The Halls of Bakk
General
Halls of Bakk is one of the most unnerving Realms that exist in all of Vael'Eteria. It is also one of the most difficult to access, even for the Urh such as Guardian, or so it is rumored.
A Quarantined Realm
It is one of THE most restrictive Quarantined Realities out there and as such has proven incredibly difficult to both access and leave it. By all accounts, this is a place where you should not be able to find yourself. If you have, something has gone very wrong on your end.
It does appear, however, that it is easiest to access through Velastia Terra. Primarily accidentally but research into accessing it purposefully is seemingly underway by various Anomalous Connected Groups.
The Name
The name Halls of Bakk are is from a word that one will constantly find scratched at the walls of this Realm, no matter if the walls are made out of wood, stone, or metal: Bakk. Made either by an incredibly sharp knife or equally sharp claws.
No one has managed to uncover its exact meaning, nor who or what makes it. Those who have seen it have reportedly felt intense fear and will swear that someone was standing behind them. But when they turn around, there will be nothing. And when they turn towards the word, it has a fifty-fifty chance of having vanished. Or perhaps it was never there to begin with.
Description
Calling the Halls of Bakk a single Realms might be considered a misnomer for some. It could instead be considered an umbrella term for various sub realms that are intricately connected on a deep metaphysical level, some of which are easier to access than others.
It is said that most are geographical locations that look eerily similar, especially so to Humans which is quite interesting. These locations provoke a sense of familiarity among visitors, but also a sense of subtle wrongness. Something similar to the uncanny valley. Other locations, however, are utterly alien, and possibly mindshattering if one stays in the area for longer periods of time.
The White Halls — Level 1
The White Halls are considered to be the primary geographical location within the Halls of Bakk. By all accounts, it is where all unfortunate ones first end up in, and from which they can access other Hallways. Thus it has been designated Level 1 by various researchers in Velastia Terra.
It is reminiscent of an empty office building that smells of trapped air and old unwashed carpets. It is illuminated by an ever-present white light though no light source is visible, though some areas have more shadow than others. The faint sound of an air-conditioner is always there, along with other, fainter and more indistinguishable sounds that might either remind one of footsteps or voices.
Everywhere looks the same, except for the sizes of the rooms and hallways and the presence of shadowed areas.
The Hallway Abyss — Level Zero
The Hallway Abyss is one of the rarities in the Halls of Bakk when it comes to geographical locations. It appears to be a large open space that cuts through the Halls of Bakk, with passageways opening up along its two walls like gigantic windows. It appears to have no end, continuing on for infinity, be it the right and left, or ascending or descending.
It is believed to be a transitionary location between all possible Hallways in the Halls of Bakk and has thus received the designation Level Zero.
It appears to be made out of grey concrete with light sources only present on the passageways openings. The air is cold but not uncomfortably so and smells of metal. Echoes of something heavy — possibly made out of metal — that opens and closes can be heard, but what it has never been seen.
Most who access the Hallway Abyss do so through a Door of Somewhere, which will lead them to a passageway opening. If they are unlucky, they will Noclip Phase and find themselves falling into the space between the two incomprehensibly large walls, where you will be for eternity. At least, no one has managed to uncover if there is a bottom and if there is, what awaits there.
Entities of Bakk
While it was believed for a long time that the Halls of Bakk were empty, excluding whoever found themselves accessing them, this has now proven to not be the case. Things, known as Entities of Bakk, roam the Hallways aimlessly. Though thanks to the seemingly infinite space of the Halls of Bakk, the risk of stumbling upon one or more of these is considered incredibly low.
It is not known exactly what they are, nor if they are native to the Halls of Bakk. A vast majority are extremely hostile and predatory in nature. Most are faintly humanoid in appearance, and some appear to be made out of biological matter, while others are abstract and metallic.
Staircase Snatcher
The Staircase Snatcher is one of the more feared Entities of Bakk but is luckily quite rare. As the name suggests, they only appear at the edges of staircases and their preferred tactic is to ambush the unassuming, grab them and snatch them away before they can comprehend what has occurred. Only the arm and clawed hand are ever visible and the rest — if there is rest that is— is seemingly obscured around the corner.
It is approximately two meter long — though its size is depending on the length of the staircase — and looks to be nothing but skin forcefully stretched out over blackened bone. Its five-digit hand is big enough to grab a melon and is equipped with black claws.
