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Description
Entity 67, nicknamed Partygoers, refers to the majority of individuals infected by Sanguine Festivus Virus (SFV). Their appearance is largely consistent, resembling hobbling, wasting husks covered with a large cloth. Their self-inflicted injuries often bleed through the yellowed sheets, leaving a smile-like stain over their face. Why infected victims display these behaviors so consistently remains unknown, though it is theorized that the SFV pathogen may contain some anomalous, mind-altering property that drives the behavior of victims to such a degree of similarity. Interestingly, those infected outside The Party Rooms do not follow these behaviors, instead lumbering around with their injuries unobscured.
Individuals with late-stage SFV fixate on locating and feeding on living beings, primarily other wanderers, both as a means of spreading the virus further and coping with their insatiable hunger. This behavior often leads to violent attacks, causing rapid transmission to survivors. Their aggressive demeanor remains consistent even when encountering other carriers of the virus, fortunately preventing the formation of groups. Carriers of SFV exhibit clear symptoms that can be easily spotted if one is aware of what to look for; common indicators include low, unintelligible murmurs and a sluggish, swaying gait. Due to their unpredictable behavior, getting within arm's reach of an infected host is exceedingly dangerous and should be avoided at all costs.
Virology
Sanguine Festivus Virus (SFV) is an anomalous infectious disease caused by a viral pathogen lingering throughout Level Fun. It has a relatively quick incubation period, with victims often experiencing initial symptoms within a matter of hours after infection, although its initial stages are easy to misdiagnose. At a microscopic level, the pathogen seems to anomalously recur in fractal-like formations, spiraling indefinitely into ever-smaller structures. It is not known how or why the virus maintains this form, as it is far removed from the structure of any other known organism.
While most of Level Fun carries little presumed risk of contracting SFV, significant caution must be taken when entering The Party Rooms due to the increased presence of the pathogen. Reports of tiredness, aching, and other early signs of infection are occasionally reported by those exploring it, with many cases quickly worsening over time. Further investigation has revealed that, rather than the strains being a foreign body introduced by wanderers, the level appears to propagate the virus itself; how exactly this process occurs is currently unknown, but it presents a significant hazard due to the infection's contagious nature. Efforts to locate and quarantine those who escape The Party Rooms have achieved minimal success due to its lack of a consistent exit point, but further options are soon to be explored. Infected individuals often do not manage to exit the level past Stage Two of the virus, instead being left to wander the level's halls as a mere husk, searching for wanderers unlucky enough to stumble upon them.
Stages
SFV is comprised of four progressive stages following initial contamination, becoming more severe with time. As the virus progresses, cognitive abilities significantly deteriorate, leaving wanderers with little to no control over their actions as animalistic shells of their former selves.
Stage One (The Incubation Period)
Stage One often goes unnoticed by infected individuals, simply involving mild feelings of soreness, tiredness, and aching. The sensation has been described as no worse than a stomachache, with light cramping and irritation taking place in the first few hours after infection. As such, the infection often goes entirely unnoticed at this stage, with the majority of individuals progressing into the second stage before their symptoms become apparent.
Stage Two (The Critical Period)
Stage Two involves gradually worsening symptoms, with infected individuals often reporting decreases in energy, growing feelings of irritation and hunger, and generally clouded mental functions. Awareness of infection in this stage is crucial, as early and effective action can prevent or halt its continued development. In many cases, wanderers have managed to recover from Stage Two of SFV by quarantining themselves from further exposure to the strain. Victims often experience an intensified feeling of hunger, causing them to rapidly consume any sources of food they have access to. Other symptoms in this stage involve increased feelings of anxiety, aching in various parts of the body (primarily the teeth), and a general desire to be near other wanderers. As Stage Two progresses, the sensation of hunger only worsens, with no amount of nourishment managing to satisfy it. Infected victims often resort to consuming nearby objects once all edible sources have been depleted, regardless of their lack of nutrients. The agonizing hunger often pushes victims to perform voluntary self-cannibalization, marking their progression into Stage Three and serving as the point of no return.
Stage Three (The Terminal Period)
The chances of recovery from Stage Three and beyond are slim to none. In this stage, the growing sensation of hunger becomes unbearable and takes complete hold of an individual's mind. One's self-control and sense of morality are compromised in the search for sustenance; in desperation, victims will begin to self-cannibalize, progressing from their hair to their fingers and lips. Agony and fear are prevalent as they begin to lose their hold on reality, drifting in and out of lucidity in states of derealization. Their suffering and mental warfare remain until the infection eventually takes full control of their limbic system. The victim is reduced to a vessel for the virus as they progress into Stage Four, their actions driven solely by the desire to survive.
Stage Four (The Reclamation Period)
Stage Four marks the victim's transition from sapience to complete mental deterioration. An individual in this stage is thought to have no remaining higher-level cognition. Little humanity remains aside from their appearance, which is often likened to a husk once the infection has taken total control over its host. Victims are known to begin quietly babbling at this stage, making incomprehensible noises under their breath as they wander. Due to their commonly damaged or obscured vision, infected individuals typically depend on auditory cues as a means of navigation. This stage also serves as the distinction between Partygoers and basic carriers; this is primarily determined by their location, as those within The Party Rooms strangely take to covering themselves with a tablecloth and waiting until they encounter another living being, more akin to an entity than a wanderer.
| Carriers | Partygoers |
|---|---|
| Present across several levels | Present only in The Party Rooms |
| Still considered human | Considered an entity by most |
| Injuries are visible | Features are obscured with a cloth |
| Move with stiff, clumsy steps The babbling of a carrier.
|
Move in a deliberate wading motion The babbling of a Partygoer.
|
Guidelines
Do:
- Remember the warning signs of SFV and where it may be lingering.
- Keep a reasonable distance away from anyone who may be infected with SFV.
Do Not:
- Risk contamination or infection in any way.
- Attempt to make contact with an infected individual in any way; if you can hear them, you are too close.
- Make noise near a wanderer in the late stages of SFV; they primarily rely on sound to identify others.
