(The Clan of the Howling Mesa)

By: WolfByte
Welcome to the Clan of the Howling Mesa! In the Abiding Boneyard this rock formation rises above the rot. The area it is situated in has rich deposits of platinum, which the Clan mines and sells to acquire its wealth. The Clan also hosts guests in the Howling Hotel, allowing travelers to rest away from the dangers of the Abiding Boneyard. The tunnels leading to its natural cave system were dug into the Mesa by a an unknown being lost to the annals of history, and then expanded by a previous Clan that no longer lives there. The Clan of the Howling Mesa had expanded and improved the caves even further to better fit a growing Clan.
This first floor is the lobby of the Howling Hotel, which includes the Clan’s restaurant/cafe: Chez Dude. The Howling Hotel is an important place for pilgrims to rest on their journey to and from the Wyrmwound and also a main stop in trade routes between the Plague, Arcane, Wind, Earth, Shadow, and Water territories.
The second floor contains the guest rooms for visitors. The Hotel Guests are found here. These are the dragons that will soon be leaving the Clan to continue their journeys elsewhere.
The third floor is where most farming occurs and where supplies are stored.
On the fourth floor are the homes of the Citizens and Civilians (the second class members of the Clan) and their familiars. Most members of the Clan are found in these categories, which are split into two groups. The Citizens do not breed, and thus are the militia of the Clan, serving as its soldiers in times of war. The Civilians are the breeding couples. During times of war, they stay behind to protect the lair and their young while the militia fight the enemy.
On the fifth floor, below the Howling Hotel, Anathema and her partners have their private caves.
The regular members of the Clan are not aware that the sixth and seventh floors exist.
Located on the sixth floor are the living caves for the Miners. The Miners, who are not technically a part of the Clan of the Howling Mesa, mine for platinum on the seventh floor. (Which is merely a fancy name for the mining tunnels). The platinum is then transported and sold all across Sornieth, which has allowed the Clan to live comfortably with their upper-middle class wealth. 
The Miners are supervised by the Wardens: Romeo, Juliet, Sakura, Cupcake, and Speckles (a Dripcave Deputy). The Miners will work in these mines until they can no longer work efficiently. Once this happens, the they are sent to serve the Plaguebringer.
———————
The Clan is lead by Anathema (originally named Machi), the charismatic and skillfully manipulative leader of the Clan of the Howling Mesa. Hundreds of thousands of years ago, three eggs were abandoned together in the Driftwood Drags. Machi was one of them. Once the eggs hatched, the younger of her two older sisters abandoned her almost immediately, only to get assimilated by the HIVEMIND shortly afterward. As Machi had originally started her life as a Guardian, she took her only surviving sibling, her sister Seafoam, as her Charge. She followed Seafoam to the Leviathan Trench, where Seafoam formed a Clan. But a traitorous few set off a magical catastrophe, and Machi was the only one to get out in time. 
Having lost not only her Charge, but everything she had left, Machi was absolutely emotionally destroyed. She managed to swim to the Scarred Wastelands, and she wandered off, numb and utterly alone. 
After wandering for years, she finally found the strength to snap out of her sorrows. Desperate to forget the cause of her misery, she decided to take on a new charge: a new Clan, completely under her control. But determined to never be alone again, she resorted to less-than-savory methods. 
And those methods were brutal: she captured dragons against their wills from nearby Clans to force them to be her new Clanmates. But Machi herself would grow furious if anyone called her methods “brutal.” She convinced herself that all of these dragons all came willingly, and that they loved living with her. She collected them like rare coins, and hoarded them in a cave system that she had dug out of a mesa to be her lair. She forced them to play house, to act as if they were all one big, loving, happy family. But she was too greedy, and she had stolen enough dragons that powerful mages were sent to free them. 
They broke into her lair while she was out hunting for more friends. Once they left with a few, they lured her to the Wyrmwound under the pretense of a duel for their ownership. She fought. Oh, she fought, she fought desperately to save her new family. But it was not enough. After days of wearing her down, they finally exhausted her enough to hold her down with magic and ensnare her with enchanted chains. Finally, finally, they tossed her unceremoniously into the Wyrmwound and returned to her lair to free the rest. They were certain she could not survive.
But she did. Hundreds of thousands of years later, a great magical force surged through the world of Sornieth. The Twisting Crescendo disappeared. A great storm destroyed the Sea of a Thousand Currents. And Machi’s chains broke.
