
The M.E.G is a contrivance. A stagnant, soulless shell of mundane bureaucracy, specifically configured to create the illusion of order in this liminal purgatory humanity stumbled upon by pure accident.
...Of course, you knew that long before you joined them.
After the Habitable Zone colony you used to live in got torn apart by a bunch of Smilers, being the meggies' personal guinea pig to explore the thousandth level that melts your face off seemed preferable to having to sleep on the cold, hard concrete floors of the level.
Getting up from the makeshift bed in the base and picking up your laptop, you put on your assigned uniform, grab a bottle of Almond Water, and open your email to check the timetable they have set out for you.
...Today is another day.
GROUP OF INTEREST
PRIMARY GROUP TYPE
Exploratory
Influence: 8/10
Hostility: 5/10
Organization: 6/10
Overview
The Major Explorer Group, commonly abbreviated as the M.E.G for general convenience and originally dubbed the British Coalition of Liminal Exploration[1], is a hybrid exploratory-governmental group dedicated primarily to exploration of the Backrooms' various Levels. Made up of a variety of self-governing teams, departments, and outposts regulated by the Impresarios, the MEG’s influence extends all over the Backrooms, numbering in approximately 25,000 members, 30,000 civilians within their colonies, and having discovered the largest number of levels out of any group.
Although the Major Explorer Group primarily focuses on exploration of the Backrooms, the group maintains a massive array of personnel with varying skills, including the maintenance of colonies/outposts, defense against entities (both during exploration and in colonies), researching the Backrooms, or organizing and leading teams, divisions, and colonies within the M.E.G.
Additionally, despite the immense size of the group, M.E.G Outposts are in fact quite rare; most wanderers go through dozens of levels without encountering a single one.
Resources
The M.E.G has access to vast amounts of resources due to their efficient supply chain spearheaded by Base Alpha. Common items the average M.E.G outpost has access to are Almond Water, various Level Keys, Greek Fire, Portable Purifiers, multiple bladed weapons, and multiple Kalthoff Rifles.
Group Structure
The MEG has a complex group structure, consisting of a variety of more or less self-governing Departments, with various teams under their purview.
These departments include the Department of Exploration, which handles the exploration of levels, the Department of Research, which handles the research and documentation of the Backrooms, the Department of Colonization, which handles the creation and upkeep of colonies, and the Department of Defense, which defends against entities and groups hostile to the MEG.
Below is a list of all known teams and departments of the M.E.G. Be warned, however; this is a non-exhuastive list, and many teams and departments remain classified by the M.E.G for security purposes.
- Senior Leadership
- Exploration
- Research
- Colonization
- Defense
The First
The First is the designation of the Head of the Major Explorer Group. The holder of the title has power over the entirety of the Group, including the Consensus; some have dubbed the First “Head of the Consensus.” As the First is present at the majority of Consensus meetings and primarily discusses the nature of the Group with them — and the Heads of Department — such phraseology is considerably accurate.
Impresarios
The Impresarios are a elite group of twenty-six people (classified from A to Z) who hold almost complete power over the Major Explorer Group and its functions, second only in authority to The First. Established as a leadership role ever since the beginning of the group, the Impresarios have been critical in the history of the group, spearheading many of the group's initiatives and having a long and storied history of their roles being passed down to new people.
Although the Impresarios do have extreme amounts of power, this comes at a limit; if an Impresario's decision is opposed by another Impresario, a decision must be made with the consensus of the other Impresarios via a vote. Below are the designated decisions about the M.E.G the Impresarios can perform:
- - The ability to add, or remove, any individual(s) to or from the Group;
- - The ability to create or disband any Department(s) or Team(s) of the Group;
- - The ability to institute a new Head of each Department at will;
- - The ability to remove Heads of Department at will;
- - Behest over the functional arsenal (primarily the Department of Security) of the Major Explorer Group;
- - The ability to vote as an Impresario at any Consensus meetings;
Head(s) of Department
The Head of Department is a position within the Major Explorer Group which serves the function of managing and leading a Department within the M.E.G. Belonging solely to four people in charge of each of the group's four departments respectively, the Heads of Department hold authority over their department and its respective teams, and promoting and/or demoting Overseers.
Overseers
The Overseers are a position which has the job of overlooking and managing their respective teams, with three being present to lead each team within a Department, and each one having authority over the entire team. Similarly to the Impresarios, if an Overseer's decision is opposed by another Overseer, a decision must be made with the consensus of the others via a vote.
