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UNDERWATER SECRETS

This closed log is for the group who signed up for the private Nilatast expeditions from last month. All threads are worth 12 points.

A lot of work has been done in the past few months to purify the thick miasma that permeated throughout the mysterious underwater city as well as clear out the sludge and grime. Liansa has remained down in the depths, serving as a portal through the gateway on her shell for people to continue their excursions into the city, and with the assistance of various inventions created since its first reveal, the Largos and those who have continued the work in the city have been able to drive out most of the hostile creatures and created more safe zones to allow longer stays in the city.

Now word has reached those interested that attempts to "start the city again" have begun as well as further investigation into the mysterious large whale found in murals throughout the city. Could this be related to the unknown Ancient leviathan Enysos?

Within the city, many rooms and buildings believed to house major computer systems have been located and either mostly or partially restored. However, more work is needed, including finding key components and records, a challenge made more difficult when the language is an ancient one and not immediately translatable. Fortunately, there are still a few souls in robots of the original Nilatast scientists and engineers who wish to "see the glory of Nilatast return" willing to guide people where they are needed and assist in the programming and repairs. If not for these souls things wouldn't have progressed as far and as quickly as they have.

💻 System Rooms. By now, a lot of work has been done to clear out a lot of the rooms which includes a lot of what scientists and researchers have determined are major "system rooms." These include computers, machines, and other sci-fi styled tech that you can imagine for something that is supposed to power up a city, and they are all located in various buildings on basement level floors. Nilatast in general shows a lot more tech advancement compared to what's been discovered so far, so imagining it more in the realm of future sci-fi wouldn't be too far off.

💿 Compact Discs (CDs). These are the main sources of stored data and information. Manuals, records, even stories, and can work along with other recording devices. They can be found in most expected places, though not all of them may work. Not only would it have information on the tech, but there could also be videos and documents that depict events leading up to Nilatast's fall. Any text would be difficult to decipher due to the ancient language, but the robot scientists can help with translation.

🛟 Submarine. Whether deliberate or accidentally, a submarine had struck a major beacon that played an integral part in the city's function. While removal of the machine would be ideal, there are other ways to work around it, even recreating a beacon to have in its place. Some work has begun, but integral components are still required.

In the meantime, those more interested in learning more about "Enysos" will be able to find murals and libraries throughout the city. The problem is any book that could have survived in the rare room that was never flooded is in that ancient language and cannot be read so easily. Instead, there are compact discs that may have survived and could hold data that could be read on the restored (or to-be restored) computer systems. Just a matter of finding them. Here, Enysos is depicted almost as a goddess in shades of pale lilac.

For those that are more adventurous, one of the Largos will tell of an ancient deep ocean village just beyond the dark abyss beneath the city floating above it. It is a village filled with an ancient race of merfolk that dates back to before the flood that consumed the water, driven down to the depths when Nilatast sank to avoid the wars on the surface. They had remained hidden, watching those working in the city, and had decided to allow a small group to come for questions. What answers they may receive will depend how they behave as those answers will not come cheaply. Should they fail… Then the place may become their grave instead.

The villagers are practically blind, accustomed to the absolute darkness the depths provide, so careful when using lighting. They are quite reticent to the outsiders, proof of how they survived made clear by the many weapons, bones, and trophies they have hanging all over. There is even a large statue made in the likeness of Enysos, however instead of the pale lilac from Nilatast, she is depicted in a dark violet, almost black. While they may not directly answer questions, they may share stories. Here, Enysos is depicted more as a bereaved mother of the ocean, consumed by her anger and hatred and seeking vengeance on all who harm her "children." To learn more, the outsiders must prove themselves.

🧑‍⚖️ Trials. Pairs will be sent into an illusion where they are presented a scenario wherein they must display an act of courage. However, while facing fears or acts are easy, the hardest challenges are those where they have to make difficult choices. Upon success, they will be rewarded with a vision related to Enysos.

