Strithac/The Archives

This is a collection of the many writings and memory recordings of the dragonkin Strithac, containing much information collected across his many years of life.

Experiments and Research
A catelogue of my various attempts at science and magic.

Artificial Intelligence Project
Entry One

See section Four, Living Memories, for relevant information. Following my efforts to give memories a living form, I decided to create physical vessels to contain memories instead, which would allow for greater memory capacity. The resulting golems were shaped in the likeness of the dragonkin, for obvious reasons, and have so far been promissing. They are capable of holding much more information than the ethereal memory creatures, and are taking first steps towards becoming a viable solution.

Entry Two

I have been hitting snags, but for the most part this has possibly been my greatest achievement in regards to finding a solution to her curse. The creations function well, are able to move independently, and process information about their environment. With the inclusion of my memories they begin to take steps towards seeing a dragonkin's viewpoint of the world, and are becoming more promising every day.

Entry Three

The project has hit a dead end sooner than I had expected. Despite all the progress made, they are little more than automations that share our experiences. While they can think and preform basic actions of their own accord, they lack the ambition born of flesh and blood. They cannot bridge the gap between organic thought processes and artificial intelligence, and cannot preform greater tasks without preset guidance and instruction from their own creators. In short: they do not possess true self-awareness. This has more drawbacks than anticipated, as great as any biological errors can be, artificial programming errors can be fatal, and there is always room for error in artificial intelligence. A living creature would be able to change and react to stimuli that force it to survive, having the will to survive: my artificial creations lack this entirely, only holding preset guidance that they are unable to diverge from.

Without the will to preserve themselves, and with the continued possibility of oversights, they can go no farther. The only possible solution that I could think of would be to grant my artificial creations true life; a perfect union of flesh, magic, and metal. This undertaking borders on the impossible, as biology is loath to cooperate with inorganic matter. I can try, but the concept would take years to achieve in any rough form, I will attempt to search for easier solutions but I fear that this may be the only recourse available. I have some hope, however, as there is a living example to base these future creations on: the TokHaar of the Elder Kiln. These beings form a similar structure to what I have described and hope to achieve, and that I believe I could base my future creations on, a viable starting point. These current failures have potential as weapons, even if they have failed to become a form of deliverance, and I shall begin work on modifying the remaining automations to fit this purpose.

Bane Weaponry Defense Project
Entry One

Following the recent development of a type of ore that can be tuned and forged to harm a specific creature, I and a few other Dactyl researchers have begun to take steps on creating a counter measure to this danger. The answer is a simple one; bane ore can be tuned, which is similar to carrying a charge, the answer lies in a method of creating another charge to repel the charge of the harmful object in question. A similar example can be found in magnetics: magnets carry charges which are polarized, opposites attracting and identical charges repelling, we simply need to find a charge capable of repelling the charge that tunes the ore to us.

Entry Two

We have found minor success in creating a charge that is capable of repelling projectiles. We have attempted to strengthen this charge but this protection to bane weaponry has reached its limit. This charged metal can strongly redirect projectiles away from the wearer, but is imprecise and does not always work to the desired effect. The metal is unable to repel held weaponry, flesh maintaining a grip on the weapon seems to act in a similar way as rubber absorbs an electrical current or charge; while the charge of our armor may dull the blow of a held weapon slightly, the charge is incapable of repelling it. This is far from an immunity to bane weaponry, but at least we have some form of protection from it, no matter how small. It is also worthy to note that this metal for holding our specific counter charge is in short supply, we would not be able to produce it in sufficient quantities even if we wanted to.

Living Memories
Entry One

See section five, Memory Crystals, for relevant information. Following the successful creation of memory crystals, and the transference of memory into a physical container, I began to see implications. Memory is much of what makes an organism unique, it is experiences that shape, that cut, and weave an individual into what they are. Genetics have failed time and time again to provide a useful progeny, perhaps with magic and technology, I might provide a new solution.

Entry Two

Success has thus so far illuded me, but I am making progress. It has taken much effort, but I have found some ways to warp these memory wisps into ethereal shapes. So far they are crude, unintelligent, unrefined, but with more work I might be able to change this.

Entry Three

Creating life from nothing is not possible for mortal creatures, even ones as advanced as my kind. While these creatures show some intelligence, basic functions, they will never have souls; they will never truly be alive. A comparative example would be a creation of a lesser race called the Tower of Life, which creates animunculi; biological beings without souls. The creations of the dragons saw the changing of genetics into a new form; changing the body of a creature while warping the soul, but from these memories we only have magical essence, no true spark of life. This is to be expected from magical and technological solutions; while my creations will not have souls, they will still have thought, and that is the most I can ask for.

Entry Four

This project has been brought to an end. These creations of living memory have reached their limits; one ethereal form lacks the ability to hold more than a few memories at a time, they cannot maintain a collective of memories like I had hoped, and could only aspire to be a fraction of what a dragonkin should be. While these creations have a fraction of power, they do not hold much in comparison to the real living example. While this project may be at an end, my continued efforts with memory have not ceased; for I see only one obsticle in my way. The memories lack adequate storage capacity, and so are in need of a vessel that can contain them, I have been going about this in the wrong way, and will redirect my efforts accordingly.

Entry Five

It has been quite a long time since I have abandoned these creations, but it would seem they had at least some potential. In recent developments, some of the left overs from the experiments survived on their own and for whatever reason took to harrassing the human by the name of Yokrad, whom I have a recording on in another section. One of the memories was even able to poison the divinely charged human, much to my surprise. I was able to bend this outcome in my favor. Perhaps these memories will be useful as weaponry, despite the previous failure.

