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Entity Number: #166
Habitat(s): Level 522, Variable
A sketch of a Rivech design. Image retrieved from Backrooms Robotics.
Overview:
Entity 166 is the designation given to a set of similar, large, commercially available, and AI-driven robots known as “Rivechs”, designed and manufactured by the technology corporation known as Backrooms Robotics. Different instances of Entity 166 may have slightly different designs but remain similar in base, with a bodily structure resembling a medium to large quadruped mammal. They are versatile and are used to perform several different functions. To this day, they are under active use by a number of notable groups.
Any sightings of Entity 166 instances should be reported, and additionally terminated if possible.
Behaviour and Function:
Entity 166 were designed to be capable of various tasks for human aid, such as transport, physical labour, protection, and occasionally even combat. All instances are equipped with adaptable artificial intelligence, making their exact behaviour somewhat unpredictable. Despite this, they are focused on instructed tasks, often ignoring unimportant stimuli until it becomes a disturbance, in which case the entity may become mildly hostile or ruthless. Without a direct stop order from superiors, full incapacitation, or the death of said superiors, an Entity 166 instance will not cease its task(s) until completion unless outside its capabilities. It is advised that any attempts to take out Entity 166 instances are to be done while the entity is occupied with a task.
Every active instance of Entity 166 is connected to an owner. Instructions are typically responded to in a fairly straightforward manner, with commands being largely unacknowledged beyond the simple act of carrying them out. People often do not check whether or not their Rivechs are actually doing the tasks instructed under the assumption that they are. This may present opportunities for dismantling Entity 166 instances without unwanted intervention. The only circumstance inherent to its base programming wherein an instance of Entity 166 will disregard its owner’s command is if it is instructed to physically harm said owner, other people, or select sapient entities.
Note, however, that all previously mentioned conditions are capable of being overridden remotely by Backrooms Robotics, and the entities will not, under any circumstances, engage in aggressive behaviour towards Backrooms Robotics employees, products, and property. This has occasionally caused 166 instances to partake in activities outside of those instructed by their owners to varying levels of discreetness, causing the public to have a slight perception that these entities may be unfocused. In the event of the death of the owner, the associated Rivech will attempt to signal to Backrooms Robotics for retrieval. If this is not possible, or it is unable to be retrieved, it will simply remain in place until it shuts down from a lack of power.
As of most recent development, all instances of Entity 166 are hostile to obvious or known U.E.C. personnel. This behaviour overrides any previous base programming, especially in areas with low human presence.
Anatomy and Make-up:
From basic observation, it is obvious that Entity 166 are largely composed of various tough metals and alloys, though it is likely that anomalous Backrooms materials are part of their make-up as well. As a result, they are capable of withstanding heavy levels of impact, load, and external conditions. Depending on the model, instances usually have maximum speeds between 10–30 kilometres per hour, measuring around 1–3 metres in height at the shoulders, 1.8–6 metres in length from head to rear, and can weigh up to a tonne or more. Most are fairly bulky, with a large body and a thick spine running down their backs. Limbs lack units analogous to digits on real animals and widen at the base, while limb joints are protected by a plate of metal, with an opening at the back to allow for movement.
Instances sport abdomens that resemble pouch-like containers used for the transport of cargo. They are composed of a flexible and elastic material, making Entity 166 fairly agile despite their size. The material in question is also difficult to penetrate, and sharp objects are not effective at damaging the abdomens of Entity 166 instances, though other means have been met with some success. More testing is needed.
The heads of Entity 166 instances are mounted on necks of varying dimensions and flexibility. They are cylindrical or tri-prismatic in shape and not very large, containing a secondary processing unit for sensory input. Mounted on their front are three small structures that function as eyes. Also attached to the head and neck are small, flexible structures that function as ears. Impairment of either components are effective at significantly incapacitating 166 instances without much effort.
The central processing unit is located in the upper rear thorax, the most heavily armored section of all instances of this entity. They are fairly large, complex, and not fully understood by the U.E.C. and the wider public. It is hypothesised that the CPU is anomalous in design and nature; however, our research is lacking. The only intact instance of one that we have ever obtained had partially imploded after mild tampering. Damage towards the CPU is, however, still assumed to result in effective decommissioning of Entity 166 instances, and for this reason, the thoracic cavity is not easily accessible without Backrooms Robotics intervention.
Background: The following is a compilation of a number of known attempts at damaging or incidents resulting in the damage or lack thereof of Entity 166 instances.
#01 (Incident Report)
Date: 03/09/2017
Description: A report surfaced of an incident involving an instance of Entity 166 and its owner while traversing Level 8. The two were suddenly intercepted by a presumably adult instance of Entity 75 as it was burrowing through the level. The entity rammed its body into the robot while it was attempting to shield its owner, and the 166 instance was forcefully knocked into a nearby wall. The wrangler then proceeded to burrow into the ground once more without further hostility.
