The Confounder

"It is fascinating, really. Imagine how someone with my flawless appearance could spend a Friday evening at the bar without having to put up with a single lame-ass pick-up line from one of these mouth-breathers lurking about."

"I very much doubt you'd rather smell like a bloated corpse rubbed in cheese and hung up to dry in the sun for two weeks than having to get rid of a passionate admirer every now and then."

Friendly banter between two scientists studying Gloomie behavior in the field.

The Confounder was created to be used as a means of controlling the path of digging taken by involuntary Gloomie workforces.

While most insects actively pursue sex pheromones of their own kind in order to find a mating partner and reproduce, Gloomies go to great lengths to avoid such encounters.

A certain scientist, whose identity has yet to be revealed, succeeded in decoding and extracting the enzymes of Bulky Crawlers responsible for producing said pheromones. Subsequently, these pheromones were biochemically synthesized, amplified and bottled to be distributed through a machine called The Confounder.

The primary task of the machine is to limit the dig site of the workforce. Gloomies will naturally avoid clashes with their kin and continue to move into a different direction. The Confounder simply simulates the presence of another Gloomie to correct the direction of digging or prevent the worker from leaving the predetermined site.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

The machine consists of an immobile, centrally designed core equipped with a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) using electromagnetic radiation to detect the reflected signals of subsurface structures such as Flotatorite deposits.

The core then directs several linked subunits to stake out an area according to the signals received. Each of these subunits moves to the specified location by alternating two pairs of metal legs to subsequently fire a projectile into the ground which itself is equipped with a small drillhead to facilitate its descent.

As soon as a predetermined depth is reached, the middle part of the projectile opens to release the pheromones into the ground.

Development

The Confounder was originally developed by TINK Inc under the code name Project Shepherd before its inventor was laid off and funding discontinued.

Item Type

Chemical, Mechanical, Robotic

Related Condition

Crawler's Gloom