Bunker

Site Main Entrance

A subterranean complex on the outskirts of The Darkwood AOI, The Bunker is also the current home of Richard Paris Lemming. A one-time research outpost for the U.S government, the site was abandoned and struck from all records following a catastrophic disaster.

## History

In the midst of the cold war with Russia, U.S government interest into parascience was at an all-time high. Early satellite mapping programs revealed a region of the earth which defied all attempts at explanation—The Darkwood Bog. Manned expeditions into this area came back maimed, irradiated, or transformed beyond recognition if they came back at all.

One of the final expeditions, experimentally outfitted with silver chainmail, richly adorned with runes and wards, and armed only with flamethrowers and m60 machine guns was instructed to go as deep as possible and recover whatever they could. Only one man returned after a span of 33 minutes had elapsed. According to the survivor over 3 months had passed within The Bog in the same amount of time.

Shortly after the survivor was brought back, an unspecified event occurred within the bunker. This event would cause the government to abandon it completely, labeling it a “catastrophic loss of life and assets.”

### The Survivor

The Survivor returned wearing only their dog tags and a heavily-soiled diaper. The name on the tags, *Jace Spincter* [sic], did not match any members of the original team, but was nominally similar to *Jacob Spencer*, who was part of the party. The survivor was also only passingly similar in appearance to Jacob Spencer, further confusing research teams about his origin.

The only other item in the survivor's possession was a peculiar edged weapon made of golden metal and a translucent crystal.

### The Event

Not long after testing commenced on the objects returned to the Bunker, a poorly understood catastrophe occurred within the complex. The results of the event were manyfold, so confounding were some that they defied categorization completely. The entire structure seemed to have been altered at its most basic level, twisted and reshaped, made into something new and filled with terrifying anomalies. Whatever truly happened may be unclear, but it caused the U.S. government to cease all operations in The Darkwood.

## The Bunker

The Bunker is a labyrinthine complex notable for its variable geometry and deadly anomalies. One may move through the corridors of The Bunker Normally, however it is typically impossible to retrace one's steps and return the same way they came. The Bunker cannot be mapped in anyway, and the space of the original floor plan does not in any way accommodate the massive scale of the complex in its current state. Doors often lead to rooms or additionally hallways with increasingly perilous pitfalls and anomalies lurking within them. Areas and rooms from the original Bunker may be located through trial and error exploration, these areas are typically safe, however they will often exit into even more confounding spaces.

As a rule of thumb, The Bunker should be considered more and more dangerous the longer an individual travels through it. Time spent within a static location doesn't seem to affect this rule, unless something happens to be hunting an individual, however the more distance covered within the Bunker will bring a person in contact with increasingly perilous situations.

The one area of the Bunker which is known to remain almost completely static is the entrance area just past the main door. This space will not change and can be considered a safe area. Additionally, no anomalies from deeper within the complex will a follow a person to this area, or for that matter, outside of the Bunker; this includes sapient organisms dwelling inside The Bunker.

## Landmarks and Common Anomalies

The following list outlines some common landmarks and sightings which may be seen during a normal exploration.

* Orbs of white light traveling slowly through the hallways.
* Rapidly approaching footsteps with no discernible source.
* A snake coiled around a chessboard that is one move away from checkmate.
* The distinct sensation that you are physically in two or more places at once.
* A ringing phone with a cut cable.
* An ashtray with a freshly lit cigarette in it.
* A lavish smoking room with a lit fireplace. The room contains a globe which looks nothing like Earth.
* A room where the constituent chemical elements that make up a human-being are laid out on tables in jars and bottles.
* A hollow metal sphere about 3 meters in diameter, something or someone inside communicates frantically in Morse code.
* A hospital circa 1977, the sheets on all the beds are pulled completely over what looks like people, all the rooms are all locked, however.
* A contemporary child's bedroom, everything inside is made out of a single solid piece of hard rubber.
* A glass menagerie which rearranges itself differently every time it is looked at.
* A wooden sculpture of a horse, its chest moves as if it were breathing.
* A large machine which constantly prints out the thoughts of anyone nearby on a dot-matrix printer.
* A pool of black fluid which drips upwards and pools on the ceiling.
* Numerous drink machines offering cans of "Trexifam b3.3.0," "HighDeal Rewind," and "Languid Spark!" None of which will accept any money or dispense anything.
* Several complete human circulatory systems, including beating hearts, frozen in running poses. Another circulatory system, larger and arranged differently, appears to give chase.
* Curious spiders.
* Angsty scorpions.
* A restaurant named "Groton Rambsies Spagoop House." The building appears recently vacated. Plates of warm spaghetti are arranged on every table.
* Elaborate laboratory and medical facility. Several deceased US GIs and a handful of military researchers circa 1980 are in various states of dissection on a series of metal examination tables. The view outside a window reveals a red sky with black clouds.
* A contemporary Denny's restaurant. Exiting the restaurant reveals its location to be a randomly selected Denny's within 500 miles of the Bunker itself.
* A market. The only attended stall is run by a merchant selling m16 rifles, BDUs, MREs, and other military surplus. The merchant's body is obscured by a thick coat and an elaborate gas-mask, however they do not appear completely humanoid.

In addition to the variable landmarks within The Bunker, several of the original rooms can still be accessed.

* Breakroom - coffee is hot and fridge is ajar each time the room is entered. Chairs are knocked over as if personnel left in a hurry.
* Armory - appears ransacked, supplies and weapons have been removed in large numbers.
* Barracks - rows of beds are all vacant. some of the personal lockers have been opened but the room is largely unmolested.
* Control Center - some of the chairs are stained a dark red color.
* Test Chambers 1-10 - all chambers are vacant except for chamber 1. In chamber 1, a translucent crystal is sitting on a pedestal surrounding by several corpses wearing lab coats. The bodies do not decay, however all of them are missing hearts.

There are a number of entities which stalk the hallways of The Bunker, ostensibly searching for prey or playthings.

* The White Wolves - large *Canis lupus* with stark white coats. the wolves hunt in packs and seem to have a symbiotic relationship with a species of luminescent fungus on the walls of certain areas.
* The Ossodidact - Skeletal entity in the rough shape of a large bipedal reptilian. The entity's bones are all etched with gilded runes. The Ossodidact will speak an unknown language while hunting its prey, its voice carries through any medium and does not echo. If the Ossodidact touches an organism with an endoskeleton their flesh will melt away completely, leaving their skeleton frozen in place. These secondary entities will typically remain in place, but can often be seen shambling just out of sight or dashing around corners. Their presence often signals the arrival of the Ossodidact.
* Ceph - A semi-aquatic organism, Ceph is a sapient cephalopod. Ceph's main body is rarely seen by survivors, as it will typically hunt using its numerous tentacles.
* Katie Coltrane - Whoopie Goldberg's character from the 1995 film *Theodore Rex*. Katie Coltrane will wander aimlessly and ask for help. If a victim chooses to help Katie they will invariably find themselves at a screening of the film *Theodore Rex*, after which they will always kill themselves.

## Current Residents

Currently, Richard Lemming resides in the Bunker. Somehow Richard is able to weather the reality-twisting properties of The Bunker, entering and exiting at will.