She emerged from the Wyrmwound when most of Plague’s citizens were fighting to contain the First Seed, in a time when her legend had been completely forgotten. She no longer resembled a Guardian. Two tails, two heads, one mind. Saturated with Plague magic, she was far, far more powerful than her enemies ever could have been. Machi had died a long, long time ago. She wanted to start a new life, free from the memories that Machi had lived through. Now, she was Anathema.
Millennia upon millennia of loneliness added upon her original trauma had given her an even greater need to fill the Clan-shaped hole in her heart. She returned to her original lair, only to find that someone else was living there: a sweet, clever, and determined Skydancer named Pixel. That’s when Anathema began a new stage in her life. Taking dragons by force could not give her the family she needed. So, Anathema decided to take yet another Charge (the third time’s the charm, after all!). Another Clan. But this time, she would do things right. She had thought that just brining dragons home would make them love her. But it seemed that she would have use subtler methods this time.
And so, the Clan of the Howling Mesa was born. Anathema manipulated her way into Pixel’s heart, and once she had Pixel’s total love, loyalty, and adoration, Anathema began her work. Anathema met four other dragons, all abandoned, alone, and in need of a family. Well, Anathema could be their family! She would keep them safe. She would love them. She would take care of them. All they had to do was join her. And never leave her. After all, why would they want to? Anathema loves them. And they love Anathema too, right? Gradually, more dragons were manipulated into joining the Clan. As subjects, rather than lovers. Most were orphans, and they latched easily onto the first bit of kindness they had ever experienced. And that kindness drowned them, like a tsunami knocking a village off its feet and dragging it into the depths of the sea. 
Nowadays, Anathema essentially runs a cult of personality. Every dragon in her Clan is convinced to devote themselves fully to Anathema and the Clan. But if Anathema even suspects an individual of having doubts about their loyalty to her, they will find themselves erased and replaced. After all, someone needs to work the mines.
———————
Unbeknownst to Anathema and her Clan, there is a HIVE not too far away from their home. 
Hidden among a group of large ribs jutting into the sky is the entrance to a tunnel. The tunnel leads to an underground cave system in which INFINITY (a CONSCIOUSNESS and a GENESIS model) has his HIVE. INFINITY (and four Wildclaws he managed to Assimilate on his own) originally carved this cave system into the flesh-ground of the Scarred Wasteland, and then used building fluid to coat the walls, floors, and ceilings of the cave to keep the flesh from growing back. But INFINITY grew so fast and so large that he became trapped in his (already massive) personal living cave. But he was still able to give orders to his four Wildclaw PRAETORIANS, and he began to slowly build his hive through them. As of the present he has 164 DRONES, including the four PRAETORIANS. He plans on waiting for the other CONSCIOUSNESSES to take over Sornieth on their own, and then defeating all of them while basking in their victory to become the sole ruler of Sornieth and the HIVEMIND.
There used to be another Clan living in and on the Mesa. They were the ones who found the cave system and began to make it comfortable. Only Anathema, Pixel, FREEDOM know this. But the Resistance is gone now. Only FREEDOM knows what happened. INFINITY knows too, as he was the one who destroyed them. 
The leader of the Resistance was Teacher. Pixel was second in command, and used her skill in technology to create an electrical virus that could give DRONES free will and the ability to develop a personality. After creating the virus, Pixel then made FREEDOM, a hijacker who would be able to transfer the virus into any DRONES he would be able to snare. Teacher and Pixel worked together with the rest of the Resistance to raise FREEDOM, until Pixel had to go on a journey to find reinforcements. Unfortunately, by then the nearby CONSCIOUSNESS named INFINITY had discovered the Resistance and how close they were to perfecting a weapon that could destroy the HIVEMIND. Any who remained after Pixel left to go find reinforcements were either killed in the resulting attack or assimilated. Except for two: FREEDOM, who was able to escape in the chaos. And Galaxy, an artistic Skydancer who was captured by the HIVE. Surprisingly, he remains unassimilated, and seems to be rather well-liked by INFINITY. 
Location & Ecology
•Where is your clan located?
Inside the natural cave systems of the Howling Mesa, which is located in the Abiding Boneyard.
