Notice from the Entity Research Committee
Only those who have read "The Hollow's Curse" can read this document. This document serves as a tool for education and to heighten our understanding of Hallowed Nest, especially regarding its exiting its home domain. Research is difficult, yet ongoing, and new information about Hallowed Nest should be directed to the Entity Research Committee based on Level 40.
Updated September 19th, 2009
Click [Continue] to open up the document []
[ Continue ][ Close Document ]MONITORED
BY ERC
NAME
Hallowed Nest
ENTITY CLASS
4
STATUS
Alive
THREAT CLASS
3Ψ
Physical Appearance
The most common presentation of Hallowed Nest is a vessel crafted out of cedar wood. Its structure closely resembles pirate ships developed and sailed during the Golden Age of Piracy. Hallowed Nest bears 3 masts which each stand at about 60 meters. All the sails and rigging that make up the most common form of Hallowed Nest are either completely removed or show major signs of damage from combat, such as singeing of the cloth, cut and damaged rope, or cannon holes punched through. Hallowed Nest can sail amid all these damages, and according to one report, the bottom of the ship does not take in any water, even if the holes inside the lower portion of the vessel are completely submerged. The foremast has a fighting top roughly 35 meters above the ground, and the main mast bears a crow's nest significantly above the fighting top. Hallowed Nest's figurehead is a skull decorated with jewelry and a golden crown with ram horns attached to it.
Despite the pirate ship being the accepted appearance of Hallowed Nest, it has turned into other vessels to possibly appear less intimidating. These forms have included cruise ships, yachts, and shipping vessels. The features of these forms mirror the average size and composition of those vessels in the Frontrooms, which indicates Hallowed Nest has acquired knowledge about it. There have not been any sightings of Hallowed Nest changing into different ships, but because of similar hunting patterns, it is believed that they are the same entity.
In some instances of Hallowed Nest arriving at ports, wanderers have reported booths placed beside the sea. These booths are colored to match the surrounding environment or to align with pigmentation present in the level and are 2 meters long. Copies of The Hallow's Curse lie on the table, along with an additional space below the tale for wanderers to sign, to confirm they have read the tale and can see Hallowed Nest. Some booths had a person present within them. They have no consistent racial or gender identity, but share the common trait of being victims of Hallowed Nest. Attempts to rescue them have continuously been met with failure, often stating an inability to separate themselves from the entity.
In some interviews with survivors of Hallowed Nest, they spoke about staff aboard some forms. They appear as employees found on maritime vessels in the Frontrooms, wearing clothing and engaging in activities mirroring the profession. According to eyewitness reports, staff aboard Hallowed Nest lack common facial structures, and the reflections across their skin are unnatural and skewed. Photo documentation has opened the door for personnel to identify more of the staff aboard as those who have lost their lives to Hallowed Nest. Due to this further evidence, it is believed that the bodies of those who lost their soul to the ship can still be freely used for hunting. Staff speak minimally, but can verbally answer questions if required. It is unknown how they can speak, but the sound of the staff's voice comes from the jaw area.
Interviwed: Daniel Reeves
Interviewer: Pierre Spine
Foreword: Pierre Spine stepped on Daniel Reeve's vessel alongside Harbor Me. Passengers were evacuated, which gave space for them to speak to one another. This is a physical writing of their conversation.
Date: July 13th, 2003
> "Suppose this is your trade offer? 7 guests for you? Must make you pretty important"
> "No, no, I'm not THAT vital. I'm here to ask about the little business you have running here."
> "Ah, so what do you need from me..."
> "Pierre Spine."
> "Ah, yes, mister Pierre Spine. Quite the fancy first name you got there..."
> "Anyway, what kind of questions do you want? Life advice? Business help? I bet I can help"
> "None of those, I'm interested in how you ended up in this position. You know, this being your boat and all. Of course, tied to Hallowed Nest, but it's own thing here."
> "Oh, well, I was sent to 739 a while ago and couldn't get out. So they killed me. I'm not sure how I got this boat, I had a nice boat back on Earth before I died. I think you'd find me a lot nicer if you saw that dingy. What a beauty it was. Sabre 58, had all the amenities so we could get high and stupid all night."
