Request for Progress Report

Where ecology is not merely a science, but the basis of life; where even the strangest adaptations are the measure of fitness; where genetic engineering has produced the most outlandish of creatures. And that's just the citizens!

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Lyssansa Rossheim
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Joined: Sat Jun 01, 2013 8:02 pm

Request for Progress Report

Post by Lyssansa Rossheim »

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To: Incarnates of Shimmerspring
C/O Designated Liaison Minion, Elder Beacon


My Dear Incarnates,

How does your garden grow? Well, I trust. Since we have not communicated properly in some time, I would be greatly interested to hear of the progress of our little project, as its timely success has important ramifications for my own rationalisation schemes. Kindly send word via the DLM when you have suitable opportunity.

Lyssansa

P.S. Can you create a spider-like creature suitable for a young child to ride? Nothing too fancy...just something easily trainable that can climb near-vertical walls while carrying a dangerously-violent toddler, and which will grow at a rate sufficient to allow said child to continue to make use of it into adulthood. Or maybe a bird instead of a spider? Perhaps a modified ostrich than can run really fast and kick people out of the way if required?

I'm sure you can put something suitable together...it would be greatly appreciated.
Lyssansa
Queen of Minarboria
Queen of Lichbrook, Duchess of Brookshire

Princess and Lichgravine of Lywind, Baroness of Solecism

Kai Jackson

Re: Request for Progress Report

Post by Kai Jackson »

OOC: How about a dreamweaver? :3

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The Incarnates
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Re: Request for Progress Report

Post by The Incarnates »

The songs sung in the deep ring with respect and greetings, Your Majesty.

On behalf of the Council, I wish to express our regret that the project we sought to undertake for you has had no visible results thus far. In truth, the single-rider mounts are already in mass production and have been for some time; indeed, they are variations on the same steed we provided for you years ago. We had withheld them in the hopes that they would be sent simultaneously with the fruits of your other requests.

The latter, however, proved to involve unexpected delays in development. Although organisms fulfilling the roles you detailed are not hard to design, producing them at the physical size necessary, and producing beings of such a size at the rate necessary to effectively supply a military, proved to be less tractable problems. Happily, we believe we have now found a suitable means of production. Following this letter I shall be sending a summary of this process and of the traits of the organisms that we have developed; if they meet your approval, we will move forward to large-scale production.

In the meantime, we will begin sending consignments of the single-person steed model:

-The Cerahippos.

Approx. height (at withers): 1.7 m

Approx. weight: 1900 lbs

The Cerahippos is based upon several breeds of Equus ferus caballus, the domesticated horse, but with significant modification and genetic admixture from other organisms and germlines. In size, the Cerahippos is roughly equivalent to that of an unmodified heavy riding horse, but is of considerably greater weight due both to its large, high-density muscles and, more importantly, due to its natural armor, consisting of keratinous scales (modified from the original hair follicles). Cerahippos is also armed with short claws (developed from its hooves), a pair of forward-facing horns projecting from the cheekbones, and the ability to spit a corrosive acid from its mouth on command.

Due to its weight, the Cerahippos can move at a full gallop only for short bursts. It is a creature inclined both by physiology and temperament to a moderate, steady pace, which it can maintain for many hours on end, even under fairly heavy load. Whether its physical limitations remain in undeath, of course, is a different matter.

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We hope that both this organism, and the ones that shall be detailed in the following letter, meet with your approval. We have also presented your designated minion with a steed we hope will be suitable for your royal daughter; we opted, for the sake of variety, to go with a more ostrich-like model, though you will be pleased to know that it is also capable of climbing walls. We recommend keeping it on stone, though. Wooden or plaster walls will acquire rather a lot of claw-punctures after a while.

If we may also beg a favor of Your Majesty, we would appreciate any news you may have of your august mother. We had hoped to speak with her about certain personal matters before her… discorporation, and have been awaiting her reappearance since then. You yourself, of course, are welcome to visit at any time as well.

May you remain in an excellent state of preservation. On behalf of the Council,

The Webweaver.

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The Incarnates: the Webweaver, the Broodmother, et al.
Burrow in the dark; reach toward the light; grow the Garden, within and without.

AKA Shyriath

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Shyriath
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Re: Request for Progress Report

Post by Shyriath »

As I mentioned in the previous letter, You Majesty, a summary of the current conception of the military organisms requested:

The various models of organism are members of the same species. Though bearing a strong physical resemblance to scorpions, they are not true arthropods, having an internal skeleton, jaws, and teeth in addition to their carapace. They have three pairs of walking limbs, in addition to a pair of frontal limbs of varying form (depending on caste), and a long, overarching tail (often tipped with a stinger, but this also varies by caste).

They are a eusocial species, in which reproductive individuals produce eggs that, in response to exposure to particular hormones, will develop into one of a number of castes, each one of which is specialized for a particular function. Some of these, whose function mainly involves perpetuation of the living species itself, are not likely to have immediate application for Your Majesty's purposes; but those that will I will detail below.