•Description: The Howling Mesa is a mesa of red sandstone-like meat-ground that rises above the flat landscape. It is rather tall, but it has a much greater circumference than its height and has a wider base close to the ground that makes it very structurally stable. Facing to the South when viewed on the world map is a large cave entrance about 1/4 of the mesa’s full height sealed shut with a great red clay double door that has an unseen core of iron. To the West of the Mesa is a small collection of hot spring pools that paint the stone around them a rusty red due to the resilient bacteria that call them home. Scattered around these pools are short dead trees, and a somewhat greater concentration of the local flora than in the rest of the Abiding Boneyard.
•What is the climate like?
Very dry and arid, with very low rainfall, though there are occasional humid patches near hot springs and underwater rivers. Dust/vapors can sometimes be found drifting through the air. The meat-ground in the Abiding Boneyard has hardened to a red sandstone-like substance.
•How has your clan modified the land to their needs?
The Clan has expanded and strengthened the natural cave systems in the mesa. They also changed how some underground rivers flow so that they could have access to more water.
•What flora is abundant around your clan area?
Always-Autumn, Ancient Mushroom, Bell Fungus, Bonebark Mold, Canyon Ruffage, Deadweed, Desert Scrub, Diseased Fungus, Emetic Russula, Grassland Grain, Highland Dryleaf, Leechroot Mushroom, Wasteland Pear, Wild Catsup.
•What flora is scarce?
Ashfall Prickler, Blood Acorn, Boxwood, Butcher's Fig, Carnaval Tulip, Chickweed, Cindermint, Cinnamon, Crimson Jadevine, Crisp-leaf Amaranth, Dubious Cucumber, Delta Orchid, Gryphon's Blood Sempervivum, Herbal Plantain, Honeycrisp Apple, Over-ripe Cherries, Sour Strawberry, Treasure Plant, Turnip, Winter's Delight.
•What fauna is abundant around your clan area?
Arroyo Toad, Bleeding Heart Crow, Bush Rat, Collared Lemming, Coral Snake, Green-throated Skink, Hellbender, Java Sparrow, Musk Scrapper, Not a Sheep, Panther Anole, Plague Bat, Shrew, Silver Raccoon, Steppes Box Turtle, Tokay Gecko, Billy Bass, Black Maiden, Blacksaddle Wrasse, Crawdad, Deviant Darter, Devilsnap, Giant Isopod, Glass Minnows, Plaguebringer's Delight, Pond Slip, Ruby Tetras, Warmouth, Blackshield Cockroach, Boneskitter, Catocala Moth, Common Locust, Fever Fly, Fungus Cutter, Maggot, Millipede, Parasitic Grub, Salt-Marsh Mosquito, Wasteland Pauper.
•What fauna is scarce?
Banded Dart Frog, Bar-Headed Goose, Black Swan, Bog Canary, Dappled Clucker, Dustrat, Emerald Striker, False Podid, Ferret, Flecked Bushrunner, Golden Reefprince, Green Iguana, Marsh Rabbit, Satin Mouse, Silver-Laced Rooster, Sugarglider, Wallaby, White Squirrel, White-Eared Hummingbird, Wood Duck, Blackwater Jester, Cinnamon Loach, Clown Shrimp, Cobra Snakehead, Discus, Green Corycat, Sea Heart, Striped Biter, True Rainbow Trout, Autumn Pennant, Dead Leaf Mantis, Earwig, Greenworm, Redwing Hopper, Sugarbee, Tachinid Fly, Two-Tone June Beetle, Yellowtail Caterpillar.
•What familiars can be found around your clan area?
Acid-Tongue Serpenta, Basilisk, Brown River Flight, Carrioncorn, Creeping Cluster, Fungalhoof Qiriq, Giant White Toridae, Hooded Dodo, Infestation Hound, Parasitic Fungus, Roving Lionsnake, Shattered Serpent, Undying Featherback, Webwing Alpha, Styracavus.
•What sapient creatures can be found around your clan area?
Contaminated Ambassador, Lithetail Assassin, Carmine Serthis, Opheodrys Serthis, Serthis Alchemist, Serthis Potionmaster, Salve Kamaitachi, Scythe Kamaitachi, Sickle Kamaitachi.
•What is the soil like? Is it good for farming, or no?
The soil outside the mesa is not good for farming non-native plants. Even for native plants, it is quite a struggle to produce a large enough yield. The soil in the underground farming caves is much better. It can be used to grow native plants very well, and can even successfully grow some non-native plants.
