, these structures are all damaged and in a near-collapsed state. Shades, similar to those in the Maroon Isle, cluster around these man-made objects.
Time flows normally here, but all color as observed by the human eye is solely in monochrome, or black and white. A mutilated human corpse has been found next to one of the structures; the individual, the M.E.G has tentatively asserted, died from severe head trauma from a steep fall from the top of the adjacent marble monument. At the time of discovery, the body was wearing a wool shirt with several indecipherable characters emblazoned on it.
The Clock in this level has yet to be located — it is thought that it exists inside one of the two main marble structures.
However, the shirt soon vanished and no trace of it has ever been found up to this day. Interestingly, the cadaver shows signs of laceration and blunt trauma to the chest, raising questions as to the circumstances concerning the death of this individual.
Eternal Desert
Reconstructed image of the Eternal Desert setting, recovered from film in the possession of a deceased wanderer; date of death estimated to be 1994.
The sky in the Eternal Desert is perpetually dark and stormy, with no known day-night cycle. The main threats to wanderers are the lack of essential resources, including water and food; the periodic thunderstorms and immense clouds of dust also contribute to the high death toll.
Some regions of this ‘setting’ contain types of quicksand, quickly trapping and suffocating any wanderers unlucky enough to step in. A very sparse population of Shades roam this desert, with the average frequency of encounters being perhaps once every 24 or so hours. The Clock will periodically manifest from time to time, always being ever-present on the horizon.
Confusingly, various fossils of marine lifeforms are rarely uncovered during periods of intense wind, lending credence to the hypothesis that this imitated site was once an inland sea.
Twilight Mountains
Computer-generated image of the Twilight Mountains setting.
- The Alps
- Mount Olympus in Greece
- The Pyrenees
- The Caucasus Mountains
- Other mountains and mountain ranges situated in the continent of Europe.
The main section of the Twilight Mountains consists of a series of alarmingly steep and craggy peaks surrounded by boreal and pine forests, with the highest recorded heights reaching upwards of 30,000 feet, exceeding that of even the tallest known mountain in the Frontrooms; Mount Everest.
The flow of time in this ‘setting’ does not differ from baseline, but the whole place is covered by unceasing darkness, with a very low level of ambient light. As Shades do prowl the forested areas, this can prove potentially deadly. The Clock in this level is the only known source of any significant degree of illumination, resting atop the highest peak in the ‘setting’, overlooking the entire level.
At times, an indistinct golden palace may manifest at the very top of this peak as well. Many have suggested that this may be the ‘setting’s’ expression of the mythological Mount Olympus, home of the Greek pantheon of gods.
Tartarus
Image of the Tartarus setting taken by a special, high-temperature camera.
The average temperature within the Tartarus setting is a sweltering, heatstroke-inducing 85 degrees Fahrenheit, with certain sections being much higher(up to a thousand degrees Celsius). Magma flows in some of the central regions of the cave, posing a significant fire and health hazard to wanderers.
Time flows at around three times that of baseline here, making your stay at maximum, eight or so hours. Shades are almost entirely absent in this ‘setting’, with wanderers reporting instances a total of 13 times. The Clock in this level overlooks the entirety of the cave, seemingly attached to the highest ceiling.
A strange visual phenomenon has been known to appear in specific, central regions of the Tartarus setting; this takes the form of a three-headed dog, overseeing the entire cave from a lofty position above the Clock. This is quite likely a representation of Cerberus, the guardian of the underworld in Greek mythology.
It seems as if these are ruins of a world after an apocalypse. Everything screams devastation.
Patterns are vague but discernible.
Outposts
Two ‘outposts’ of wanderers reside on this level. One is the official site of the M.E.G’s presence within this level. The other is more of a blanket term referring to the population of indigenous archaic humans known as Grotto Dwellers.
M.E.G Expeditionary Site 86400
The M.E.G’s main base of operations within this level is located within one of the three stable regions of Ad Memento. The compound currently houses around 45 researchers and affiliated wanderers, periodically making incursions into the main expanse of the level.