🦪 Treasure hunting. Perhaps as if mocking them, "chests" will be hidden beyond the village, near the abyss where the miasma continues to permeate through. There rests the remains of an unidentifiable building, the entire structure stained black and looking as if it's decaying. Inside are the chests which will actually be in oysters, but they are no normal oysters. These have fangs and won't make it easy to release them, even once killed. To do so, one must actually channel as much anger as possible and unleash it upon the oyster, even to the point of utter destruction as needed. Not hard to do when the miasma will help influence everyone's temperaments. However, the catch is if they're not careful they could lose themselves completely, attacking each other or even destroying the chest and whatever could be inside.

🧟 Undead. Ghouls made of those who perished and harbor intense anger and hatred may also lurk in the area and will try to possess them. The feelings and thoughts pressed upon those who become their victims will include despair and anger for Enysos, calling out to her to plead for her help and cursing the "traitors" who caused her so much pain. Visions of a black oily like substance will appear along with the sensation of drowning.

When everything is at their most silent, quiet voices, whispers will hauntingly sing through the current for everyone within the depths to hear, a song that those who first investigated the underwater temple ruins may recognize:

Woe, woe, woe sing the Endless tides
Woe, woe, woe ring pride's demise

The blood red seas churn, the fires arise
Storms of hail and lightning tear the skies
Black is the rain that stains the land
Land split twain by shadow's dark hand

The ocean she mourns
The skies they cry
The sun, the moon, the stars
Into the darkness they hide

Hide, hide hide the sins of all
Die, die, die to hell they fall

Woe, woe, woe, sing the Endless tides…

If you have any questions, comment to the designated subthread. There is a subthread to help report findings or make additional plotting and coordination here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Any questions about the log or doc can be asked here!

For going to the village would they be using anything like the previous mer-person transformations or would it just be whatever underwater gear they've got at this point?

Either option is available! Both transformations and underwater diving gear will have developed a bit over the past few months to be more durable and work well at those deep depths. Just keep in mind the transformations will be based on deep ocean creatures instead of the "usual" kind of merfolk.

Hey, I just wanted to double check a little bit about the trials. Are the illusions meant to be some kind of mash-up scenario that involves difficult choices for both characters at once, or is it more "one person at a time has a scenario and their partner participates/is moral support"? I also wanted to double check how aware they are of the context that it's a trial during the illusion.

Thanks!

Both of these can be player's choice, whichever would work best for the players! For the warning, it could more of a vague warning, such as, "If you want to know the truth, prove that you can handle it" kind of thing.

To help with communication as well as have an organized place of reference, we encourage players to comment with the findings and/or plans for what they are doing. This way other players can check how things are going and utilize things if they can. You do not have to finish threads to comment! If you already know you plan to do or find something of interest, you can go ahead and comment.

[Almost feels like being at home again only darker. One would think the issue would also be wetter, but being around dripping pipes and going out for a swim to fix up any busted spotlights means not so much. And he could've taken the diving gear, but something just felt wrong about doing that.]

[Nah, he'll do it as the locals down here.]

[Frilled gills at his throat open and close as he gets a hang of his tail as it joins at his waist, flicking it back and forth in motion, seeing just how flexible it was and allowing himself to sink. Up, down, left, right; fins along his roughened, grayed skin help him maneuver and turn, twist and stop to float. More flexible than he expected; felt strange still, of course, but he could work with it. Curling webbed claws, that might make handling some tools difficult, but good to have hands at all. All his scars are accounted for - yeah, looks good. To whomever is coming with him, he nods, flashing a grin.]

Ready to get started?

1. System Rooms

[Funny how this technology seems advanced, but not that far advanced even by Fontaine standard - heck, compared to some things out of Natlan and Nod-Krai, he's pretty sure some finagling would be enough to get things going; well, if it was in better condition. With the state it's currently in, better to get it right in one. Wriothesley can't help in the areas cleared of water, but if repairs are required in more flooded or submerged areas, he's got it covered.]