Without further interference, members of the species attain a maximum of three meters in length. We have developed a process, however, in which a particular combination of diet, hormone exposure, and chemical bathing will trigger dramatic changes in growth and development. This allows individuals to grow to the desired size in a reasonable timeframe, on the order of several months; the downside, from a traditional biological point of view, is an extremely short lifespan. For a living organism, the strain of supporting a large, heavy body is considerable, and this is particularly so when the individual concerned is growing so rapidly. Because the creatures are intended to be rendered undead, however, the question of lifespan becomes a much less urgent one; all that is required is to end the creature's life in the window between attainment of full size and serious deterioration of its quality of life.

The remains of the creature can then be preserved and fitted with prostheses according to its role. As a matter of course, we are fitting each creature with a transceiver/interpreter unit wired to the olfactory bulb of the brain and its associated behavioral nodes. This will, if you find it convenient, allow the creatures to mimic in undeath the chemically-mediated communications they used in life; they will be able to wirelessly broadcast to each other signals (equating to particular odors) that will trigger certain instinctive behaviors. We will be including means (and documentation) of modifying, overriding, or disabling this function, since it may not always be desirable; indeed, since we are unclear on how well living instincts persist into undeath, we are not entirely certain of how well it would work. Nonetheless, if it proves viable, it may allow useful behaviors to be expressed without requiring direct orders to do so.

As for other prostheses of the sort Your Majesty had mentioned in the initial request: of course, while the manufacture of the actual devices would be the province of your own facilities, we would be happy to fit each creature with hardpoints and connectors before shipping them, if you could provide us with the appropriate specifications. Indeed, if we may make the suggestion, ensuring that the ports are standardized would have several significant advantages, including easy mix-and-matching of connected parts, as well as requiring a few castes with broader capabilities rather than a larger number of more specific ones.

With this in mind, we submit the following draft organisms:

-The Protoporeia.

Approx. length (not including tail): 20 m

Approx. weight: 90 tons

A modification of the forager caste, the Protoporeia is of a squat, wide configuration. The creature's back is largely flat, with a number of specially-shaped brackets that allow for stable fastening of large objects onto the carapace. The front pincers will be amputated and fitted with connectors allowing for the attachment of prosthetic pincers or claws. The tail is largely prehensile and the tip can likewise be replaced with gun emplacements or extra gripping prostheses.

Recommended loadouts: Armored personnel fighting vehicle (mechanical combat pincers, tail gun emplacement, personnel cabin), recovery vehicle (grasping/lifting claws, tail-mounted gripping appendage for extra lift, workshop cabin).

-The Barytletos.

Approx. length (not including tail): 35 m

Approx. weight: 125 tons

A modification of the guardian caste, the Barytletos is of a longer and narrower, but overall larger, configuration than the Protoporeia. The dorsal carapace is composed of interlocking plates covering protected hollows within the body cavity. The hollows can be used to store cargo or mechanical systems, and when the plates are locked together are afforded considerable protection from outside attack. The tail, meanwhile, is particularly muscular and flexible and ends naturally in grasping claws capable of lifting several tons at a time into the cargo hollows; the claws can be replaced with cybernetic components, though in such a case we recommend caution in seeing that the connection joint is not subjected to too much mechanical stress.

In addition to the front claws, which are wide and heavily armored to aid in shielding the organism, several extra limbs have been added for use as mounting points for weapons. The organism is capable of moving and aiming these limbs independently of each other, though it may require computerized assistance to successfully fire at more than three targets simultaneously.

Recommended loadouts: heavy weapons platform (ammunition and energy systems in hollows, rocket launchers mounted to back or tail, guns mounted on limbs), transport vehicle (cargo in hollows, extra weight can be loaded on back, either natural or replacement gripping claw on tail, extra limbs can be used to handle lighter cargo or support organism under heavy load).

-The Kraugasos.

Approx. length (not including tail): 15 m

Approx. weight: 40 tons

Derived from an unmated reproductive female, the Kraugasos is the smallest of the three models depicted here. Its external configuration is mostly notable for the particular thickness of its armor and round, compact shape. Internally, however, it boasts a large and sophisticated brain, oriented toward communication, tracking social relationships, and chemical and odor detection. As mentioned above, when fitted with the proper cybernetic implants, this makes it adept at keeping track of and directing similarly-outfitted members of its own species over long distances; they are also very capable of doubling as communication nodes with other portions of a linked grid.

Although the above is the primary intended function of this model, it is worth noting that its excellent sense of smell and heavy armor could also predispose it for use as a detector of hidden explosives or other chemicals of military use.

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We of course await Your Majesty's evaluation of these proposals before beginning delivery. On behalf of the Council,

The Webweaver.

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Shyriath Farstrider (aka Shyriath Bukolos), KD MOU OLH XBH
Viscount Farstrider of Erysisceptrum, Count Bukolos of the Condo, Harbinger of Cheese

TOTUS MUNDUS TABULAM RASAM EST

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