You struggle to breathe in the polluted orange...LEVEL 38
THREAT INDEX
CLASS 2
Exit: 2/5
Somewhat Difficult to Exit
Environment: 4/5
Extreme Environmental Risk
Entities: 1/5
Minimal Hostile Presence
Level 38, colloquially referred to as The Polluted Orange or Air Pollution, is an environmentally hazardous level notable for its terrible air quality.
Description
Level 38 is a finite, waterlocked town consisting of residential buildings, open plazas, and brick walkways. The level's structural design appears to be a mix of Mexican, Omani, and Turkmen architecture, with white, blocky structures sparsely coated in gold and silver. A notable aspect of Level 38 that becomes obvious upon entry is its overpowering orange hue and pungent, rarefied smell, likely as a result of the level's poor air quality. The lack of a discernible day/night cycle is commonly attributed to the dense haze obscuring any incoming light.
Curiously, plant life can be found in long rock gardens bordering the path walks, as well as palm trees in their separate gardens, although the majority of them are uprooted because of the level's extreme winds. With the absence of pollinators to pollinate the flora, the plants do not nor cannot produce any food for one to consume. How some of the plants are still able to persist the environmental factors remains unclear, though it is suggested that Level 38 only recently has undergone the current environmental conditions.
Whilst this rarely occurs, the ground of Level 38 is somewhat prone to collapsing and may do so if enough strenuous pressure is applied to it. Furthermore, these holes can turn into major sinkholes that patch several minutes later, which during the time the sinkholes are not patched, can lead one to fall to their demise. Besides the abundance of groundwater, nothing noteworthy can be found underground.
The majority of the residential buildings can be accessed, as their doors or windows are usually unlocked. Inside the residential buildings, one will be met with a varying cramped, claustrophobic environment, with haphazardly placed furniture, objects, and architectural design not considerate for appearance or convenience. The objects on the floor especially act as a tripping or slipping hazard, which can be fatal. Additionally, the interiors of the buildings are not orange as opposed to the outdoors; however, the same factors (I.E., the visibility, temperature, humidity, and air quality) from outside are present here as well to a less severe extent. Whilst not in terrible condition, the infrastructure of the buildings is damaged in random areas, with dents, holes, cracks, and ceilings dripping contaminated water being common.
The insides are poorly lit up by exposed light bulbs that may occasionally flicker. Touching the light bulbs, no matter if it is off or not, is unadvised, as it could potentially easily electrocute one. The interiors additionally give off a distinct smell, described to be a mixture of rotten fish and eggs. However, even though the smell grows stronger within kitchens and laundry rooms, a specific object or object that is confidentially thought to emit the smell has not been discovered. The walls are plastered with a dried maroon substance, hypothesized to be the origin of the rotten fish-like smell. This has further led some to believe the substance is dried blood of an undetermined lifeform [1]. Cashew Water is also dispersed through faucets and showers.
Furniture acts rather strange, with electronic gadgets with screens displaying static, radios broadcasting an unintelligible voice, furniture that either heats up or cools down objects doing the opposite, and fans possessing sharp blades, seriously injuring anybody who comes into contact with them. Stairs most of the time do not lead one to their intended destination but rather go through walls to the next neighboring household. Though not all households have one, entities manifesting as daily objects are frequent; therefore, one must be cautious of the item they are planning to approach.
The Ocean
Going in a certain direction within the town will have one encounter a mostly calm ocean devoid of life, stretching for an indefinite length. Reaching this destination may take a while due to the repetitiveness of the town's structure and layout confusing explorers, and compasses failing to function properly in Level 38. The shores of Level 38 are jagged rock beaches littered with plastic, and leaking metallic hardware, and coated in a thin layer of sand.
These pollutants are to be found in the ocean; as a result, water from the ocean is not safe to consume without extensive treatment. Unlike the rest of the level, the fog in the ocean remains the same density, with one incapable of seeing more than ~18 meters ahead of themselves. Arbitrarily placed rusting sailboats and rafts are a frequent sight upon the ocean, but one is unable to make use of these boats for transportation since the strong winds of Level 38 can tear apart the sails, and no paddles are present onboard any of the boats.
The sea of Level 38 is known to harbor some anomalous properties. Firstly, the depth of the ocean fluctuates uncommonly, meaning a wanderer may be able to stand on the seabed for one moment, and next suddenly sink below water levels as a consequence of the seabed being swung deeper[2]. Moreover, this can occur without warning, and one is unable to tell when the depth of the ocean has shifted, as no signs, such as ripples in the water are apparent. Secondly, one might be able to spot various lights glowing behind the dense fog on the ocean. The color and brightness of the lights vary, and oftentimes, approaching the lights will send one to a different level based on the factors stated previously.
