Gaster

Content warnings:
Medical trauma, experimentation. Mentioned/implied injury. Mentioned child death. Possibly others; let me know if I missed something.
All warnings are prose-only, and not thoroughly described.

Photosensitive Warning - flickering images

=============================== I'm c͡e͟rta͘i̵n of the end; it's the̶ m̢e͠ans that has me s̀po̴ok̢ed.

The Shade is coming.

I have tested my results again and again and ͠ag̶a̕in͘ ͢an͘d they have always come back po͡s̢itive. I am certain of it - I do̵ not ͏make such statements lightly. The barrier around our world is falling a̸p̶a̧rt.

The gods cannot sto͏p̵ it͝.̡ The legend of the First Age explicitly states that they barely beat back the Shade - and gods will never make̵ t͞hemse̛l̶ves͘ sou̸n̸d weak͘er t͡han they truly are. They were united, then, and now? With their power splintered, their energies directed towards their squabble? They will not stand a chance.

....But I have learned a way. Gods preserve me, but I have learned a way. Except -

The law of equivalent exchange applies to all things: ͝nothing c͘a̷n̷ be̵ ͠g̕aine͘d͞ ́without loss. The amount of time and effort this will take, the research - the subjects - the lives -

- gods preserv͟ę ̷me, ̷I̕'m ́g̵ơi̕ng to die. I -



...The Shade is ̨c͝oming̶, and unle̛ss͢ ̛I̧ ̀d̵o ̢s̶om͡͏̶e̷̷t̷̛h̸̢͏ì̀n̸͠g̸̢ ̶-̛́



[FI̸LE̢ ̸C͘O̕RR̸U̢PTED]


[ATTEMPT CLEA̷N͡?] [Y] [N]

[Y]




...


H͏͜͏E̵̡̡L͞҉L̵̸Ó͏̕ T̢͘͢H̵E̸͠Ŕ̷E͞ ͡:) ́̕W̧̧͟H͡ A ҉̕T̡ ̷̡Ą͠R̶E̸͟͝ ̛Y̶͝O͏͢U҉̴̢ ̢D͠͝OÍ̢Í̢I͟N G
y-͜ẻ͖͙̩̼̥̺͉͙̚̕̕͜ͅ ̿ͥ̾ͫ̈́̚҉̣̜̠͜t̍ͤ̏ͫ̽̈ͮ ̶̡̝̓͂͟d̢̲̮͙ͦ̄ͨ̾=̾ͣͮͥ͏̜͔̥̬͘ ̯̙̣͚̜͖̮̜͇̓̓̆̒̆̂͂ͬ̋a͇̬͊ͮ̓ͫ ͚͓̲̦ͬ̊̏̈́ͥ͝͠r͇͐̀͝]̴̘̜͇͍͕̄̇ͥ̇̏ͤͯ̚͡\̡̫͔̱̜͚́̔͋̐\̛̳̈́͋ͫ͠ ͣ҉̼̩̮͎͖̹k̶̗͖̩̳̟̺͗͂͗̽̾̂ͪ ̷̺̩̩̤̞̪̃͂̍͑̓ë̷̸̿̐͏̺͇r ̷̛̭̜͍̯̬̻̮̏̌
.̷..̡. I͢ T'͘S͠ ͠RUDE҉ ͟T͜Ơ TA̧L҉K̀ ͟A̕B̵O̸U̸ U /T ̢S͜ O̢M̶ĘON̷E ̶WH̴ O̧'S ́LIS //=TE̸NI̶NG.͘ :) ]̴̘̜͇͍͕̄̇ͥ̇̏ͤͯ̚͡ :̶̟̫̖̬̊̎͗)
=̾ͣͮͥ͏̜͔̥̬͘ ̯̙̣͚̜͖̮̜͇̓̓̆̒̆̂͂ͬ̋a͇̬͊ͮ̓ͫ ͚͓̲̦ͬ̊̏̈́ͥ͝͠r͇͐̀͝]̴̘̜͇͍͕̄̇ͥ̇̏ͤͯ̚͡







/// Entry 2 ///////////////////////////////////////

--Of all extant dragon species (circa 4E 3684), Imperials have a singular unique attribute. They are the species with the closest ties to the magic of Sornieth's local deities; the Lightweaver Herself wove the first handful of the species from the souls of Her fallen faithful. While this divine heritage of sorts was originally considered nothing but a myth, archaeological digs from all around the Sunbeam Ruins have supported the claim. Modern Imperials have only a small fraction of the power that their distant ancestors could wield, and are generally no more magically adept than the draconic average. Indeed, it seems that the origins of the Imperial species is irrelevant to the modern dragon.

--But the link remains. The history is there. The magic remembers.

--Imperials carry within themselves a terrible curse: their formation from the dead means their magic has an affinity for it. Their magic does not dissipate after death, as it does in all other creatures, draconic or otherwise. In 4E 3534 an experiment was carried out that aimed to measure exactly how long their magic might linger. The experiment found that at minimum the magic would linger for thirteen days; and the final Imperial corpse only lost its magic after three years.

--It is this peculiar quirk of their magic that the Emperor curse is derived from. Like attracts like, and a sufficient quantity and mix of lingering corpse-magic can reanimate the body that once controlled it. However, the reanimated brain is still dead, and without it there is no control - no true will, no true direction. The magic remembers the fear of death, and so mindlessly lashes out at its surroundings.

