Level 173, also known as “The Never-Ending River,” is the 174th level of the Backrooms.
Description[]
The level is divided into 2 sections: The River, and The Forest.
The River[]
The River resembles a regular, winding river of an unknown length, with gravel beaches. The liquid in it seems to be different to each person who sees it—one said it was Almond Water, while two others independently tested the liquid in the River, and both said it was a different substance. One Wanderer even claimed it was made out of lava. Regardless of the material, all liquid in the river is at exactly 70ºF (21ºC). The depth of the River also seems to vary for each person who swims in it. One said it was just ankle-deep, while another with a SCUBA suit on stated it was over 1,000 feet in depth.
Fortunately, the anomalous properties of the water and the River itself disappear when the water is removed from the River, or when the River is viewed through a camera. When tested, it was determined to be regular water. In addition, an experiment has revealed the River to be ten feet deep. However, unlike a river in the Frontrooms, the River is a rectangular channel, with stone brick walls extending ten feet straight down from the River’s shores to a flat river bottom.
Logs, usually birch, are often found floating in the river, along with seaweed and fish skeletons. Strangely, being on a log floating in the River will give a Wanderer near-perfect Wi-Fi reception, and will even allow them to connect to the Frontrooms (although while doing this, the Wi-Fi reception drops dramatically). Also, rare “Wave Events” have been recorded to occur at random intervals, in which a ten-foot wave will come racing down the River with no warning.
The Forest[]
Level 173 seems to consist of two separate regions, the Forest and the River, each with its strange features. When a Wanderer first enters, they will find themselves on the shore of the River, with the Forest surrounding them.
When seen from the River, the Forest appears to be a regular forest made up of pine trees, although deciduous trees such as maples can be seen sometimes between the pines. However, this is deceptive, and the Forest is not normal at all.
Upon entering the Forest, one loses sight of the River and the clearing it lies in after traveling about twenty feet; as the Forest is a seemingly infinite non-Euclidean space, this makes it nearly impossible to exit. When viewed from within the Forest, the trees appear to be infinitely tall, with trunks ranging from impossibly thin to ten feet in diameter. Almost all appear to be pine trees, although some are “different” in some fundamental way.
It is also believed that the Forest is a temporal anomaly due to the experience of one wanderer who escaped it. Upon being interviewed after he escaped in 2001, he claimed to have been born in 1931, which is likely to be true based on his attire. However, he appears to be around 30 years old. More research is needed.
Entities[]
- The Entity of Level 173: An entity exclusive to this level. Like most information about the River, what she looks like varies between each person who sees her: some say she’s a megalodon, others say she’s a giant squid. However, all agree that it is female (though how they know this is unknown. Every Wanderer who enters this level seems to be immediately wary of a “woman” who “lurks in the deep”.) She is extremely aggressive, with reports of her attacking logs which move unusually down the river, humans, and Swounds.
- Swounds: A variant of Hounds, these creatures have fins on their legs and their back. Their fangs appear to be made out of a hard substance, and they have no gills, despite appearing to stay below water for almost their whole life. They are still capable of transmitting the Hound Virus.
Colonies and outposts[]
M.E.G SU173[]
Special Unit 173 (SU-173) of the M.E.G. was established with the mission of finding a stable exit from Level 173 on September 2, 2013, FD, and is led by M.E.G. Explorer Johnathan Plest. According to the testimony of Wanderers who escaped the level, the unit has taken over the old Negative Outpost Nu (a base near the entrance point) and currently has about 16 members. The unit has a list with over 50 hypothetical exits, which was constructed through extensive M.E.G. interviews with Wanderers who claim to have escaped.
The Dolphins[]
A group rumored to exist about two miles upstream along the River from the entrance point, the existence of the Dolphins was confirmed by an escaped Wanderer interviewed by the M.E.G. in 2015. The group consists of four members claiming to be former professional swimmers, who will teach Wanderers to swim (the group believes that this is the only way to escape this level). How they manage to protect themselves against the Entity of Level 173 is unknown. A messenger has been dispatched to M.E.G. SU-173 with orders to investigate the group.
Entrances and Exits[]
Entrances[]
- Submerging yourself for 10+ seconds in a Level 11 river has a 75% chance of bringing you into the River.
- Noclipping through a river in Level 9 will bring you to the shore of the River. However, this entrance has only been used once, as the river used was located over 100 miles from the spawn point in Level 9.