•What natural resources does your clan use the most?
Platinum is used as a main export. The Clan itself uses a lot of fresh water, fungi, meat, fish, and insects, as well as clay for art and utility purposes.
•What natural resources are most abundant?
Platinum Ore, Clay, Coal, Iron Ore, Lead Ore, Salt, Shale, Bonewood Log, Driftwood Log.
•What natural resources are scarce?
Gold Ore, Silver Ore, Eye Agate, Impure Sacridite, Ruby.
•What water sources are available? 
The majority of available freshwater is in underground rivers and lakes. There is quite a bit of saltwater in the nearby Sea of a Thousand Currents, but the underground sources are preferred.
Agricultural
•What crops does your clan farm?
Ancient Mushroom, Bell Fungus, Bittercrisp Apples, Blood Acorn, Blue Entoloma, Bonebark Mold, Broadleaf Plantain, Butcher's Fig, Canyon Ruffage, Chickweed, Cindermint, Cinnamon, Crimson Jadevine, Diseased Fungus, Dryad's Saddle, Dubious Cucumber, Dwarf Mushroom, Dwarf Shelf Fungus, Edamame, Fairy Ears, Glow Mushroom, Grassland Grain, Mire Chestnut, Mycena Mushroom, Polarized Mushrooms, Treasure Plant, Turnip, Wasteland Pear.
•What animals does your clan farm?
Bleeding Heart Crow, Crow, Leucistic Crow, Magpie, Java Sparrow, Hooded Dodo, Fancy Rat, Not a Sheep, Dappled Clucker, Silver-Laced Rooster, False Podid, Brush Dodo.
•What fish does your clan farm?
Blacksaddle Wrasse, Plaguebringer's Delight, Royal Oyster, Cinnamon Loach, Golden Reefprince, Warmouth.
•What insects does your clan farm?
Sugarbee, Yellowtail Caterpillar
Trade & Market
•What items are commonly imported?
Blackberry, Blueberries, Broadstripe Uaru, Deep Sea Lobster, Engineered Superberry, Golden Pepper, Peppermint, Raspberry, Ripe Yellow Banana.
•What items are commonly exported?
Platinum Ore, Not-A-Sheep wool.
•Does your clan have control over any trade routes?
Yes. The Howling Hotel is a key stop for traveling dragons, and it lies along common trade routes between the Arcane, Wind, Earth, Shadow, and Sea territories. 
Education
•Is there formal education? Apprenticeships?
There is both. A formal education is given to all dragons, and certain dragons may take up apprenticeships to learn trades.
•Does your clan have a public library?
Yes, but the books that are publicly available must be approved by Anathema.
•Does your clan often share new information via papers, books, etc?
Gossip and news on current events are spread mainly by spoken conversations, while books can be used for teaching new scientific/intellectual news.
•Is information censored when displayed to the rest of the clan?
Scientific advancements are pretty much never censored. But if Anathema thinks that news or other general information will interfere with her Clanmate’s loyalty to her, then yes.
•How much of the clan is literate? Illiterate?
All Clan members are taught to be literate if they were not literate before joining the Clan.
•Is education available to everyone?
Yes.
Customs & Culture
•What is a wedding like?
•What is a funeral like?
After the dragon’s Will is read out, the mourning process begins. One tooth is collected by each immediate family member and close friend who chooses to, which will be strung on necklaces to be worn around the mourning dragons’ necks. Each necklace is a simple leather cord with one of the deceased’s teeth hanging from the center. Some keratinous part of the body (horn, spike, talon, etc.) will be ground down and mixed with red clay, which will be sculpted into a likeness of the deceased. An altar will be set up in the mourning cave alongside the altars for all the past deceased Clan members, with the statue set on the center. The body will be prepared with sweet-smelling herbs and spices. After three days of mourning at the Clan’s location, the body will be taken out into the Wasteland. A funeral service is performed, with speeches, poems, and stories about the deceased spoken by attending dragons. After final goodbyes are said, the body will be left in the Wasteland to continue the cycle of life and death by providing food for other organisms. Back at the Howling Mesa, offerings to the deceased’s spirit will be given at the deceased’s altar throughout the coming years, with most gifts given during a small ceremony of remembrance potentially being performed on the deceased’s birthday by close friends and family and especially during the Clan’s official holiday for remembering the dead. 
