Well, not a dead end, but not an answer either. Firstly, I was only able to find one other scorch mark, and it wasn't much more conclusive than the first. However, notably when I brought it to the dark room it made the exact same sound. Those spots, are they new Dark Rooms? Are they simply a touch of the same darkness? I'll need to investigate further.

More importantly, I brought the radio to the Oracle. The picture is different. It shows Construct as we know it, but beneath the Dark Room it shows a great big pit stretching downward, much the same that was seen with the Doll on the chair. It shows a massive area below, and it says "I NEED IT?"

This Oracle, I can't say I understand them. They seem interested in this "Big Dark" or whatever you'd like to call it. Perhaps other artifacts may provide further answers?

Just like that, it closes itself back up. Perhaps it allowed me to peek too closely, or perhaps it meant to show me something. One way or the other, that knowledge I held for a moment has now passed. The Whispers have stopped, but they can't take back what they gave me.

For once, my studies must bear fruit. For all the postulating, forming answers to questions that weren't there... Now there is something to complete. There is a new question to ask. The Oracle, Ratman... Things are changed now. The Big Dark, a place I very well may have been when I fell, now falls under my microscope.

Well. Time to find some answers.

Damn it all damn it all damn it all.

My Night Vision's gone bunk. It feels like something's pulling them from my head! I can only keep them on for mere moments at a time now.

Seems I've spoken too plainly, now it knows. If it can hear me here, then I'll have to be more selective. If it wants to dance this way, then so be it.

Beyond that, it seems there are some sort of qualifiers to the Tier system now. It claims to require power to shift into the higher Tiers. I'll have to find out what it wants, or if perhaps its simply restricting me.

Seems things have gotten a lot harder. Fear not, dear reader, my goggles were only one trick to seeing through its shadows, but since we apparently have a guest with us here, I'm afraid I won't be able to speak further on my methods. Least not where it can hear me...

I placed that radio up against one of the black marks, but this time with the music on. It told me a code, of some sort. I wasn't sure quite what to make of it. "2796 1646 20" Perhaps under the right conditions, this may very well teach me something. What that is, I couldn't know. One way or the other its a start.

I'm going to try a few things, if you see a Clown in your game, don't shoot at it, its me. Means that something I'm about to do worked. Either way, I've got a few more ideas to try out after that, so expect some news soon about this code business, or at least a few dead ends.

In other news, that black mark in Ratman's place seems to have departed, I held that radio to it for too long, I suppose, and it simply vanished. Might see if the Oracle has anything to say about all this...

The second mark disappeared after holding the damn thing to it for long enough. This one sounded like a Turret singing in Latin. That being said, Clowns typically don't know much Latin. I got a bad feeling, so I pulled up a small encampment and kept my sights down towards the hall with nice big chaingun, and walls set up that my testing has proven to be immune to the effects of the map.

You heard that right, you old fiend! I have things you can't touch, you had a few too many loopholes, and if you'd like to take from me, then I'll stop playing so fair. You've got rules, I've got time. Even the Devil must uphold a contract, and I've got you this time in your own pen! Shoulda read between the lines, you snake!

Anyhow, some lady let out a laugh, not sure where ya found that one, but Clowns don't get spooked by laughter. The lights blinked out down the hall, and the radio started playing that peppy tune again. I packed up, and I'm getting ready to try something a little more audacious.

Worth noting that after the black marks were removed, the songs they played became a part of the Radio. Every so often, interacting will pull up one of them. Means the code is still around, thankfully. Always the same one, for the record.

The Radio plays some sounds of a gunfight, people shouting in the distance as if its a riot of some kind. Not familiar with this one. It doesn't stick around for too long before it just resets without incident. Back to the cheery Portal radio sounds.

Either way, I've scouted all the spots I found to work, I'll test out a few more thoughts I had before I get back to you.

The Oracle is a strange one. More often than not, the wall says nothing at all. The sounds still play though. The wall was blank, and I pressed the radio against it. It made a strange buildup sound, then exploded. Radio unharmed, but it certainly tried to hurt me. Didn't get too far, but it really did try.

Got nothing from that building the girls jumped off of. Weirdly enough.

That code, there was no place to input it. No keypads, terminals, or anything. But instead of a terminal, I tried a console.

Sure enough, it produced results. I found myself before the Monk in the dark room, with the sounds of the dead behind me. They ran and shambled my way, but a quick shot from my pistol handled one and, of all things, the others were killed by the Monk. He was protecting me? I looked the wrong way at the wrong time, and he faded away. He tried to say something, I didn't catch it. It sounded like well wishing...

Did the Monk just leave? Has he really just departed so simply? But the code, what of the code? 2796-1646-20 only brought me here. The Oracle went silent, and the radio had nothing to say about this place.

What have I missed?

I finally got the damned Radio in while the Oracle's markings were there. I pressed it up against the wall, the etchings flashed lines and scribbles in strange patterns as the markings began to fade. Not long after, the Oracle's writings, along with the rubbish, faded entirely. I don't have answers, the only thing I'm certain of is that the dark room certainly feels lonely.

Haven't seen Semper in quite awhile either. Still can't access above Tier 1. The Whispers have stopped entirely. The chair doesn't show up anymore, the Monk doesn't show up anymore, none of it. The Oracle doesn't respond well to the Radio, but I don't even know if the Oracle is an ally or an enemy! It said something about opening a portal, but bit by bit I seem to be eradicating each new entity I come across.

I'm so far from answers...

Originally posted by madkirk74:

Originally posted by The Clown:

Initial log following advancement to Tier 4

The Monk seems to always be present now, the Scientist flickers about the map, my scans have seen Zombies through the walls, but they disappear almost as soon as they arrive. It's like they're just waiting to get the jump on me, haven't gotten me yet though. I've been strangled multiple times by ropes from the ceiling, but a few warning shots will get a quick release.

Met a scrawny chap over by the water, had a little home there. He fired a warning shot at me as I approached, but I don't think he considered me too much of a threat, as he let me investigate after that. He walked off down the tunnels, haven't seen him since.

Tier 4 seems to be its highest level of activity, though I hesitate to say it's the worst of it.

do you know how to get to tier 4?

As stated within Log #48, access to tiers above tier 1 has been blocked out. In all my testing, I've never been able to discover the ability to access them since that point.

It seems that it doesn't enjoy being meddled as I had done.

because the clown who wrote these notes seems to have stopped posting new notes, (perhaps this place killed him because he was getting too close to an answer and it didn't want him posting his findings to the world) i am going to post my own personal notes here, i will only update when i find something interesting

F for the clown, he was like a father to me

F

log #1, i spawned many stalkers in the darkroom, some of them turned on each other,none of them faded in and then faded back meaning the darkroom was expecting this to happen, that was gonna be the whole experiment but then some of the stalkers were violently smashed and pulled against the floor (perhaps an attempt to get them into "the big dark"?), seems this place is getting more violent with dispatching the npcs in the darkroom, i need to do more research on the things it does to npcs in there