RPG Backrooms [Kane Pixels]

TYPE: Series of rooms and hallways
LOCATION: Alternate Reality (presumably), Asynchronous Research Facility (artificial input) and Null Zones
INHABITANTS: Async Research Institute, The Life Form and Still Life

The Backrooms (also known as the Complex (more commonly) or Hallways by members of Async) is a likely living parallel dimension [1] consisting of distorted imitations of locations from our reality, appearing primarily as vast, interconnected spaces of similar rooms, corridors, and doorways. While it also contains several unique-looking areas, the largest area borrows the appearance of an empty or unfurnished office building with bright yellow wallpaper, tiled ceilings, and buzzing fluorescent lights.

The Backrooms is dotted with multiple "Null Zones," small areas where the Backrooms and the "real world" connect. It's possible to fall out of reality and enter the Backrooms through these Null Zones within the "real world." In some cases, it's shown that the Backrooms doesn't abide by the rules of the real world.

HISTORY
Ivan Beck's machine overloaded due to a solar flare, giving him humanity's first glimpse of the Complex. After years of research, the Async Research Institute discovered and made contact with the Backrooms. Their primary objective was to fulfill all their storage and housing needs. The Foundation first established contact with the dimension during an experiment that successfully activated the Low Proximity Magnetic Distortion System (Threshold). This success coincided with an earthquake on October 17, 1989. Following the sixth test, the number of missing persons cases worldwide increased dramatically as people fell into the Backrooms.

The topography of the Backrooms varies from area to area, but all bear a striking resemblance to real-world locations. Numerous objects are found within the Backrooms, varying and sometimes blending harmoniously with the environment. Noises of no apparent origin can be heard, sometimes distorted and incomprehensible. The walls of the Backrooms exhibit deformations in various sections, with unnatural curves and twists. All areas are fluidly connected, either through conventional doors and corridors or in unorthodox ways, such as holes in the floor and walls.

Within it exist "Null Zones," which, according to Async's theory, are portals between the real world and the Backrooms. These Null Zones are found everywhere; it is through them that things and people fall upon entering. The Threshold created by Async is connected to one of them.

Hostile creatures
Various life forms inhabit the Backrooms, sometimes stalking and possibly killing unsuspecting victims who happen to be there. Their motives are not entirely clear. They appear to be hostile, as they immediately pursue anyone who notices their presence.

Asynchronous area
Async constructed a small room directly behind the Threshold, safe from humans. The room has large windows overlooking the corridors that can be opened and closed. It also contains a great deal of equipment, including computers. It is safe to enter without a hazmat suit and has several security measures, such as barricades to prevent Lifeforms from entering and an alarm with sound and motion sensors. A second hatch was installed that seals the Threshold at a fixed time every day.

First Area
The first area of ​​the Backrooms consists of a maze of walls covered in yellow wallpaper, brown carpets, and fluorescent lights that emit a constant hum. It can be accessed through the Threshold or by falling through a void.

Second zone (galleries)
It is found after passing through a hole or fire exit door in the first zone. It resembles the interior of a modern office building, an apartment complex, or an art gallery. The floor is wood or concrete with a wood-like appearance, and the walls are sometimes white or gray. These zones are connected by multiple parallel floors that extend for many kilometers. Outside the zone is an inner courtyard.

Third Area
It is found by passing through an opening in the wall from the first area. This area is completely dark. The wallpaper shows images of forests. There is also an image of an old building with forced perspective. The objects are common, but distorted.

Fourth Area
This area can be accessed through one of the many holes in room 14D. It is very similar to the first area, as it has the same carpet and wallpaper, but with a greener tone and dimmer lighting.

Fifth zone (underground neighborhood)
This area can be accessed by crawling through a sloping opening in the fourth zone. This location is radically different from the others, as it appears to be outdoors, with a visible night sky. Paved streets, houses, fire hydrants, sidewalks, sewer grates, trees, streetlights, and many features of a residential neighborhood abound in this zone. The area is surrounded by two dark tunnels. An unknown source of red lights shines from above, and a strange, unintelligible noise can be heard.

