Info
Written by Spectre48 and
VivamusLudio. Art by
Poliacci.
Armageddon is the key to the unseen lock. There is more to this story, should you know where to look.
Every MACHINE has its ENGINE.
It may be a wasteland out there, but it's far from lawless. Only one thing stands between this place and chaos, and trust me, you better hope you never get on its bad side. At that point, your disappearance wouldn't be a question of if, but when.
— An unknown wanderer on "Argos."
[IMAGE LOST]
HABITAT(S): Omnipresent
Description
A quick glance over your shoulder. The familiar sensation of needles crawling down your back. Strangers that seem to do nothing but endlessly stare.
The fear of being watched is no stranger to the various denizens of the Backrooms. The long, open hallways without any living creature in sight can attest to that. Even the most distinguished wanderers will still fall prey to a bout of paranoia once in a while—it's only natural.
Looming as an ever-present force of nature, Entity 74 delivers much more than a simple panic attack. Despite its notoriety, the amount of reliable information out there about Entity 74 is equivalent to the number of people who have survived a verified encounter—none. People need to be informed with utmost urgency about the larger things at play—the figures behind the curtain.
Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You've felt the presence just as much as any of us—the constant weight on your soul. Just because anyone has yet to find it doesn't mean it isn't there. The Knight. The Blue Angel. The Dark One. All forces of nature once thought to be undefinable myths, now proven otherwise. What makes you think it stops at three?
Argos does not rest. It is but an agent of the natural order, and Justice is its righteous hand.
"Argos isn't just a myth, man. I swear. I walk past that compound every day, and it feels like I'm about to vomit…"
— Andrew Locke
"You don't have to go very far in the world of organized crime here until you start hearing rumors about 'the man in the cloak.' I used to think it was all talk, until I saw it dragging someone into that dreaded compound. Argos, whatever you call him—he's real. You can feel it in the air around here."
— Carol Lilac
"People keep calling me crazy, but I swear, Argos saved me from Level 94! At least, I think he did… it was hard to see him through the blurriness. I didn't mind though! I know he's real, and he's our guardian angel!"
— Valeria Martinez
Behaviors:
You might think that with all the notoriety around it that we'd be able to pinpoint a behavior pattern, but that's just the problem—despite the innumerable amount of stories, there are never enough details to help us track what it actually does. The minor inconsistencies alone are enough to drive any investigator mad, and every new account just adds more to the pile. All we know is the same old story, the one told time and time again. Some evil son of a bitch finds their way into the Backrooms, viewing the place as the perfect spot to get away with anything they desire. They think themself slick—a real high-profile criminal. A Backrooms Jack the Ripper.
And then they start to feel like they're being watched.
But it doesn't sway 'em—it's just the paranoia of the Backrooms. They've just been alone for too long. They continue their work, each kill weighing on them more and more—and a breaking point is reached. There's a knock at the door. They thinks they've found another poor soul to send to an early grave.
But when the door opens, it isn't the face of a victim that greets them. All they can see is the culmination of all the pain they've caused. They drop to their knees and are never seen again.
Every wanderer has heard some variation of the story, but the message is still the same. Additionally, despite the lack of evidence, no one seems to doubt their validity. With everyone and their mother having an Argos story these days, you couldn't be blamed for writing it all off as B.S.
If it weren't for the Eyes, you'd might have had a point.
Take this story for example. A notice from the latest batch of declassified B.N.T.G. files.
INTERNAL NOTICE
Do not share or reproduce this document without the express permission of the Backrooms Nonaligned Trade Group
Dear employees,
It is with deep regret that we confirm the circulating rumors: our esteemed Chief Financial Officer has passed away under extraordinary circumstances. While we mourn this loss, we take solace in knowing that their dedication to the company will continue to inspire us as we move forward.
This is but one more incident in a concerning trend of targeted disruptions in our operations. While the wave of violence appears to have subsided for now, all personnel are advised to remain vigilant.
With the intention of leaving behind our recent misfortunes, we are also pleased to announce the immediate appointment of our new CFO. You will be hearing from him shortly, as we intend to make sweeping changes to our business sector.
Lastly, we wanted to share that we have established contact with the G.O.I. "The Eyes of Argos," who have claimed responsibility for the attacks on our personnel. They have provided documentation containing various allegations against those targeted, and while we cannot verify their veracity at the moment, we are committed to reviewing their materials and exploring a path towards normalization.
Thank you for your time, your work, and your continued loyalty.
Sincerely,
The Board of Directors
Biology:
We're beyond out of our depth. Seriously, every person we've interviewed on the subject gives a different answer regarding the appearance of this… thing. A reaper clad in black, a statue of an angel with a sword of stone, a faceless police detective encircled by thousands of eyes, a mercenary wrapped in chains… We can't even identify this thing's FORM consistently, and we're expected to give a biology report? Half the time we don't even know if someone is reporting a new entity or just imagining things, and THEN we have to factor in Argos to that equation? Identifying it is bloody impossible.
What makes it even more difficult is contradictory credibility. There have been a handful of stories where Argos ends up disintegrating into the air at the hand of some entity—only to reappear a week later in the next alleged encounter. There are reports of it phasing through solid matter to pursue its opponents. Not noclipping, phasing. Whatever the case may be, this thing does NOT follow our current understanding of biological life.
Our guess is as good as yours as to what's going on there.
Depictions
Since actual photos of this guy are basically impossible to get ahold of, the next best thing are some artistic interpretations. Of course, you don't need me to tell you the obvious here: each one looks different.
Discovery:
No one really knows how long Argos has been around. Hell, even its own organization doesn't know. The Eyes have records of operations going all the way back to the Lost era, so that's at least a start. One thing is certain—Argos is old. Really fucking old. It's more of an ever-present rule than it is an individual.
