This Sewer System Hates You

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Independent Venturer report on the threshold "Sewer Travel", written by Venturer Reginald on 11/27/2017 and compiled by Archivist Sarn for upload to the Archives.

Liminal Activity Report

Photograph of Sewer Travel (Stage 1), located in Brussels, Belgium

Class: Threshold	Status: Active
Hostility: Aggressive	Strength: Moderate
Prevalence: Rare	Intelligence: Unknown

While on a trip to Brussels, I decided it might be worth venturing into some of the more obscure (of course, obscure by our standards is practically unheard of) liminal phenomena in the area. Looking through the database I found this entry, which was little more than a handful of miscellaneous details and tips at the time, with some records dating back to the Cloaca Maxima of Rome being connected to this thing. The official name is "Sewer Travel" but I think it'd be more apt to call it "The Worst Fast Travel System Ever Devised" (WFTSED) because it is, simply put, fucking awful. I don't know if this thing is sentient, but by God, it knows how to create the vilest, most uncomfortable experience possible for anyone unlucky enough to find themselves traveling through.

Description

The WFTSED is fairly simple in theory, although it grows increasingly complex and horrific as you travel deeper into the sewer. You'll go through 5 distinct stages, with each stage having its own unique exits and qualities. Depending on where you want to go, you'll need to stop at the right stage or else you'll wind up somewhere else entirely. I've detailed each stage in the section below, so it should be easy enough to find which stage you need to reach, or to quit because it's not worth reaching; each stage is more disgusting than the last. I'd recommend printing this and then putting it in some sort of waterproof pouch because I highly advise against bringing anything electronic. Nothing lethal, it'll just ruin your phone no matter what.

Once you're at the desired stage, just look for the right exit in the ceiling. Not all sewers have the same kinds of exits, but I think most of them have manhole covers. They're usually labeled as well, although I'm not sure who's labeling them, but when it comes to liminal spaces, it follows our own classifications. It may take a while to find your desired destination, but it always seems to show up no matter what. I tested it with a few locations from the Liminal Archives and I was always able to find the right manhole.

Stage 1: Rundown Sewer

This stage has the appearance of a normal, rundown sewer. There are no obvious liminal properties yet.

Accessible from this stage: Nothing yet. You must travel deeper to reach a destination.

Stage 2: Rotten Wastes

At this stage, the sewer system begins to erode. Rotten waste covers the ground and oozes from cracks in the walls. The sensation of trudging through the rot is quite awful no matter how you try to get through.

Accessible from this stage: Any city in Baseline reality which has a sewer system.¹

Stage 3: Inescapable Odor

At stage 3, the rot on the floor becomes thicker and more putrid. Trudging through is harder and more disgusting, and the odor is puke-inducing. I tried to plug my nose in order to avoid the smell, but then I started to get a runny nose and the nose plugs slipped out. There's no goddamn way that was a coincidence. This fucking sewer somehow gave me a runny nose so that I couldn't avoid the smell. If you explore this place, don't expect to be able to sidestep the horridness.

Accessible from this stage: Any city in any limspace which has sewer systems.

Stage 4: Acidic Rot

At this point, the rotting sewage rises to waist-level. As I travelled, it began to turn acidic and burn away my clothes. I was terrified and thought it was going to burn my skin off, but it stopped just before reaching my skin. It only burned away my clothes. It burned them away so that I would have to feel the rotting garbage with my bare skin. The sewer is evil. It is fucking evil.

Accessible from this stage: Liminal spaces which do not have sewer systems.

Stage 5: Horrid Flesh

At stage 5, I almost fainted. The walls turned into monstrous flesh, oozing pus and bodily waste. I could feel the ground under my feet as I waded through the rot, and the ground was covered in teeth and severed fingers. Human hair dripped from the ceiling like vines. It was too much. It was too awful. I had to turn back after checking a few of the manholes.

Accessible from this stage: Any real location, it would seem. I did not linger here long enough to know for sure, but I believe any location that exists can be reached from this stage.

Stage 6?

Do not travel this deep. It's not worth it, not ever worth it. No destination is worth reaching for such a sacrifice. Don't let the Vagrants² convince you otherwise.

Footnotes

1. Cities that have similar sewer systems seem to have their Sewer Travel exits close together, and the area will appear similar to those sewers.

2. The Vagrant Spiritualist Society, a large group of archivists who explore liminal spaces for religious and spiritual purposes

+ Authors

This sewer is a sewer that hates.
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