SURVIVAL DIFFICULTY:
Class 3
- {$one}
- {$two}
- {$three}
A photograph of Level 328's cottage-like house.
A photograph of the environment surrounding the house.
Level 328 is the 329th positive level of the Backrooms.
Description
Level 328 primarily manifests as a single, prominent structure: a white, cottage-like house surrounded by dense vegetation, creeping vines, and the remnants of a wrought iron fence. The building has steep, tiled gables, ornate plaster reliefs above the windows, and small attic windows. The architectural style closely resembles vernacular rural houses from 18th-century Hungary, specifically one located in ███████████. This was discovered following a comparative analysis by several architectural historians, who matched ornamental details and proportions with archival blueprints of lost Hungarian heritage buildings.
The immediate environment within the 52 km² radius consists of fields, sparse pine groves, and occasionally winding footpaths. Domestic animals such as chickens, goats, and dogs roam freely; most of them are docile and safe to approach. However, there have been multiple unverified reports of animals with glowing red eyes which, when approached, disappear or let out a low-frequency hum. These reports have not been confirmed, but some speculate that they serve as warning signs rather than threats.
Further exploration is impeded by a distortion effect beginning exactly 26 kilometers from the house in any direction. Attempts to pass beyond this range result in the landscape folding back toward the house, disorienting the traveler. GPS and compass equipment fail completely, rendering escape or triangulation impossible.
The house can be entered through the front door, though it appears to lock automatically behind any new entrant. Internally, the structure defies Euclidean geometry: rooms loop in non-linear fashion, stairways descend into ceilings, and corridors shift their direction subtly while traversed. The layout appears to regenerate or “shuffle” after prolonged stays in one area. The cottage houses upwards of 40 distinct rooms, though none can ever be mapped with consistency.
Since at least 19██, reports have indicated that spending time within the house induces intense nostalgia, homesickness, and often deep melancholy. Prolonged exposure can cause dissociation and irrational attachment to the space, resulting in wanderers refusing to leave. The exact mechanism of these events are currently unknown, with multiple theories being discussed. A tentative theory has been established (see Addendum) for it. Wanderers are strongly advised to avoid using the bathrooms, particularly the ones facing the southern courtyard. Looking through the small, frosted bathroom windows has triggered intense auditory and visual jumpscares by a hostile entity known as The Grandma. Her jumpscares can lead to seizures, hallucinations, or in rare cases, cardiac arrest.
Some rooms feature gold-colored door knobs. These doors exert a subtle pull on wanderers, often described as “warm and inviting”. However, entering one will forcibly transport the wanderer to Level N/A. Entry is strictly forbidden.
Entities
The main hostile entity within Level 328 is known as The Grandma. Standing at approximately 2.17 meters (7'1'') and weighing 144 kilograms (317 lbs), she wears a tattered floral housedress, wool socks, and an apron perpetually stained with unidentifiable brown-red blotches. X-ray imaging has revealed an abnormally dense skeletal structure and a secondary stomach-like organ connected to her spine. Her movements are quiet and unpredictable, appearing suddenly at corners or behind cracked doors. She subsists primarily on bone marrow and has been seen extracting it from animal remains and, in rare instances, from human victims. It is presumed she is a singular entity; no reproductive organs have been detected.
Her demeanor has been described by wanderers as “suffocatingly maternal” and “passive-aggressive”. She often offers lukewarm herbal tea in cracked porcelain cups. The tea has been reported to taste like burnt flowers mixed with copper and induces severe drowsiness in those who drink it. If a wanderer refuses the tea, The Grandma will become visibly agitated. In some cases, this has led to violent outbursts including blunt-force attacks. In rarer cases, she utters the word “ungrateful” and shoves the victim through a pantry door—transporting them to Level ! by unknown means.
