Wardens

SPOILER FOR... MANY THINGS

Written by JoshForeman

Shades of Green gasped awake. She breathed. Air. Air? A voice that sounded like the world speaking sang, “You will deliver/a/message to/the emperor/of the Megaloth Empire.” She fought against searing pain to open her eyes. Photophores lined a cave, bathing her in a gentle light. A gel filled with white threads enveloped all of her except her head. Too stunned for thought, she searched the cave until she saw Fleet of Fin laying on the floor wrapped in his own gel. He faced round structures that vibrated with the language of the varonvar. Other structures, either translucent or clear, some like bowls and some like tangled roped, oozed across the cave walls. Hadn’t she died? She remembered dying. Where were they? The voice filled her again, “I see/your mother/has wakened. Fear not/little one. I shall return her/soon/to sleep. I shall heal/what/is possible/for/me to heal. She has received/much/damage.” Fleet of Fin sang, “How/by what means/what way?” The great voice answered, “That is not/for/you to know. The nearest healing place/is/more than a month/away. However/I can do/much within/me.” A bulge formed on the wall and stretched out to stroke Fleet of Fin on the head. “I possess/a great/flaw you must not speak/of/to others. We are expected/to love/all the peoples/equally. However/I regard/the seacastle varonvar with/excessive/fondness. I was/the one/to rescue Your people/from coming/disaster many thousands of/years/ago.” Shades of Green heard the words, but she could not comprehend them. Agony tore at her consciousness. Against her will, she whimpered. The great attention turned to her. “Sleep/precious/varon.” She slept.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Deep sea giants, the Ancient Ones are unlike any life form on Talifar. They vary in size, but some are miles in length. Resembling a gelatinous sea-cucumber, they are able to form their bodies into pseudopods at any point on their mass. They have a torso and head that pokes out of one end. The torso is about 20 feet long with numerous appendages. The head is elongated with a small face that is almost all eyes and antenna. They are technically cybernetic.

Genetics and Reproduction

Ancient Ones are unisex beings that reproduce through division. Another torso and head grow on the other end, and the body slowly splits in two. They have full control over this process and do it very rarely, as their job demands.

Dietary Needs and Habits

They sustain themselves through dissolving the ocean floor around them along with any organic matter in their path. Their entire body is capable of this macro-osmosis.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

They communicate with each other through a variety of methods. Different moods, inflections, and subject matter have their appropriate method of expression. Chemical, sound, vibration, sonar, gesture, water current manipulation, electrical pulses, and bioluminescence are all combined to create the most sophisticated and nuanced language imaginable. It is this method of communication, along with the incredible lifespan that allow the Ancient Ones to advance so far.

Civilization and Culture

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Besides their size, Ancient One’s other amazing features are their lifespans and intelligence. Living for hundreds of thousands of years, they have a unique perspective on life. Their sense of time is very different than ours, as years seem like days to them. They pass their time with intellectual pursuits. They have an advanced understanding of science, religion, philosophy and many other things. They have a shepherding view of the world above them, seeking out ways to better it for the good of all. They mostly work indirectly, through a variety of agents. Occasionally, they will surface, even oozing onto the continents to affect change. They generally do this through bioturbation. They can dissolve mountains, form organic castles, make trench-like roads, canals, tunnels, or, if it's drastic enough, dissolving an entire city. They can also repurpose the mineral they dissolve through biomineralization; with the ability to form structures of calcium carbonate in the form of calcite or aragonite, or for hydroxyapatite (like bone) or even quartz in glass-like forms. They love the taste of the silica rich continent rocks, so they get a trade-off as well. As individual kingdoms and rulers are so fleeting to them, they take a much higher-level approach to these physical works. They try to balance the races, protecting some, hindering others. Not in a mechanical, amoral fashion, but according to their moral precepts. They pontificate with each other on every action for years before taking any kind of action.

Origin/Ancestry

Wardens are those responsible for most of the sentient life that lives on Talifar. Most were brought by Warden ships from worlds that were close to destruction.