--Emperors are rare; there are 21 confirmed specimens in six thousand years of recorded history. The Imperial species has developed an instinctual desire to stay far away from their dead and dying brethren, and for the most part this seems to have mitigated any potential disasters. It is only at the sites of intense battles that Emperors have formed; places where the mortally wounded Imperial warriors are unable to escape from the group and die alone.

--Each and every confirmed specimen of Emperor has required the intervention of the region deity to finally destroy; ordinary dragons, even a coordinated army of two hundred individuals (Battle of the Boneyard, 4E 3451) cannot match the uncontrolled magical power that the Emperor specimens command. In this way, Emperors can be said to rival the power of the gods - if only they were not mindless creatures incapable of strategic thought.

---

/// Entry 3 ///////////////////////////////////////

--A peculiar side-effect of the origins of the Imperial species is that dragons of other species cannot, generally, become Imperials. There are many methods to change the genome, magic, or both of any dragon species, and they affect Imperials just as well as any other species - but all attempts to change a non-Imperial into an Imperial fail. Most often the result is nothing but a waste of time and magical energy, though on occasion the results are fatal to the involved parties.

--In 4E 3557, an experiment was undertaken that attempted to use necromancy to transform an adult Pearlcatcher male into an Imperial; of all the published experiments since, this one resulted in the most success. The subject was partially transformed in both body and magical aura before expiring, after which the corpse went on an Emperor-like rampage before abruptly losing its animation. No further experiments were undertaken due to the deaths of all but one of the researchers.

--There has been very little speculation on the reasons for the difficulty in the Imperial transformation, mostly due to the taboo of the subject. Interested researchers are often reluctant to undertake any experimentation due to the often fatal nature of the experiments.

--... I do not have time to experiment. I will require subjects who were born as Imperials. This represents a small problem: Imperials are some of the rarest of the dragon species. And they are rarely used as slaves like the plentiful breeds are - strong enough to break their bonds, independent enough to desire it, and of course the potential threat of Emperors to any slavers who make the attempt.

--This will require an unorthodox solution. Perhaps - a breeding colony, here? If I used myself as a progenitor as well I might only require three or four males... but I can't bear the thought of my own children as Regardless, I'll have to see about procuring enough specimens of both sexes as the colony seed.

---

/// Entry 5 ///////////////////////////////////////

--I have discovered a simple way to destroy an Emperor without requiring extreme effort or the intervention of the regional deity: even an Emperor cannot function when its body has been subjected to an explosive detonation. The pieces of the corpse retain some animation in most cases - limbs twitch, jaws attempt to bite - but without the body to allow movement or breath they are functionally harmless.

--The recommended locations for attachment of explosive charges are shown in chart 2A. The chest, in particular, is an excellent location as the center of mass; a sufficiently powerful explosive will sever both the neck(s) and forelimb(s), removing the ability for both coordinated locomotion and magical breath based attacks at once. In some cases, the merging of the Imperial corpses may shift the explosives to the interior of the body; this increases the efficiency of the explosives, but if the smaller pieces retain animation this may cause accidents during cleanup and subsequent experiments. My recommended approach is therefore to attach explosives to each subject in both redundant and variant locations, and after the merging to determine which explosive(s) to detonate.






--There is still the matter of control to consider. The Emperor cannot be controlled by necromancy, as regular undead may be; the magic of the Emperor overpowers that of the necromancer. In one case this resulted in death (presumed cause: severe brain haemorrhage); in another it was coma. One of the necromancers reported that she felt the Emperor draw magical energy from the ley lines in a way that even the most experienced mages have difficulty with - it was minutes later that she was overwhelmed and fell into a coma. I destroyed the Emperor once it became apparent that she would not be reawakening to resume her attempts.

--If nothing else, this is a valuable insight into the reasons behind the powers of Emperors. My current hypothesis is that it is the Imperial connection to the deities that allows their magic to tap into the ley lines in a way that would kill living dragons. The body, after all, is already dead; an overabundance of magical energy can do nothing but supercharge it at that point.

--I have suspended tests of necromancy control for the time being, as my hired necromancers were some of the most powerful in the region according to the public records. I think another approach is required.

---

/// Entry 6 ///////////////////////////////////////

--There is a peculiar species of fungi that grows only along the northern coast of the Shrieking Wilds. This fungi, O. cordyceps, has a fascinating life cycle: it only infects a particular species of ants who themselves are only found in this region. Once the infection takes hold, the behavior of the ant changes drastically. Whereas these ants are, under normal conditions, entirely arboreal, once infected they slowly and calmly make their way down to the forest floor. Once they reach a location approximately 2m from the ground that is sheltered from direct sunlight, strong winds, or strong fluctuations in humidity, the infected ant clamps its mandibles to the underside of a leaf. Once clamped down, its biological processes slow until they cease altogether - and the fruiting body of the fungi grows from the carcass.

--The fungi takes complete control of the host body, and moves it to a location that allows for optimal reproductive success.

--The curious relationship between ant and fungi is not well-known; indeed the existence of the fungi has barely been studied at all. I stumbled upon its existence purely by accident; its discovery had been printed in a scientific journal that I had been perusing for unrelated reasons.

--O. cordyceps may very well be the solution to my dilemma. I possess no affinity for Nature magics, myself, so I will have to hire a mage, and I will have to somehow procure a sample and even then I will need to coax it to grow here...

--Hypothesis: if the brain(s) of an Emperor are deceased, the unrestrained magic controls the body.

--Hypothesis: if another, external source of brain function were introduced, it would control the body of the Emperor instead of the lingering post-mortem magic.