Hm...

[All the wiring looks right here, but... following the cord with his eyes, maybe the issue lies somewhere else? Ugh, if there was another break...]

2. Compact Dives

[Storing information on these CDs was similar to using a spincrystal to record and playback music from his understanding. Now, Nilatast must've used other methods to label them because... he has no idea to tell which disc is which. Not only that, but they are fragile being broken, chipped, scratched, a mix of two, or all three at once. His tail flicks with mild irritation as he continues sorting out the ones that might work because a few among them are supposed to help them with the repairs.]

[At some point, he'll pick one up, flip it over to examine, and sigh.]

Might as well give them a watch while we work...

[It'll be some background noise.]

3. We all live in a...

[This Submarine... it doesn't seem to fit the ruins around them. It could be argued it wasn't meant for common usage, but from the destruction and previous findings, it could be part of the civilization's original fall. What a waste, and how pointless, but this isn't his world so he shakes his head. The reason he's inspecting it at all was due to what it hit: a beacon.]

[... Unless they take the thing apart, it's not going to be easy to move. Oh well, it gave them plenty of material to work with.]

4. Wildcard

[OOC: Feels appropriate to have. Downtime between patching things up? This is the chill part... unless you want him somewhere else haha. DM or contact me on discord for plotting!]

Edited (Adding prompts) 2026-03-11 06:54 (UTC)

[ G'raha is also familiar with recording devices. Of a sort. Allag used something very different to keep digital records. Same with Alexandria, really. Compared to those storage devices, these seem rather. Flimsy. Easy to break.

He's holding one in his hand with great care. Humming. ]

I wonder if there is valuable data on these.

[Lifting his head as he puts a broken disc aside, he hums.]

We can try checking right now. I could use a break from sorting.

[Miriam had also opted for a mer transformation--this time the potionmaker was able to make one for her that was a bit more tailored to Miriam's nature. She even kept her legs this time! Clawed and scaly things that let her walk on dry ground, though she still had to drag the entire burdensome length of a spiny, many-finned tail behind her. At least she didn't have to worry about water in her boots; these taloned feet made them impossible to wear. The same went for her gauntlets; they weren't sized for claws and scutes.

Miriam's face was still her human face, though the black plates and scales on her arms and legs tried to creep in from the edges of her hairline. The fins stretching out behind her head like living extensions of the butterfly-winged ribbon she sometimes wore were dim now, though they did perk up a bit like ears when she heard her exploration partner think out loud. Miriam looked over from the heap of what seemed like broken metal puzzle pieces, following his gaze over and up.]

What is it?

[Now that they were in the water, her tail swished idly and effortlessly like an inquisitive cat's.]

🗡️ i. in nilatast

[Prior to heading down to the village, Benedikta will be looking around Nilatast, trying to find anything that could point her in the direction of this place's history and, more importantly, the history of so-called "Mother", or Enysos. Like the desert was Sarht's, Benedikta is certain that this is her domain, and so stories and tales and things of history would no doubt be found here, would it not? It would stand to reason so, which is why she is at a computer that had recently been fixed, sorting through CDs that she'd found.

Or trying to.

Many of them don't even work and just when she thinks that she has it working, something goes wrong with it. The audio gets garbled, the video goes static, or it duplicates the image several times over. After all the hard work that Cid had put in to fixing this computer for her, why does it continue to break!?

Anyone in the library will hear a SMACK as she slaps the side of the computer's screen.]

You cursed thing!

[Anyone tech-savvy to help her out? Maybe there are some CDs that people would like to go through, find out some things about this sunken city now that they have the proper resources...]