Memory Crystals
Creations of my own design. The structure of the crystal shapes are ideal for containing memories, the memories of dragonkin are the target of this, most have been my own. For a memory to be given magical shape and a form independent of the body, manifesting in a "memory wisp", it is likely that it must contain certain levels of divinity, as seen with the recent surface of the divination art among the lesser races. It has been observed that our memories can take on these manifestations in wisp form, implying divine energy, likely caused by our curse at the hands of the oppressor. For quite a long time I have been storing my memories, which I draw out from myself using a special device, into these crystals, which have proven to be a useful method of storing information.

Individuals
Many individuals listed here are the result of my probing of the darkling Ptolemos, limited information.

Darklings (Mahjarrat)
These foul abominations stalk this universe, tainting it with their divinely created hands, poisoning anima as they see fit. They will be cleansed.

Arachnea
Limited data, involved in Lashual's death. Undecided if I should target her, or abandon pursuit of vengence since recent developments have arisen. Noted strained relationships with darkling Ptolemos. Futher suspected involvement in the breaching of my outpost.

Azulra Neraka
Uninvolved in Lashual's death, it shall be spared, noted strained relations with darkling Ptolemos. Should it attack the darkling before it's service in collecting Lashual's memories is complete; it will dealt with.

Kemses
Uninvolved in Lashual's death, but has sentimental value to the abomination Ptolemos. This is duely noted.

Marethyu
Involved in the murder of Lashual, judgement has not yet been rendered, undecided on course of action for vengence.

Ptolemos
Accursed abomination, tainted further, or perhaps cleansed, by the warping of a rift after death. It lives once more, but is no longer what it once was, justice upon this one has been rendered mute. I have learned much of other individuals associated with it through the probing of the abomination's mind whilst it was unconscious in my laboratory. It's connection to Lashual after death has proven useful, it can access scattered memories of Lashual through memory rifts that I cannot, and thus it has been spared. It is earning repentance. For the time being, it must kept alive, at least until it's task has been fulfilled, any life-threatening attackers will be duely dealt with, as I will keep a close eye on this one.

Karsith
Karsith is an associate of mine, a brilliant geneticist of the Dactyl, if not a little demented every now and then. As the centuries have gone by he has taken to locking himself in his labs with little interaction with others of our kind more and more often, and I begin to worry for him. It would seem he has given up all hope for reprieve from her curse, and instead fills his time experimenting in seemingly useless mutations and distractions in genetics. When he and other Dactyl interact they have started to use him as a test subject, whether he realizes it or not, as some have taken to putting herbs into his drinks in order to see results before deciding to use the herbs themselves, all to dull the pain she has placed on us.

The continued use of herbs on him, though I have tried to prevent it, have taken a toll, his mind is only clear when I can keep his drinks clean and when he has something to keep himself preoccupied. When he is on his drugged stupors he tends to become erratic and behave in very demeaning ways; the worst is when he wears those fuzzy shoes that he coddles over. I am hoping the others cease their efforts to drug him in the future, the only good side that has come of this is that he has become quite relaxed through all the druggings, the pain slips away from him but the itch still prevails; part of the reason he remains active and fills his time with meaningless projects, a distraction from the itch.

Hobgoblins
Little relevant information.

Drok
Companion to the human Yokrad, I have met this hobgoblin on one or two occasions. It had courage enough to stay and attempt retaliation when two darklings fled at my presence. I decided to test it for amusement, and the creature proved competent in combat. It was rewarded for its bravery and skill, and for providing me with an amusing pass time.

Humans
Few are worthy to note.

Yokrad
A human who has achieved certain levels of divinity, he has proven useful.

Lothorian Foryx
A useful pawn, it has been collected as a guardian of my outpost on Gielinor, if there is a mortal I have taken to hating the least, it would be this one.

Races
My catelogues on the races of this cycle, may their destruction in the great cleansing be a swift one.

Auspah
There is little information regarding this nearly extinct race, I have little to offer on this, only that they were deeply attached to the magic of fire.

Aviantese
Foolish creatures resembling birds, that follow a false god who preeches promisses that will never come to pass. They are a varied species, despite their misguidedness they are advanced in some forms, and are highly adaptable.

Darklings (Mahjarrat)
Foul sins upon nature, these creatures were born from the mind of the stillborn Elder Mah, and not given life from the anima of a planet; they are unnatural creatures, having not been born from the natural cycle of a world's unbalance in anima gifting life. They are an affront to natural biology, and should be eradicated.

Cabbages
I was dumbfounded to discover that these creatures, plants, whatever they should now be classified as, are sentient to a degree. This merits much study, I should begin dissections and mental probings immediately.

Dwarves
A mostly weak race, but admirable for their advances in technology that I would not have thought possible for a younger race.

Elves
An intrigueing race; filled with longevity and an aptitude for magic. They follow Seren, another abomination to spawn from the sickened mind of Mah.

Fairies
A delicate, yet strong willed, race of miniature humanoids with wings. Their magical prowess in establishing means of interplanar travel is impressive, and they have even taken stepts to creating primitive forms of technology.

Genies
I despise these creatures, powerful and often much too joyful, I am pleased that they are both rare and often contained. I despise one above all, however, one by the name of Soloman. This genie sells magical clothing and items to lesser races; this whole endeavor has made the human race look even more idiotic than they already have been, let alone whatever other creatures purchase his goods.

Gnomes
Similar to dwarves, yet these do not tend to live underground. This race technologically advanced like the dwarves but they power their machinery in different methods than the usual steam power that the dwarves favor. Physically weaker than dwarves.

-To be continued.