Result: The Entity 166 instance sustained moderate to significant damage towards its head, neck, and front legs, and mild damage elsewhere. The thoracic area in particular only experienced a few scratches and no structural or penetrating damage. The presence of internal damage is unclear.
#02 (Incident Report)
Date: 10/05/2018
Description: A team of our agents were in the process of transporting cargo containing firesalt, among other things, with the help of several B.N.T.G. employees. Around the time that the cargo loading was almost finished, an instance of Entity 166 was spotted in the near distance. The instance seemed to be eyeing them. No other people were seen in the area. As the B.N.T.G. employees were leaving — and without warning — Entity 166 started charging towards both the cargo load and our agents. They scattered away from the load and the entity crashed into it in full force, causing the firesalt to explode.
Result: The large mass of firesalt that exploded caused major damage to its surroundings and the death of one of our agents. The Entity 166 instance crashed to the ground, parts of it briefly catching on fire. Most of the entity sustained moderate to severe damage, while the thorax experienced a number of scratches and dents. It ceased all movement for the duration that the agents were present but was missing by the next day.
The B.N.T.G. is very much aware of this event. However, due to the lack of public response and unwillingness to speak with us on the matter, it seems that either it was played off by Backrooms Robotics or they were bribed into turning a blind eye.
#03 (Task report)
Date: 23/06/2018
Description: A skilled marksman was instructed to damage or decommission an instance of Entity 166 travelling with Backrooms Robotics employees on Level 11. He was provided with the following:
- A handgun variant of Entity 39
- An anti-materiel rifle similar in model to the Barrett M82
- A modified though still volatile version of Object 71
The task was to be carried out alone in an area of low population so as to not attract unnecessary attention. Backup from the Partisans of Arete was available and on standby.
Result: All the aforementioned weapons were fired upon the entity from a nearby building.
- The handgun was largely ineffective and did only minimal to moderate damage to most parts.
- The anti-materiel rifle managed to take out the entity’s joints and dent bulkier areas. The marksman began to display adverse psychological reactions to the weapon sometime after this.
- The Object 71 instance was fired upon the entity once, slightly deviating from its intended trajectory. It hit the entity’s abdomen, tearing it open.
The event resulted in a commotion from Backrooms Robotics employees. Backup was called and several other mechanical creations of the company suddenly appeared to defend them. Our agent’s location was discovered, but he managed to escape the company without injury or complication.
#04 (Task report)
Date: 18/07/2018
Description: A mole of ours within Backrooms Robotics was instructed to conduct several tests with an inactive instance of Entity 166 and to observe the results under the guise of data-taking for the company. Various things were tested; among them electrocution with common voltages, electromagnetic pulses (EMPs), attacks from various weaponry, as well as Backrooms Robotics’ products. We also provided them with U.E.C.-specific objects and prototypes to use on the entity.
Results: Most of the tests resulted in moderate damage at most. It is of note that the EMPs were, however, successful at disrupting some of the entity’s internal functions, at least for a period of time. Some of Backrooms Robotics’ other products were also strong enough to damage lighter-armoured areas.
The mole stopped reporting back to us soon after sending the results of the tests. No trace of them has been found since. They are currently considered missing in action.
History:
On 14/05/2017, Backrooms Robotics announced both the existence and commercial availability of Rivechs. Public records of the entity prior to this are scarce, and the development and processes associated with Entity 166 are largely shrouded in mystery, much like most of the company’s activities. Such an entity does not seem to be within the manufacturing capabilities of any other known group.
While the political catalyst for this event is currently unknown, on 17/03/2018 our software had flagged significant data infiltration across its systems. Measures were taken to mitigate breaches, although were not fully successful. The infiltration was eventually traced back to an artificial intelligence program designated as Entity 82, nicknamed Koko, developed and maintained by Backrooms Robotics. Subsequent barriers were put in place to prevent future breaches, though the AI is actively looking for weak points in our systems. For the sake of the stability of the U.E.C., it is imperative that it does not succeed.
It was becoming increasingly obvious to both parties that overall tensions between us and Backrooms Robotics were growing strained. By 02/05/2018, all trade relations, mutual relationships, joint plans, etc., were abolished completely and any friendly communication channels with Backrooms Robotics were cut off. It is around this time that their products started attacking us.
Background: On 05/07/2018, our settlement on Level 466 was suddenly attacked by two rogue instances of Entity 166. The following is an interview with a member of the Homeland Defense Force who survived the attack with minimal injuries. The names of both the interviewer and interviewee have been omitted for the sake of privacy.
[Begin audio transcript]
Interviewer: Hello [interviewee], thank you for coming, and apologies for doing this on short notice. How are you, uh, holding up?
Interviewee: Bad. It’s only been two fucking days. Can’t you ask someone else? Like Farley or whatever.
Interviewer: I know it’s so soon but… this is important. Farley is busy managing Lantern Town and most of the guys that were in the heat of the battle are in bad shape. We’re still trying to make sense of everything, it’s just– …please?
