Diving Mission السجل · Veilwater Basin

Special Operation – Diver's Log – Entry 032

Location: Submerged Temple Ruins – Coordinates Confirmed

Estimated Dive Time: 008 Hours, surfacing possible

Pre-Dive Briefing

Time: Before dusk. Docking went smoothly despite dense growths and scattered debris below.

Place: Abandoned, half-swallowed by the lake. Ideal for exploration!

Observing the parameters of the ruin confirms earlier reports. Multiple moss-ridden stairwells lay upwards, toward the gaping mouth of the temple. Structural integrity is questionable. Best we make good time and beat our own record!

I'm sure we'll find the first chamber as described by the previous team: waterlogged, more seaweed than stone, sealing the flooded pathways beyond. A mechanism or puzzle kept them from breaching the tunnels. That’s where we come in!

The team’s solid. Spirits are high. I’ve got confidence in Edd Exley — he’s sharp, steady, and knows how to handle tight spaces.

Timing’s crucial. We’ll begin the descent at first light. With luck, the sun will be high enough to pierce through the grates and mark the resurfacing zones.

We won't skip breakfast prep, though. Caught a few fish en route; they’ll be fine once roasted!

Special Operation – Diver's Log – Entry 033 – Shit!

Location: You know where!!

Estimated Dive Time: Too damn long

Post Dive Findings

Time: It's dark out. No light.

Place: No sign of Edd.

Last seen: He hit the first checkpoint, the metal grates by the overgrown terrace, behind time. Seemed winded, but steady. I thought about pulling him out. I should've stopped the mission then. Pried open the bars. Lifted him up and out of those treacherous waters.

I didn't.

The sun has set, which means Edd will have trouble finding his scheduled resurfacing spots.

Estimated dive time has been exceeded.

I think he has air for... maybe thirty more minutes, if he doesn't panic. It won't last for the way back.

We're running from grate to grate, lighting torches, yelling his name, trying to signal a safe spot to surface. But below, everything is pitch black. The deep swallows both sound and light.

I wonder if he can even still tell up from down. I wonder if he's scared. Alone. Cold. I wonder if he knows he'll die... I wonder if he'll still try to make it to the end.