Included page "component:level-class" does not exist (create it now)
The Crimson Forest is Safe, if not chilly.
The Crimson Forest* is an secret level found within Level 9.1.
Description:
The Crimson Forest is a beguiling thicket blanketed in a chilly fog. It is serene and idyllic under the ever watchful eye of the Lanterns which ward off harmful Entities. Much of the soil and flora is tinted shades of crimson and red, giving the Level its moniker. Although there is a higher than average amount of ultisols and ferric oxides in the soil, the cause of the stark colorization in the flora is of yet still unknown.
The Forest is expansive: its borders unexplored and its geography largely unmapped. The areas known contain wide valleys, dense woods, large rolling mountains, and snaking streams cutting through it all ending in boggy wetlands. Where this Level becomes strange is its geographic folding.
The tectonic plates of the Forest do not lay flat — but instead crumple and fold into one another like crinkled paper. In some regions, looking into the sky reveals more of the Forest above you; accessible if you simply keep walking forward long enough to find where the fold is. In these places the concept of “down” is subjective, as reaching a high enough altitude will reverse gravity and have you fall upwards onto the fold above you. These properties are strange but stable — settlers have become accustomed to the phenomena.
The hanging fog never dissipates, keeping the Level near a chilly 8 °C at all times. Bring a jacket. Whether the fog is created by the Mangled which roam Level 9.1, or by the Lanterns themselves is unknown. Much of the running water in the Forest is potable, yet acrid. Boiling is still recommended. Wanderers have taken to letting their water settle in large containers and removing the silt at the bottom to combat the natural taste.
The Crimson Forest is home to a rich ecosystem of fauna ranging from insects to large mammals and everything in between. Many of these creatures may resemble animals found in the Frontrooms, but nothing living here was previously known to mankind. Eight eyed deer, rust colored moose, squirrels with prehensile tails, colonies of mice which group together in the dozens, and even haunting, silent owls with four wings have been documented among hundreds of other animals. Although strange, these creatures do not seem unnatural or anomalous. Despite the lack of dangerous Entities, be aware of the natural predators which call the Crimson Forest their home. Hulking creatures resembling bears, lithe wild cats and packs of six legged canines are known to live here in harmony with the ecosystem. The Lanterns leave them be, just as they don't seem to mind the presence of humans within the Forest.
There is no Wi-Fi in the Crimson Forest. In order to send information in or out, settlers are required to pass through Level 9.1 and return to a zone of internet connectivity. In order to maintain a link to the M.E.G. settlers attempt monthly cycles to upload / download data and news. On occasion these cycles are interrupted by hazards and postponed. The longest period of radio silence from the Crimson Forest was seven months and sixteen days of standard time. Since travel through Level 9 and Level 9.1 is highly hazardous, most settlers who reach the Forest stay there as permanent residents.