DRONE

Inventory Unhatched Lightning Egg Dragon Eggs A super-charged glassy egg with a flashing baby dragon inside. The egg is hard to look at for long periods of time, but quite the conversation topic. 0 Unhatched Lightning Egg x∞ Unhatched Lightning Egg Dragon Eggs A super-charged glassy egg with a flashing baby dragon inside. The egg is hard to look at for long periods of time, but quite the conversation topic. 0 Unhatched Lightning Egg x∞ Unhatched Lightning Egg Dragon Eggs A super-charged glassy egg with a flashing baby dragon inside. The egg is hard to look at for long periods of time, but quite the conversation topic. 0 Unhatched Lightning Egg x∞ Acquaintances Mitternacht ??? DRONE ??? DEFECTIVE ERROR

DEFECTIVE THE ONE IS ALL AND THE ALL ARE ONE THE ONE IS ALL AND THE ALL ARE ONE THE ONE IS ALL AND THE ALL ARE ONE THE ONE IS ALL AND THE ALL ARE ONE THE ONE IS ALL AND THE ALL ARE ONE THE ONE IS ALL AND THE ALL ARE ONE THE ONE IS ALL AND THE ALL ARE ONE THE ONE IS ALL AND THE ALL ARE ONE THE ONE IS ALL AND THE ALL ARE ONE THE ONE IS ALL AND THE ALL ARE ONE THE ONE IS ALL AND THE ALL ARE ONE THE ONE IS ALL AND THE ALL ARE ONE THE ONE IS ALL AND THE ALL ARE ONE STATUS: ALIVE DESIGNATION: ABYSS OTHER NOTES: OVERRIDDEN OVERRIDDEN Fragment from Muse's journal: Unlike the Genesis (as I now know it is called), whose eyes shine like headlights, this drone's eyes are greyish-brown, nearly black, so deep that I could barely pick them out in the dark. Note from Oki's journal: I am not sure what this... thing is nor do I know who Muse or Genesis are. This fragment was dropped by this DRONE which was seen with who we have called Mitternacht. Is it possible for the Abyss to have utilized these DRONE things? They seem just as scary as the Shade. Lore ______The hivemind's origins are blurry. It always existed; it never existed; there is no start or end to its tale. One thing is known, however: it is a haunting threat to dragonkind and Sorneith itself, aiming to swallow the entirety of the world. ______On its surface, the hivemind consists of black, insectoid creatures, which are often said to resemble dragons in their shape and stature. They have pitch-black carapaces and joints that move with a distinctly robotic feel. They are not alive in the contemporary sense - instead, most individuals are drones, under the control of a rogue consciousness that treats them less like living beings and more like extensions of its own body. A consciousness is a brain, its drones are the organs, and their hive is the chassis. ______The presence of a consciousness is critical in supporting a hive. Drones are hollow-minded beings without autonomy or individuality, and most are not programmed with any sort of survival failsafe to remind them to eat and drink if the consciousness commanding it is disconnected. Consciousnesses are sentient in the most alien of senses - they use logic and reason, but lack any sort of empathy or moral compass and prize efficiency above all else. They can even communicate with other consciousnesses along a psychic signal (much like a radio signal) referred to as the baseline wavelength. ______Much like an ant colony or a living body, sects of drones are divided into different castes and given different tasks, forming groups not unlike organ systems. Some drones are scavengers, others are guards, and yet others produce drones or food. ______Drones can create more of themselves naturally by laying eggs, but this process takes time. To bolster their numbers in the meantime, a hive will capture dragons and force them through a process called assimilation, wherein the victim is gradually transformed, mind and body, into a new drone. The process of assimilation varies from hive to hive, but most commonly involves a drone vomiting assimilation fluid - a substance found in a gland in the back of a drone's throat - into the victim's mouth, after which assimilation begins. ______Hives are a scourge upon the land that they live. They steal dragons away from their homes to be assimilated or eaten, leech nutrients from the soil, and attack all those who would dare stand up against them. A hive will not stop its expansion until the consciousness is killed. If left unchallenged, the hivemind (the collective existence of all hives) will rise up to swallow the whole of Sorneith. Do not let it win. Do not give in. Do not assimilate.

Standard Drone Abilities

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______The average purebred drone has several abilities in its arsenal. First and foremost is the well-known assimilation fluid. Most drones only carry enough fluid to assimilate a dragon of their size or smaller, meaning that a Tundra-sized drone couldn't properly assimilate a Guardian or Imperial.

______Another gland in the drone's throat produces a sticky substance called building fluid, which has the consistency of maple syrup when fresh. It's a semi-clear black in color and hardens within a minute or two of application, becoming incredibly strong and gaining a texture somewhere between plastic and dried glue. This substance is used to construct walls and restrain assimilating dragons. A common variation of building fluid retains its flexibility and stickiness after drying, useful for making webbing and traps.

______Finally, all drones can hear their consciousness, and certain techniques to connect with their brains can allow one to temporarily connect with the hivemind itself.

______It should be noted that drones require sustenance to survive, but don't need nearly as much as dragons do. They can eat nearly anything, no matter what their breed is. Additionally, they require only three to four hours of sleep a day, which is used as a resetting period wherein their memory banks are transferred to the consciousness's permanent reserve, and any injuries they had are given time to heal.


Breed Specifications

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______Wildclaws are the first to be selected for fighting thanks to their physical prowess, and often make up the elite warriors and guards of the hive. They are deadly when paired with Guardians, Imperials, Mirrors, or any other defensive caste. Duels have been reported among Wildclaw drones, but this is a rare phenomenon.

Growth and Assimilation

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______The most natural way for a hive to gain members is by laying eggs. Unlike insects, which have a singular egg-bearing queen, every drone has the potential to reproduce unless they have a defect in their system. Drones are hermaphroditic, allowing them to reproduce even with only two members. Some hives may opt to have one or multiple drones designed for the explicit purpose of generating and laying eggs. Such drones are usually kept within the bowels of the hive, where they are protected with a fervency that nearly rivals the guards of the consciousness.

______The other way of expansion is assimilation. Assimilation requires assimilation fluid, which is produced by some drones and all consciousnesses. Most drones have a small sac in the back of the throat that serves this purpose, though others have been bred to fully encompass the job of assimilation, and carry so much fluid that their bellies bulge with it. To assimilate a new drone, a sentient dragon must be incapacitated and have the fluid forced down their throat. They are then taken into the hive and left to transform.

______Over the period of several hours, their body will change into a drone's, starting with a progressive darkening of the scales. Their mind floats among the hive's collective brain and is gradually absorbed by the consciousness into its massive memory banks. Through this, their body is stripped of its free will, and a drone's programming is put in its place.

______Horrible things can happen if the assimilation process fails or stops early. It can glitch during any part of the process if performed incorrectly. A partial assimilation results in a glitch drone. It can cause amnesia in the victim (the severity of which can vary) and warping of the internal organs, which may or may not be lethal. Some drone programming may have been implemented, allowing them to hear the buzz of the hivemind. Their individuality is often still intact. The combination of all these factors usually results in insanity in the subject, as their very being is split between two incompatible worlds.

Art

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