Interviewee: …Fine. Just get it over with.
Interviewer: Thank you. Let’s… start with the basics, shall we? Where were you? What were you doing? Also, uh, if I’m not mistaken, you were one of the first people to spot the entities?
Interviewee: Yeah. It was a Thursday evening, 5 PM maybe. I was standing guard around the outskirts of Lantern Town in front of a storage building with two others. At some point one of my buddies went to get a beer, and then I saw something in the distance, headlight-looking things. Thought they were firelights and the trees were playing tricks on me, so I didn’t think much about it. Guess I forgot that firelights don’t live in the forest.
Interviewer: To be clear, there were no signs of the attack prior to it happening, nor were you aware of any supplementary information on Backrooms Robotics?
Interviewee: Of course not, otherwise we wouldn’t be in this big of a mess. I was just doing regular duty, although it seemed like Farley was trying to up security a bit ‘cause of, well, previous interactions with that piss of a company I’d imagine. But as far as I know, there hadn’t been anything at Lantern Town before this, and to be honest, it’d be pretty hard for it to go unnoticed if there was. Look, if he knew something I didn’t, then you’d better ask him yourself.
[The shuffling of paper and brief sounds of hand-writing can be heard]
Interviewer: Right, okay. Uh, continuing on — so what did the lights do? Did your friend say anything?
Interviewee: I’m getting to it. The lights got closer and I got a bit concerned ‘cause they looked a bit big for firelights. Friend and I just looked back and forth between each other and the lights for a bit until I grabbed some binoculars and actually got a good look at the things. They, uh, certainly weren’t firelights, that’s for sure. And well, I suppose you know the rest?
Interviewer: Describe, please. Just for data keeping’s sake. We’re really in the dark here, so you might have some info that could help us. You won’t have to do this interview again, I promise.
[The interviewee takes a deep breath and signs]
Interviewee: Two robots. Both pretty big but one was bigger. They were Backrooms Robotics’ things, seen them before in ads and around other levels, but fuck knows what the hell they were doing and how they got here. That was when they started charging at us. Surprisingly fast, too, especially the little fucker. I told my buddy to alert everyone else. Didn’t spend a lot of time thinking before I got out my organi-pistol thing and started shooting when I figured they weren’t gonna stop. People started making a commotion, but I wasn’t paying attention because the little one kept tanking my bullets ‘til I got one of its eyes. It got disoriented for a bit, which was a great split-second celebration for me. That was when I realized I was blind as shit, because the big one started catching up and, well… that big ass firesalt cannon was pretty dang hard to miss once it started blasting around, if you can believe it. Managed to get into the storage building and escape out the other side, but man, that was close, way too close.
Interviewer: And where were your friends, exactly?
Interviewee: No clue! Haven’t seen them since. I was about to get the fuck outta there too when the smaller bot suddenly appeared and almost rammed into me. Thought I was gonna get into a skirmish but it ignored me and just kept running — in the direction of our main buildings. I chased after the thing. Managed to hit a leg joint and it got a bit wobbly but didn’t cave. That was when someone came in to try and block but the bot slammed into her and she fell and got trampled a bit. Probably got a few broken bones at least. Stupid robot almost made it to one of the lab-storage buildings when I finally hit another eye and it crashed into a wall.
Interviewer: I’m.. assuming it didn’t end up actually reaching the building’s interior?
Interviewee: No, or else we’d be having a much bigger problem. It tried to, though, at least until it sounded like something exploded behind me. I glanced back a bit and it looked like someone hurled a bottle of lightning at the big robot and it got fucked over by that big time. I looked back at the little one as it tried getting up and we stared at each other for a bit before… before it said something.
Interviewer: It… what? Entity 166 instances aren’t capable of speech.
Interviewee: Well I don’t know what to tell ya. It said something about giving something back. Didn’t say what, though. If it’s something you guys are up to, I don’t know it. If it’s not, then I can’t tell ya shit either. I tried to reply but it started speeding off back into the forest. Tried to chase after it again but I got pretty tired after a bit and the blood requirement of the gun wasn’t helping. God, that was an embarrassing debacle. Whatever. I guess that’s… more or less the whole thing.
Interviewer: …That’s very interesting information. I’ll have to take some time to think about this and report it to our superiors. Thank you for your time. And take care of yourself, please.
Interviewee: That’s it? Hmph. Alright then, see ya around, I guess. Make sure to clock those Robotics motherfuckers for me, yeah?
[End of transcript]
Addendum: The incident resulted in the casualties of 2 people, both HDF members, and, to varying severity, injured up to 9 other people. Minor to moderate damage of several buildings and structures in Lantern Town were also recorded. We are currently looking into the incident. The perpetrators will be brought to justice.
As of the latest update, Backrooms Robotics is actively flagged as an enemy of us, the Unbound Explorers Coalition, unbeknownst to most of the wider Backrooms population. Be on the ready; they will not stand down without a fight. What we do, we do for the sake of bettering humanity.