Team E-0 - "Volunteer Squad" | Novice Explorers (~5000 Members)
The Volunteer Squad is the largest team made by the M.E.G, composed mainly of those who have just joined the group. Every wanderer who inhabits an M.E.G outpost and is above 18 is capable of being drafted by someone with the rank of Overseer or higher, being required to serve in the Volunteer Squad for a minimum of one year, or face expulsion from the colony. This team mainly focuses on training new recruits to become seasoned explorers[2], often sending its members on missions with members of Team Voyager to help them learn how to navigate the environment of the Backrooms.
Additionally, although this team is primarily focused on exploration, members of the Volunteer Squad are often asked to help assist with other projects of the group, such as construction, gathering resources, and more.
Team E-1 - "Team Voyager" | General Exploration & Reconnaissance (~1000 Members)
Team Voyager is one of the MEG's professional exploration teams, and the most common team that those promoted from the Volunteer Squad will join. Although most members of the team are not specialized any any specific element of level exploration, they serve a very important function; the vast majority of initial explorations of levels are conducted by Team Voyager, enabling preliminary data collection about the locale to inform the M.E.G about which team to send to the level for more extensive exploration.
Team E-2 - "Midas' Collection" | Scavenging and Resource Acquisition (~2000 Members)
The Midas Collection is a team of the M.E.G primarily dedicated to the collection of both anomalous and non-anomalous resources from the environment of the Backrooms, usually for use in the wider group. Due to the purpose of this team, its members vary in profession, often including explorers, miners, hunters, and many more.
Team E-3 - "Paracartography Department" | Cartography & Mapping (~950 Members)
The Paracartography Department[3] is a division of the MEG dedicated to finding and documenting consistent paths throughout the Backrooms.
They document consistent paths through levels through the Major Navigation System, a complicated navigation system invented by the M.E.G in order to consistently navigate through the expanses of various levels without getting lost, and created as a way to effectively map out travel paths through the Backrooms in spite of its various spatial abnormalities.
Team E-4 - "Cavern Explorers" | Enclosed Level Exploration (~500 Members)
The Cavern Explorers are a group of explorers dedicated to exploring interior levels, most commonly cramped or cave-like ones. Responsible for the extensive exploration of Level 8.1, Level 8.55, Level 81, Level 117, and more, this team continues to be a valuable asset to the M.E.G.
Team E-5 - "Terra Expedition Team" | Exterior Level Exploration (~600 Members)
The Terra Expedition Team is a team under the Major Explorer Group dedicated to exploring exterior levels, most commonly natural environments. Often equipped with equipment meant for harsh environments, this team is responsible for the exploration of various levels, including but not limited to Level 10, Level 11, and The Thin Barrier.
Team E-6 - "Alice In Wonderland" | Unstable & Mentally Hazardous Level Exploration (~200 Members)
Alice In Wonderland is an exploration team under the purview of the M.E.G, dedicated primarily to exploring levels which possess significant anomalous or psychological effects. The members of this group are often well versed in methods used to avoid the onset of Roth Syndrome and similar psychological maladies, they are exceptionally skilled in survival within anomalous environments, having contributed to the explorations of Level -1000, The Corrupted Instability, Level 111, and more.
Team E-7 - "Hazmat Squad" | Environmentally & Biologically Hazardous Level Exploration (~150 Members)
The Hazmat Squad is a team under the authority of the M.E.G dedicated to the exploration of heavily biohazardous or environmentally hazardous levels. Often equipped with protective hazmat suits covered in heavy protective armor, they are responsible for the explorations of Level -606, Level 998, and Level 11.11.
Team E-8 - "Pestis Affiliate" | Entity-Infested Level Exploration (~65 Members)
The Pestis Affiliate is an exploration team responsible for the exploration of levels infested with entities. Often transferred to the Pestis Affiliate from the M.E.G's military teams, this team is heavily armed with military gear, being responsible for the explorations of Level -6, The Hotel Crimson, and more.
Team R-1 - "Prometheus Library" | Public Database Contact & Documentation (~1000 Members)
The Prometheus Library is a research division of the Major Explorer Group, created for the purpose of making edits to the Database using the latest information gathered from the group's explorations and contacting the Database Administration for concerns about the website. Numbering in over a thousand members, this team is one of the most active teams within the Research Department, making thousands of edits every day to the Database.
