Description[]
Pool Guards, also frequently referred to as Entity 41 or Lifeguards, are jellyfish-like entities that could be found in many aquatic levels of the Backrooms. They can rarely be seen floating through levels, choosing to remain hidden from sight most of the time, only revealing themselves when they sense someone "breaking the rules" to hunt them down. Although encountering this entity is rare, it is still highly suggested that wanderers remain aware of their surroundings while on levels patrolled by the Pool Guards. They can be best identified by their dark, bowl-shaped head and many wire-like tentacles, which they use to interact with the environment. Their heads also possess a sensor that allows them to detect any lifeforms nearby.
Behaviors[]
Usually, Pool Guards are not hostile creatures. They hide themselves from wanderers and remain out of sight at all times. As such, their behaviors during this state are unknown and hard to study. It's thought that they might have an origin point or a "nest" of some sort, but where this "nest" could be or if it even exists is still under research.
Pool Guards can often become aggravated when it deems that a wanderer is "breaking the rules," which causes the entity to reveal itself and become extremely hostile towards its target, actively chasing them down. When it catches the wanderer who broke the rules, it will then proceed to drag them away to an unknown location to detain them. Anyone who attempts to follow the entity while it is in the process of doing this will also be captured and detained by it. No wanderer has ever been seen again after being dragged away by a Pool Guard. Many theorized that wanderers captured by the Pool Guards are sent to the Void, while others suggest that they're simply killed off and disposed of.
It is not exactly clear what can provoke Pool Guards and what activities count as "breaking the rules" to them, but from reports of the entity by other wanderers, it can be implied that they most often become aggressive when a wanderer deliberately attempts to trash or destroy parts of a level, harass other wanderers, put the lives of others at risk, cause disturbances in the level they're on, or, as mentioned before, attempt to follow the entity while it is taking someone away. Of course, it is not confirmed whether or not these are the actual rules upheld by the Pool Guards, but is still heavily recommended for wanderers to abide by them whenever they're on an aquatic level.
Biology[]
Since encounters with Pool Guards are far between, few close-up studies have been done on the entity. Therefore, not much is known about their biological makeup, though some evidence suggests that they are composed of both biological and mechanical parts. It's also known that their sensor is purely mechanical and uses infrared waves to detect nearby lifeforms, which implies that the Pool Guards most likely locate wanderers by the heat they give off.
Discovery[]
Writings about the Pool Guards have most likely existed since the early 2000s, but it wasn't until 2015 that they were officially documented and recognized by the M.E.G. due to their elusive nature. Research teams created around this entity have since then uncovered many illustrations of the Pool Guards that date back to the 1900s, suggesting that they might have been known for a long time.
An audio log documenting an encounter between M.E.G. officers and a Pool Guard.
Begin LogSargent █████████: Jesus, what in the world happened here?
Officer ██████: Looks like someone tried breaking the walls of the level to escape.
Sargent █████████: Yeah...doesn't look like they got too far with it either...
Sargent █████████: Contact the M.E.G, and get them to figure out who was behind this mess.
Officer ██████: Like they'll have a better idea than us. Those fools can't even tell a dead body apart from a live one, I'm telling you.
Sargent █████████: Yeah, but ██████ would be giving us hell if he finds out that we didn't report any anomalies to the M.E.G.
Sargent █████████: ...you heard that, right?
Officer ██████: It's those jellyfish things. I think we should be getting out of here now.
Sargent █████████: Getting out of here? ██████! A wanderer's life is in danger! We should at least investigate first.
Officer ██████: You don't think I know that? I just don't wanna take any risks with this. Just let it go, █████████, we'd be only asking for death if we go in like this.
Sargent █████████: No, you're just not thinking correctly here. You can leave if you want, but I'm going to see what the hell is going on there.
Officer ██████: █████████! You're going to get yourselves killed! Think this through before you-
Officer ██████: Is that-
Sargent █████████: Are they getting closer?
Sargent █████████: ██████! Where the hell are you-
Sargent █████████: Goddamn it.
Sargent █████████: Hey! Hey!
Unknown Wanderer: Help me! Help me, please! Please-
Sargent █████████: What the fuck is that?
End Log