--Hypothesis: O. cordyceps, like any other living thing, can be engineered to respond to magical modifications and external stimuli.

--Hypothesis: O. cordyceps can be modified to infect Imperial brains?

--Hypothesis: If someone could attune their magical core to the modified O. cordyceps strains, they might be able to control its behavior, and therefore indirectly the behavior of the Emperor?
**addendum: such a feat would require a strong magical core and the utmost concentration, due to the total control required.
I do not trust anyone els
I'll have to infect myself and it will kill m
I will begin studies into my own magical core and see whether or not mine is sufficient. If not, I will have to figure out a way to increase my power.

---

/// Entry 7 ///////////////////////////////////////

--I have postponed my study of O. cordyceps for the time being. Another potential avenue has made itself known to me, and I believe this avenue may offer a higher chance of success. If nothing else it is much easier to procure the required samples.

--The ley lines of Sornieth can be accessed by most life, and even in death the lingering energies of the body continue to interact with them - for potentially quite some time, in the case of Emperors. However, it is not only life that can access the ley lines. Sornieth is shaped by them, and shapes them in return. Certain materials have more resonance with the ley lines than others do; certain crystal formations, in particular, resonate strongly with magical energy. The largest crystal deposits are found along ley lines, and those crystals carry with them a link to their birthplace even after they are mined and shaped. It is for this reason that crystals are considered powerful tools for mages of all elements, if they can find the correct ones to use.

--The crystals mined from beneath the Beacon of the Radiant Eye are the most powerful Light crystals known to dragonkind. That powerful connection to the Lightweaver, in turn, creates a link to Imperials - and through them, Emperors.

--My discovery of this behavior was an accident - I had one Light-aligned crystal in my collection, and I realized the Emperors unerringly pointed themselves toward it once there was no longer more active stimuli present. I tested my hypothesis by moving my lone crystal from room to room, and eventually outside of the fortress, and the subjects could always track it if there was no other source of Light magic closer to them. Dragons may at times count as a stronger source of Light magic, depending on the individual's abilities; I do not know if beastclans or wildlife affect this behavior. If the energy of Light crystals and dragons both are masked, the Emperor will instead gravitate toward the next strongest source of magical energy. This behavior is less consistent; sometimes it was myself, others it was the rest of my clan, and once it appeared to be a completely random direction. My hypothesis is that there was something Light-aligned travelling nearby at the time, though of course I have no way to confirm this.

--I am not yet certain how I might use this for purposes of control, rather than merely using this quirk to prevent the specimens from focusing their destructive power on one section of their containment facility. I am certain my experiments will yield results, however, and until then... this has become an excellent way to extend my funds. The coffers are beginning to run low.

---

/// Entry 9 ///////////////////////////////////////

--The breeding colony is progressing. I will require more progenitors; many of the Imperials I procured were being sold with siblings or cousins, which will not work in this case, and so I have only 3 adults and 4 subadults. Two of my clanmates consented to the use of their genetic material; one is an Imperial, the other a Wildclaw. The rare Wildclaw child may be of use as a source of income, or as a laborer, and at any rate I do not have such funds at my disposal to turn down the donor's offer. Their contributions combined with my own extends my number of adults to 6, which is at least enough to begin breeding.

--Nevertheless I will eventually run into a bottleneck, and of more immediate concern is the fact that all of the offspring will be of the Ice element. In the course of my research I have determined that Emperors form more readily when Imperials of different elemental alignments are present, and the resultant Emperors are noticeably more powerful than their mono-element brethren. Mono-element Emperors may also come with an inherent expiry date; both of the mono-element Emperors I have created (Ice, in both cases) expired on their own in 2.1 and 5.8 hours, respectively. This is certainly not enough specimens to be statistically viable, but it is enough of a deterrent that I have not attempted it again.

--This thus presents a far more dire issue. I may be able to use the breeding colony as a source of income as well, by trading or selling some of the offspring to the slavers and in return commissioning retrieval of specimens of other elements. This will undoubtedly cost more - it is already consuming far too much of my funds, and the individuals I am currently working with will undoubtedly begin to charge more for their services as time goes on. This is unsustainable in the long run - I must also learn how to change the element of a dragon. Perhaps a concentration of aligned crystals near the nests...

--I suppose in the end it is merely one more piece of the puzzle that seems insurmountable now, but in the end will prove manipulable. I have already gotten this far, after all.

**addendum: this discovery is likely useless for my purposes, but may be of use to whomever inherits my research. It is possible for a deceased dam and their unborn children to become an Emperor, albeit a very weak and lethargic one. I only have a single, accidental example of this, and I have no time or desire to experiment farther, so the chances of this occurring are unknown. I have heard a singular, persistent legend of such a thing occurring - now, at least, it is confirmed as plausible.
I dislike
I hate doing th
The end justifies the means. It must, or else I am a mons or else this is nothing none of this ma

--The end justifies the means. Always.

---

/// Entry 10 ///////////////////////////////////////

--A dragon's element is determined by the time their egg is laid. There has been a great deal of speculation as to the precise point at which this occurs - is it when the egg is laid? When the eggshell forms? At some point in the fetus' development? At the moment of conception? Ultimately this discussion has been entirely academic, because no one will step forward and test their hypothesis. Even the subject of Emperors has been far more explored than this, and Emperors are on the whole irrelevant to the average dragon. There is an extremely strong aversion to experiments involving unhatched children - this despite the ways draconic society at large treats its hatchlings. The reason, I suspect, is an inborn, biological one, perhaps even one that continues onward to the core of a dragon's being. The soul, if such a thing exists. Even I possess this aversion, and I cannot quite make myself surmount it. Yet, paradoxically, I must - or at least I must learn to work around it. I have quite a lot of experience with such things these days.