Team R-2 - "Enigmatic Space Information Security & Protection System" | Private Database Documentation (~500 Members)
The Enigmatic Space Information Security & Protection System is a comprehensive, secure and efficient database for anomalous locations to ensure that information of anomalous locations is properly protected, stored, and encrypted between bases to prevent interception.
Team R-3 - "Team Turing" | Technical Maintenance (~200 Members)
Team Turing is a team within the M.E.G dedicated to technical maintenance of the M.E.G's digital software, database, and more. Comprised of a team of 200 skilled programmers, these individuals usually have high access levels within the Database in order to perform their work.
Team R-4 - "Major Research Organization" | Scientific Research (~700 Members)
Founded in 1920, the Major Research Organization is a team within the Research Department dedicated to scientific research of the Backrooms and its various anomalies. Composed of various scientists (including physicists, biologists, and more), this team makes frequent correspondence with the Kauer Research Organization.
Team R-5 - "Medusa's Blindfold" | Cognitohazardous Information Archival (~1 Member)
Medusa's Blindfold are an M.E.G team serving the purpose of archiving and containing information which may be hazardous to the human mind, with much of their work being heavily classified due to its nature. Formerly numbering in 50 people, each one either quit, disappeared, or died in the 10 years since the team was founded.
As of the current day, the only remaining member on the team is a researcher by the name of Veronika Lyssa, serving as its de-facto overseer and performing all its functions.
Team R-6 - "Midnight Library" | Physical Archival (~200 Members)
The Midnight Library is an M.E.G team dedicated to archiving physical copies of documentation for reserve use. Formed after the events of The Flicker due to the now very apparent possibility that digital databases could be compromised due to power outages or other factors, they number in 200 personnel, keeping strict security on their contents.
Team C-1 - "Magellan Initiative" | Initial Level Colonization (~500 Members)
The Magellan Initiative is a team dedicated to the initial setup of new colonies and outposts within a level. Composed of construction workers to build rudimentary structures for an outpost, armed personnel to defend against inital waves of entities attempting to attack the base, and members part of the Paracartography Department to map out routes to the base, this group is arguably the most important component of the M.E.G, starting hundreds of outposts (both temporary & permanent) per year.
Team C-2 - "Major Construction Inc." | Construction (~1200 Members)
Major Construction Inc., classified as Team C-2, is a Department of Colonization team formed with the purpose of constructing buildings and infrastructure for the M.E.G's colonies, composed of architects, electricans, plumbers, and many other professions. Often collaborating with Midas Collection due to the nature of their work, Major Construction Inc. continues to be a valuable asset to the group.
Team C-3 - "An Apple A Day" | Medical Care (~1000 Members)
Team C-3 ("An Apple A Day") is a team dedicated to the medical care of members of the M.E.G, often working in tandem with the exploration and defense teams within the group due to the high fatality rate of their professions. Often equipped with anomalous objects such as Almond Water, Neon Backshrooms, and Achrophiline, they play an important role in ensuring the health of the M.E.G's population against various injuries and diseases, with them having preset protocols on how to deal with maladies including Roth Syndrome, Hydrolitis Plague, and Sanguine Festivus.
Team C-4 - "Porters" | Resource Transport (~2000 Members)
Team C-4, known as the Porters, are a division within the Department of Colonization formed specifically in order to facilitate the transport of valuable resources. Often heavily armed to protect against wandering bandits and entities, this group is instrumental in the continued functioning of the Major Explorer Group.
Team C-5 - "Backrooms Barnyard" | Agriculture (~1000 Members)
Team C-5 ("Backrooms Barnyard") is a team dedicated to maintaining agricultural infrastructure for the M.E.G, with various personnel specializing in agronomy and agricultural work. Due to the nature of their work, this team often collaborates with the Porters in order to transfer their produce to other colonies.
Team C-6 - "Money Game" | Economy & Resource Storage (~450 Members)
Team C-6, nicknamed "Money Game", is a Major Explorer Group division dedicated to managing trade and resource management within the group. Often responsible for maintaining stockpiles of resources within M.E.G bases, they work in tandem with the Porters to upkeep the group's supply chain.
Team D-1 - "Arminius Squadron" | Entity Pest Control (~500 Members)
The Arminius Squadron, classified as Team D-1 by the M.E.G, is a heavily armed military branch of the group, dedicated to killing large populations of hostile entities around critical outposts in order to ensure the safety of wanderers within those colonies. Often collaborating with The Anti-Entity Group and the Party Crashers in order to perform their job, the Arminus Squadron kills an average of ~7,000 hostile entities per year.