Her jumpscare behavior involves the sudden appearance of her face—aged, cracked, and smiling—smeared across the bathroom window, often accompanied by a deafening scream and the sudden slamming of unseen doors. The shock has caused neurocardiac failures in at least 3 known cases. The Grandma also secretes a translucent enzyme from the corners of her eyes and mouth, which has a corrosive reaction when it comes into contact with human tissue. The substance's composition is not yet fully analyzed but seems to induce immediate dermal blistering.
In addition to The Grandma, normal animals are present, though several times larger than typical size. Rare appearances of Hounds and Deathmoths have been confirmed, although they appear to avoid The Grandma and her occupied areas entirely, often vanishing once she is near.
Colonies and Outposts
The Farmers
There is one known human settlement within Level 328, known as The Farmers. Located within a hidden root cellar 2 km northeast of the house, this colony is home to approximately 30 members who have adapted to the level's conditions through strict daily routines and isolation from the main structure. The group sustains itself through gardening, livestock management, and occasional trade with passing wanderers, although they refuse to admit new members into the colony under any circumstances.
Their societal structure operates under a direct democracy, with weekly decisions made by vote. Though they remain friendly and open to barter, they are extremely cautious about security breaches. Some of their members have reportedly lived in the level for over ██ years. Despite their calm demeanor, they refuse to speak openly about their relationship with The Grandma. Their logs contain censored portions regarding past interactions, and during questioning, they exhibit signs of stress, suggesting that some form of agreement or pact exists.
The colony is built around a strict set of rules, including curfews, mandatory tea-straining ceremonies, and spatial orientation drills to avoid entering non-Euclidean traps. The Farmers do not venture near any room with a gold door knob and prohibit the use of mirrors entirely, citing that “she watches through reflections”. One member described The Grandma’s role cryptically as “the price of peace in a house that never ends”.
Entrances and Exits
Entrances
The most common entrance to Level 328 is via certain buildings found in Level 10 and Level 322. In Level 10, entering a decrepit farmhouse with a sagging porch and a white picket fence that hums faintly will trigger the transition. On Level 322, a boarded-up Hungarian-style guesthouse that smells strongly of lilac perfume can serve as a portal—upon stepping into the foyer, wanderers will experience momentary blindness before waking up at the front gate of Level 328.
Exits
Declining The Grandma’s tea may, in rare cases, trigger a forced ejection into Level !, often through a physical action such as being pushed or dragged. Rooms with gold-colored door knobs should never be opened, as they serve as one-way portals into Level N/A. If a wanderer creates a childlike, rudimentary drawing of a hilly town using chalk or pencil and leaves it on the cottage's main table, they may be sent to Level 94] while asleep. To return to Level 10, one must recite the Hungarian phrase “Hazamegyek most” (I am going home now) in front of a cracked hallway mirror during dusk. Swimming in a pond located in the backyard will submerge the wanderer into Level 7, while no-clipping through any furniture or wall surface may shift them into Level 329.
Addendum
Recent investigations by M.E.G. teams have yielded a working hypothesis regarding the nostalgic and melancholic effects experienced inside Level 328. It is proposed that the house emits a low-frequency vibrational field, measured at 13.2 Hz, which affects the temporal lobe and amygdala in human subjects. This frequency corresponds with human theta brainwaves, often associated with memory, sleep, and emotional processing.
Further studies revealed that the structure of the cottage interior contains reflective quantum “ghost walls” which phase in and out, subtly altering the layout depending on observer anxiety levels. These fluctuations contribute to the spatial disorientation and emotional responses described by long-term wanderers.
Through interviews and EEG scanning, M.E.G. researchers believe that the house uses memory imprints from nearby human consciousness to personalize the internal structure. This personalization is not immediately visible but influences the sequence of rooms, furniture placements, and even sounds heard at night (e.g., a familiar lullaby or a lost relative’s voice).
A joint analysis suggests that The Grandma herself may be a manifestation or anthropomorphic projection of the house’s mnemonic field—a “guardian mother” figure designed to maintain emotional bonds with the structure and prevent departure. Testing of this theory is ongoing, though further close encounters with The Grandma are not advised due to their lethal unpredictability.