Lord Croft's Journals

Lord Croft's Journals refer to special collectible Documents found in Rise of the Tomb Raider: Blood Ties DLC.

There are twelve total Lord Croft's Journals documents in the game.

The Return
I expected a sort of crushing finality to grip me when we returned to the manor, to lay Amelia to rest. Indeed, once the last of my funereal duties were performed, I fully believed that I would crumple to the ground next to her and expire, not from grief, but succumbing to the terrible exhaustion of the last few weeks.

Instead, as the mausoleum stone slid into place, I felt... a sort of peace and energy, one that I confess caught me entirely off guard. This was not the terminus of our story, and I was fool to think so. Her body may be gone, but her spirit still resides here, in the manor, in me, in Lara. Her soul is forever twined with mine, and death is just... a momentary interruption. I walked out of that cold quiet into a sunlight that burned my eyes, and I have ever been more sure.

Death is not the end, and there is work yet to do.

Lara's Thoughts
''This is where it all started... our family obsession. Well, now it's time for me to complete our work.''

The Ritual
It's over. I have done all that I could, and my Amelia is still cold and dead. Roth first scowled at my designs, then he pleaded with me not to go through with the ritual. Not because he feared it might work, but because he feared what I might do when it failed.

And it has failed, there is no doubt in that. I prepared everything according to my research. When I dropped the stone into the elixir and held it to her lips, I thought, for the barest moment, that it had worked. The hour was midnight, and my pocket watch stopped inexplicably... there was a charge in the air, like the moment before a lightning strike.

For a heartbeat, I imagined that my life was being drawn from me as one empties a glass, in order to be poured back into Amelia. I would have welcomed death if the last thing I saw were her eyes, clear and alive again.

But the moment passed. Amelia is still dead, and I was no Orpheus. We will return to the manor, and lay her to rest. I own her that much.

Lara's Thoughts
''Oh Dad... part of me wishes you had succeeded.''

Stopping Time
Amelia would not have approved. That alone should have been the end of it. But I am as God made me - a stubborn fool. I locked all the West Wing's doors, and I shall not open them again until either my life or my obstinacy comes to an end.

The night before, Roth told me I would someday change my mind. Like a broken are cast in plaster, he said, the wound would heal, and we would someday shed the bandages to be whole again. The metaphor made me furious, the clumsy way he'd cast our loss of as nothing more than an inconvenience. There is wisdom in his rough words, but... I've done what I must.

Perhaps someday Lara will throw back the doors to let the sun shine in again. Maybe she will find her own sense of peace in this place.

Lara's Thoughts
''I know Dad couldn't deal with what happened, but it's time to open up the West Wing. It's time to move on...''

Keeping Secrets
The renovations are proceeding in secret. The work crew Roth hired for the job have been paid handsomely to keep the details of the job out of the records, so I'm fairly confident no word will get out about what I'm doing.

I've been careless with presenting my findings - attracting all the wrong sorts of attention. Roth thinks I'm being paranoid by building this secret vault, but I know I'm being watched. My work is too important... and potentially too dangerous... it can't fall into the wrong hands.

I need a secure place to keep it all safe.

Lara's Thoughts
''Dad must have seemed paranoid to Roth. But I understand why he built this vault.''

Cracks in the Foundation
Amelia left tonight. She packed her suitcase and walked right out of here and I didn't even notice. Like those days in the Oxford library before we even met... I just had my nose in a book, lost in my own world.

I am such a fool. I have let my obsession with this damned Ritual of Long Life rule my better judgement for far too long. And it may already be too late. How could I have not seen this coming? I've made this mistake over and over - always putting my research before my personal life. But it's never hurt like this before.

I simply cannot live without her. If I have to give up this accursed quest that has plagued me for so long... then so be it! I am going after her. Right now. Tonight!

Lara's Thoughts
''It was almost over before it started. I always admired Dad's ability to recognize when he was wrong.''

Consumed by Grief
With Amelia gone, the Manor is a different place. A dimness pervades, a quiet I can't stand. Even though Lara is too young to understand what has happened, she also senses the change. She's asked after her mother only once and I'm afraid my reaction must have terrified her.

I will need Winston more than ever these next few months to help look after her. I never quite realized how much grief can consume a man... but I am utterly consumed. I know I can't escape the pain, but I will try my damnedest to avoid it. I will seal the West Wing, for as long as I live in this place. It will remain exactly as Amelia left it.

Perhaps someday Lara can find her own answers there.

Lara's Thoughts
''Dad was right... I could sense the change. And now I'm going to find my own answers.''

Invisible Ink
I've created a clever little map for Lara's Birthday Expedition. I used the INVISIBLE INK Amelia picked up for me in Morocco so many years ago. At the time I remember being so annoyed by that rather aggressive street vendor, but she just smiled in her sunny way and paid him without a second thought. I assumed it was just a tourist scam, but it actually works.