Team D-2 - "Major Armed Forces" | General Military Operations (~2000 Members)
The Major Armed Forces (Team D-2) are the Major Explorer Group's main military branch, notable for their relevance in the Korthie Casiagen War , the Bloodbath of Cluster I, and Incident 154. They are one of the most heavily armed divisions of the group, with abundant military gear collected from Level 73 and other levels which possess modern firearms and weaponry.
Team D-3 - "Iron Wall" | Base & Colony Defense (~1000 Members)
Team D-3, known as the Iron Wall, is the M.E.G's base and colony defense team, tasked with keeping order within colonies, defending outposts from external threats (both entity and human), and creating defensive infrastructure for colonies.
Team D-4 - "C.L.E.F" | Unknown
Much is unknown about this team due to its heavy classification by the M.E.G, but it is speculated that they are some manner of military or defensive group employed by the M.E.G. So far, the only one of their known activities has been the study of Procul Lumina.
Innovations
Void Backpack
One of the most notable inventions of the M.E.G is the Void Backpack, an anomalous bag which can hold over five times what its normal volume would be. Utilized mainly by Team C-4 ("Porters") in order to transport large amounts of resources without negatively impacting traversal speed throughout the Backrooms, they play an important role in the functioning of the group.
Void Backpacks are created by hand-weaving a backpack within the epicenter of a spatial anomaly within the Backrooms, using a complex technique to exploit the threshold of anomalous space to allow the woven backpack to store much more than its size would normally allow.
However this comes with multiple drawbacks; specific items are often harder to search for due to the size of the bag, and any damage that rips a hole into the bag will cause the object to violently react, destroying the Void Backpack and creating an unstable epicenter of warped space-time where it once stood.
Hyper Bike
Hyper Bikes are an type of electric bike originally invented by the M.E.G, utilizing Paperstone from Level 385 in order to power itself infinitely without needing to recharge. Often utilized by members of the group due to the versatility of bikes and the large amounts of mobility they provide, these implements are considered highly valuable for wanderers who wish to explore the Backrooms.
Casper-Bray Numbering System & Major Numbering System
The Casper-Bray Numbering System (CBNS), also known as the Database Classfication System (DCS) is a system widely used by those within the Backrooms in order to classify levels.
In the early 1900s, the M.E.G. switched from a name-based classification system to a number-based one, following the wake of the discovery of hundreds of new levels, most of which did not have a widespread name yet. This numbering system, named the "Major Numbering System", was a classification system based on the date they were discovered in chronological order, meaning that levels discovered earlier had lower numbers, and ones discovered later had higher numbers. At the time, the usage of the term "level" had not been popularized yet, with levels instead being referred to as "Areas".
However, this system was soon to change. In the year 1965, Impresario H Judah Casper, along with Impresario K Sarah Bray, would discover a striking property of Level Keys. The Level Key of Area-003 (named Level 1 as of the current day) seemed to emit a variety of radio waves with varying frequencies (all simultaneously playing from 1-1000 MHz) , which could be picked up by any radio within 10 meters of the Level Key.
When a functioning radio was placed near the key while within Level 1, and tuned to 1 MHz, it was discovered that the radio transmission somehow played back any sounds made near its vicinity. A similar effect would become apparent when the radio was tuned to other frequencies, with higher frequencies revealing audio that would commonly be heard within other levels. Later, the duo would discover that this property extended to the Level Keys for other levels as well.
After this discovery, a hypothesis was made that the "areas" of the Backrooms were ordered in some fashion, similar to the levels of a building. They set out to prove this hypothesis later in 1967, when a formula was made to determine the ordering of levels. This resulted in a hypothesis being made that Level 400 (which was as of yet undiscovered by the M.E.G) was an aquatic level, based on the audio from the radio signals at exactly 400 MHz. After years of searching, the level would finally be discovered, confirming that this system could predict the properties of future levels and causing the M.E.G to adopt the original Casper-Bray system and to switch to using the terminology "Levels" to refer to parts of the Backrooms.
