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U.E.C. Files Loaded! (7) files found linked to keywords "Frost Boars" and "Project Erymanthian"
Flagged as: "Project Erymanthian"
PROJECT CERBERUS OUTLINE
PURPOSE
Project Cerberus is the primary purpose of the Coalition's Cerberus Research Facility, Level 8, and the reason said facility was founded. The goal of Project Cerberus is to study, create, explain, repurpose, or otherwise control the arcane glyphs of the now-defunct Third Grand Archdiocese of the Cult of the Veiled. This is so that when the international ban on arcane glyphs fails — which it inevitably will at some point — the U.E.C. is not hopelessly outmatched in the ensuing chaos.
Due to the sensitive nature of this project, all records relating to it are heavily classified. No individuals are allowed to know of this project's existence, with the exception of the Hands of Athena, and Cerberus Facility staff.
OPERATION
Research of arcane glyphs requires 3 key components.
The first of these is the glyphs themselves, so that our scientists have something to base their research on. These are sourced from the territory the Cerberus Facility already occupies, which was formerly used by the Veiled, and transported to relevant areas by on-site collectors.
The second is raw material, which is needed due to the heavy costs associated with arcane glyph magic. Raw material was originally supplied from Level 3, but in 2033 the U.E.C. switched the source of choice to Level 159, due to the greater variety of present phenotypes. The raw material is transported back to Level 8 through Level 11, which presents difficulty due to the public nature of the level.
The third is time and effort. The odds of an experiment concluding anything useful is incredibly slim, so a massive amount of trial and error is needed to isolate the function of even the simplest glyph.
HISTORY
Project Cereberus was founded in 2023, the year of the Cerberus Research Facility's construction, and has been gaining increasing significance ever since. Initially considered a minor endeavour, little progress was made during the first 10 years of the project's existence, due to a combination of minimal funding, limited territory, and arcane glyph complexity.
This, however, changed in 2033, when an increasing focus on technological and military developments brought the then-under-performing program into the forefront of U.E.C. minds. The Coalition heavily focused on land expansion during that year, and the Cerberus Research Facility became an exemplar of how this would be ideally conducted: covertly expanding into then-unclaimed territory, outside the purview of any major groups. Additionally, an uptick in both U.E.C. population and military capacity allowed for the project to run increasingly unconstrained, creating the impressive depth seen today.
Since 2039, the U.E.C. has developed a full methodology relating to the deconstruction of arcane glyphs; despite the necessity of trial and error, the function of arcane glyphs under U.E.C. control is still deducible with a degree of certainty not seen by any other modern group.
In the modern day, Project Cerberus functions as a critical safety net for the Coalition at large, ensuring our continued survival in the lawless wastes the Backrooms is tending towards. Funding from the Hands of Athena continues to be poured into the project due to its reliability at isolating glyph function, and the unmatched efficacy that such isolated glyphs provide.
PROJECTIONS
Project Cereberus is currently not believed to be able to supply glyph magic at a rate fast enough to keep up with U.E.C. demand. This is problematic, as the ban on arcane glyphs is not expected to survive the encroaching wars that we now face. It is imperative that the U.E.C. increases the production of Project Cerberus by any means necessary.
Currently, the most significant bottleneck is raw material transportation. The fact that raw material needs to be taken through Level 11 means that the rate at which deliveries can be made is heavily limited; too much movement in too short a time is guaranteed to attract unwanted attention. Despite a multitude of attempts, no method has thus far been found to allow the movement of goods from Level 159 to Level 8 at sufficient speed and shipment size for U.E.C. purposes. Any discoveries made on this front should be reported to the Hand of Athena immediately.
Flagged as: "Project Erymanthian"
To whom it may concern,
Your request for information has been approved by the Repository; we have something on file that may help with your current predicament.
You know the drill by this point. Bring the payment to the agreed spot on the 11th of this month, and a Hand of Trade will meet with you to finalise the transaction.
Note that the information given may require additional steps to be taken by your organisation for application to be feasible. We will not aid you in these processes; you're on your own the moment you receive the documents.
We again thank you for working with us. We hope this deal may help to mend the straining our relationship has seen in recent years.
— The Eternal Repository
Finding the forgotten, forging the found
Flagged as: "Frost Boars", "Project Erymanthian"
PROJECT ERYMANTHIAN PROPOSAL
PRELIMINARIES
A recent trade deal with the Eternal Repository has led to the Coalition gaining exclusive knowledge relating to Entity 456, the so-called "Frost Boar". From what we have found, a small — but not insignificant — proportion of Frost Boar tunnels contain stable no-clip points to other liminal-acrtic levels. Moreover, empirical observations seem to indicate that all levels containing Frost Boars feature such tunnels, and this is likely the main mechanism through which the entity spreads. Consequently, understanding and using these tunnels may allow the Coalition to spread across liminal-arctic levels in much the same fashion: efficiently and with minimal disruptions from outside forces.