Sixth Area
It's located inside one of the houses in the fifth zone. It's surrounded by a brick wall, and the interior walls are blue. The room has a gray carpet, and numerous upside-down street signs protrude from it. On the other side of the room is a winding hallway that leads to an area similar to the first, but with a lighter tone.

Seventh Area
It's similar to the first area, but it has features more like a house. It may contain objects such as electrical outlets, light switches, part of a kitchen, and a coffee table with armchairs and sofas. This area is connected to other areas of the Backrooms by hallways that open into the first area, as well as a door that connects to the second. This area has painted walls without wallpaper and circular ceiling lights.

Eighth area
It's connected to a section of the first area. It's a complete real-world house that has been replicated in the Backrooms; however, it lacks furniture. The replicated house features authentic wood floors, a pale blue wall, and a railing with circular lights on the ceiling. An additional room has a yellow wall and a single large light on the ceiling. A dark hallway connected to the yellow room leads to a bedroom with a giant bed and another room with a painting and an instance of the Lifeform.

Novena
This area is connected to the seventh zone by a hole in the floor and to the first zone. This area has characteristics similar to those of a bathroom or a tiled indoor pool. The walls, floor, and ceiling are made of ceramic tiles. There are several pools of water of varying sizes, metal beams next to the pools, a metal staircase, some ceiling lights, and a lamp connected to a hole in the wall. The sound of dripping water can be heard in this area, coming from an unknown source.

Tenth area (Room 14C)
It's connected to a dark section of the first area, collectively known as Room 14C by Async. The floor is concrete and the walls are white. Because the lights are off, the area is completely dark, and visitors are forced to use a flashlight to see anything. Occasionally, fallen ceiling tiles with dangling wires can be found.

Asynchronous Research Facility
TYPE: Building
LOCATION: San Jose, California, United States
INHABITANTS: Async Employees, U.S. Government Employees

It is the only known building where the organization ASYNC operates. Besides the government and the Department of Energy, it is unknown whether any other individuals or organizations are aware of its existence.

From the outside, it looks like a large white building with dark blue windows. The Async logo is clearly visible on what is likely the building's facade.

The building has a large number of rooms and long corridors, including medical examination rooms, laboratories, generator rooms, employee locker rooms, presentation rooms, and numerous offices. An underground section of the building houses KV31, the Async division that studies the Low Proximity Magnetic Distortion System and the Complex. Async is in the process of expanding its building within the Complex (the Backrooms), having first constructed the Observation Room and then begun erecting more structures to make the complex suitable for storage, which is also its primary purpose. However, at the same time, they appear to be trying to hide or protect themselves from the dangers of the Complex (the life forms in the Backrooms), as they have temporarily walled off the area leading to Room 14D with a makeshift wall.

Null Zones
These are areas where the Backrooms and the real world connect. Objects and people from the real world (generally from random locations and dates) that fall through the floor into the Backrooms do so through Null Zones. The Low Proximity Magnetic Distortion System (Threshold) is connected to the Backrooms through a Null Zone. The idea that people and objects could enter the Backrooms through Null Zones was theorized by a scientist working for the Asynchronous Research Institute named Miller.

Other variations of Null Zones include a phenomenon discovered in backrooms. These zones are only perceptible due to elevation differences and the distortion they can cause in camera equipment. How these zones originate is unknown; the only available explanation mentions "elevation differences." One of these Null Zones, called "Null Zone 4," appears to duplicate part of an area to its left.

The word "null" means that two opposite quantities cancel each other out (like two equal waves canceling each other out), while the abbreviation "kx" likely refers to formulas related to electromagnetic field equations. Because of this, and the fact that all known individuals who managed to pass through walls in the Backrooms were using devices that emit electromagnetic waves (including cars), it has been theorized that people pass through walls when an electromagnetic wave from the real world encounters one emanating from the Backrooms in a Null Zone and cancels it out, creating a small portal through which people and objects can fall into the alternate dimension.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
TYPE: Research center
LOCATION: Oak Ridge, Tennessee

It is a research and development center of the Department of Energy. On May 10, 1982, they conducted an experiment under the supervision of Philip R. Heymann with a prototype of the Low Proximity Magnetic Distortion System, with a small marble placed at its center. Although the objectives of the experiment are unknown, it presumably failed. Apparently, Oak Ridge National Laboratory abandoned the project, and Async continued it.