History
- 1885 - 1900
- 1900 - 1920
- 1920 - 1950
- 1950 - 2000
- 2000 - 2016
- 2016 - Present
Early Beginnings (1885 - 1900)
The M.E.G, which was at the time named the British Coalition of Liminal Exploration, was initially formed as a alliance between four groups (most being primarily British in ethnicity)[4] within Level 1, which will be listed and briefly described below for general convenience:
United Azeutian Empire
The United Azeutian Empire was a rudimentary nation-state numbering in ~2,500 citizens, founded in 1734 and having a presence in Level 1, Level 4, and Level 10. Primarily composed of Backrooms-born wanderers (who descended mostly from British wanderers), they had a significant presence within the Backrooms.
The Explorers
A primarily nomadic group of around ~100 wanderers from 2012, seemingly having been transported to the 1800s within the Backrooms via a temporal anomaly while no-clipping. Seemingly sought out by many wanderers due to their knowledge about conventional digital devices and computers (which had existed in the Backrooms at the time, although most failed to understand their function).
Additionally, although the limitations of BACK-NET should have prevented them from interacting with the Frontrooms, they were reported within documents at the time to have had access to Baseline Reality websites, including Reddit and Discord. Investigation on this matter is currently being pursued by The Kauer Research Organization.
Her Majesty's Agency For Parallel Universes
Her Majesty's Agency For Parallel Universes, commonly abbreviated as HMAPU, was a Frontrooms-based group founded in 1870 by the British government in order to investigate the Backrooms via a two-way Terminal which led to Level 1, numbering in 500 people. The agency continued to conduct research on the Backrooms until a fateful event which led to the Terminal between the two dimensions demanifesting, trapping the HMAPU's Backrooms-side personnel within Level 1.
New Britain
New Britain was a relatively small and young group at the time, numbering in 1000 people who no-clipped from Britain, and having been only ten years old as a group at the time. Not many notable discoveries were made by them at the time, but they are well known as the group which The First was initially a part of before coming to lead the M.E.G.
In the early years, the Coalition faced many challenges; the vast majority of humanity within the Backrooms was unaware of any levels beyond the Main Nine due to the significant perils of Level 5, Level 6, Level 7 and Level 8, and due to the disorganized nature of the group, internal conflict was common. Tensions and factionalism would continue to rise within the group, eventually breaking out in a conflict known as the Major Civil War.
Although few casualties resulted from this conflict, it did impede the group's functions significantly, resulting in an agreement needing to be made about who would lead the group. After careful deliberation, The First (who was at the time one of the leaders of New Britain) was chosen as the leader, deciding to fully fuse the four groups together as one in a united group, renaming the British Coalition of Liminal Exploration to the Major Explorer Group and appointing the first set of Impresarios.
On The Rise (1900 - 1920)
As the M.E.G began to mature as a group, they would begin to expand their influence further throughout the Backrooms. Following their discovery of The Hub during a exploration mission in 1899, the Major Explorer Group would create a new outpost dedicated to researching the level and its various exits to other areas of the Backrooms. This base, nicknamed "The Compass" at the time, would end up spearheading an age of exploration, resulting in the discovery of dozens of levels and the rapid expansion of the M.E.G and their personnel count.
Unfortunately however, the M.E.G would soon encounter a problem affecting their expansion. The limited tunnels of the Hub would result in the M.E.G deciding to tunnel into the walls of the level for extra space to expand the Compass, angering an anomalous entity known as The Keymaster and resulting in an incident known as the "Battle of the Crossroads", where the M.E.G and its allies would participate in various tactical engagements against the entity in order to stop him from interfering with their expansion of the Compass. Eventually, an M.E.G ambush using a stash of Firesalt explosives would result in the Keymaster being critically wounded, causing him to surrender and cease his attacks.
Afterwards, the M.E.G would begin to expand their reaches even further, slowly making their way into a position of influence within the Backrooms.
New Dawn, Old Remnants (1920 - 1950)
As the 1920s came around, the M.E.G would truly reach new heights as a group.
During this period, the Backroom Colonists (then named the Backrooms Pioneers) would be born as a group, with the M.E.G allying with them in order to benefit both groups. Working in tandem with each other, the groups would undergo a period of growth, exploring hundreds of levels and improving living conditions for tens of thousands across the Backrooms.
However, soon a new threat would arise.
As fascism spread like a cancer within Baseline with the rise of the National Fascist Party in Italy and the Imperial Fascist League in Britain, soon those ideals would begin to infect the Backrooms' politics as well. On October 21st, 1937, a attempted coup would be led by a group of M.E.G members (including two Heads of Department, six Overseers, and one Impresario). Although the British Wake Army[5] would successfully prevent this attempt at a takeover of the Major Explorer Group, the members of this coup would soon split off from the group entirely, forming a group known as the Unbound Explorer Coalition.