- Find the highway in Level 599, turn left and then come to the end of the highway. Turn there and come to the other end of that highway. A door should appear in front of you and it should get you here.
- Any openings in the roof or walls in Level 13 may bring you to this level.
- Noclipping through a wet wall in the entrance room in Level 7 is rumored to have a chance to bring you here. The M.E.G. is currently researching this entrance, which is rumored to occur at random.
Exits[]
No stable exits have yet to be found by the M.E.G, or by any group found on this level. However, some Wanderers who left have reportedly used the following exits, which are being researched:
- Swimming one mile upstream in the River, which will lead to Level 7.
Several other rumored exits have been investigated and found to be unstable, no longer work, or just be hoaxes made by pranksters:
- Walking through the Forest for one straight day, which will lead to Level 10.
Discovery[]
The first hint of this level’s existence came to the M.E.G.’s attention in 1958 when explorer Johnathan S. Wagner III handed in what appeared to be an M.E.G. file on this level. Curiously, it was recorded as having been written in 2061 AD. The level it referred to was mentioned in the document as “Level -A13”, but that was scratched out in pencil and the string “48656c70204d65” was written over it and underneath it (the string, written in hexadecimal, has since been decoded to read “Help Me”).
Initially, the file was thought to be a clever joke, but an exploration team recruited by Wagner himself discovered it later that year, and it was named “Level 173.” This raised speculation that the “Wagner File” was legitimate.
However, more evidence complicated whether it was a hoax or real. Wagner couldn’t recall where he found it and seemed to have forgotten all about it after going missing for three days a week after the level was discovered. In addition, the writing closely matched that of another M.E.G. explorer, Gary, who went missing seven days before the file was “discovered.” The file itself, which was transported to the Frontrooms in 1959 to solve the mystery once and for all, was the subject of an investigation that concluded it was created in 1956.
However, more evidence has recently emerged which suggests the Wagner File is real. In 2022, an M.E.G. official, who was later determined to not know about the Wagner File, suggested listing levels under a new system. Negative levels 1-100 would be filed under Cluster -A, with Level 139 as Level -A1. This would make Level 173 Level -A173, the name for it in the file. In addition, the font used in the file was determined to have been created in 2002. More evidence is needed.
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Logs
Log 1: “Wagner File”, found 2/9/1958
SUBJECT: Brief summary of Level -A13 48656c70204d65
48656c70204d65
DATE: 4.3.2061 AD FD
AUTHOR: [REDACTED]
FIRST ENCOUNTER: 9.2.1958 AD FD
DESCRIPTION: Level -A13 consists of a long river, approximately 500 miles in length, surrounded by what appears to be a forest. The forest, explored by Expedition SU-A13 on 23.5.2057, has several large anomalies. As a result, the forest has been marked as a Class D Area (particularly D-A13A), and entrance is prohibited. AB -A13 enforces this.
The river also has several anomalous properties, such as appearing different to each person who views it. Tests have confirmed the liquid within to be water, and the depth to be ten feet deep, with some dredged areas having depths of up to fifty feet.
Five colonies have been established within this level, with two other rumored ones with which contact was lost long ago. Attempts are underway to find these people.
Two notable EDBs inhabit this level. The first, EDB-0912, aka “The River Queen,” is an unknown female entity that lives in the river and is highly aggressive. The second, EDB-008B, aka “Swimming Hounds” or “Swounds,” is a variant of EDB-008, aka “Hounds.” Like them, these entities resemble thin quadrupedal humans, but with fins. These entities spend most of their lives underwater, and are capable of transmitting EDD-002, aka Insanium canis or “The Hound Virus.”
Several entrances and exits have been found. The most common entrance, and the primary way of bringing machinery into -A13, is submerging in a river in Level A12 for longer than 10 seconds. However, this has a 75% chance of working, and a search is underway to find a more frequent and stable large exit. The exits, located in D-A13A, are kept unknown to the general populace and are guarded by AB -A13.
All evidence in this document has been confirmed to be accurate by M.E.G. AT-1.
Log #2
<COMMENCE>
OPERATIVE H. SIMMONS: What is your name?
R. S. T. ADAMS: Robert Stevens Thomas Adams.
SIMMONS: Age?
ADAMS: I-I- (the subject appears slightly scared and afraid.) I do not know. All I know is that I was born in 1931.
SIMMONS: (looks up from notes): 1931?
ADAMS: Y-Yes.
SIMMONS: Okay. Mr. Adams, how did you get here?
