WATCHER
(#68241310)
Level 2 Pearlcatcher
Peer
Tricky Telescope
Click or tap to view this dragon in Predict Morphology.
Energy: 50/50
This dragon’s natural inborn element is Fire.
Female Pearlcatcher
This dragon is hibernating.
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Personal Style
Apparel
Skin
Scene
Measurements
Length
6.38 m
Wingspan
6.15 m
Weight
489.46 kg
Genetics
Marigold
Wasp
Wasp
Marigold
Constellation
Constellation
Saffron
Spines
Spines
Hatchday
Breed
Eye Type
Level 2 Pearlcatcher
EXP: 89 / 641
STR
6
AGI
6
DEF
6
QCK
7
INT
7
VIT
6
MND
7
Biography
ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN OUR MUTUAL ENEMY.
There is an infestation burrowing in the very flesh of our world, and it is not of the Plaguebringer’s make. Incomprehensible creatures that mimic the shapes of we dragons bore hollows in the earth and live like insects--a swarm of unthinking drones driven by a singular sapience. This hivemind would be little concern were it not for its ability to transform dragons into carapace-sporting thralls hardly distinguishable from its purebred drones.
There are multiple hives throughout Sornieth; no dragon knows how many or each location. They live in any flight’s territory, though they seem particularly common in the Viridian Labyrinth’s fertile loam. Draconic knowledge of these hives, the true threat they pose, their drones’ behaviors and abilities, and anything else we might bring to bear against them as a weapon and defense is limited. Thus, this project--to gain knowledge and to record it so that it may be reproduced faithfully and shared among dragon clans.
Make no mistake; the hivemind is cunning, ruthless, and clever. These are not dragon-shaped termites, ants, or even wasps. A hivemind’s consciousness can be as smart as any dragon, and without direct observation, it may formulate plans for expansion and destruction in the darkness of the earth for decades unchecked.
I WILL OUTLINE THE PROJECT HEREIN.
I have located a damaged, dormant thrall that has been severed from its commanding hivemind consciousness. It takes the shape of a Mirror and bears traces of my Fire flight within its eyes, and the prickle of starry glints along its wings indicates that it is not a flawless drone; it does not have the translucent, bee-like wings that its perfected brethren do.
I have particular talents with different types of hypnosis and far-sight, thanks both to my own unique eyes and my ability to scry through my pearl. I have no direct control over this thrall, but I can perform enough magic to see through it when it awakes.
It is far too dangerous to allow this drone to reconnect to an existing hive, so, after much time and effort, I have located a specific kind of drone called a Hijacker. Hijackers are sub-consciousnesses with a very limited but similar ability to command nearby drones, but they lack a true consciousness’s intelligence and ambition.
If the information I have gleaned is true, Hijackers are the result of a dragon’s attempt to turn the hive’s own traits against it--a creature able to steal drones from the consciousness’s control and reduce a hive’s population and thus threat level. Unfortunately, hiveminds are calculatingly intelligent and have already learned how to use these Hijackers to their own ends, acting as delegates that manage the daily routine of many drones so the consciousness may attend other things.
Regardless, a Hijacker will suit my needs for this project, whether it was obedient to dragonkind or a consciousness. If I can introduce these two salvaged drones to each other, the Hijacker will take command of the drone, and I will be able to directly witness the kinds of behaviors both of them demonstrate. If this part of the project goes well, I will endeavor to locate one or two other salvageable drones and add them to the Hijacker’s small pool of thralls.
At all times, I will maintain strict control over the living resources that this miniature pseudo-hive can access, so that it cannot grow beyond my ability to raze it to the ground. (Lest you think me arrogant, or deem these drones weak, know that I have hired an entire company of warriors to exterminate the hive on my command--three veteran dragons to each damaged drone.) I have established a secure plot of land for this use far from any known hives, dragon clans, or even beastclans.
This kind of diluted hivemind will not provide dragonkind exhaustive insight into these creatures and their true consciousnesses, but it will build a foundation for further compilation of data from many sources. Every single word that I can write and spread to my fellow dragons about these hives has a chance to save a dragon from an unimaginably cruel fate as a forcibly-transformed thrall.
AIDE is waiting patiently when WATCHER finishes her next scrying spell. She blinks methodically until her vision clears, then dips her head in a nod to the Coatl.
"You haven't updated your log in many days," AIDE murmurs without preamble. His tone is soft and nonjudgmental.
WATCHER's long row of small, sharp spines twitch like hackles rising on a beast. Her hypnotic gaze shifts elsewhere and eventually settles on her own pearl, now blank of divining reflections. It is pointless to disagree or to make excuses; they both know why she has not been writing recently.
"I have located the husk of an abandoned drone," she says instead, lifting her eyes again. "Help me recover it, and I will seed it into the..." Bitterness hisses against her tongue, and she stops before she can say the word 'hive'. Her actions created the very thing she hates most fiercely, and that guilt burns like acid in her chest. She clears her throat. "Once I have sight into their activities again, I will resume writing."
AIDE bobs his head gently in a nod. "Can you still track where the original drone is?"
"Of course," WATCHER replies, tone sharpening in minor offense. "And I will continue to monitor its actions, but this rogue Hijacker does not appear to be capable of Assimilating dragons, so its threat level in comparison is minimal." The words are crisp and smooth, and her spines stiffen as though the rhythm bothers her. She looks back down at her pearl, steadied in the curl of her long tail, and hefts it decisively. "Let us depart. The sooner we recover this new drone, the sooner I can regain my insight into that..." Her jaw clenches against the word, and she does not finish her sentence.
AIDE merely nods again and follows her.
WATCHER finishes the last of the salvaged drone's vital repairs, then begins the arduous process of inscribing faint, shimmering runes along its carapace. She can't make them invisible--she can't even make them matte--but she tries to make them as unnoticeable as possible, despite the starry gleam.
She has seen enough to know that CONSCIOUSNESS enjoys Skydancer drones, whether assimilated or purebred. She can only hope that CONSCIOUSNESS does not deeply question the hive's luck when they find a functional, disconnected drone in the boggy hunting grounds that their drones frequent.
WATCHER may have lost her eyes when LURE was stolen by a rogue hijacker, but she will not remain blind to the hive's activities for long.
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Exalting WATCHER to the service of the Gladekeeper will remove them from your lair forever. They will leave behind a small sum of riches that they have accumulated. This action is irreversible.
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