Through the implantation of a combination of 11-D tracking beacons and cameras, this range of levels has been mapped out to a substantial degree, much more so than the minimal connection information the Repository provided. The diagram of levels is attached below:
Diagram of level connections that Entity 456 uses.
Notably, X, Y, and Z appear to be newly discovered levels, resembling a walk-in freezer, Finnish taiga, and frozen lake respectively. Whilst fascinating finds in and of themselves, they are not the main focus of this project proposal, and thus further detail will not be provided.
PROPOSAL
The purpose of Project Erymanthian is to utilise these Entity 456 tunnels to allow for the transport of raw materials from Level 159 to Level 8 in a fashion superior to all currently used methods, both in terms of shipment size and delivery times. This will greatly boost the productivity of Project Cerberus, and allow to Coalition to gain a virtual monopoly on arcane glyph magic in the approaching war.
The proposed method to do this is to change the logistics route used. Rather than going via the more traditional Level 11 pathway, project Erymanthian instead aims to use an entirely novel route, which is detailed below:
Proposed route follows the green arrows.
A full shipment of raw material will follow a path comparable to the following:
- Collection from Level 159 by a covert U.E.C. team.
- Transport through an Entity 456 burrow (see next section) by said team.
- Movement across Levels 70 and 859 by conventional means. Despite human presence existing on both levels, the population density is so small that paths going nowhere near human settlements can easily be made.
- Delivery into The Cerberus Research Facility.
This entire process is estimated to take roughly 4 days to complete: substantially faster than baseline routes. Moreover, the minimal human contact of the route means that shipments can be both larger and more frequent; it is estimated that Project Erymanthian may increase the raw material flowing into the Cerberus Research Facility by upwards of a factor of five.
CHALLENGES, COSTS, AND REQUESTS
The dominant cost of Project Erymanthian is believed to be the movement of raw material through the Entity 456 tunnels. Due to the aggressive and territorial nature of Frost Boars, goods cannot be moved through such a level connection so long as any Frost Boars are alive. For this reason, the proposers of this project request that the U.E.C. permanently occupy the burrow connecting Levels 70 and 159, exterminating the entities therein and establishing a covert base from which to operate. This base may also serve the secondary function of providing a respite for U.E.C. members conducting raw material extraction in Level 159. A plan of attack for such an occupation has already been drafted, and is available in the attached supplementary materials.
A secondary concern is that the Cerberus Research Facility may be ill-equipped to handle the uptick in raw material inflow. Indeed, Project Erymanthian might cause raw material to no longer be the limiting factor when it comes to Project Cerberus. This challenge may be handled by increasing both the scope and personnel size of the Cerberus Research Facility: 2 concepts which are already being looked into.
Finally, the natural scent of unoccupied burrows may attract opportunistic squalls towards the keystone 70-159 tunnel, putting the U.E.C. members present at risk. Accordingly, a request for a small permanent militia to be housed at the aforementioned forward operating base has been filed. These militia personnel will be equipped with incendiary weapons, to make use of Entity 456's natural aversion to fire.
STATUS
APPROVED
Flagged as: "Frost Boars", "Project Erymanthian"
PROJECT ERYMANTHIAN STATUS REPORT
REPORT
Project Erymanthian appears to be functioning well within expected tolerances when it comes to both time and budget; only 2 important issues have been found regarding the implementation of the proposal (see below). The 70-159 tunnel is secured and the occupying entities thoroughly eradicated. The surplus meat from this extermination is being used to feed the on-site staff, which have noted minimal disruptions to their work. Multiple deliveries of raw material have already been sent, and are on-route as of writing. The first of these is due to arrive on March 19th.
The militia proclaims minimal Entity 456 reclamation efforts, most of which consist of wandering male ambushes which are easily dealt with. 1 recorded squall attack has occurred, but no casualties came as a result. Firesalt expenditure currently remains below expected consumption. It is worth noting that two-thirds of the boar encounters reported thus far occurred after the squall offensive, implying that the scent the squall leaves behind may attract more unwanted attention.
CURRENT ISSUES
ISSUE
The Cerberus Research Facility still does not possess enough glyphs to keep up with both U.E.C. demand, and raw material imports. It is necessary that more Veiled artifacts are acquired.