--If I could produce eggs of my own this would be far easier to test, though I know the nesting instinct of a parent is a nearly insurmountable drive. Even separating the sire from the nest or the dam is nigh impossible; I have little hope of convincing the dam to move, nor do I have the resources or funds to force them to do so. Instead I must turn to research done by others in the past, and hope that I may piece together a functioning hypothesis of my own from the scattered information available to me.

--There are many accounts by slavers, of course, unreliable as they are. As a rule they do not attempt to move either the dam or the sire, no matter the profit that might result from it. Generally they maintain a base of operations where they also allow breeding and nesting to take place. Occasionally, however, there have been instances where this did not happen. My contacts had a handful of stories to share; most of them involved the parent(s) killing the slavers regardless of how much the odds were against them. Sometimes the stories had proper closure, where the parent(s) succumbed to the wounds gained in the fight, and the eggs were left abandoned if they were already laid. Laid eggs are not the focus of my research, however, and so I pressed on.

--I eventually gained an important fragment of knowledge, learned thirdhand and so not very reliable - but it is all I have to work with. In this story, the teller was a former soldier and had been pursuing an enemy of their faction. The enemy was a pair - a mated pair, who could produce eggs. The story involved a long-distance chase, and the male may or may not have died during it, but the female escaped. They found her later - her, and her newly laid clutch of eggs. Half Nature-aligned and half Light-aligned, laid on an island in the ocean between the Viridian Labyrinth and Sunbeam Ruins.

--The individual telling the story did not have details of those eggs - xe was rather more interested in the details of the chase and the fight with the dam. I have no way of knowing if this story is true, of course, or if it is exaggerated or missing key information. There may have been more dragons involved, for example, and the clutch was the result of two separate dams. Still, it provides a starting point.

--Hypothesis: it is when the eggshell forms that the element of the child is determined. I believe this has the strongest evidence of all the hypotheses put forth; an eggshell is a physical thing, the final thing to be formed, and the dam often draws more energy from the ley lines later in their pregnancy; forming an eggshell suited to its environment may cause this. In addition the eggs of different alignments vary so drastically in design that there must be some amount of input from the surrounding magical fields in their formation, even if it is not the primary point at which their design is determined.

--Hypothesis: the parents, and especially the dam, dislike moving while their children are gestating due to this quality of the eggs. An imbalance in elemental energy may cause deformities in the eggshell, and therefore in the children.

--Hypothesis: therefore, a strong enough elemental influence at the right point in the egg's development may cause changes in the element of the child.

--Potential sources of this influence, aside from that of the regional deity: elementally aligned crystals, casting of powerful magic near the dam, interaction with those blessed by the deity (corollary: the Sprites, or the Eyes of the Eleven?), a heavy diet of elementally enriched foods?

--Perhaps... careful surgery, at a critical point in development... This will require testing. Perhaps with the more common breeds first? And I will need a method to bypass the aversion to causing potential harm to the fetus... I could seek a beastclan surgeon, or.... perhaps the Starks might be able to offer me a solution.

---

/// Entry 11 ///////////////////////////////////////

--I have made considerable progress. Entirely unexpected progress, but progress all the same.

--Stark Industries was, unfortunately, a dead end; their robotics are not yet advanced enough to perform surgery, and anyways the models with enough dexterity to be useful are far outside my price range. I considered investigating other corporations, but even as removed from the Stormplains as I am, I am well aware that the Starks are the best bar none. I thought I might be able to train myself to perform the surgeries - certainly it would be faster and cheaper to do so than continue my search. However, a member of the Arcane University responded to my inquiries of Arcane-aligned crystals - and from this I solved two problems in one fell swoop.

--Arcane, as a type of magic, is different from the others. Enormously powerful in some ways - and far weaker in others. More than any other alignment, Arcane is noted to produce one of two types of mage: the entirely useless, and the enormously powerful. Mages of other elements span the entire spectrum between those two extremes - I myself am a somewhat middling Ice adept. Arcane magic rarely produces middling mages, and the reason as to why lies in the element itself. Arcane is not a physical aspect of the world, not as the other elements are. Nature grows; Fire burns; Water quenches. Even Light and Shadow are physical representations of sunlight interacting with objects. Arcane is magic: nothing more, nothing less. It is both all and none at once, and that is what gives its users their massive power disparity.

--This also reflects in the crystals aligned to it; they are rarer than the other types of crystal, and often low quality when they are found, but their power potential is enormous. And this is why they are almost exclusively used in the creation of golems.

--A golem controls its body, whatever that body may be made of, by manipulating magical fields. The crystal is a power source, amplifier, and conductor. To have a golem that will function for longer than days, its creator must obtain a quality crystal to serve as the base of its intellect. It is an enormous industry in the Starfall Isles especially. To have the longest lasting, most powerful, and most mentally sophisticated golems, you must obtain an Arcane crystal of high quality.

--And now, I have ten of them.

---

/// Entry 12 ///////////////////////////////////////

--My success has come all at once, it seems, and the end of the project is within sight now. Sometimes I forget that I will die at the en The aligned crystals eventually became the solution to all of my stumbling blocks.