> "Mhm... so something about you loving that vessel so much it joined you in the backrooms? I don't think I've seen something like that with this entity. In my study at least, it takes multiple people's deaths and memories to abstract the idea and put it together."
> "Probably because I and my little vessel were inseparable. No matter who I was with that little boat of mine was everything to me. Pretty simple I think."
> "Mhm... so, you end up dying on the pirate ship, if I'm right. Do you remember what it was like being a trapped soul?"
> "Hm... interesting. It felt like I was stuck in a perpetual state of drowning maybe. My head barely poked out of the water as I kept gasping for air before I was pulled down again and had to swim my way back up. Except there was no swimming, but you get the picture."
> "I suppose. Do you remember anything about leaving the level? Now able to move around and appear to others."
> "This alone has made my decades of drowning worth living... and with everyone off the boat except us. I can drive this further out so we can talk alone."
> "No I'm quite alright. I'm happy to keep talking here. I have important things to get to after this."
> "Oh, a man of action, very nice very nice."
> "Charmed. Anyway, when do you recall coming back to consciousness? Seeing yourself on your yacht? Do you remember what was going on?"
> "Mhm, the sky was a luscious array of oranges pinks, and blues. I woke up with my hands on the wheel, ten and two. I didn't know where I was at the time, but I felt like I was guided towards a stop. There was beer on the boat alongside me, and a bunch of young adults awaiting my arrival. Just like all the parties I hosted back on Earth. And I did that, their excitement took away their physical form so they could forever party in spirit."
> "Didn't you just say that it always felt like drowning while your spirit was aboard the vessel? Wouldn't that be what they're feeling? I believe they'd feel the same thing."
> "Nah. They're fine with the boat. It's a good place to be, a part of something bigger than yourself."
> "I understand, thank you for this interview."
> "Are you sure you don't want to be alone with me for a while? I have many more stories to tell.."
> "I'm sure."
Closing Statement: It is worth noting that Daniel was likely drunk during this, so I can sort of forgive how he was speaking. But the sexual tension Daniel was forced on me was palpable. This translation cannot emphasize enough the auditory stress he put into so many of his words. - Pierre Spine
Behavior
Hallowed Nest displays human intelligence and reasoning through testing, able to process and respond accordingly to stimuli and understand spoken words in several languages. The vessel does not speak, and if it is required to do so, Hallowed Nest will employ staff members to speak on its behalf. It employs spectral hands and other ligaments, often crafted out of the resources present on the boat, to interact with those speaking to it instead. These interactions, along with bringing in staff, are used for the interests of Hallowed Nest, often to lull passengers into relaxation so consuming victims is easier. This explanation is rather inconclusive though, as the consumption process does not change whether a wanderer is relaxed or agitated.
Despite the continuous efforts of Hallowed Nest to trap and eat more people, it avoids using trickery to extend the time of the journey. Observation has shown that Hallowed Nest continues on a straightforward path to the desired location, choosing not to stall or move in ways that would increase the length of the journey dramatically. With boarding the ship, Hallowed Nest only appears if the story is widely read and the wanderer has enough sanity to be sure that they understood what was written. Wanderers who only sign without reading the story or do show not enough cognitive function are unable to step aboard, with each case likely judged by Hallowed Nest. All this proposes that the ship possesses the ability to understand deceiving behaviors, and has some sort of moral principles that the Hallowed Nest prefers to follow. These boarding principles do not match with how passengers leave the ship, however. While all passengers are informed of their destination, along with an exit being placed, Hallowed Nest will not repeat the instructions, which, depending on the status of the wanderers, could unintentionally further their turning. Those who have safely boarded Hallowed Nest can still be victims of the boat, however, it does not chase after survivors willingly. If a survivor is to step onto the vessel, the turning process will continue where it left off. While this interaction is rare, the few cases reported on it, have proven fatal.
The behavior of staff members varies on the vessel Hallowed Nest took the form of.