The Unbound Explorer Coalition (UEC), drawing much of its ideology from British Fascism and hyper-nationalism, believed itself to be the superior successor to the M.E.G. Members of the UEC believed that society in the Backrooms was undergoing a period of degeneration, due to alleged foreigner influence and the inclusion of sapient entities into the M.E.G's ranks, and thought that a strong fascist state in the form of their group was the cure to these problems.
During their brief ten-year existence, the UEC was responsible for numerous human rights abuses, including the systematic genocide of disabled people, ethnic minorities, sapient entities, and citizens within the settlements of rival groups. Due to these abhorrent actions, many groups went to war against them in what is called the Great Wake War, a conflict in which groups such as the M.E.G, the Backroom Colonists, and many more minor groups joined together in a alliance named the Allied Liminal Coalition fought against the UEC.
Eventually, due to failing supply chains, group infighting, and a series of defeats within critical battlefronts, the UEC eventually collapsed in 1947. Afterwards, in the wake of the Great Wake War, the Allied Liminal Coalition would rename itself to the Cartographer Alliance and open membership to every group thjat applied, in the hopes that a strong alliance between the various organizations within the Wake would prevent occurrences similar to the UEC incident.
Strife (1950 - 2000)
However, the Cartographer Alliance would not go nearly as well as initially expected.
Due to the Great Wake War, distrust grew between many groups, locking the majority of known factions in a cold war. A variety of internal conflicts resulted in the M.E.G and the Backroom Colonists entering an adversarial relationship, with multiple active espionage missions underway to spy on each other, as well as many other groups engaging in similar activities with each other.
This political tension would reach its peak with the Bloodbath of Cluster I in 1971, a series of events which led to a state of total war within Cluster I. The vast majority of groups participated in this war, with their members often being ordered to kill personnel from enemy groups on sight.
The war concluded when various espionage sources for many groups reported the construction of a colossal super-weapon on Level 108. However, unbeknownst to them, all factions, including the Major Explorer Group, had also received similar intel. The only difference is the identity of the faction constructing the super-weapon. Soon afterwards, all factions managed to convene at the super-weapons location in unison. This scenario was unexpected, and as a result, a bloodbath at an unprecedented scale erupted between the factions.
This war was nicknamed the "Bloodbath of Cluster 1" primarily due to this final battle, and many even believe that the red plantations of Level 108 dyed into said color due to the amount of bloodshed of this battle. A cataclysmic event followed as the weapon mysteriously activated, opening a wormhole to an unknown pocket dimension, sucking the many operatives into the unknown, and the energy imploding afterward killed many more while terraforming the rest of the level.
Even with present-day technology, the super-weapon, nicknamed "Kijimi" by the database, is impossible to create. Furthermore, the perfect navigation on Level 108, the massacre on Level 6, and the assassination of Joan Simmons prompted further investigations into these unexplainable scenarios. Horrifying results show numerous analogous situations throughout the war. Errors in data, disappearing documents, conflicting memories, and other mysterious phenomena proved that the war could have ended earlier without such alarming anomalies. To this day, there has yet to be a plausible explanation.
Ultimately, in 1990, the Bloodbath of Cluster I would end with an M.E.G victory, with the Cartographer Alliance being ultimately dissolved, and the M.E.G somewhat demilitarizing its group to avoid future conflicts at this scale.
Expansion, Stagnation (2000 - 2016)
As the M.E.G entered the 21st century, numerous innovations would be made within the group around this time. As the average person no-clipping into the Backrooms began to become well-versed in computing devices, much of the M.E.G's infrastructure would use increasing amounts of technology, resulting in a period of growth as digital systems assisted in exploration of the Backrooms by the Major Explorer Group.
This growth would continue until the onset of The Flicker, an event which caused the complete failure of the electrical grid within the Backrooms, as well as causing the absence of natural skylight within exterior levels. Due to the rise in entity population, the failure of critical supply chains, the decreasing habitability of exterior levels due to dropping temperatures, and the fall of New London due to continual entity assaults, the group would be severely weakened, with the Major Explorer Group's 46,000 personnel being reduced to 25,000 by the end of the incident.
This, combined with the events of the Korthie Casiagen War which started due to the souring of relations between the M.E.G and the Republic of Aurielle, would be a massive blow to the group, and a period of humilation for them.