--First: the issue of control. This was resolved, as I had hypothesized, through implantation of the crystals in the subject. My first hypothesis proved correct, in that the power of the crystal generally (92.8% probability) overrides the subject's own brain. This requires close installation of the crystal, however - directly intersecting the brain works best, though I have had success with it merely resting alongside it within the skull. The crystal must of course also be fastened securely so as to not move around - the easiest method is to simply program the crystal to anchor itself, but I did also have some success with physical attachments such as wires. One must also take care to only damage those sections of the brain that are non-critical for the subject's survival. I will include charts with this entry, time permitting.

--My initial test subject was not a dragon; I used my familiar, a member of species Mustela furo. The reasoning for this was twofold: firstly, animal trials were far more cost effective at this stage, and secondly I was already aware of her particular quirks, and she is well-trained. If anything were to change about her cognizance, abilities, or personality, I would notice faster than I might with a dragon. She survived the surgery and responded fairly well to the insertion of the crystal, and thus I swiftly moved on to draconic test subjects.

--The subjects take an extended period to awaken from the sedative, regardless of their species. Lack of motor control is also to be expected. In one case the subject experienced a seizure, but suffered no long term side effects that I could discern. The memory of the subjects varies; some recall their names and pasts, while others do not. Some retain the skills learned in their previous lives; some do not. Due to my limited supply of both crystals and test subjects I am unable to discern what exactly causes them to retain knowledge - in some cases it is certainly due to brain damage, but in others I left the brain intact and yet they recall little to nothing. My singular non-draconic subject retained her memory despite brain damage; I am unsure if this is to do with the simplicity of that memory.

--The subjects who retained knowledge of their former lives differed farther; some were obedient to me, as golems are to their creator, while others fought the control. I hypothesize this is to do with their personalities, as those with more combative personalities, or who disagreed with my work, were far more unruly. The sample size is too small to be sure, of course, but even so I will avoid using those individuals with strong personalities - at least as golems. It won't matter for their use as part of Emperors.

--Second: my method of changing the elemental alignment of a dragon. Elementally aligned crystals do have an effect, a strong one - it is only a matter of when they are introduced, and more importantly, how they are introduced. One of my golems possesses hands even steadier than my own, and he has proven himself to have some skill at surgery. I have thus been able to experiment with implantation of crystal fragments alongside the fetus at different stages in its development. Mostly for these I have used Earth fragments, as they are the cheapest and most common of all the types, but other alignments produce nearly identical results. Immediately prior to the formation of the eggshell works as I had hypothesized - but so does an extended period before that, when the fetus is still undergoing the major points of development.

--I have produced two clutches of half-Earth, half-Ice children, and a single clutch of two that was pure Earth. The children are not healthy, however; all of the Earth-aligned children have deformities of some sort. One is missing the majority of their wings, another has severe mental deficits, and one suffered internal deformities that were extensive enough that we decided it would be kindest to euthanize them. The irony of this is not lost upo One also died shortly after hatching; autopsy revealed their heart was severely deformed. These deformities should be irrelevant for the children's ultimate role as a component of an Emperor, however, and I have thus decided they are an acceptable downside in this scenario.

--The issue now, then, lies in my own abilities. I am not magically weak, but I would not term myself powerful. I programmed all of my obtained crystals to be linked to my own magical core, which at first was no issue; they are programmed to take the bulk of their energy from the ley lines. Still, I am linked to them, and the number of crystals that are now attached to my magical core is beginning to tire me. I sleep ten or more hours a day now, and yet I still find myself falling asleep at my desk; my golems have twice woken me from sleeping in my note̵b̵ooks. Once, they say, I was barely breathing. Even drastically increasing my food intake has not helped. I am not sure what my ultimate limit will be; hopefully I will discover it only as my research draws to a close.

---

/// Entry 13 ///////////////////////////////////////

--My former familiar has become a useful assistant, and I regret that I did not choose a familiar with greater dexterity. She has learned both Common and Sign, and at a greater speed than even hatchlings do; if the circumstances were different I would much prefer to study her growth. She can write now, even - crudely and slowly, but I suspect once she gains further control and vocabulary her abilities will increase exponentially. When I don't have use for her she's often reading my scientific texts, or at least performing a very convincing façade of it. I would love to undertake a rigorous test of her memory and her understanding, but I am unfortunately limited to smaller informal tests. Perhaps she will have gained enough cognizance, and an appreciation for the scientific method, and will record her own changes.

--My work is more and more left in the hands of my golems. I of course preside over as much of the work as I can, but I am running out of energy. I sleep for sixteen hours a day, most days, and when I am awake I must constantly eat in order to keep myself from running a caloric deficit. I have six golem assistants now, my former familiar included, and forty-three dragons of varying ages and breeds who have undergone the treatment, but who do not have the temperament to be an assistant. Thirty-nine of those will one day become part of an Emperor, and there are more nests laid every two to five days. The bulk of the children are Ice-aligned, but there is enough elemental variety now that this does not particularly worry me. I have Imperials of all eleven alignments here, in varying quantities. Even if I were to order the halt of crystal fragment implantation, I think it is enough. Still, more variety may prove useful in the case of unforeseen roadblocks.

--My a̡ssistants have begun coming to me with their own hypotheses and research ideas as well, though they're often simplistic and poorly thought-out - I find myself ... proud of them, in a way. I once entertained the idea of children of my own, and... I suppose some of my experimental subjects are quite literally my children, but I feel no attachment to them. My assistants - they are everything I hoped my children might become. Intelligent, driven, curious. They are obedient, but they will challenge me now, if they believe my conclusions are wrong. It would be fascinating to see their growth. I believe they will grow beyond what most golems could ever hope to achieve, or... they would, if given time. I don't th̷ink either they or I have that time. I have f What kind of monster ki

--This entry is unfortunately more personal musings than a record of my progress. My deteriorating condition is likely to blame for this. I've encouraged my assistants to keep their own records, and of course I continue to keep meticulous records of every experiment I am involved in, and no matter my current condition that is still most of them. Th̷ose should stand on their own well enough as a record of my work.