Green Glow
It's a mysterious energy source that appears in the Backrooms, but very few videos and other evidence of this green light have been recorded. Its effects and origin are unknown, but it's theorized that it's the Backrooms' way of expanding. It's dangerous to be near this glow when it occurs; it often takes anyone nearby with it and disappears without a trace.

Still Life
SPECIES: Reconstructing Human Memory
These are strange entities created by the Backrooms in an attempt to recreate humans from memory. They are mysterious, often hostile, entities unique to the Backrooms. These creatures are the result of the Backrooms' replication of humans, leading to distorted imitations. The still lifes appear as strange and distorted imitations of human beings. While they generally retain a recognizable human form, their features are severely deformed, creating the impression of a person imperfectly reconstructed from memory. Their faces often display duplicated, misplaced, or fused features: multiple eyes, mouths, or noses appear in unnatural, overlapping arrangements. Individual deformities vary enormously; some entities possess repeated facial features crammed into a single area, while others display a stretched, flattened, or partially fused anatomy. Despite these profound anomalies, they frequently wear ordinary clothing and, from a distance, can easily be mistaken for real people. They are incapable of feeling pain, and their interior is composed of a white, edible, and unknown substance, similar to foam. Despite this unusual biology, their exterior is made of elements that visually resemble humans (aside from their unusual bodies), such as skin, clothing, hair, and other human characteristics.

It is theorized that the forces or powers controlling the Backrooms are unaware of the workings of human biology and, therefore, can only copy what they see: the visible parts of people. ASYNC researchers describe the Still Lifes and Backrooms in general as "describing a dog to someone who has never seen one and asking them to draw it." The still lifes appear to possess a limited level of consciousness. While the most well-known examples have displayed aggressive and hostile behavior, not all members of the species are overtly dangerous. Some have exhibited passive or non-confrontational behavior, and some individuals even show signs of fear and attempt to flee when threatened. Others appear completely inert, showing no movement or reaction to external stimuli.

Still Life entities that manifest seated have never been seen rising from their chairs. One possible explanation is that the Rear Quarters do not fully distinguish between the individual and the object they occupy during replication, resulting in a duplicate permanently fused to their chair.

The life form / Lifeform (Or the bacteria)
It is a humanoid creature (possibly a group of creatures) that inhabits the Backrooms, stalking victims who come into its presence. They are extremely hostile toward humans and have been a source of concern for the Async Research Institute in its mission to study the Backrooms.

The creature appears to "come to life" from a black, mold-like substance found in the Backrooms. It is presumed that the entities killed who is believed to be Nicolas Bolton, as evidenced by the severe tissue damage and the mutated Hay bacillus within his body. They likely also killed many other people who ended up inside the Backrooms. The origins of the creatures are a matter of debate.

It could have been in the Backrooms long before Async created the Threshold, entering through unknown means; it could have entered after the Backrooms were discovered; or it could have been the work of the Backrooms themselves, gathering deceased victims and mutating them. The life form appears to wander randomly through the Backrooms, often emitting noises that sound similar to human speech; however, it is unclear whether the creature understands the meaning of these sounds.

The Lifeform first made contact with Async after Async member Marvin E. Leigh fell into a new area of ​​the Backrooms. While exploring the ground floor, Marvin heard what sounded like a man screaming for help in the hallway and quickly turned the corner to investigate. Zooming in on the hallway, Marvin immediately realized it wasn't a person and fled. The Lifeform screamed and gave chase, but couldn't match Marvin's speed, allowing him to escape the way he had come with the help of his teammates.