Nevertheless, because the ocean depths can shift drastically with barely any floating objects to hang onto, and the fact it takes a while to be sent to a different level by approaching the lights, this method is considered inefficient for exiting Level 38. Although it is unknown what exactly emits the lights, one may be able to make out the silhouette of certain structures behind the fog via the placement of the lights.
Should a wanderer adventure even deeper into the ocean, they periodically will hear the sounds of ship horns becoming progressively louder, suggesting it is seemingly headed towards them. Waves will also be generated that move outwards akin to water moving in response to an actual ship sailing through the waters. Howbeit, a ship possibly producing the noises has never been seen. This phenomenon particularly is reported to give wanderers in the vicinity a sense of paranoia, and many tend to shriek, backing off from the direction the sound originated from.
Environment
Level 38 has hazy, arid, humid, and poor air quality conditions, which are prevalent throughout the level, with temperatures reaching as high as 32°C (89.6°F), and humidity levels reaching as high as 88%. These qualities always fluctuate suddenly without any warning, which in some cases, can be too drastic of a change for one to handle. To add more fuel to the fire, other extreme weather phenomena, namely strong winds and sandstorms can occur every once in a while. One can tell when a sandstorm is about to commence when the sky becomes a darker hue of orange. However, the origin of the sand cannot be traced, as anyone who travels to the outskirts of the level will encounter the same repetitive landscape or the ocean.
Being caught in a sandstorm may cause sand to enter one's eyes, temporarily blinding them; sand particles to scrape exposed skin hard enough to create minor to relatively deep scratches; and sand to be deposited on the ground, slipping uncareful wanderers. Despite what may be suggested, the risk of being buried by sand is low due to sand piles typically collapsing against the intense winds. Any object not firmly connected to the ground or not inside a building (which the buildings are strangely unaffected by the weather conditions) is vulnerable to being tossed around or thrown into random locations by said winds, injuring or killing any wanderers in the proximity depending on the object and its momentum.
Air Quality Analysis
- Sulfur dioxide
- Nitrogen dioxide
- Carbon monoxide
- PM2.5
- Ozone
Common symptoms
- Headaches
- Mild coughs
- Phlegm production
- Sore + watery eyes
- Nose, throat, and sinus irritation.
Uncommon symptoms
- Dizziness
- Chest pains
- Extreme coughs
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Irregular heartbeat
Entities
Windows inhabit the households of Level 38. No entities possibly lurking outside of the houses have been found.
Colonies & Outposts
Whilst wanderers can meet each other in Level 38, establishing colonies or outposts is infeasible due to Level 38's nature.
Entrances & Exits
Entrances
- Going through a gap glowing orange instead of white in Level 37.
- Walking through an orange fog that may appear in any escapable level.
- Going inside an abandoned white blocky building in Level 91, which will seamlessly transition here should they exit the building.
- No-clipping to a window frame resembling the windows of Level 38's buildings in the upper floors of Level 22.
- Seeing pale orange fog settle in Level 7, which in some conditions will transition the level into this level's ocean.
Exits
- Venturing deep enough into the level will lead one to Level 39.
- 2 exits can be performed by approaching specific lights in the level's ocean.
- There have been various instances of witnesses spotting dilapidated and run-down cargo carriers sailing through Level 38's ocean; managing to reach onboard any of these carriers will bring one to Level 17.
- Under specific conditions, wandering about may cause the level's buildings to morph into the buildings of Level 82. Continue to wander and the landscape will shift to Level 82.
- Finding and inhaling a glowing powder suspended in the polluted air will lead one to Level 166, though this is strongly discouraged as the powder was found to be asbestos, which can cause irreversible damage to the lungs if interacted with.
- Passing out due to the poor air quality (notably the sulfur dioxide) present in this level provides a chance that one will wake up in Level 127.
Footnotes
- ↑ Samples of this mysterious liquid cannot be obtained as it is seemingly now a part of whatever wall it is on.
- ↑ Because of this, it is not possible to calculate the deepness of the ocean. Nonetheless, the shallowest point recorded that was shifted was 3 feet deep (91.44 centimeters.)
- ↑ The pollutants discovered indicate they originate from a raging wildfire, which no one has yet to find nor any other hints regarding it in the level.
Image(s):
- First image by u/PepeJones15 on r/LiminalSpace (https://www.reddit.com/r/LiminalSpace/comments/te7gz6/this_was_my_neighborhood_today/)
- Second image by user "2278342" on Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/videos/fog-boats-harbor-fishing-morning-28947/); modified by Skyvory.
Additional Credits:
- M.E.G. Air Quality Analysis information provided by Canada.ca (https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/air-quality-health-index/wildfire-smoke.html)
Greenlit by: Dragonmaster and Seta.