Aboard the pirate ship, staff are dressed based upon the outfits in the 1700s privatering era. Each outfit has its visual quirks and nuances that are individual to the person wearing it. These changes can be additional features: feathers, necklaces, firearms, and bags are the more common. While less common, features that subtract from the outfit are also present amongst some staff: torn clothes, missing hats, and lack of a belt are some examples of these changes. Staff members working on the pirate ship behave very lively and energetic, speaking with the slang and lingo of pirates back in the era. With a mix of English and French, many of the words and saying the staff use is incomprehensible to wanderers. Much of the amenities they provide to wanderers aboard reflect that time, with simple meals of bread, cheese, and meat alongside ale. Some journeys have provided wanderers to engage in activities such as dance, spoken word, and lessons on maritime combat during the period. While the evidence is not fully conclusive, it is believed that wanderers who die while aboard with Hallowed Nest in this form have a greater chance of appearing again as one of the pirate staff, though this could very possibly be happenstance.
Staff working aboard Hallowed Nest's cruise ship form behave very professionally, clearly speaking and responding quickly to requests. They exclusively speak to wanderers in a professional tone, reminiscent of how waiters are trained in most restaurants. Though in this professional tone, they are also quite cheery, periodically stating their pleasure in helping out with getting wanderers food and beverages. However as individuals begin the turning process, staff members grow detached and quieter, speaking in a hushed tone and habitually staring at the missing sections of the victim. It is understood that this is caused by fear of some kind, though an exact explanation has yet to be achieved. They wear clothing similar to waitstaff in the Frontrooms, all matching to near perfection, with the only differences being varied wrinkles and in rarer cases, trace bits of dirt and mud. Cruise staff behave very aggressively towards one another, though this behavior is often done in private and only has 12 documented cases. In this privacy, they are very argumentative, each trying to point out the other's flaws in a greater amount. No efforts have been made to step between the arguing staff to learn how they respond to such.
There has only been one recorded staff member aboard the yacht form, Daniel Reeves, who passed away sometime in the 1950s before Hallowed Nest left its level. Daniel is very energetic, often loudly talking and laughing alongside the wanderers who join him aboard. Many of these parties do not travel far outside the level Hallowed Nest is docked in, making it much easier to track than other forms. He's shown very little care about the passengers being rescued, though still has yet to understand why this is required. Despite his seeming ignorance and lack of awareness of the functions of the Hallowed Nest, he has been responsible for the turning of others. Strangely, turnings that go on while Hallowed Nest is in its yacht form are faster by roughly 20 minutes.
Due to its rarity, there is very little known about the shipping vessel form of Hallowed Nest and the staff aboard it.
Anomalous Properties
Those aboard Hallowed Nest are victims of the vessel's consumption. Supposedly Hallowed Nest does this to actively satiate itself, and the bodies remain to act as crew members for its use. These souls are theorized to be fused with the boat, and their intelligence and reasoning are combined with the others who have died because of the Hallowed Nest. This cumulative intelligence is what allows Hallowed Nest to improve its hunting methods and acquire new forms. This has also provided the entity with a wide array of languages it can understand. Through current testing, Hallowed Nest has been able to understand English, French, Spanish, and Dutch. However, this does not seem to apply to the staff members, as they are only able to speak the languages they have learned before passing.
The steps Hallowed Nest takes to consume passengers have a defined order. However, how long exactly each section takes varies by person. Furthermore, the ailments discussed may not appear in every person, and there have been instances of victims being asymptomatic.
0 - 45 minutes in
All passengers aboard Hallowed Nest report no signs of physical or emotional discomfort. This stage often involves the most crew members, who display great vigilance and positivity when interacting with the wanderers. Often times they'll provide food, beverages, and other amenities during this time period and the later one. Wanderers are encouraged to relax and enjoy the journey. A majority of journeys on Hallowed Nest are not intercepted here, though, during this period, it is not of vital importance to rescue those aboard.
30 - 75 minutes in
Illness begins to develop in Wanderers. This illness is believed to be how the Hallowed Nest prepares them for consumption. The next stage will only come when they are all sufficiently sick, according to the vessel. Known symptoms are as follows: lightheadedness, impulsivity, nausea, vomiting, loss of coordination, mood swings, lethargy, and disassociation. Staff witnessing this work to help victims through this ailment, providing things such as antacids, vomit bags, and places to sit or lay down. This stage has also come with greatly erratic behavior from wanderers, and while the majority of the time it does not escalate far, there have been cases of fights board Hallowed Nest during this period.