Following the discovery of the level and its especially peculiar properties — even for the Backrooms — in 2025, this outpost has continuously grown in scale, gathered data and observations of the various ‘settings’, and retrieved various significant artifacts from the interior of the level.
These efforts have contributed greatly to the M.E.G’s understanding of time and space within the Backrooms.
Grotto Dwellers
Several groups of primitive human populations reside in the other two stable zones of this level. These have collectively been named the Grotto Dwellers, after their cave-dwelling lifestyle. Genetic analysis has placed their point of origin as somewhere in southern Greece, perhaps on one of the larger islands. These archaic humans survive off of the extremely common vegetation that grows in the stable zones, but their population, from both disease and malnutrition, has plummeted to a mere 90 or so from the 140 observed initially.
These groups are generally hostile to outsiders, and contact is ill-advised.
The Relic
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Image of the Relic. Note the rusted appearance.
It is theorized that this object was originally part of the Clock, but broke off at some point.
Entrances & Exits
Entrances
- Noclipping from any point in the Backrooms while either thinking about or holding an object related to time or the Minoan civilization has an approximately 1-in-150 chance of ending up inside this level.
- Running into an unusual wall consisting of broken marble or another metamorphic rock, very uncommonly(less than 0.05% of wanderers report ever finding this phenomenon) encountered within Level 0, will result in the wanderer in question being transported into this level.
Exits
- Reaching and entering an instance of the Clock situated within Ad Memento will transport a wanderer to one of the Main Nine.
- Making physical contact with the Relic — currently in the possession of a group of Grotto Dwellers — will result in one getting shifted to Ad Memento.1.
Ad Memento.1: “Time’s Perdition”
An image of Ad Memento.1. Photographer unknown.
The sublevel, when entered through physical contact with the Relic, places an individual in a space that is almost a perfect counterfeit of their former home in the Frontrooms — the only difference being that in place of people, Shades occupy the region, and similar to that of the Acropolis setting, color is absent in this place, with shades of solely black and white. Resources are quite common in this place, with food, water, and clothing available in almost every building.
The Shades in the level act almost the same as baseline human beings, capable of speech and complex thought. However, after approximately 3 days inside the sublevel, the attitude and aggressiveness of the resident Shades will change dramatically. Over the course of a week, the Shades will gradually become less friendly, and it may escalate to the point that they will attempt to kill wanderers on sight. After the passage of about ten or so days, the wanderer(if still alive) will be noclipped back to Ad Memento.
Due to no wanderer ever encountering another truly human individual within the sublevel, it is thought that each wanderer is sent to a different constructed space, without any chance of contact with others. In Incident 86400-0F, all the concurrently existing shades that were in the sublevel merged to become an enormous fused Shade which proceeded to enter the main level, wreaking havoc on wanderers and other Shades alike.
In the end, the Automaton entity dispatched this unique Shade instance, and following the incident, Ad Memento.1 has seemingly collapsed, and physical contact with the Relic no longer sends wanderers to this sublevel.
As a result, this sublevel has been deemed destroyed.
Addendum
Incident 86400-0F
On 12/19/26, a three-member expeditionary team, designation 86400-F, was formed by the M.E.G Expeditionary Site located in Ad Memento. The team’s mission was to recover the object known as the Relic in conjunction with other M.E.G forces, which was at the time in the possession of a group of Grotto Dwellers occupying areas of Ad Memento. The mission resulted in success, but contact with the entity known as the Automaton resulted in the significant solicitation of vital information about the level’s origins and creation. Furthermore, a substantially powerful and dangerous Shade instance was discovered to be residing within Ad Memento.1.
The Automaton entity proceeded to neutralize this Shade, and following a conversation with the members of Expeditionary Team 86400-F, proceeded to ascend and exit the timestream of Ad Memento and connected limspaces. The current location of the entity is unknown, and the memories of the Expeditionary Team have largely been wiped through memetic means.
