Something to follow
The Docksilt Eelhorse lives in flooded tunnels, drainage passages, submerged basements, and collapsed stairways. Its elongated body moves like an eel beneath silt-dark water; the rigid, horse-like head remains recognizable above or through the murk. The eyes are dull. Its familiarity, rather than an overt attack, is the danger.
It is most often encountered beneath Tiers 0–2, with Tier 3 sightings during industrial flooding. It maintains the same distance ahead of a witness: clear enough to follow, never close enough to catch. The apparent guidance encourages people to abandon ropes and route marks.
Stopping early
Following leads into lower ceilings, tighter turns, deeper water, and fewer branches. Silt, fatigue, and narrowing passages make reversal progressively harder. A group can split between those relieved to have a guide and those unwilling to trust it.
Survivors stop, anchor themselves, and reorient toward the last known safe point. Physical marks, tied strips, ropes, and chalk placed above the water preserve a route better than a shape moving ahead. The familiar head is not proof of dry air or an upward exit.
Stories call it a lost rescue animal or the keeper of a hidden passage. The dependable observation is less comforting: it remains out of reach, and continuing after it takes a traveler deeper.