RESPONSE
A U.E.C. regiment has already been assembled in the Cerberus Research Facility, with the purpose of occupying the nearby former-archdiocese outpost. In light of the realisation of the inadequacy of the M.E.G.'s defences in Level 8, this occupation will be both swift and temporary: The Coalition will intrude, gather as many glyphs as possible, and then retreat when minimal resistance is supplied. All retrieved glyphs are to be taken directly to the heart of the Cerberus Research Facility.
ISSUE
Each squall that attacks the forward operating base leaves a strong scent behind. Whilst entity attacks remain minimal for now, U.E.C. zoologists suspect that a sharp increase in raids may begin to show soon.
RESPONSE
Militia is to be increased in both numbers and offensive capabilities. Proactive attempts to remove nearby squalls before they can pose a threat should be encouraged. The materials gathered from these exterminations should be relegated to internal U.E.C. use only, to avoid arising suspicion.
Flagged as: "Project Erymanthian"
LOG OF ISOLATED GLYPHS
FOREWORD
Due to the incredible success of Project Erymanthian, the Coalition has been able to isolate the function and purpose of 3 additional arcane glyphs, an unprecedented number in such a short time. These are detailed below.
Glyph #1, isolated
Usage: To accelerate the wretched cycle.
Glyph #2, isolated
Usage: To drastically improve both organisational skills and heat/fire tolerance.
Glyph #3, isolated
Usage: To promote growth of crawler fungus.
Efforts to isolate additional glyphs are under way.
Flagged as: "Project Erymanthian"
PROJECT ERYMANTHIAN STATUS REPORT
REPORT
From a strictly numerical perspective, project Erymanthian is doing swimmingly, and the recent isolation of 3 new arcane glyphs demonstrates this. Raw material is being supplied at an ever-increasing rate, and the recent pushback against our Level 8 expansions is little more than a speed bump on project Cerberus' journey. Great movements are ahead.
However, qualitatively, many troubles plague the growing project. Chief among these is a miscalculation of the population distribution of Level 70: we have been spotted. Whilst this is problematic, all hope is not lost, as the watchers appear to be willing to negotiate (see below). This is not the only issue we face as well; a multitude of problems threaten to spiral project Erymanthian well beyond our control. We need to act now to wrestle the beast we have created, and keep it productive.
CURRENT ISSUES
ISSUE
On 2043-04-10, one of our shipments passing through Level 70 was spotted by a small group of 3 wanderers, who were able to escape into the snow before U.E.C. intervention could occur. Since then, our 70-159 base has received letters from the minor group known as the Carnifices of Gelu. The Carnifices, a minor faction on Level 70, deeply resent the Froidetownite government, which is a close ally of the M.E.G. The Carnifices reportedly want to aid in our mission against the M.E.G., and are willing to refrain from releasing the incriminating information if we provide them with arcane glyphs.1 This issue is a thorny one, as we are uncertain of the trustworthiness of the Carnifices; they may inform the M.E.G. regardless of what we do.
RESPONSE
U.E.C. spy networks are already working to install moles within the Carnifices, but this may take some time. As of now, a few minor glyphs will be revealed to them, to keep them complacent. It is very unlikely they'll go to the M.E.G. once they're aware of a fraction of the capabilities we have: they have an informational advantage, but we have a military advantage, a military advantage I doubt they want to face head-on.
ISSUE
Increasing Hound abundance in the area surrounding the 70-159 operating base, assumed to be a consequence of the extermination of the local Frost Boar population.
RESPONSE
Increased militarisation of the 70-159 base, to defend against Hound attacks. Whilst reintroduction and preservation of local Frost Boar squalls is ideal, securing the base is currently still our top priority, and such programs run counter to this motive.
ISSUE
Destruction of local Frost Boar populations may allow external groups to infer the existence of the 70-159 base, should the population density of Frost Boars be mapped. Indeed this is very likely to happen, given the ecological consequences of Frost Boar decline.
RESPONSE
The preemptive extermination of Frost Boars is to be expanded in the area it covers. Since it takes little effort to destabilise Frost Boar populations, we can leave red herrings that suggest the Frost Boar population collapse is not localised to this specific area.
ISSUE
Ethical concerns regarding the practicing of arcane glyph magic, and the treatment of raw material and Entity 456 as a part of Project Erymanthian.
RESPONSE
See attached note.
NOTICE TO U.E.C. MEMBERS PART OF PROJECTS ERYMANTHIAN AND CERBERUS
I understand your apprehension towards arcane glyph magic. It is not a nice phenomenon after all. But what it is, is necessary.
