The Watchers

The Creators of the Nightlight Zone

The Watchers are immortal beings that live at the edge of the Nightlight Zone, far beyond what is habitable for the other lifeforms. As far as can be inferred, they spend most of their time presiding over the realm, only showing themselves when they desire to. It is thought they are as old as the realm itself, and thus most things in the world are seen as insignificant to them, including the passing of centuries. However, they appear to put time and effort into chasing away every single human from the Nightlight Zone, showing their immense care for secrecy.

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Watchers' anatomy appears to vary depending on the individual. Based on what scant eyewitness accounts say, some of these beings have long eel-like bodies, with wide jaws, small eyes, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Others look like fish with rounder bodies, some look like crabs with numerous limbs sticking out of their backs, and still others will look like manta rays with elaborate markings on their wings. Their unifying feature is that their skin has a texture similar to smoke, and they have glowing white markings outlining their body features.

Genetics and Reproduction

It is currently unknown if these species does reproduce, though if each member is immortal, it is possible they have no need to.

Growth Rate & Stages

Something that is also unclear is whether these beings started out with an immature state, it is possible they did not and simply remained the same for several millennium. 

Ecology and Habitats

The Watchers reside at the edge of the Border, seemingly all crowded together in empty space. There has only been one known instance of a Watcher that traveled towards the seabed, where it briefly resided in the Halocline Pits and interacted with the Cave Stalkers that lived inside. It was presumed to be causing conflict between groups of the Cave Stalkers, and may have done so many times in the past.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Like the Cave Stalkers, these creatures have a complex social structure. They appear to communicate with each other to make decisions, though it is unknown exactly how. They are known to use telepathy to communicate with humans and Cave Stalkers alike, and it may be the same case for others of their kind. Although most of them have made agreements in regards to the Nightlight Zone, some individuals do things without regard to what others think. One in particular has been known to perform experiments on the Cave Stalkers every few thousand years, and caused conflicts within their societies. Others have also done similar things to the Leviathans at the start of their existence.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

It is thought they can sense their surroundings just as well as humans can. Most of these beings seem to have four eyes glowing white, through which they can see everything. It is unknown how just one of these creatures can keep track of the entire realm at once, though they seemingly can.

Civilization and Culture

History

The Watchers started out long ago when the Nightlight Zone first formed. For millions of years, they were thought to have witnessed the evolution of life on Earth, until humans arrived. Then, they created the land of the Nightlight Zone, which took several millennium to stabilize into what can be seen today. Most of the environments were formed from oceanic currents concentrating in one area, or the ground splitting apart more often in certain areas than in others. Finally, the Watchers created the Leviathans, the first inhabitants of their realm.

For a time, the Leviathans merely floated around aimlessly in the empty space, until they were transported to the real world by the Watchers, likely as some sort of experiment. After spending enough time in the real world's oceans, they began causing mass die-offs that threatened the Earth's current array of life. The Watchers took it upon themselves to transport the Leviathans back into the Nightlight Zone, and kill those who resisted, such as one that early humans were able to see in the flesh. Once in the realm again, they were executed, with their remains disposed of as well.

Afterwards, they created the lifeforms that currently inhabit the realm's waters, and kept them confined to the Nightlight Zone so they would not affect Earth's ecosystems. Soon after Cave Stalkers first appeared and began making tools to survive, they began a civilization that functioned similar to human settlements on the surface would. It wasn't long until they discovered the entrance chutes at the four corners of the realm, and attempted to go through them. That's when the Watchers destroyed their civilization, out of fear they would escape into the real world, and forced them back into a hunter-gatherer lifestyle concentrated in the middle of the Pits. Since then, they have remained where they are now, watching over their creation to make sure it is stable.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

While the Watchers do not directly oppose the Cave Stalkers' existence, the Watcher that retold parts of history claims that they were not meant to exist. It is thought that Cave Stalkers were once simple creatures that managed to have higher intelligence in order to survive, before overriding basic instincts and thinking on the same level as humans.

Only three known humans have interacted with the Watchers, and the Watcher that managed to communicate with these people attempted to chase them away violently. Eventually, after the group claimed they would go home after being given answers about this place, it told them basic knowledge of how the Nightlight Zone works, before retreating to the Border. The humans soon left for home afterwards.

[Post production note: They do not like being depicted in image form]

Lifespan

Infinite

Average Weight

Unknown

Average Length

Varies, but normally beyond 200 feet

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Vantablack skin, glowing white markings and eyes

Geographic Distribution

• The Border

Average Intelligence
Extremely high