Description[]
Level 102.1 manifests as a dim, subterranean reservoir filled with darkness and the noises of the water droplets. Stagnant freshwater fills vast basins and narrow troughs, which reflect fractured light from corroded fixtures above. The environment is suffused with plant overgrowth; long vines hang from rusted beams, thick moss carpets slick concrete, and bioluminescent mushrooms grouped in quiet corners, moving faintly with pale shades.
The air is damp and humid, bringing the pungency of decay and minerals. Leaks from unseen cracks form gentle droplets that echo intensely through the sublevel, wich distorts spatial awareness. Structures seem to link a forgotten purpose: broken pipes, submerged areas, and hanging valves hint to a long-abandoned filtration system. Despite its decaying state, the sublevel is strangely pristine.
Navigation is treacherous; plant matter usually hides water depth, and sudden drops lead to hidden chambers. No known entities reside within, but subtle movements appear through the water, implying otherwise. The individuals who linger too long report dreams of drowning and memories not their own.
Threats[]
Contaminated Water[]
The water within Level 102.1 is heavily contaminated, harboring a complex blend of harmful bacterial lives. Lab-grown samples have revealed anaerobic colonies, biofilm-producing pathogens, and parasitic microflora previously undocumented. Some bacterial agents seem to exhibit mildly adaptive behavior, altering structure based on environmental stimuli, which suggests a possible link to the strange properties of the sublevel.
Prolonged contact with the water, whether through skin contact or accidental ingestion, can lead to rapid-onset symptoms including fever, muscle weakness, dizziness, and dermal irritation. In severe cases, subjects report hallucinations, cognitive lapses, and necrotic skin lesions. Despite the calm surface, this liquid medium acts as a biological hazard field; still, but teeming with unseen threats.
Overheated Zones[]
Certain zones within Level 102.1 exhibit extreme, localized heat surges; sudden temperature spikes that can reach upwards of 60°C (140°F) without warning. These areas are usually found dry, cracked, and devoid of moss or fungal growth, which forms parched clearings amidst the otherwise damp and overgrown environment. The air in these areas feels heavy and motionless, usually carrying the scent of scorched wood or smoldering minerals.
In rare moments, spontaneous ignition has been documented, with dried plant matter or fungal groups catching on fire and burning with unnatural coloration: bright blue or green flames that vanish without leaving ash. These volatile microclimates appear randomly and without a known pattern, which makes traversal perilous. Witnesses report that the temperature change is rapid.
Frostbitten Zones[]
In contrast to the overheated zones, certain sections of Level 102.1 are crowded in a pervasive cold. These cold regions are usually dimmer, with condensation clinging to surfaces and thin mist pooling along the floor. Mushrooms and vines in these areas appear frostbitten or pale, and water surfaces ripple faintly even in total stillness. The air feels damp and still, but occasionally pierced by sudden gusts of icy wind that sweep through without warning; strong enough to extinguish flames or disrupt equipment.
These breezes are unnaturally directional, often flowing against enclosed spaces or originating from solid walls. Prolonged contact can lead to mild hypothermia, sluggish cognition, and auditory hallucinations, such as whispers originating faintly from the wind.
Human Presence[]
Beytists / B.L.W (Bacterial Lives Worshipers)[]
A peculiar religious group known as the B.L.W. (Bacterial Lives Worshipers), or as they call themselves: Beytists, in devotion to the faith of Beytism; has developed within the lower reaches of Level 102.1. These individuals believe that bacterial life, especially the harmful and aggressive strains found in the stagnant bodies of water of the sublevel, are divine entities in microbial form, primal architects of decay, rebirth, and transcendence. Beytists revere rot, mold, and infection as sacred expressions of organic truth, and claims that the smallest forms hold the deepest power known to mankind.
Their rituals involve immersion in contaminated pools, the ingestion of bio-laced fungi, and long meditations beside bubbling algae groups. Garbed in damp fabrics layered with moss and stained linen, Beytists inscribe sigils into fungal mats and whisper invocations to bacterial colonies, and believing that consciousness spreads cell by cell. They interpret sickness as communion, and fever as an awakening sign of cellular enlightenment.
The group refuses all purification and disinfection practices, considering antiseptics blasphemous. Outsiders usually regard them as deranged or dangerous, but they are usually non-violent; unless sacred colonies are threatened. Rumors persist that deeper sects of Beytism believe that true ascension comes when one’s body fully succumbs to infection, dissolving the self into the bacterial whole.
Freshwater M.E.G. Outposts / F-Series Outposts[]
The M.E.G. had established a small group of loosely connected outposts within Level 102.1, and each classified under the F-Series, initial for "Freshwater," to show the aquatic theme of the sublevel. These outposts are marked by operational age and construction order: F-0, F-1, F-2, and so on. They function as research and containment hubs, although progress is usually hindered by harsh environmental conditions.
F-0 Outpost[]
F-0, the oldest and most cracked, is a semi-submerged storage unit retrofitted with dehumidifiers and filtered water containers. It primarily acts as a monitoring station for bacterial growth and water quality.
F-1 Outpost[]
F-1 is a compact stone shelter situated near a moss-draped aqueduct, being as a watch post and emergency shelter. Solar lights and elevated bunks keep researchers safe from sudden temperature shifts.
F-2 Outpost[]
F-2', a recent addition, is built atop elevated grates in a zone prone to fungal outgrowth and rising steam vents. It hosts an infirmary, where contaminated individuals are briefly quarantined for treatment.
Newer F-Series Outposts[]
Newer, and mobile stations like F-3 and F-4, are made by tents and relocate as bacterial activity spreads. These outposts exists as flexible platforms for bio-sample collection, water filtration experiments, and checking ritualistic Beytist behavior.
Entrances & Exits[]
Entrances[]
- Following an area with cracked walls and dirty water in Level 102, leads one here.
- No-clipping into a floor near a fire within dirty regions of Level 102, may transport to this sublevel.
- Igniting a flame in rare dry areas of Level 102, teleports the individual to this sublevel.