Turns out it requires a very specific kind of vellum, and a heat source to illuminate the ink after it's dried. It should prove a nice challenge for Lara to puzzle out.

Lara's Thoughts
Dad put so much work into that birthday expedition...

Discoveries
I've reached the monastery. As Roth predicted, it was hidden deep in the Himalayas. And now that I am standing on these high stone walls, I am overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the mountains that surround me. It is simply breathtaking. But what adds to their spiritual majesty is the truth of this place.

The monks welcomed me, as is their way, but they seemed to expect me. They must have known someone like me would eventually come seeking answers. I know this is the place - they've conducted the ritual before. I have seen the evidence - the distinctive symbols carved into the floors, the art displayed on the inner chamber's walls... they've created the Elixir before. And they will again, if I can convince them.

I sent Amelia a message straight away. I want her by my side for this discovery...

Lara's Thoughts
''Dad never told me about this myth... why was he so sure? What did he find that convinced him it was real?''

Broken
I am numb... it is taking all my willpower to hold back the overwhelming grief.

Amelia's plane... crashed in the mountains. She died alone in the snow, waiting for me to find her. Oh god, not her, not now! I cannot accept it.

Life without her is too painful to imagine. I know what must be done... and I am resolved. I am going to bring her back. Perhaps this is why I am here. Perhaps this is fate - a test of my faith in the truth I've sought for so long.

Roth will fight me on this, but... I can't face Lara... I can't look into her eyes unless I try- I must try to bring Amelia back. The Monks are preparing the Elixir now... and then we will see if all my years of hunting this truth was for nought.

Lara's Thoughts
Dad... oh no. What did you do?

A New Croft
I am bursting with pride! Amelia is with child! It is amazing how everything in life can change with such a simple event. Obviously we don't know the gender... but already we've discussed possible names. Perhaps Benjamin, after my grandfather. Or maybe Griffin? He was more infamous a Croft than even me!

No, Amelia wouldn't have it. Besides, she's certain it's a girl. She favors a classic such as Scarlett or Kate, though I've made some headway with Lara, a subtle nod to the Sun God Ra, and our days in Egypt where certainly this child was conceived.

I find myself thinking about this new life we've created... of how much she might be like us. For all my research into myths of immortality, I may have ignored the most obvious answer to the question that plague me. We live on through our progeny... our genes, DNA, experiences... passed through the generations. Perhaps this is the simple truth of eternal life, and I've just been too stubborn to accept it.

Lara's Thoughts
''In a way Dad found the secret of immortality and didn't even realize it. And I'm glad they went with Lara.''

First Impressions
Well, this is a hell of a thing. I met someone tonight, quite unexpectedly! But it shouldn't have been, it seems. I've been so buried in my work, so distracted by my latest revelations... I never bothered to notice my surroundings.

But there she was, sitting at my table in the library. Her name is Amelia, and apparently she's been studying right next to me. Art History, of all things.

I shared some of my research, against my better judgement. But I wanted to see how she would respond. And she did not disappoint. I felt as if I was suddenly engaged in a mental game of chess - moving and counter moving in argument. At one point that poor old librarian had to shush us as if we were children.

I feel so foolish for not having noticed her earlier. She's a brilliant woman who's challenged my ideas for the first time in memory. In truth, I don't know if she's feeling as exhilarated as I am right now. But I dare say our conversation was mutually stimulating.

For the first time in a long time, I find myself thinking about something else besides my research. I hope she returns for another round tomorrow.

Lara's Thoughts
''I always knew that my parents met at Oxford... but never the circumstances. Just like Dad to argue mythology as a way to flirt.''

Travels Together
They say a good test of a relationship is how well you travel together. Well, I'd say Amelia and I have passed that test with flying colours. Indeed, these last few months in Egypt have been nothing short of extraordinary. She and Roth get on like old uni chums... in fact, the two have spent more than a few nights drinking and playing cards into the wee hours.

Despite her decidedly proper upbringing, Amelia's taken to roughing it more than I ever have. She fits in and connects with the local populace with such amazing empathy. Because of her, I've had a bit of an unexpected breakthrough in my research. She managed to convince an artifact dealer in old town to sell me a magnificent and quite unusual Tibetan scroll. From what I can tell, it seems to contain details surrounding an immortality ritual of some sort.

I think it's time for me to take the next step with Amelia. In fact, I don't think I can wait any longer. I will ask for her hand tomorrow... in the bright Egyptian sun, amidst the dust and ruins.

Lara's Thoughts
''I heard so many stories about that expedition... to see it from Dad's perspective makes me realize that is was Mom who made it all so memorable.''