The Living Grave

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==Description==
The Living Grave, or "The Mass", as some people have begun to call it, is a recently discovered entity residing within Level 10.4, in which it appears to have repurposed a cellar into a nest of sorts. With any remaining structures of the original cellar being quite scarce. While the M.E.G.'s knowledge of this entity is still limited, we will do our best to continue research on The Living Grave in order to inform and educate wanderers about this strange, new creature in order to ensure their safety and security.
Given what little information we possess regarding The Living Grave, it seems that this entity could be best compared to siphonophores, deep sea creatures found in The Frontrooms that are made up of various organisms that work together to form one cohesive unit. The entity seems to be mostly comprised of various terrestrial animals found in The Frontrooms, which could provide a potential explanation for why it seemed for a time that only humans were capable of noclipping into The Backrooms. These animals have merged into a shapeless, graying mass connected by a network of large nerves and muscles. While the reason for all animals that noclip into The Backrooms to seemingly end up merging with The Living Grave is unknown, there is a likelihood that the entity possesses some form of influence on other levels outside of its own, luring animals into its habitat in order for them to assimilate with The Living Grave, though this only remains as speculation for the time being. 
== Behavior==
The Living Grave seems to spend most of each day in a relatively inactive state, lying dormant and unmoving. Though it's a quite frequent occurrence for one or more of the individual animals that make up The Living Grave to begin moving around sporadically in what seems to be an attempt to escape, this means that the animals that make up The Living Grave are not content with being part of the entity. If enough animals make attempts to escape in unison, The Living Grave will seemingly wake up, or at the very least become agitated, as the entire mass begins to shake and thrash about, while a low-pitched growling can be heard reverberating throughout the cellar and surrounding fields of Level 10.4. Despite all of this, The Living Grave seems to pose little to no danger, though a lack of extensive information on the entity and its behavior could disprove this claim. While researchers are still unclear on whether or not The Living Grave can be considered a threat to wanderers, it is assumed that the entity, due to its deformed nature, is unable to attack or defend itself effectively enough to pose a significant threat to any would-be aggressors. Though it is important to keep in mind that this is merely a thesis and that further research will have to be carried out in order to either confirm or disprove this theory.
== Biology==
The Living Grave, as stated previously, appears to comprise a group of shapeless masses made up of various animals that can typically be found throughout The Frontrooms. Each of these masses seems to be connected to each other by a series of muscles and nerves, which are enveloped by a thin, semi-clear tissue. While the animals that make up The Living Grave widely vary, it should be noted that a vast majority of the animals are terrestrial, and that The Living Grave seems to be devoid of insects, arachnids, mollusks, or terrestrial crustaceans. The skin of The Living Grave consists of shades of mottled gray, covered in bruises and scar tissue. The largest mass, which is located in the center of the series of masses that make up The Living Grave seems to be the so-called "progenitor" of this entity, with a large, orange growth making up a majority of the masses' surface matter. On occasion, a series of orange lights can be seen emanating from the progenitor and traveling throughout the masses; this is most likely a series of brain signals being sent throughout the entities' nervous system, visible in real time. Researchers are currently uncertain about how The Living Grave sustains itself; some theorize that the entity amputates and kills certain sections of itself in order to use its amputated bodily part as a way to sustain itself. Another theory predicts that The Living Grave manages to manipulate other entities in the same way it manipulates animals, luring them into its domain in order to use them for sustenance. The third theory that has come into consideration states that the entity has a metabolism slow enough for it to go for extended periods of time without nutrients. This third hypothesis has seemingly been proven true, as recent analysis of the creature carried out on January 14th, 2023, has shown that The Living Grave is capable of shutting its metabolism down for a brief period of time without showing any signs of lethargy, which is what most living organisms would experience if the same thing were to happen to them. As a result, scientists are beginning to lean towards the idea that "the The Living Grave has adapted to go without nutrients for long periods of time.
== Discovery==
The Living Grave was discovered relatively recently, as of the making of this documentation. It was first found by a team of M.E.G. scientists on October 17th, 2022, via the use of a surveillance drone during an expedition in Level 10.4. In a routine analysis to observe and attempt to find any signs of patterns within the level's weather. Five hours into the expedition, scientists were alerted by what sounded like a cacophony of wails and growls emanating from a nearby house. Intrigued, the research team made the decision to temporarily abandon the current task at hand in order to find the source of the noises. Upon entering the house's cellar, the scientists were more than surprised to realize that they had found a previously undocumented entity, which appeared to have taken up residency within the cellar. Having destroyed a large majority of the room in order to expand it and accommodate the entity's large size. Upon the expedition's completion, the team of scientists reported their discovery to higher-ups. An hour after the report was made, a data entry for The Living Grave was recorded, with the entity's name being given by Dr. Kelly Berta, the head researcher of the expedition team that discovered Entity 473. Documentation and research involving this entity are still ongoing as of now, with scientists feeling confident in saying that they will have expansive data on The Living Grave by at least 2024.
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> Open Author & Licensing Information > Close Author & Licensing Information Author: SentientBurger
Peer Reviewed by; ALwaysWand3ringg, OGominho
Image(s): Sourced from stable diffusion 1.0
Category:Entities
Category:Dangerous