Entity Number: χ
Habitat(s): - Majority
Contents
Description
Entity- χ, commonly referred to as “The Keymaster” by wanderers, is an entity of unknown nature, simultaneously ubiquitous yet obscure in The Backrooms. Over time, they have been supposedly sighted by countless wanderers, who equally claimed to have been helped or harmed by this being. Their existence has never been officially proven, and there is no known firsthand documentation by any other party - including The [[[M.E.G.]]] However, given the overwhelming amount of wanderers’ testimonials, there is strong reason to consider the possibility of Entity-χ’s existence, and thus this file has been created to document all known information regarding them.
Details of The Keymaster’s appearance vary between every report, yet the same underlying details remain consistent. They are a tall, humanoid figure shrouded in a black cloak obscuring everything below the top half of their face, with long unkempt hair. A dark mist trails behind The Keymaster at waist-height as they move, briefly lingering in trodden locations before dissipating. Their movements are described as phantomic, with their actions partially desynchronized with their form. The most prominent trademark of their appearance is a large ring of traditional metal keys not unlike those found in The Frontrooms, attached to their right hip. The keys on the ring are not known to serve a practical purpose.
Behaviors
The Keymaster is often observed in a seemingly weary or confused state, and displays antisocial tendencies in given interactions. If hostility is displayed and combat is attempted to be initiated with The Keymaster, they will not hesitate to defend themself.
Towards wanderers, their demeanor is neutral.The Keymaster will not display hostility, and will keep to themself if not approached. If a wanderer enlists their help and requests a key to be generated, The Keymaster will be willing to do so, although hesitantly. Furthermore, The Keymaster will only allow a wanderer to receive one key ever, and will not generate another even if the wrong key is given. Learning definitive information about The Keymaster through direct questioning has proven unviable, as they outright ignore such remarks.
Towards other entities, The Keymaster's demeanor has been observed to be neutral. The Keymaster generally seems to possess enough knowledge to effectively navigate possible interactions with most entities without provoking aggression. Occasionally, entities have been observed to display levels of fear and intimidation towards them, regardless of demeanor.
Occasionally, The Keymaster has been reported to spontaneously ask, “Is this a dream?” When prompted for elaboration, The Keymaster ignores it, either by changing the subject of the conversation or not replying at all.
Biology
Despite their humanoid appearance, The Keymaster cannot seem to be destroyed by conventional means of any magnitude that would kill a mortal human. They possess the ability to teleportatively phase through matter (or what some may refer to as “no-clipping”) within a 100 ft radius
The Keymaster has been reported to "die" in front of wanderers on several recorded occasions, only for new sightings in other locations to subsequently be reported. Furthermore, there have been instances in which multiple Keymaster sightings recorded in different levels were reported to have occurred at the same exact time. One possible explanation brought forth is that temporal distortion is responsible, with these multiple levels being places that The Keymaster has, is, or will be over the course of time. This theory could also account for inconsistencies in sightings and interactions.
The Keymaster's most notable supposed ability is part of their namesake. They seemingly have access to every Level Key in The Backrooms. The Keymaster obtains a given key by "generating" it. It is unknown whether the keys are summoned from a location, or if the keys are created at that moment. Wanderers claim it to be “magical”, though from a scientific standpoint, highly advanced nanotechnology and/or molecular manipulation technology may play a role. The Keymaster may in fact possibily be the inventor of Level Keys, given the extent of their supposed accessibility to them. The keys themselves usually take the form of a conventional frontroom key. However, in rare instances, more abstract versions of the keys are generated in the form of conceptual notions, being unpredictable in function.
Generally, The Keymaster would have always generated the key they intended to, allowing the wanderer to progress to the next subsequent level. However, as time progressed, they have reportedly generated the wrong keys in increasing magnitude. This ability has even become volatile, with The Keymaster having generated other, more malicious entities as keys. In one wanderer’s account, they had inadvertently summoned a highly destructive eldritch nightmare as a Key, which slaughtered the rest of the wanderer’s group. This unpredictability is what makes The Keymaster dangerous. Current reports indicate that The Keymaster rarely generates the proper key anymore, though that has not yet prevented wanderers from continuing to try asking for one anyways.
