Description
Like so many things in the ninth world, no one remembers the name or purpose of these mournful beings, or if they were created or creators themselves. Suspended off the ground by hundreds of feet, their forms are that of vast spheres surrounded by massive beams, loops and other geometric shapes, the sphere itself is decorated in bands of shadowy metal and ever shifting, indecipherable writings. The objects that orbit in a slow graceful dance range from the size of a house to an entire football field, and their function is far from decorative: they may bond and revolve around each other, combining their functions to achieve an end. While a ring may generate supersonic vibrations, and a large pillar a Higgs field dampener, it is only in concert that they may propel and suspend the majestic and mysterious sphere.
Another of the strange aspects that surround these… things is that when they move, and the structures they posses arrange themselves to perform this, a golden halo pulses on the side opposite of the direction it intends to go that also emits a sound like a wind chime that only thinking peoples and machines can hear. Even stranger, the sound is “audible” in the vast vacuum of space. When they must travel a great distance quickly, they sound off like a million voices all chanting at once, and appear over their destination in the blink of an synth eye.
All that can be discerned from their actions is that they maintain specific formations, such as the Foundation Stones, and if an individual were to scar such a place, they will immediately fix the incident with their array of tools and reprimand the perpetrator with an array of harsh tones that leave the individual feeling like a child after a severe scolding.
Telepathic communication is the only way to contact these beings, but is not advisable as the first and only known person to do so screamed in an otherworldly half voice “Fathers! Mothers! Where are You! We have waited just like you said! Please, take us back, we forgive! WE FORGIVE!“, after which his head exploded in a shower of grey matter and bone.
However, the sentinels are not completely un-empathetic to what goes on around them. After the unfortunate mutant died, the Sentinel jerked to an immediate stop, and slowly, almost respectfully, it approached the mans remains. His family and town watched as the entity’s body drifted to only a few feet above the ground, and its many tools began to gather the steel, rock and glass from around it. When all was said and done, the mans remains rested within a towering tomb of beautiful construction that was of such immensity it parted the clouds. With chimes that sounded full of regret and sadness, the Sorrowful Sentinel drifted away to the horizon.
Details
- Level:
- 10 (30)
- Motive:
- Dutifully maintaining old ruins and structures for some unknown reason.
- Environment:
- Ruins as well as monolithic and probably artificial formations
- Armor:
- 8
- Movement:
- A slow drifting motion preceded by a chime like sound, as well as a relatively instantaneous form of movement that requires several minutes to take effect.
- Modifications:
It’s unclear how much damage it takes to destroy one of these beings.
- Combat:
They don’t generally have a means of traditional attack, nor do they feel threatened by most forms of aggression, instead choosing to simply blink out of range of attack and use their psychic abilities to “chastise” targets. However these abilities can have unintentionally devastating effects on targets.
- Use:
The God like idol of an isolated enclave within the Beyond, or a misunderstood threat (e.x. A sentinel begins to excavate a city to uncover an old ruin, destroying the town in the process, and the PCs are roped in the attempt to awaken a space born artifact that will hopefully kill it; in the travel, drop little hints that the Sentinel might not realize what on Earth they happen to be doing.