•What holidays does your Clan celebrate?
Riot of Rot:
Anathema allows individual dragons to respect their own deities throughout the year, but Riot of Rot is the only deity-based holiday celebrated by the whole Clan. It’s a week-long festival that celebrates survival and the Plaguebringer. Similar to the human celebration of Oktoberfest. It’s pretty much a week-long rager. Lots of alcohol consumed by adults in the Clan. Lots of fermented food and fungi consumed, like cheese and mushrooms. Soup making competitions. On the first day, an effigy of the Gladekeeper is filled with treats and hung up for the Clan members to throw bones at until it breaks enough for the treats to fall out. All the participants then scramble for the treats. The dragon that threw the “winning” bone gets to take one treat from all the other participants. 
•Is your clan religious, partially religious, or atheist?
The deities are seen as extremely powerful beings who should be respected, instead of as actual divine gods. However, religious rites are still observed to show respect so that they don’t use their power to destroy the Clan. 
The Clan religion is a sect of Plague Worship that focuses less on the diseases themselves and more on the celebration of survival. The Plaguebringer is worshipped as a powerful (but not divine) being who uses those diseases to challenge Her beloved children to survive. Because of this, religious rights are mostly about the celebration of survival and how the Plaguemother encourages all Her children, including the Clan members, to become stronger as a result of the Her tests. While the Plaguebringer is the only deity whose rites are mandatory in the Clan, other deities are permitted to be worshipped as long as those rites do not contradict with the Warsister’s laws and the functioning of the Clan.
•What folklore/beliefs are in your Clan?
-Reincarnation can occur, but it is rare as most spirits remain in the afterlife without continuing onto another life. Some examples of reincarnation are Bone and Marrow. Neither remember their previous lives, but their present lives closely mirror their previous ones. 
-Ghosts can occur, but only if the spirit has unfinished business, as most spirits move on to the afterlife a few days after death. After the unfinished business is complete, the ghost is then able to pass on to the afterlife.
-The Night Howler is a cryptid spoken of in folklore that lives near the Howling Mesa, and is possibly what gave the rock formation its name. Legends say that it mimics the sounds of crying hatchlings to lure in well-meaning dragons, who it then kills and devours. It is said to be capable of mimicking many other creatures though, the howling of wolves being another favorite. 
Government
•Is there a specific currency used?
No. Resources are shared throughout the Clan according to Anathema’s decisions. When trading between Clan members and non-Clan members, the items themselves are exchanged without the use of currency.
•Is there a hierarchy? If so, who is at the top? Who is at the bottom?
Yes. Anathema is at the top, followed by her lovers, and then the ordinary Clan members. The other residents of the Howling Mesa (such as the Miners) are not technically part of the Clan, and occupy the bottom rank in the hierarchy.
•Does your clan have a militia or some sort of protection?
Yes. Most Clan members also double as the militia. Dragons who are unable to fight (either because of physical or mental limitations, or because they have an important job to do instead) are not a part of the militia.
•How does your clan make important decisions?
Anathema is in total control of the Clan. She is the one who makes all of the decisions, and the unwavering loyalty of her subjects leads them to agree.  
•Is there a form of taxation?
Yes. Profits from any businesses run by Clan members are taxed 40%. 
•Are there set rules/laws? 
Yes. The laws include: Obey Anathema. Don’t kill other creatures without permission from Anathema. Don’t steal the belongings of others. Do not purposefully harm others mentally, emotionally, or physically. Do not harm yourself (breaking this law results in mandatory therapy, and does not result in any punishment). You must properly take care of all living things under your care, be it plants, animals, or your fellow dragons. Do not act in hatred based on breed, gender, flight of origin, orientation, religion, etc. Do not commit treason. Do not break the laws.
•What is the punishment for breaking those rules/laws?
It depends on the severity of the situation. The possible punishments include community service, fines, house arrest, and exile. The death penalty is not used except for truly horrific crimes, which so far has not been necessary.
•Non-dragon sapient allies:
-Many Serthis Clans
-Some Kamaitachi Clans
Social & Language
•How accepting of strangers/newcomers is your clan?
As long as they don’t cause trouble and do their share of work/pay for their stay, they are generally accepted. They may not be fully trusted for a while, but they will be allowed to stay.