🗡️ ii. in the village

[Her biggest problem with everything being underwater? There are no books to flip through down here and what little there was in Nilatast had been locked behind sealed doors. Of course she was not expecting them when she came down here, but she'd hoped that maybe the merfolk would have found some way to keep books down here with some kind of magic. There had been a few that they'd been given that had been brought down to the surface, but they were less about what she was looking for and more about what life was like on land.

There are, however, some stone tablets that had been preserved, and anyone who wanders into their very small archives inside a hut will find the light from her mask beaming down upon the tablets as she looks them over, memorizing the details of them. While they are not written and rather like pictographs, it is a little more difficult to make sense of them without much context. She would welcome any second pair of eyes, of course.

When not doing that, she goes to the source of all the stories and the legends: the children of the village. It may be surprising, but she is quite good with children when she wants to be, and in this case, she does. So she will be trying to coax them into some games and some especially some story time, wanting to know more about the tales and legends that they have been told about this Enysos that they look up to so much. Of course, eventually, they begin to outnumber her, so either come help her wrangle them or join her for some stories...]

🗡️ iii. sort of a wildcard

[If you'd like to do a bravery trial with Benedikta, I'd be down to do one thread with that. Otherwise, the ghouls are also an option. Also willing to pair up with others for treasures. Just reach out in the game discord for anything specific. Benedikta's goal and the goals of these threads is to flesh out some of the stories that are told about Nilatast and Enysos, whether or not they have some truth to them. So come in here for fun storytime and/or lore!]

[For a woman who is almost always on edge at times like this, Benedikta is really on edge today. With the heavy darkness that looms over them and the fact that things could be hiding in the black right in front of her, could anyone really blame her? But it is not just that... She finds herself more restless and more irritable than usual too, a strange feeling given that she's been quite successful in finding things down here—moreso than she thought.

Were it anyone else that had gone along with her, she might have bitten their heads off instead, but she has heard much about this Professor that is alongside her now and she supposes that two heads are better than one, and another set of hands would not hurt either if they ran into anything unseemly.

In an effort to take her mind off of all of that, she strikes a conversation early on in their journey outside of the town in search of fabled treasures that the merfolk spoke of.]

So... you have been working closely with Cidolfus on some things, yes? He has told me much about you and your work.

Edited 2026-03-11 01:03 (UTC)

[It was a trip that Turo had been preparing for- well, ever since he last stepped foot into these depths. Some of the gadgets and devices on second or third iterations to better withstand the depth than before simply to worry less about malfunction and holding up; tested as well as they could be. This included the 'swimming/floating light' modeled after the pokémon chinchou, the shade of light changed to red to better allow them visibility at such a depth and, well. Keep a few predators blind to it. Swimming or hovering, it could keep pace, and he had a few more packed away just in case.

Of course he nodded, one last double check to the special bag he had for this, before Benedikta had the majority of his attention.]

Yes, and I have greatly appreciated his help on a few of my projects. A reason I've been more than happy to help and work together-some of what I've brought down here were improved due to that.

[A small gesture to the red-light chinchou.]

He has spoken of you as well, Lady Benedikta—and why I try to ensure he can finish any of our working together in time to return. Work-life balances can be difficult for some.

[His tone at least implied he had learned that fact well himself.]

UNDERWATER SECRETS

QUESTIONS

no subject

no subject

Re: QUESTIONS

Re: QUESTIONS

FINDINGS REPORT

Wriothesley | Restoring the City | OTA

1. System Rooms

2. Compact Dives

3. We all live in a...

4. Wildcard

Compact Drives

no subject

1

benedikta harman 🪶 let's go lore shopping

closed to turo 🪶

no subject

Cidolfus Telamon | Repair Work

no subject

no subject

Submarine

no subject

Submarine

Emet-Selch | Restoring the City/Repairs | OPEN

Beacon Repair

Faulkner | lore hunt / shrimp time | OTA

Trials

Cloud Strife | "Mother," Huh?

FENRIS | EXPLORING/INVESTIGATING MOTHER | OTA