ADAMS: You let me in.
SIMMONS: (sighs): No, I mean, how did you enter this—this place?
ADAMS: Oh, I know what you mean. I-I can’t remember what year it was. I’ve lost almost all my memories. All I have is bits and pieces.
SIMMONS: Such as what?
ADAMS: I was walking my dog when, all of a sudden, I felt my footfall through the sidewalk. I was surprised, but I managed to regain my balance. When I looked around, I was in this maze of yellow walls.
SIMMONS: And how did you arrive in the Forest?
ADAMS: Like I told you, all I remember is bits and pieces. I remember a brick building, full of noise. I remember a dark void. And I remember them.
SIMMONS: What are you talking about?
ADAMS: Those-those monsters. There were men, without faces. There were hideous lumps of red flesh with a man’s face. And- (the subject breaks down.)
SIMMONS: It’s okay. Just tell me what you know.
ADAMS: I-I was in some sort of hot, gray hallway with pipes on the walls and puddles on the floor. I was so thirsty remember that. And then-and then-this horrible, clawed hand reached out and grab-grabbed me. It took all my strength to pull away, and it still almost got me. And the scream—
SIMMONS: It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it. What about the forest?
ADAMS: I don’t know when I reached it. All I know is that I was there, and it was in front of me.
SIMMONS: Go on.
ADAMS: It was an ordinary forest, you know, the kind you’d find back at your house. Full of pine trees. But when I entered…something strange happened.
SIMMONS: What?
ADAMS: It felt-it felt like I was being sucked in. I couldn’t have gone more than twenty feet when I heard a noise. I turned around, and I couldn’t see where I came from. All there was were trees. I kept walking, but I didn’t find anybody else, or a way out. And the trees—the farther I got, the stranger they became. They all seemed to go on forever, shooting up to the sky. Some were as thick as my car—some, thinner than a needle. I kept hearing voices, but I could never find who they came from.
SIMMONS: Was there anything else?
ADAMS: Like-like I said, I can’t remember. The forest—it does things to you. I remember almost nothing now. I don’t even remember how I got out, or even the name of my mother.
SIMMONS: Do you remember anything else? Anything that felt like it shouldn’t be there?
ADAMS: There-there were two things. One was a strange marking on a tree.
SIMMONS: Can you draw it?
ADAMS: Yes.
(Simmons hands Adams a pencil and a piece of paper, and he draws two long, thin parallel streaks above what looks like a simple smile.)
SIMMONS (quietly): Shit.
ADAMS: What?
SIMMONS: Nothing. And the other thing?
ADAMS: Here it is.
(Adams produces the front page of a newspaper from his pocket. He hands it to Simmons, who looks shocked at something on it and puts it down. No text or pictures can be decrypted.)
SIMMONS: Anything else?
ADAMS: No.
SIMMONS: Good. Then, we’re done. Sir?
[REDACTED]: Yes?
SIMMONS: The interview has been completed. I would recommend taking the subject to Interview Room 5 for a full polygraph test.
[REDACTED]: Good idea.
(Simmons turns off the camera.)
<END>
Log captured 9/12/2001.
Log 3
<COMMENCE>
(Recording starts)
SIMMONS: -but, Sir, I wish you’d consider what he saw!
[REDACTED]: Hugh, no such entities have been seen on Level 173.
SIMMONS: That’s only from those who escaped! You saw the drawing he made. They’re there! At least in the Forest.
[REDACTED]: (sighs) Fine, I’ll send a detachment from Unit 45 to join SU173 with a warning.
SIMMONS: What about the paper?
[REDACTED]: I agree with you. Based on the picture alone, it’s horrible. I wonder how many died. But I can’t read Chinese. Can you?
SIMMONS: No, sir. Do you think we can get Wesy on it? She knows Mandarin.
[REDACTED]: No. She was killed by a Wretch two weeks ago.
SIMMONS: What?!
[REDACTED]: (sighs): I know you had feelings for her, and I’m sorry for your loss. However, we do have a recruit. He’s bilingual—he’ll do it.
[REDACTED]: Simmons, what is that in your pocket?
(unintelligible)
(recording ends)
<END>
Note: Explorer [REDACTED] successfully translated the article, which was about [DATA EXPUNGED].
Log captured 9/12/2001.
Original Author: ThePaglue
Rewritten By: RiverMan18
Image: A photo of the Big River in California. A photo taken from an alternate angle can be found here.
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