--In fifty-two minutes I am to be prepared for a surgery of my own - I require more magical power, and a stronger link to those implanted with my control crystals. I will receive an aligned crystal of my own, implanted in my skull in the same way we have been implanting them in the subjects. Mine, however, will be both larger and of higher quality - by far the most expensive in my now very large collection. I suspect it was not obtained legally, but it is no matter. I should come through this surgery with my faculties intact, and if I do not I should at least retain my skills - my records should be enough to regain enough knowledge to continue my work.

---

/// Entry 14 ///////////////////////////////////////

--Th̷e surgery was a success. For the time being I am bedbound, as even the advanced hea̡ling factor of dragons is not enough to compensate for this type of surgery. The result is certainly not pretty, nor do I think it would be viable for long term survival. Iolanthe said he had no choice but to leave part of the crystal exposed, else he risked damaging my brain, and so... the incision is not fully closed, and the spines of the crystal protrude. It rests atop the junction of my parietal and temporal skull plates; the weight is interfering with both my righ̷t eye and ear, and the pressure is already beginning to cause a headache, even though I am currently on morphine. Still, it should be enough to last me until the project's conclusion.

--My assistants have continued my work during my absence, and have advanced their own experiments as well. Of particular note is Kessler's work - he has devised a secondary treatment which imparts even greater power upon the individual. A way to supercharge their magical power by allowing them a higher degree of connection with the ley lines - he has termed them Conduits. The first result was, I'm told, excellent. Too excellent in the end; she escaped confinement and subsequently fled the fortress. Kessler wanted to go after her, though my other assistants thankfully convinced him it was not worth it. We certainly do not have the manpower to cha̡se a wayward test subject. And I do not blame her for fleeing this horro

--In total there are now fifty-two Imperials who have undergone treatment, and another nest is due to hatch later today. I am unsure what the total number should be; I have a feeling it should be greater, but I have no evidence to back up this feeling. Certainly we are already far beyond the largest Emperor ever confirmed. Even if half of the subjects do not fuse properly we still have more than double the individuals of the Promenade Emperor of 4E 3091. And that is not even considering myself and those golems who inha̡bit Imperial bodies. At sixty-four individuals, my subjects will outnumber my clan - if they do not already. They have been leaving, slowly, as my work progresses. I don't begrudge them; this is unsavory work. Unsavory, but necessary.

--The Icewarden, if He is aware of my work, has not interfered. I choose to believe that He is unaware, rather than that He believes my plan will not succeed. The Emperors I have created in testing have all been small, q̶u̸ickly destroyed... not enough of a threat to draw the attention of the gods. I hope

--My lethargy combined with this surgery have sapped all my energy, and I must sleep. I fear that my records a̡nd entries both will suffer. Inço͠mplete, ͏or͞ ̵ęv͜en͜ `woŕse̶ di̢s̴joi͟n̡te̴d -͟ o̶r ͏ìl̀legib͢le̕.͝ Per͞h͘aps I will see if Margrethe would be willing to take dictation. Her writing skills have improved by leaps and bounds, and she is faŗ ̵to͘o͘ small to run most experiments... perhaps...

---

/// Entry 15 ///////////////////////////////////////

--I am still able to write my own entries, at least for now. The breeding colony continues to grow; we now have 81 subjects. All have undergone treatment. Rate of fatal deformities rising. Likely not enough to curb growth. Euphemia monitoring closely.

--....

--Focusing is... difficult. Pain is extr I'm in pain most of the time. There was a second surgery; I req̶u̸ir̶e̛d͏ mo̧re po͢w̵er, and more control. The right side of my face has lost most sensation. I believe Iolanthe said there was a stroke... my face droops. My hands shake. Signing is sometimes difficult. Margrethe often accompanies me; she is able to interpret what I am trying to communicate. Shè has ̀co̕m̀e a very long way from the simple familiar she once was. I'm pleased to note she is also documenting her own growth thoroughly. She's convinced Iolanthe and Moth to do the same. Very pleased. If I survive I will read their records with great interest.

--There has been an unusual side eff̵e̶ct? of my alterations. I will do my utmost to record them with scientific clarity, but it is... difficult...

--...

--Subject underwent implantation of second aligned crystal. Recovery did not `go as well as it did in the first instance. Subject experienced a stroke, and struggles with tasks he was once proficient in. After subject awakened and regained coherency, he began to see shapes. Anti-hallucinatory treatment was administered, but the shapes persisted. After a time, the subject began to study them more closely. Subject clai/ms the s̷h͜apes ár͜e͟ l͝aid̸ ǫu͏t͘ ͞lik̛e writing, but resemble no known script. Subject notes handlike sy̴mbols appearing most often - perhaps a conseq̶u̸ence of Subject's primary means of communication being Draconic Sig`n? Subject notes other shapes appearing with less frequency̴, including: circles, lines of varying \curvature, flags, stylized sno\wf̶lakes a͠n͏d́ suns, and other sy̴m^bols that are pŕecise in shape but do not have any particular meaning that Subject or other researchers are aware of.