Current Day (2016 - Present)
In the current day, the M.E.G is in a precarious state.
Although they are visibly weaker than they formerly were, a new initiative undertaken by the First has resulted in the increasing militarization of the group, with recent conflicts with the Republic of Aurielle showing that tension between the M.E.G and other groups may be increasing again.
Relations
Republic of Aurielle
Relations between the Major Explorer Group and the Republic of Aurielle are ...horrible, to say the least. Although the M.E.G initially engaged in trade with Aurielle for military resources to fight in the Bloodbath of Cluster I, following the alleged sabotage of the military supplies by Aurielle, relations between the two groups would sour, with the M.E.G's funding of the Antilian soldiers and planned invasion of Aurielle resulting in a bloody conflict known as the Korthie Casiagen War.
In the current day, tensions between the groups are still high. Although no official war has occurred between the two factions since 2019, many isolated tactical skrimishes still happen between the groups to this very day.
Backroom Colonists
The two groups co-operated until distrust grew in many levels they shared, to the point where active sabotage of outposts happened on both sides in certain levels. This reached its peak with The Bloodbath, where the M.E.G prevailed, but as both groups endured the common struggle of The Flicker, and co-operation grew more, both governments and the majority of people remain on peaceful terms with one another, with the M.E.G even having quantum technology from the colonists to certain expedition teams.
The Anti-Entity Group
Team D-1 ("Arminius Squadron") are known to commonly co-operate with the Anti-Entity Group in order to clear levels of hostile entities due the the overlapping purposes of their functions. Other than that, no official diplomatic relation exists between the A.E.G and the Major Explorer Group.
The Architects
Due to the circumstances of the founding of the Architects, relations between them and the M.E.G are somewhat strained. However, the two groups continue to engage in trade, and it is quite unlikely for any conflict between the two to happen in the near future.
Backrooms Investigation Foundation
Although they mostly remain on friendly terms with each other, the Major Explorer Group and Backrooms Investigation Foundation have a history of conflict. In the past, the B.I.F has attempted to assasinate multiple M.E.G Overseers due to alleged reports of insititutional corruption within their ranks, msot of which have failed so far.
Although tension is high between the two groups, both have yet to make any plans of war with each other.
The Kauer Research Organization
Ties between the K.R.O. and the M.E.G. were cemented in 1950 with the Treaty of Base Alpha. Since then, both groups have been assisting each other following the Flicker.
Auto Nexus
The Auto Nexus holds aggressive relations with the M.E.G due to territorial and resource-related disputes. One of the main reasons for the Auto Nexus being formed is to oppose the Major Explorer Group; the founders of the Auto Nexus affirm that the group's mindless explorations are useless and that a group's goal should be to collect resources, dominate, and guard the group's riches. The Auto Nexus also dislikes the M.E.G. for its large dominance over the Backrooms, being infamous for torturing, abducting, and imprisoning M.E.G. agents.
Settlements
The M.E.G boasts a variety of settlements, numbering in at least the thousands. For general convenience, the most important settlements will be listed here.
New London (Abandoned)
Hosting a population of over 10,000 people, and named after the capital of The First's home country in the Frontrooms, New London was formerly the largest settlement run by the M.E.G, being located within Level 1 and spanning 5 square kilometers. It was one of the most important settlements made by the M.E.G, being its main area to recruit new members, store supplies for the group, and provide living quarters for its members.
Being founded in 1909, the settlement originally started out as a minor outpost built in close proximity to an entrance to The Hub, as a way to use it for trade and travel throughout the Backrooms. Over time, the colony began to attract non-members of the M.E.G, slowly growing into a city of sorts within the level and becoming the M.E.G's main base of operations.
The city now sits abandoned due to numerous entity attacks which took place during the Flicker, killing many people and ultimately devastating the colony. Although some wanderers still reside within New London, the M.E.G no longer holds control over the city.
Base Alpha
Located within The Hub, Base Alpha is the largest of the M.E.G's remaining outposts, home to 1,000 personnel and 3,000 wanderers. The colony mainly serves the purpose of distributing resources to the M.E.G's various outposts, functioning as a recruitment area for wanderers, being a profitable trade port, and serving as a rest stop to coordinate and supply its explorers.
During the early days of the Flicker, many people from New London fled to the base in search of shelter and food. Tensions rose, eventually culminating in widespread riots throughout the Hub, as people desperately searched for whatever resources were left.