Bakk's Wending Machine
One of the more innocent looking Entities of Bakk is the Wending Machine. It is also one of the most paranoid-inducing ones that one can stumble upon in the Halls of Bakk.
Relative to its name it will under ordinary circumstances look like just your average soda wending machine. It will sit quietly against a wall, illuminated by its own faint lights; it appear to prefer to sit in more shadowy regions as to emphasize these. It will also display either known or unknown products and brands on its metal hull.
It will either display desirable products to those who wanders the Hallways, or will appear to be out of stock. No matter the display, it will offer one possible gift depending on what happens next. On each wending machine there are two set of numbers that are faintly carved into its surface, which one can tap into its number pad.
If the correct number is given, a ping will be heard and in its pick-up port one will find a can of supposed soda and after a few seconds its lights will go dark. Drinking the soda — whose content will always taste of sugar water — will reinvigorate the wanderer and keep them strong and alert for several days if not weeks.
If one writes in the wrong number or attempt to try a second time with the correct number the same outcome will occur: Black metallic spider-legs will sprung out from beneath it, and its front side will unfold to reveal two black clawed hands attached to white slender arms jutting out from its center. If one is slow and unlucky one will be grabbed and pulled into it as it quickly fold itself back into its former shape.
If one on the other hand is fast and lucky enough, one may be able to turn a heel and run away. But one will need to continue to run for a while, before the wending machine looses interest.
Access & Exiting
Access the Halls of Bakk
Accessing the Halls of Bakk is incredibly difficult due to its high Quarantine Level. No naturally occurring Portals — such as Doors of Somewhere — appear to be capable of accessing them, though there has been some progress by various Anomalous Connected Groups in Velastia Terra regarding the creation of artificial Portals that provides access to it.
It is far more common that one accidentally ends up in the Halls of Bakk through a process known as Noclip Phasing; a term primarily used to describe the act of phasing through solid objects in digital environments and ending up outside the mapped area.
Why it happens has not been determined and it appears to be completely random, though it has been observed to primarily occur when individuals stumble and fall to the ground or lean against walls; 90-degree corners appear to be especially prone to Noclip Phasing.
The Noclip Phasing appears to be affected by the Blind Spot Effect to a slight degree, as witnesses are never truly sure how exactly it occurs even if they stand directly in front of the affected individual. Video footage has shown that it is eerily similar to how it occurs in digitally glitched environments.
Existing the Halls of Bakk
While accessing the Halls of Bakk is nigh-impossible, existing them appears to be narrowly easier.
While Noclip Phasing is still the primary way of doing this accidentally, it is also possible to utilize Doors of Somewhere. However, there is as high of a chance of them leading to another Level within the Halls themselves, as they have of bringing one to another Realm such as Miand or Velastia Terra.
Origin
The origin of the Halls of Bakk is unknown and not even the Firstborn — Origin and Guardian — are exactly sure when and how it came to be. It is believed by most to be connected to Architect, as He was the only one capable of assigning a Realm or Reality a Quarantine Statues.
Some have wondered if the Halls of Bakk in actuality is the Somewhere which connects all Doors of Somewhere, though no evidence of this exist has been discovered yet.
Physco-Space
Some researchers within various Anomalous Connected Groups have speculated that the Halls of Bakk were — or continues to be — created by the collective subconscious thoughts of the theorized shared psyche of Humankind, known as Psycho-Space. One that has manifested into a semi-physical dimension. This would be one possible explanation as to why Humans have such an intense feeling of familiarity with the Halls of Bakk. It could also explain why Time Itself and Entropy has such a loose foothold over the Realm.
Abandoned by Time
Within the Halls of Bakk, every device that showcase the flow of time will cease to function completely, similar to what will occur within the Clockheart Realm. It will appear that Time Itself has all but abandoned the Hallways, if it was ever present within their walls to begin with. Thusly, entropy will slow to a crawl to such an extent that it might not exist at all. This is most evident among biological functions and processes; wounds that would have healed in days will last for weeks and the sensation of hunger wont make itself noticeable for days on end, even if one only ate right before entering the Hallways. Sleep and general tiredness will not be an issue either for at least several days.
It is theorized that aging itself slows to a snail's pace and that Humans can reach ages up to several centuries if they manage to stay alive for long enough; though no concrete evidence of this exist yet.
Noll Reality.
Restricted Space.
Luminal Space.
Threshold Dimension.
Physco-Space.
Not-Space.
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"If you look upon the stars, know that you look upon a light of the past."