1 - 3 hours in
After all passengers have gotten sick enough, the physical signs of consumption begin. Beginning at the legs, wanderer's bodies will slowly fade to nothing, alongside the clothes they are wearing. This fading travels up the body and can take between 10 minutes and a half hour to have a section fully disappear, depending on the body type and height of the individual. Some wanderers have reported feelings of depersonalization during this period. Faded limbs and body parts develop a static-like sensation, with survivors stating the body part feeling like its both there, and not. Learning to function with this lack of ligament requires great effort to learn to function with. Despite their seeming nonexistence, these limbs do still exist and can resume operation similar to their observable counterparts with enough time. MEG must locate Hallowed Nest during this period.
more than 3 hours
Beyond this point, about 95% of passengers will have been completely turned, and no longer alive. Those still alive are likely very close to being turned, with their head being the only remaining segment of their body. Staff who witness this are majorly detached and even listless, avoiding eye contact with victims and any agents who board the vessel to rescue those who remain. By this point, rescue attempts are mostly worthless. This stage of turning is quite rare, as the recorded journey lengths of Hallowed Nest tend to average around 2 hours and 30 minutes. Voyages can last beyond this time frame, but they are incredibly rare, if not, very few of these long trips aboard Hallowed Nest have been recorded.
Interviwed: August Lee
Interviewer: Pierre Spine
Foreword: August stepped onto Hallowed Nest March 27th, 1999. Hallowed Nest was intercepted in Level 7 by MEG's maritime exploration team "Harbor Me". The entirety of August's legs has been consumed by Hallowed Nest, along with part of his lower waist and the uppermost joints of both hands middle, ring, and index finger. These exposed sections do not contain any gore or vile, instead, the skin in those areas forms over the missing sections, its qualities similar to the flaps of skin left on those with removed limbs. August did require help to get to his seat, possibly unable to sense his legs.
Date: March 28th 1999
> "It looks very difficult to walk like this, yea? Do you feel your legs at all?"
> "I get like, little pins and needles. But other than that I don't feel them."
> "I see, do you get that same feeling with your fingers?"
> "Not really? It might be there but I feel it less or have grown used to it."
> " Yea that makes sense, you still have a lot of your hand left. If I had to guess it would help with lessening the feeling."
> "Are you okay with recounting to me what happened? We're trying to get information on this entity so people don't have to suffer the same fate you did."
> "Yeah sure. So I was in Level 147 at the time, and I had read "The Hollow's Curse", to be clear. So anyway I found this booth on the pier and I got confused. One hard breeze and it was gone to the sea. Then I saw why the booth was there, this pirate ship was docked beside it. I got aboard with 3 others and we left."
> "Do you remember what level you were going to?"
> "Oh, yea, Level 951. Anyway, I think it was about 30 minutes in when I started feeling odd like I could barely stand up anymore. I don't know how long I was just laying on the floor."
> "If I remember correctly, Harbor Me found you still lying on the floor and with vomit-stained clothes."
>, "I think I remember that, around then I was in my head."
> "What do you mean by that? Being in your head?"
> "It's hard to explain... if you've ever watched a movie, the film tends to follow a main character. You aren't the main character, morseo you're following them. That's what it felt like for me, I was watching a movie about myself."
> "So something along the lines of depersonalization?"
> "That sounds right yea."
> "That helps some, and provides us with more information about how Hallowed Nest takes souls. My theory would be that depersonalization is less so of a mental separation from your body, it's the ship actively pulling you away from yourself. That's my guess at least. It's good that none of you were killed by it either..."
> "I'm thankful too. Though, what's going to happen to the others? Aren't they in worse condition?"
> "Yes, they are, sadly. We're not quite sure what ERC plans to do, but they will need to be under the care of The Backrooms Red Cross for a while. I've seen a lot worse as well... people who lost so much that it was a better idea to put them out of their misery than try to keep them alive."
> "Holy shit."
> "Yea, its rather cathartic. But, to get us back on track, do you recall any ailments you felt? Anything you're sure is the cause of Hallowed Nest?"