Appearance and Physiology of the Lifeform
The creature seemingly lacks a defined form, but is very tall, thin, and vaguely non-humanoid in appearance, standing upright on two legs. Its limbs are very thin and rigid, yet it can still move with speed and stealth. Its arms reach the ground and it possesses long, thin, and pointed fingers, while its legs are relatively short and lack feet. A cable-like substance envelops its body and legs. Despite its appearance, the monster has demonstrated unusual strength and can easily lift a human and inflict considerable damage. During ASYNC researchers' second encounter with Lifeform, the creature hurls a chair at high speed before giving chase. The creature's intelligence is currently unknown, as it has primarily been observed pursuing humans and roaring loudly.

It also uses mimicry to lure its victims. In addition, it is an ambush hunter, stalking its victims for a long time, peeking around corners and hiding in the shadows while waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Sometimes, it gives its victims a false sense of security before stealthily approaching from behind. It is unknown whether it is capable of writing and drawing, as it is found near a message written on the wall; perhaps the creature left the message there to attract victims, but it could well be using a message left by another human as a trap, misinformation, or genuine advice, or perhaps a human left the message in a place they had seen the entity return to. While pursuing a victim, the monster makes a loud noise similar to a distorted scream or howl. Some people report hearing words like "Wait, don't go!" and "No, please!", but these are quite distorted, so it is unclear whether it is the entity itself speaking, or simply mimicking a human. It is not specified how it kills its victims, since the only body discovered to date died of malnutrition, and it has not been possible to record that it has explicitly killed anyone in the recordings they have about the creature.

The monster is a colonial organism formed by a mutated strain of Hay's bacillus (likely produced for reproduction), as this specific bacterium was found inside a corpse (Nicolas Bolton). It has been described as having a "plant-like" appearance. Its shape resembles that of a camera tripod.

LEADERS: Lawrence Altman (director) and Ivan Beck (assistant director)
LOCATION: Asynchronous Research Facility, San Jose, California

The Async Research Institute (also known as the Async Foundation or simply Async) is a research organization responsible for opening the Threshold (using the Low Proximity Magnetic Distortion System) to the Backrooms.

HISTORY
Async was originally founded in 1983 by physicist Lawrence Altman to manufacture MRI machines for hospital use. However, sometime in the 1980s, Async began experimenting to create an access point to the Backrooms, based on a prototype developed six years earlier at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The experiments, led by Deputy Director Ivan Beck, were described as a solution for all future storage and accommodation needs. At a conference in April 1988, Beck requested funding from the U.S. government to achieve this solution. The experiments continued after Async secured government funding.

By July 2, 1988, Async had developed the Low Proximity Magnetic Distortion System to open the door to the Backrooms. The third attempt to open the door failed, and information about the experiment's results was kept secret.

The sixth test, on October 17, 1989, was successful. Some kind of obstruction was detected. The experiment was not interrupted, and after the machine nearly broke down, the Threshold to the Backrooms was finally opened. However, it is believed that the opening of the Threshold triggered an earthquake that knocked out power to the entire building and caused the deaths of 63 people.

After the Threshold opened, the number of people reported missing also increased dramatically, and Async realized that portals to the Backrooms had begun to open.

The portals to the Backrooms were referred to as Null Zones by researcher Miller, in different locations without anyone knowing how to stop him.

Shortly after opening the Threshold, Async members began exploring and documenting the Backrooms. On February 2, 1990, a research team found a decomposing, moldy corpse, likely that of Nicolas Bolton. An autopsy was performed two days later. The doctor, unaware of the Backrooms' existence, was baffled by the unnatural decomposition. A mutated strain of hay bacillus was also found within the corpse. On March 1, 1990, Peter Tench, a researcher at the institute, went to investigate murmurs emanating from a corner of the Backrooms, but was apparently teleported several months into the future and became lost. Peter seemed to vanish without a trace, prompting an emergency return to the standard system and several days of fruitless searching. Unable to reveal Peter's disappearance to the public, they fabricated a story to cover it up: Peter had died, and a funeral was held in his honor.

On March 5, 1990, a video camera system was installed to detect motion and sound.