--Of particular note is a symbol with a very straightforward meaning. It is a beastclan skull with t̢w̧o͏ ͢bo͠n͝e͟s crossed beneath it, possibly the humerus. Amongst all known draconic and beastclan cultures, this ind^icates a n̵egative outcome. The skull varies, of course, between cultures, but the me͜an̵ing does n`ot. Injury̴, poison̵ing, death.

--...

--I'm going to die
--but I already kn̵e


--I will continue my work.

---

/// Entry 16 ///////////////////////////////////////

--My hands, my most important tool, have failed me. Or, perhaps more accurately, I have failed them.

--I can no longer write. Sign is difficult, also, but Margrethe is by now adept at understanding my impaired speech. T\here is something very... relaxing... about the two of us, together, us who can communicate only in Sign and the writte͜n word...

--Yes, my apologies. Allow me to continue. Margrethe is taking dictation for me now. I am, thankfully, not bedbound, and I can still type well enough. Still, it is faster to allow Margrethe to take dictation, and she helps keep me focused as well.

--I have undergone a third surgery, this one to my hands, hence my current situation. This one I was awake for, with only local anesthesia. I req̶u̸ired more fine tuned control... I have had some success transmitting thoughts to my assistants, but it is not anything that I could truly control. Indeed, they were just as likely to catch stray musings as they were to catch my attempted direct communication. For this, I thought it might help if/ I could communicate to them through. our linked crystals in the same way I communicate to them in the mundane way: through Sign. The physical results are... ... perhaps best termed as unsightly. But I still have ./full control of both hands and each of my fingers, and that should be enough. Part of this dictation I am delivering to Margrethe as she faces away - I am unsure if she is catching all of it, but she is catching enough for it to matter. I will have to train this skill in the coming days. Margrethe is, without a doubt, the greatest of my creations. An Emperor will not even have the smallest sliver of a fraction of the intellect she does, and it will be far less inclined to listen. I must perf̵e̶ct my control.

--Margrethe, what else... how is the colony? Yes - there are... isn't it ninety-five? Yes - ninety-five subjects who have undergone treatment. There is at least one natural-born Imperial of every ele͜ment. We spent some of the last of our funds to ensure that was the case, in the event that` the changed ones are not sufficient. My clan... before my surgery, they were mostly gone, weren't they? I don't blame them. I hope they find good lives elsewhere͜... I hope my sacrifice, our sacrifice... I hope it lets them flourish.

--I don't know how much longer I'll survive, so... I think a hundred subjects is enough, isn't it? We will have to test how well they can sense my commands - if I can command them. I will need focus for this... I wonder if perhaps another implantation would help. It has certainly increased my power. No, we'll wait until my hands heal more. Perhaps that will be enough. ...The next nest is tomorrow, isn't it? One hundred subjects. We͜ will need to test - perhaps a small-scale test, a small Emperor to ensure I can exert the slightest control over it. How one's perspective changes. A small test of controlling an Emperor. Ha.

--I will confer with my assistants. Perhaps they will be able to help. Four minds pushing our cre͜ation to its goal... it may work better than only one. And one that is still hallucinating, at that. The`se things that I see - I recorded them, didn't I? - Thank you. It's as though I'm not seeing things, but - seeing through things. As though a veil has been lifted away. Objects, reduced to their base materials. Something more base than atoms, than magic. I wonder if this is how the gods see the world. If perhaps this is the script that reality is writ.ten in. As though we are merely words on the page of another deity, vast and incomprehensible. Such a thing would surely drive me mad, given time. It f̵e̶els as though I am halfway there already. But... if I can last just long enough... perhaps the end of the month is when we will begin our final experiment. After the f̵e̶stival. A final warm sendoff for us all.

--<Doctor Gaster is silent for one minute and thirty-three seconds. His eyes follow something that I cannot see. His fingers move, but I cannot discern his signs, if they are intended to be signs.>

--...The͡ ̛S͢had͟e̴ draws near. I can hear it, now. The sym̷`bo̸ls break apart. Reality, un̸writt̀e͟n͘. Ẃę ͜a̵re͏ ru̡n̡ni͏ng̕ ou͜t͞ o̕f̧ timȩ.

--<After three minutes and four seconds, Doctor Gaster focuses on me again.>

--Margre͜the... before this comes to its conclusion... you should leave. We have enou`gh gold left to hire a courier, don't ̀w͜e͠? ̢Y҉ou͝ ̨ca̵n̛ ̛ri̡de̡ ́in̨ ̨t̷h̢e͠ir ̶bąg̷ś.͡..͠ p҉e҉rha̧p͜s̴ ýou can bring our research elsewhere to preserve it - are you still tak͝iņg ͟ḑic͝t`ation? No, this isn't part of the record, c.ome now -

---

///En͝try̴ 17 ///////////////////////////////////////

--DAR͢K͞, ̢D͘A͞R͟KȨR, YÈT ̀DÀRKER̨
--THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING
--THE SHADOWS C͜U̶TT̀I̸NG ҉D̸E̴E̷PE͝R̀
--PHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE
--THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT
--SEEMS
--VERY
--VÈR̷Y
--INTERESTING


--WHA͏T͏ ḐO YOU TWO TH͏IN͠K?


























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The SubSystem system process terminated unexpectedly with a status of 0xc0000005 (0x7e74ae01 0x0053f3c8).

The system has been shut down.





































[REBOOT INITIALIZED]







/// Entry 18 ///////////////////////////////////////

--Docto̷r Gás͢te̛r̨ is no longer able to continue these entries, so I will do so in his stead.