Eventually, upon the end of the Flicker, Base Alpha would run a massive resource supply effort with Base Omega in Level 154 to calm tensions and supply the remaining wanderers with food, performing a massive reconstruction effort to restore the M.E.G's infrastructure and supply chain.
M.E.G. Outpost Itinerari
Comprised of around 100 personnel permanently inhabiting the base, Outpost Itinerari is a base residing within The Metro on a train within the Yellow Line. Being friendly to wanderers and willing to trade, many of the base's members are part of Team C-4 ("Porters"), using the easy travel the Metro provides in order to transport resources across the Backrooms.
First Light
Located within Level 1, First Light is an M.E.G base numbering in around 80 permanent members, intended to act as a recruitment area and guide lost wanderers to safer places.
Wandermere
Located within Level 4, Wandermere is a medium-sized colony, having a population of 5,000 people and functioning as a rest stop for wanderers and M.E.G explorers alike. The colony was founded in 1957, after the M.E.G started to look into tearing apart the structure of Level 4 to use its parts as building material.
Eventually, the outpost evolved into a small town within the level, due to Level 4's relative safety compared to the rest of the Main Nine, and is now a civilian area under control of the group.
Base Omega
Base Omega is a base within Level 154 which serves as a trade port and warehouse for the M.E.G's resources. Holding a total of 100 members, the outpost is willing to trade with and help wanderers, and also serves as a recruitment center for the M.E.G.
The base is mainly visited by members of Base Alpha coming from The Hub in order to use the stockpiled resources to supply other outposts and explorers.
The Crewmembers
A base residing within the train station in Level 3.24, home to 30 MEG personnel and 140 wanderers. They are in possession of multiple terminals with access to BACK-NET, and they welcome all wanderers. Visited mainly by wanderers due to the easy travel the trains provide and the hospitality of the outpost.
Founded in 1885 from the amalgamation of twenty-six groups consisting primarily of individuals from the United Kingdom, the M.E.G is… was one of the first organized groups within the Backrooms, and the most powerful one in their heyday.
They were also arguably one of the worst.
It’s not that they were incompetent. In fact, the vast majority of groups, both pre and post-2027, use numerous tactics originating from the Major Explorer Group, including the Casper Bray Numbering System, the Major Navigation System, and their transportation of supplies via the Hub and the Metro. Additionally, although the death rate for their explorers was quite high, they pioneered early exploration of the Backrooms, so much so that the vast majority of levels were discovered by them.
If the M.E.G had stayed in its lane, kept being competent at exploring the Backrooms and helping some wanderers along the way, everything would have been fine. However, there were three fundamental flaws with the group:
1. They tended to not play nice with their fellow groups. Just look at the Bloodbath of Cluster I and the Korthie Casiagen War for an example of just how well their foreign policy tended to work.
2. Institutional corruption within the group was widespread, due to the fact that
3. No matter how much the MEG liked to say otherwise, their end goal was not the protection of humanity, it was good ol’ british colonialism.
In the early years of the group, the meggies had it extremely rough; the vast majority of humanity within the Backrooms were unaware of any level beyond Level 0, Level 1, and Level 2 (as well as their sublevels), meaning that their explorers had to constantly put their ass on the line exploring uncharted territory.
However, as they grew, so did their hubris. They would continue trying to expand, sparking conflict with rival groups in an attempt to wipe them out, until finally they ended up collapsing under the weight of their own sins in 2027.
That being said, even post-2027, the M.E.G would still survive in some form. After the end of their leadership, the teams and organizations that were formerly part of the M.E.G allied under the banner of the former group in a sort of uneasy alliance. However, as the following years come and pass, a variety of internal disagreements, failing supply chains, and compounded fuckery they have to deal with as a result of the old M.E.G's actions will ensure that even these remnants are eventually claimed by the dust.
By the late 2040s, the M.E.G is but a fading memory, but the mess they left behind will be felt for centuries to come.
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- ↑ See history section.
- ↑ Although rumors have surfaced that the Volunteer Squad is in fact designed to provide a steady supply of disposable personnel who would be useless in any other field, this theory is unsubstantiated.
- ↑ Despite the name, the Paracartography Department is a team, not a department of the group.
- ↑ The reason as to why enough British wanderers managed to end up close enough to each other to form groups is unknown, but a speculated cause is that certain geographical locations within Baseline Reality can correspond to vague "regions" of no-clipping destinations within the Backrooms.
- ↑ Antiqued name for the Major Armed Forces.