Discovery
The oldest recorded sighting of The Keymaster took place in The Hub. As entities cannot typically access The Hub from outside, it is likely that their existence began here, although the nature of their connection to this place is unknown - if one even exists.
Incidentally, ancient Backrooms cultures describe a figure in their mythologies known as “Gatekeeper”, with many striking similarities and parallels to The Keymaster. However, given that the existence of either subject has not yet been proven, no official connection can be established.
Although no definitive proof of The Keymaster has yet been obtained, the closest candidate to "physical evidence" would be that many of the wanderers claiming to have interacted with them were found with Level Keys in their possession. Level Keys are generally rare and valuable, and so the fact that these wanderers have seemed to obtain them so easily is highly anomalous. Furthermore, in correlation with the increasing trend of The Keymaster reportedly generating the wrong keys, wanderers claiming to have interacted with The Keymaster were found in certain levels while in possession of Level Keys completely unrelated and non-native to that level. This has prompted the M.E.G. to officially launch its investigation and compilation of all data surrounding this being, as their existence has been deemed very likely as of now. Whatever evidence or data that could lead to officially proving the existence of The Keymaster is of high priority to find, including efforts by all with the clearance to be in possession of this file.
Theories
There are several theories in regards to The Keymaster's true nature and origins. Below are the five most prominent ones:
The Wanderer Theory
It is popularly speculated that The Keymaster was once a wanderer themself, before experiencing some vague fate that made them what they are now. This may be likely, considering numerous other cases of human wanderers becoming entities after being transformed by other entities, if not the level itself. The explanation would lend to their more relatively humanoid nature and appearance compared most other entities. It may also explain the key-ring on their hip, an object likely originating from The Frontrooms.
The Experiment Theory
Another theory is that The Keymaster was merely created as part of a test/experiment performed by a greater, more mysterious and powerful entity. This is supported by the fact that their abilities do not function properly. If they were experimental, then there could be room for error and failure, just as with all experiments.
The Cloak theory
This theory postulates that The Keymaster was not only one, but in fact multiple individuals. They may have even been several non-human entities as well. Those who subscribe to this theory believe that The Keymaster draws their abilities from the cloak they wear, although they themself may not be aware. Some believe that the cloak is paranormal in nature, while others believe it to be highly advanced technology. Whatever the case, it is agreed upon that this is the source of their power. When they die (as they have been shown to die before), another being finds their cloak (or perhaps the cloak finds them), and upon the cloak attaching to them, they become the new Keymaster, with all the entailed abilities. This may lend to the inconsistencies between recorded interactions.
Alternatively, there could be multiple Keymasters with multiple cloaks, all immortal and coexisting in The Backrooms, yet somehow never intersecting in the same space. Whether this hypothetical group is organized obviously cannot be determined.
The Deity Theory
Still others posit that The Keymaster is simply a deific being, a force of nature. They always have, are, and will be. Their spirit may be tied to the very nature of the Backrooms themselves. This could account for their phantomic mannerisms, which may be a representation of them simultaneously interacting with multiple planes of existence. This degree of omnipresence would also account for the simultaneous sightings, and supposed immortality.
Perhaps all of these theories are true, or none of them are at all. The full truth may never be known.
Do's and Don'ts
Do
- Exhibit neutral or positive attitude toward him. they will not be malicious if others aren't to him.
- Try to keep your distance if you are inexperienced with navigating The Backrooms or interacting with its entities. One wrong move could cost you your life.
Maybe
Ask for assistance in navigating exiting your level. Although there is a statistically infinitesimal chance of them generating the right key, it is still nonetheless a chance - perhaps your only one left. It is this thought process that has led many a desperate wanderer to request a key from The Keymaster, and often they were met with a gruesome end - though who knows, you may just get lucky. However, choose your moment to do so wisely, as wanderers may only request one key - no do-overs.
Don't
- Display aggressive or hostile behavior. Chances are that the average casual wanderer isn't going to come out a winner.
- Stick around if they generate the wrong key...