Immediately following this event, Ad Memento’s spatial structure has begun to degrade, and the timestream fractal making up the sublevel has also collapsed. Barring any future significant occurrences, the level is believed to lose its anomalous features in approximately [0 days] from the writing of this file.
Due to the capabilities demonstrated by this entity during this incident, the Hazard Class of the entity has been upgraded to Special(Eta) Class 7.
Pending further activity, Ad Memento has tentatively been deemed inactive/neutralized.
“Who are you?” Lawrence paused.
His team had successfully retrieved the Relic from the Grotto Dwellers, but as they were returning to base, they witnessed a black shadow and a blue light flashing above.
As his team paused to watch this, the shadow abruptly disappeared, and the blue light descended; right in front of them, blowing away the sands of the Eternal Desert setting.
As the dust cleared, they made out the figure of the entity known as the Automaton. As they took to flee, the machine blurred and the artifact disappeared from the holding container.
“My name was Talos once,” the entity responded. “But now, I am KRONOS only.”
“What? The M.E.G said that you were a dumb robot, nothing more,” exclaimed Lawrence. “What…are you?”
“That is not important. What you need to know is that this place, once created from the collision of three spatial structures eons past, and enhanced by the masterful hands of my creators; it is no longer a sanctuary,” he paused.“This is a memorial.”
“W-what do you mean?” For the first time, Amelia was confused.
“The island of death which was the first omen. The ruined temples of old Athens, the second omen. The rise of the desert that spanned half a continent, the third omen. The mountains where the sun never shined, the fourth omen. The hell come to earth, the fifth omen,” spoke KRONOS. “All of these, and more, are here. The legacy of the once-great Minoan Empire.”
“You…are you referring to the five main abnormal settings?”
“You humans may call it that, but it is…no, was something far more,” he remarked. “A nation of men so sublime that it eclipsed all under the heavens. So much so that the heavens themselves came to bring it to ruin.”
Amelia’s eyes widened.
“The Minoan civilization…? But they were conquered by the Mycenaeans,” questioned Amelia. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. After all, I was once one of them. Why do you think there are Minoan traces here, in the Broken Heavens,” exclaimed KRONOS. “We were capable of great things. Souls were given life by the art of automaton engineering, and titanic mecha shook heaven and earth, leaving vast depressions in their wake.”
“But a threat so domineering and potent descended, you see. We fought valiantly, but we abandoned our homeland in the end,” he lamented. “We were forced to this place, the Broken Heavens, but even then it was not quite enough.
“The Minoans knew about the Backrooms?!” Amelia was truly stunned.
“My creators tried their best to fight against the threat utilizing the Clock, but the god simply swept it away. Those pathetic animals you call the Grotto Dwellers are the last descendants of my creators.”
Wind whistled throughout the dunes.
“But nevertheless, I must thank you for opening my eyes, humans,” the automaton remarked.
A light hum filled the air, sending goosebumps across the skins of Amelia, Rudolph, and Lawrence.
“I have come to terms with my past and my present. I have forgiven my uncle, at last.”
KRONOS let out what could only be described as an android’s version of a sigh.
“This object let me understand my creators in a way that I have never been able to before. It holds memories,” he said, gazing towards the bronze gear.
“I know now, what I must do.”
“Which is?” Rudolph’s curiosity grew.
“I must defeat It. The god which wiped out my creators,” replied KRONOS, flatly. “It is my duty.”
“Farewell!”
A maelstrom of otherworldly energy began manifesting around KRONOS, embracing his figure. The bronze gear clattered to the ground.
As Expeditionary Team 864-00 looked on, a bright, blue star rose in the night sky, bringing light to the expanse of this timeless world. Starlight trailed behind his body, glittering away, fading and falling into the void between.
As KRONOS ascended past this firmament, he saw above him countless universes, existing in a harmony that was unmatched.
But he had no time to dwell on beauty.
For he had a god to kill.
Amaterasu, the Calamity.