•Does your clan like to interact with other clans?
The Clan of the Howling Mesa prefers to stay largely independent. It readily interacts with other Clans when it comes to trade and economics, but gets suspicious and apprehensive when interacting about politics. 
•How do your clanmates greet each other? 
The Clan itself is relatively small, so most Clan members know each other by name. Most of the time, members will nod to each other as they pass by. The more chatty members may greet others with a “Hi!” or “Hey!”.
•Does your clan use only one language?
All Clan members are required to know and mainly use Draconic. There are services for teaching Draconic to those who do not know it, as well as Coatl and Beastclan. 
Family & Familiars
•Who takes care of the hatchlings?
Generally, the parent(s) will take care of them the most. Other Clan members will often babysit hatchlings when their parent(s) cannot watch them. If their parent(s) are not able to properly take care of them to the point where the hatchlings are in danger, then the parent(s) will be punished and the hatchlings will be taken care of by another dragon/couple. 
•Are familiars welcomed into the home?
If they can be fit comfortably inside the housing caves and not cause too much damage, then they are usually allowed. Familiars that cannot fit inside the housing caves are usually kept in their own caves.
•Are familiars more like pets or companions?
It depends on the familiar. Sapient familiars have the same status as a dragon, and are usually treated like a close friend. Non-sapient familiars are often treated like pets, though some dragons will still treat them as if they are sapient. 
Occupations & Clan Roles
•What are some of the jobs that your clan administers?
Chef, Farmer, Soldier, Therapist, Doctor, Cleaner, Artist, Craftmaker, etc.
•Are your lair accommodations family-owned? Government-owned?
The whole lair is owned by Anathema, as are all of its accommodations. Citizens are allowed to run their own businesses and keep 60% of the profit, while the government gets the other 40%.
•At what age to dragons start helping out with chores?
Clan members are expected to help with Clan business as soon as they are physically mature according to their breed. Older hatchlings are still usually expected to do small chores around the lair, though. 
Game Mechanic-based Questions
•How does Gather Items work?
•How do the Nesting Grounds work?
•How does the AH/Marketplace/Trading Post work?
•What is exalting?
Flight Rising Headcanons
-All Guardians have gills on the sides of their torsos, regardless of element.
-All water dragons have gills on their body, regardless of breed. 
-Bogsneaks like to wallow in water/mud. It is very relaxing to them.
-Ridgebacks spar to show dominance by standing up on their hind legs and pushing against each other. Males utilize their noses in the pushing. 
-Male Ridgebacks prefer to be the ones brooding over a nest, and use their noses to check the temperature of the eggs.
-Banescales have very bird-like courtship rituals, which usually includes singing. A duet is performed if the courting is successful. Giving pretty rocks/leaves/feathers/etc. as gifts is also common.
-Swiftwings were one of the Wind breeds, but went extinct due to unknown reasons. 
-Emperors can only have one head of each element. This means that one Emperor can be made of a maximum of 11 Imperials. 
-“Ancient” dragons weren’t necessarily created before “Modern” dragons were. “Ancient” means that they were thought to be extinct, while “Modern” means that they have always been known as extant.
-All breeds can eat any type of food, but their game-mechanic diet is what they rely on for most of their nutrients, and thus can’t live without those types of food.
-Pretty Pink Mums are endangered due to overharvesting by Tundras.
-All dragon breeds are loosely around the same size, with Imperials/Guardians/Ridgebacks still being the largest and Fae/Veilspuns still being the smallest. Basically, the breeds are still in the canonical order from largest to smallest, but the range of sizes as a whole is just pushed closer to the center.
-Wildclaws originally used their hooked claws to climb trees in the Viridian Labyrinth.
-All Aberrations appear as how they are shown in site art.
-All dragon “fur” is just dinosaur-like protofeathers.
-Each Aberration only contains one individual. Aberrations have two brains, each located in one head. In an Aberration with two fully functional heads, the left head only uses the left half of its brain, and the right head only uses the right half of its brain. Because those two halves function as one brain, the brains are linked, and the Aberration has just one mind, personality, and set of thoughts. If one head/brain is badly damaged/destroyed, the other half of the surviving brain will be activated so the Aberration will be able to continue existing with relatively complete mental faculties. 
TLDR: One individual controls two heads like we can control two arms.
Two brains share the work like two lungs share the work of breathing.