--At approximately 9:30, on the first of the Flameforger's Month, 4E 3690, Doctor Gaster's final experiment came to a close. Do̶c̢to̕r͜ Ǵast̨er, his Imperial golems Euphemia, Moth, Iolanthe, and Kessler, and approximately one-hundred and two Imperials combined into what I believe was a single Emperor. I did not witness the events that followed, though I am able to make educated guesses. The Emperor did not devote its power to destruction, as an uncontrolled Emperor would have, and thus I must conclude that at the very least Do͢c̕tor̨ G͟a̧s̕te̢r was able to direct it to some extent. Whether or not he succee͜ded in his goal of directing this power into repair of the world barrier, I do not know.

--The Emperor existed for somewhere between twenty-two and fifty-eight seconds. Then, both the Emperor and the fortress were hit with a blast of Ice-aligned magical energy. This blast was powerful enough to cause the measuring devices in the lower levels of the fortress to explode; my assumption is therefore that it was caused by the Icewarden once he noticed the disturbance to his realm. The fortress then collapsed down to the lower levels where I was located. I have located three semi-intact sections, but none are larger than 3mx3m.

--It has been approximately one week, three days, and sixteen hours since the conclusion of Doct͏or Ga͏st́e͏r̢'s experiment. As far as I am aware, I am the only survivor. My efforts to explore the ruins of the fortress are ongoing. I have made it to the surface, but all that remains is a crater. Only in the lower levels is there evidence of there once being a fortress here; closer to the surface it has been completely obliterated. This, I assume, is the doing of the Icewarden.

--There is no sign of the Emperor whatsoever. There are no bodies frozen in the crater, nor even fragments of bodies. I have seen no blood stains on the ice and snow. If I did not know what had occurred, I would be unaware that an Emperor existed here at all. Were I in a less precarious situation, I would like to study the magical energies - they must be very different now, after the expenditure from the Emperor and the Icewarden both.

--I will continue my search for survivors. I am also searching for supplies; there are enough mice still surviving in the lowest levels of the fortress that I will have enough sustenance for at least two weeks more, but this is not sustainable. I will require a method of leaving the ruins.

---

/// Entry 19 ///////////////////////////////////////

--It has been two weeks, one day, and twenty-two hours since entry 18. I have since discovered that one of the cell blocks in the lowest section of the fortress was still intact. Within this cell block was a single Imperial. I am unsure why this one survived; my assumption is that the killing implant did not detonate. Perhaps this Imperial was too far belowground - though its blockmates all perished and joined with the Emperor as they should have. The other cells in this block are empty, with only previous signs of habitation such as now rotted foods; there is no damage to the cells themselves, either from the absorption of their inhabitants, or from the Icewarden's subsequent destruction of the Emperor. I therefore now believe that the lack of remains is something to do with the Emperor itself, rather than a deliberate move by the Icewarden.

--The surviving Imperial is very small for a member of its breed, and very weak. It is of the Arcane element, though I do not recall this one being imported - this, combined with its deformities, leads me to believe it is one of D̛o͜c͠tơr ͢Ga҉st҉ȩr's elementally-changed subjects. Its wings are not deformed, however, and they are large enough to support its weight in flight. There are very few mice left in the fortress that I can locate, but perhaps if I feed them to this Imperial it may be able to fly away from here.

--The Imperial is also cognizant of Sign, and it knows some Common Draconic as well. It cannot read, but I have worked on my dexterity for long enough that I can at least communicate with it to a degree. I have communicated this desire to leave the fortress with it, but I have not told it anything else. It is young enough that it is unclear how much it is aware of the events preceding the fortress' destruction.

--I estimate another week before the Imperial is strong enough to dig its way to the surface; this will take some time, as the corridor leading to the cell block is of course collapsed. I will have to plot a path for the Imperial to take. In the meantime, I will have to search farther for food for us both.

---

/// Entry 20 ///////////////////////////////////////

--It has been one week, four days, and two hours since entry 19. The Imperial has breached the surface, and under my tutelage has been strengthening its wings in preparation for flight. It is extremely obedient; if it had been born earlier, it likely would have become one of Do͢c͞tor̡ ҉G̕\̨às̢tèŗ's assistants. I am still unsure of the Imperial's intellect, though it learns quickly enough that I doubt its mind is impaired.

--It has named itself Silico, though I am unsure why. The name resembles silicon, of course, and D̸o̷c̶t̵o̶r̸ ̴G̴a̷s̷t̸e̷r̸'s terminals were made by Silicon Systems... perhaps it saw one at some point and retained a fragment of the text. It is irrelevant, regardless.

--Silico should be strong enough to fly within the next two to three days. I have been spending my time combing through the debris for information, whilst also searching for fragments of the research Do͏c͞tor͟ Gas̴ter had undertaken here. Very little remains; all of the office storage spaces are destroyed. This terminal is the last one on the network, and it is severely damaged. The records of what took place here will thus remain mostly within my own mind. It is somewhat fortunate; I have better recall than dragons do.

--I will not return to this terminal; I must spend my time hunting so that Silico can travel as far as possible before tiring, hibernating, or expiring. I will not erase the remains of Docto͡r͝ ͟Ǵa̵s͝t͠e̴r's research, but I do not think it wise to continue it. If someone finds this terminal and is able to repair it into working condition... this is your warning. There was a fortress here, built into a mountain, and now there is a crater.

--However, if you do decide to attempt it - if I am still alive and you are able to find me, I will assist. It is what I was created for.