The cameras detected an indeterminate sound and a strange creature crawling across the ceiling, giving Async the first clue about the dangers of the Backrooms. Async would build the Observation Room in the Complex around the Threshold, and on March 11, he discovered several new locations within the Backrooms.

Later, on May 6, 1990, an expedition team consisting of Marvin E. Leigh, Mark, George, and Kim discovered Room 14D, a room filled with pits. While attempting to carry the camera to the other side, Marvin fell into one of the pits. There, he encountered a monster that mimicked a human voice and managed to escape with his life. The team later presented the footage to the rest of Async.

Access to Room 14D was sealed, and security measures were implemented. Between July and October 1990, scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy visited Async's headquarters to secure funding. While funding was obtained, the meeting in which Async was negotiating with the Chairman of the Department of Energy, James Watkins, was interrupted by Peter Tench, who entered the Observation Room and activated the security system after having been missing for more than two months.

On May 25, 1990, the wooden wall enclosing Room 14D was dismantled, and a reconnaissance vehicle was sent into the pits to assess whether the area was safe for further exploration. Subsequently, a team of researchers armed with shotguns proceeded to Room 14C to analyze its layout. After the area was secured, a vehicle carrying construction materials was sent to Room 14D to build a safe walkway across the room to the door on the other side.

By May 29, 1990, the walkway to Room 14D was complete, and researchers installed a metal structure and winch over the pit leading to the Underground Quarter. On June 19, 1990, Naren Warne, an Async researcher, became separated from his team and was ambushed by an unknown entity. Footage of the incident was recovered and reviewed by Async scientists.

Asynchronous hazardous materials protective suits
Async's biohazard suits are suits that Async members normally wear when they are inside the Backrooms.

Guys
There are three types of protective suits against hazardous materials.

Yellow suit
The yellow suit variant is usually worn by Async Researchers; these carry oxygen tanks and, normally, M17 gas masks inside the suit.

Green suit
The green suit is simply a green-colored version of the yellow suit; it is normally worn by Asynchronous Supervisors.

Combat suit
This is a combat variant of the suits, which offers greater flexibility compared to the others and is usually used by Mark Blume, equipped with a firearm, in the scenario where they encounter another hostile life form inside the Backrooms.

Access Card
It is a standard form of identification that Async Research Institute employees are required to wear visibly at all times while on research premises (with the apparent exception of when conducting field research in the Backrooms due to the use of hazmat suits). The access card displays the Async logo, the employee's name, a close-up photograph, the issue date, the expiration date, and the employee's authorization level. It is presumed that employee access cards are equipped with a magnetic strip containing embedded employee information, granting access to specific areas of the facility based on their respective authorization levels.

Ranges
Level 1: Employee
Level 2: Low-class scientist
Level 3: Main Explorer
Level 4: Firearms Handling
Level 5: Engineer
Level 6: Lower Class Supervisor
Level 7: High-level scientist
Level 8: Middle-class supervisor
Level 9: Full Authorization

Rover
It is a small, unmanned ground vehicle used by Async. On May 25, 1990, a group of Async employees used the Rover to check whether the path to room 14D was safe.

Remington 870
It is an offensive weapon used by the Async Research Institute by specialized members, particularly after Marvin E. Leigh's encounter with the Life Form

Low Proximity Magnetic Distortion System (also known as the Threshold, the Machine, or the Gate)
It is a device used by the Async Research Institute as a portal between the real world and the Backrooms (also known as Corridors or the Complex). The device works by harnessing the Null Zones of the Backrooms, which, according to Async theory, are natural connections between the Backrooms and reality. The mathematical and material foundations of the Threshold date back to August 2, 1972. At that time, scientific advisor Ivan Beck conducted experiments with tellurium-doped glass compositions to manipulate dielectric constants and loss tangents in the frequency range of 0.5 to 0.767 GHz. During a powerful solar storm, this high-flux experiment overloaded, generating a violent green glow and localized spatial distortion, believed to be the first interaction with the Null Zones and establishing a precedent for the scientific framework necessary to open the Threshold.