Someone has to be the master of arcane glyph magic. That someone was the Cult of the Veiled for a very, very long time, but that's not the case anymore. There's a power vacuum where they once were, and nature abhors a vacuum. If we're not the ones using glyphs, then who is? The B.N.T.G., with their money-hungry mercenaries, is who. The Eternal Repository, on their mad quest for informational dominance, is who. The M.E.G., with their barely-functional stumbling non-democracy, is who. All of the criminal syndicates, gangs, thieves, and murderers, is who.
There is no path forward other than for us, and only us, to become the monopolists. Look around you. Turn on the news. Are you really so childish as to think the ban on glyphs will last? The M.E.G., of all groups, spearheading the removal of Veiled technology? It's ridiculous. The genie is out of the bottle, and someone has to make the wish. Let's make it be us.
And as for the hogs and raw material? Well, they're entities. You'd be surprised at how many shots fired are in self-defense. If you'd like to know more about that, I'm more than willing to reassign you to the 70-159 base, so you can see firsthand. I doubt many of you will take me up on that offer though.
— Commander Watts
Flagged as: "Frost Boars", "Project Erymanthian"
INCIDENT REPORT
Date and Time of Incident: 2043-07-28T15:31+BKR — 2043-07-28T20:22+BKR
Location of Incident: 70-159 forward operating base.
Timeline of incident is attached below.
[Pre-Incident Conditions]: Production was occurring ahead of schedule and under budget on 2043-07-28, with regards to project Erymanthian. A third shipment of raw material had arrived at the 70-159 base at 14:57, which was being held temporarily in a chamber within the base. 32 U.E.C. armed guards were present: 16 at each exit of the complex.
Besides a lack of Frost Boar attacks in the preceding week, no early signs of the ambush that would occur on this day has been found.
[15:31]: Guards on the 70 side of the 70-159 base report an extremely large quantity of Frost Boars approaching from the horizon. Easily made of at least 80 entities, the guards quickly move to fortify their current position and prepare for engagement.
[15:32]: The 456 battalion all simultaneously charge towards the entrance. Despite the large size of the horde, all entities appear to move in perfect unison; no instance is observed to tumble, or trip over a companion's hooves. Confronted with this overwhelming force, the guards retreat to within the facility, closing the steel outer door for protection.
[15:33]: The mob of boars reaches the door, and immediately forms an orderly queue. The entity at the front of the queue rams the door full speed with its tusks, then moves to the back of the line. The new boar at the front of the queue then repeats this process, followed by the next hog, and the next, and so on. This co-ordination causes a large amount of force to be continuously applied to the door, threatening to break it.
[15:34]: The guards deploy a pyroil-based incendiary weapon from inside the base. This — inexplicably — has no effect: the ice and snow melts around the hooves of the entities, but does not damage their bodies even slightly.
Alarm has already been raised inside the base, as guards from the 159 side of the base rush to aid those on the 70 side.
[15:34]: A second horde of Frost Boars is spotted on the 159 side of the base. Due to the speed of the mob, evacuation is deemed impossible; the door on the 159 side is closed, effectively causing the base to become under siege.
[15:35]: Efforts are made to reinforce both doors. Contemporaneously, non-combatant occupants of the base attempt to contact the U.E.C. at large via Wi-Fi communication to Thebes, Level 11.
[15:39]: First sign of denting appears on both doors. Internal barricades begin being constructed.
Contact with Thebes is established. An emergency coalition regiment begins being established from available forces to handle the ongoing crisis.
[15:41]: First confirmed Frost Boar kill. Conducted via traditional (non-incendiary) weaponry on the 159 side of the base. Upon realising that the attacking Frost Boars are not — in fact — invincible, U.E.C. members begin to arm themselves for when the doors break.
[15:42-16:08]: Over the next half an hour or so, members of the 70-159 base reinforce and barricade off almost every sufficiently narrow corridor in the premises. Additional attempts are made to dispatch the intruding Frost Boars, many of which are successful in eliminating a few threats. However, progress is stymied due to the majority of weapons on-site being incendiary in nature and thus useless. Moreover, many of the boars outside the base seem to dodge projectiles launched at unusually high rates, suggesting improved reaction speeds.
Meanwhile, the emergency force is both established in, and dispatched from, Thebes. Due to the severity of the current situation, use of both a Level key and an 11-D tracking beacon is authorised. Despite these measures, it is expected to take 4 hours for the U.E.C. reinforcements to reach the 70-159 base.