> "Yea, sure. So there was lightheadedness, loss of coordination, mood swings I'm pretty sure, and feeling lazy."
> "Thank you very much. Is there anything else you wish to speak about? I have nothing left to ask."
> "No, I think that's everything I have on my mind."
Closing Statement: August has learned to walk with the aid of a cane, and has shown energy in exploring the backrooms again. He displayed quick progress and was released from his housing on March 31st, 1999. Regarding the circumstances of the other passengers:
- Avery Thornhill, after her interview, left ERC headquarters and ████████ ███████ by ███████. She was not authorized to leave, and no one knows where Avery purchased the ███ or how it was still on her person.
- Mikey Hughes remains in the care of The Backrooms Red Cross, though is making efforts to learn how to walk. Progress has been much slower in comparison to August.
- Avery Hughes also lives with Mikey still. It has been difficult to get her to walk and interact with the world due to the amount of physical form that has been lost.
Research is still necessary to understand the behavior of Hallowed Nest, but this interview provides good context on how it hunts and some of the ailments triggered by Hallowed Nest attempting to consume wanderers. Lastly, a possible search and rescue operation has been put together and is being discussed by MEG. - Pierre Spine
Discovery
The existence of Hallowed Nest within the backrooms can be traced back to the 1930s when documentation first came out about Wanderers being sucked into sources of water to find themselves on the vessel. Early reports of this level are what led to it being identified, and was referred to as Level-739. Wanderers, after reading The Hollow's Curse, had the possibility of being sucked into any source of water and would appear in Level 739, who would have to reenact the events of the story to safely exit, before the vessel sank. With current knowledge, the original level Hallowed Nest originates from no longer exists, and any current documentation about it is listed as "Level 739-EX".
The date that Hallowed Nest left is unknown, though based on reports, it is believed to have left in the summer months of 1994. Hallowed Nest'scommittedighting was recorded August 22nd, 1994, with a wanderer describing a large and imposing pirate ship situated in the near shore section of Level 400. Its arrival led to a massive goose chase, where over 3 months, many personnel already experienced with Level-739-EX attempted to go back into the level, but all attempts were unsuccessful. Though total confirmation would still not be achieved that this supposed vessel was once Level-739 did not arrive for another 7 months. On March 3rd, 1995, Hallowed Nest was located in Level 43, with 7 wanderers sent into the level. Many of them shared similar loss of limbs, mostly the removal of the lower legs and parts of the upper leg and fingers. The lack of body parts confirmed to researchers that the boat reported on was Hallowed Nest, which had escaped its level through unknown means at the time. With current understanding, the ship leaving Level 739-EX occurred due to the people that formed its total psyche working as a group to leave. The reason why they did such is unknown, but Hallowed Nest's departure from its home level caused discussion over its definition.
As proposed by level specialist Victoria Salida, not changing the identity of Hallowed Nest to an entity was a prominent thought for a few years. Because Hallowed Nest preserved most of its identity, it was agreed upon that it was more akin to its home level than a separate being. This idea was scrapped around 1998 when rumors of a cruise ship with irregularly-faced staff surfaced. Its behaviors were quickly matched back to Hallowed Nest, the deciding factor of shifting its classification to an entity rather than a level. Most recently, the newest form that Hallowed Nest has taken the form of was a shipping vessel, with only 2 testimonies of victims either on board the boat or arriving at the dock.
Due to the previous home of Hallowed Nest, exits still appear on the boat, however, the number that exists has truncated significantly. These exits are bound to specific forms of Hallowed Nest, and have a chance of appearing when that form is enacted. However, these exits seem to not prevent wanderers from being targeted by Hallowed Nest, in comparison to riding the boat to the end.
> Open Author and Licensing Information > Close Author and Licensing Information
Wikitext Help: Tizi!!
Last Edit: November 17th, 2024
Special Thanks: Char, Dulling, 20Tom07, & Texas.mp3.
Licensing Information: All content on this page falls under fair use according to Creative Commons, no images or audio files are used with the intent of making it my own. These files are free to use, and due to the Creative Commons Agreement, so is this page. As long as you do not claim it as your own.