Caveman cutouts
It's a cardboard cutout with an intercom speaker. These cutouts feature a speaker that plays greetings in 55 languages ​​from Voyager 1. They are also connected to a mechanism that triggers a gas leak. Async uses this to attract entities; these entities would be drawn to the sound and would most likely destroy the cutouts, triggering a gas leak, causing them to faint, and potentially allowing Async to use them for research.

Lawrence Altman
Founder and director of the Async Research Institute.

Ivan Beck
Deputy Director of the Async Research Institute, responsible for proposing the idea of ​​the Backrooms and overseeing all KV31 projects.

Kirk Maxwell
A high-ranking member of Async (with full authorization). He managed to disarm Peter Tench (although he fired some shots into the ceiling) before Peter boarded the elevator in the maintenance wing and died.

Anthony Dawkins
Another high-ranking member of Async (with Level 09 clearance). He meets with Marvin and the other researchers when they return with the Lifeform images.

Clyde
A key member of Async who reviews the recordings Marvin E. Leigh made in Pitfalls. He also helps the Reunion teams inspect Room 14D with a scout vehicle and construct a walkway to bypass the room's traps.

Mark Blume
Member of Marvin's exploration teams. Successfully crossed the pits in Room 14D and through the door in Pitfalls. Peter Tench shot him with his own shotgun while he was analyzing the layout of Room 14C, leaving him in critical condition. He is still recovering.

Marvin E. Leigh
Async cameraman. While exploring with a team, he fell into one of the traps in room 14D and became the first researcher to record an encounter with the Life Form, on May 6, 1990.

George Levy
Cameraman for Async. He was part of several of Marvin's expedition teams, including those for Informational Video and Pitfalls. He was the cameraman for Static Dead End, where he filmed the area behind the door of room 14D, where he discovered a room with objects fused to the walls and floor.

Randall Tachi
An investigator who worked with Mark and Marvin to conduct an analysis of the layout of room 14C.

Peter Tench
A former researcher and cameraman for Async, Tench became separated from his exploration team on March 1, 1990, due to time travel that transported him two months into the future, to May 8, 1990. During those two months, Async faked Tench's death to conceal his disappearance and provide comfort to his family, resulting in him remaining at Async's underground facility until he fled back to the Complex due to a supposed mental breakdown. Mark Blume then found him. After taking his shotgun, he mortally wounded Tench and escaped the facility armed. However, before leaving, Kirk Maxwell disarmed him. Once outside, Tench failed to anticipate a sudden drop, falling onto a rock and presumably dying.

Kim
A researcher who was part of Marvin's exploration team in Pitfalls. Later, she helps the A-Team build a walkway over the shafts in Room 14D. Just four days later, she also assists George as he explores a new section of the Complex.

Phil
He is a scientist at the Async Research Institute and an investigator of the Backrooms. Phil is part of the Async team of scientists who are examining recovered footage of Naren Warne, an investigator who gets lost in the Backrooms and is killed by Still Life.

No one knows that ASYNC is responsible for opening the portals to the Backrooms. The ASYNC agency is very careful about the information it shares with the public. They'll pretend everything is fine while they resolve the problems the Backrooms are bringing them.

Despite the number of humans who accidentally enter the Backrooms, ASYNC hasn't encountered any while investigating them. Missing humans are first found by the dead or by other life forms, or perhaps they remain lost within. But once a human enters the Backrooms, they may never leave. It's equally unlikely that one human will encounter another within the Backrooms. They tend to appear in areas widely separated from one another.

The life form, upon capturing humans, takes their clothing and stores it in its own room. It is unknown what it does with the human bodies. ASYNC has found almost no remains of them.

Backrooms often feature rooms furnished with furniture. But while many pieces look normal, some are distorted or even extend through the walls. There are even pieces that are abnormally long. These items are concentrated in certain areas that simulate a house or a room, while the rest is completely empty.

The Backrooms are generally very quiet, except for the sound of the lights on the ceiling.