[16:09]: The door on the 70 side of the base is breached. U.E.C. guards engage with the encroaching Frost Boars, whilst the rest of the force retreats further into the base.
[16:15]: Given the intense danger of the situation, paired with the knowledge of U.E.C. backup's imminent arrival, the decision is made in the 70-159 base to abandon the majority of the base. All resources are moved and stockpiled into a single set of 3 interconnected chambers (henceforth referred to as the defensible zone) which posses just a single entry point. It is believed this bottleneck will prevent the Frost Boars from utilising their overwhelming numbers advantage, as the entrance is only large enough for ~2 boars to fit through at a time.
[16:20]: All relevant materials have been moved to the defensible zone. U.E.C. personnel prepare for the incoming attack.
[16:22]: On the 70 side of the base, all barricades blocking access to the central chambers have been destroyed. Rather than immediately destroying much of the base, the boar horde fractures into multiple divisions, each scouting and securing different chambers.
[16:23]: The 159 side outermost door is breached.
[16:30]: The long tunnel connecting the 70 and 159 sides of the base is secured, establishing contact between the 2 hordes.
[16:31]: The hidden U.E.C. members are found, presumably by scent. The Frost Boars begin to attempt to break into the defensible zone.
[16:32-20:10]: Over the next 3 and a half hours, the conflict reaches an impassable deadlock. The Frost Boars find that overcoming the barricade to access the defensible zone is impossible, and the base personnel find that retaliating against the Frost Boar horde is also impossible. Subsequently, both sides simply remain as is: the U.E.C. members plan an evacuation strategy for when the emergency reinforcements arrive; the Frost Boar horde completely dissolves, with individual boars beginning to revert most of the changes the coalition has made to the burrows. In particular most cameras are destroyed during this period, so the actions of the Frost Boars form this point onwards is mostly an enigma.
It is believed the raw material escaped some time during this period. The whereabouts of the material is not definitively known, but it is presumed eaten by the boars.
Meanwhile, the approaching U.E.C. regiment plans their attack on the boars. Reclaiming the base is ruled out almost immediately: doing so would require killing well over 150 boars, impossible given the possessed manpower. Instead, the decision is made to make the operation a rescue mission: the goal is to save the trapped personnel. This is decided to be done via Level Key.
[20:11]: The coalition reinforcements arrive, splitting into 2 divisions. The first begins constructing a makeshift barrier to plug the entrance to the base. The second moves inward, attempting to reach the defensible zone as quickly as possible.
[20:12-20:17]: The U.E.C. regiment comes under heavy Frost Boar attack, however due to the speed of the operation, paired with the size of the burrow, a mass horde capable of overpowering the coalition forces never reforms.
[20:18]: The Level Key is deposited through the bottleneck, and into the defensible zone. The U.E.C. regiment begins to retreat, whilst being attacked by ever-larger and more ferocious Entity 456 collections.
[20:19]: Base personnel begin to use the installed doors within the defensible zone, paired with the Level Key, to escape the base entirely.
[20:22]: The coalition reinforcements successfully escapes from the 70-159 base. The now-finished barricade is installed, buying enough time for the regiment to fully vacate the area before the Frost Boars could give chase.
[20:28]: The last of the base personnel exits the tunnels via the Level Key. The 70-159 base is fully abandoned, left to the immense Frost Boar mob.
Casualties: 33 (24 base personnel, 9 regiment personnel)
Hands of Athena commentary is attached below.
It goes without saying that this ambush was a great tragedy, however it is much more than that: it is a targeted attack. The invading boars were too fast, too strong, and too numerous to be in any way natural, and this is ignoring their immunity to fire: a typical Frost Boar's greatest weakness. This is the work of external agent, and there is not a shred of doubt in our minds of that fact.
In any case, the 70-159 base is not to be reclaimed, for even if we were successful in such an endeavor, it is highly likely that another boar horde would just attack again. We cannot make this costly mistake twice, so we will not even try. Project Erymanthian is over, and Cerberus is likely to be scaled back as well.
Many may find it strange as to how quickly we have abandoned one of our most valuable modern-day projects, but the above is not the only reason for this decision. Another — and perhaps more worrying — reason, came from the security camera footage of this very event. It was spotted that on a few of the boars — not many, but a few — were recording devices. We don't know who placed them there, but we have a few guesses.
The cat is out of the bag my friends, and I highly doubt it won't try to claw our eyes out. If our opposition is to strike soon, we must strike first.
The time for glyphs is over. The time for war is now.
End of archived U.E.C. files.