Monitor

**The Monitor** is a character in Adastra and Interea. He is a being who serves as a bridge between The Parents and the rest of the Galaxias

## Appearance

The Monitor is a muscular blue dragon with a white underbelly and pecs. He has small white spikes on his shoulders, white finlike appendages on either side of his head, and two sets of horns (one large, one small.) Some of the scales across his body are white as well, giving him a glittery appearance resembling the cosmos. The Monitor has black sclera with light blue pupils. His voice is said to be deep and masculine.

Most prominently, he has a short wispy beard and flowing "hair" made of light blue fire. When encountered in-game, these flames and the areas surrounding them are the only parts of his otherwise shadowed body to be lit up.

## Personality

The Monitor is largely a messenger for The Parents, delivering information for them in a sage and benevolent manner. That being said, he has a personality of his own. As a being of both The Parents' dimension and that of the sapients, he has empathy for both sides and is often amused or made curious by the actions of those he watches over.

The Monitor seems to have a sense of humor, enjoying scaring Cassius as well as Marco's attempts to figure out how to converse with him without a body. He is often annoyed by sapients second-guessing him (and by extension The Parents), and he is reluctant to speak beyond what is willed by The Parents. That being said, he can grow equally annoyed by The Parents and feels that at times they are too secretive and overbearing in instances where he would either speak up or leave his charges to develop on their own.

## Story

### Role in the Galaxias

According Amicus, Monitors are "the eyes and ears" of The Parents. They oversee the Galaxias on The Parents' behalf and follow their will in order to ensure that their will is carried out. Monitors are designed as a "bridge" between The Parents and the rest of the Galaxias, allowing them to speak directly to Siblings or Children and redirect them onto the Parents' path if necessary. In the past, siblings in need of making contact with a Monitor occasionally used somni, a hallucinatory plant, to do so. This way of communication was later made outdated by the use of parental tech.

The Monitor seen in Adastra seems to answer directly to Adastra's Parents, a set of eight "gods" who oversee the moon and its denizens. Following the will of The Parents, the Monitor took on an active role in overseeing the events of Adastra to ensure that everything stayed in line with their plan.

### Adastra

The Monitor is first mentioned by Amicus on board the ship as he travels back to Adastra with Marco in tow. Amicus worries that his actions of making first contact with a sapient may alert the Monitor, resulting in unknown consequences. In reality, Marco's kidnapping was part of The Parents' plan, and the Monitor began directly observing Marco from the moment he was captured. Throughout the game, The Monitor asks Marco various questions during his sleep or other instances where he loses consciousness, to which the human can typically answer in a more positive or negative way.

The Monitor makes his first physical appearance when Marco catches Avia Pox and nearly succumbs to the disease, apologizing for having not foreseen the possibility of this happening and reassuring him that he is on course with the path The Parents have set. Unfortunately, the Parents' plans are once again set awry when Amicus is jailed and Cassius is crowned emperor upon Cato learning of Marco's origins.

After a newly-crowned Cassius attempts to make contact with The Monitor using somni, the Monitor somewhat vengefully scares the young wolf and derides him for not being the true emperor. Marco, having inhaled some of the somni himself, ends up connecting with the Monitor once again and the two speak directly.

He explains that he is communicating in place of The Parents, who cannot do so directly, and reassures Marco that he and Amicus are simply following their pre-determined path. The Monitor highlights that Marco can singlehandedly "reign in" the wolves to the correct path, and urges him to fulfill the role set by Meera. He then tells Marco to restore Amicus to the throne, urging him to "watch the cat in order to do so.

Later on, The Monitor asks Marco if he will submit to the "benevolent will of the Parents." This decision determines whether or not The Parents will revive him later on. If Marco agrees to submit, the Monitor will later open a line of direct communication with The Parents in order for Amicus to bargain with them for Marco's resurrection.

Shortly before Marco is set to return to Earth, the Monitor makes a connection with him to reassure him that the path he is on is the correct one. If Marco has been more positive and trusting in response to his questions throughout the game, he will see a vision of his future with Amicus and be happily reassured in The Parents' path.

If Marco's responses have been more negative however, he will instead encounter a shade of Meera who is connected to The Other. The Monitor explains that this is not the true Meera and that he and The Parents hoped Marco's worries would fade with time. Afterward, he reluctantly agrees to tell Marco about the path The Parents have set for him to assuage his doubts in their plan.

### Interea

At the beginning of Interea, the Monitor argues with The Parents over their continued interference in the lives of Marco and Amicus, alluding to their failure to protect Marco. He eventually acquiesces and agrees to watch Marco once again.

Later on, after Marco continually goes against the guidance he provides on behalf of The Parents, the Monitor intervenes in his attempt to warn Alexios of the possible danger he may be in. The Monitor exhibits annoyance with Marco's defiance and reiterates that he is only a messenger, as well as how going against the plan makes the future uncertain. After a standoff, he manages to negotiate the human into resuming his mission by ensuring Alex's safety.

Once Marco has departed, the Monitor angrily rebuffs The Parents for their lack of transparency toward Marco and encourages them to be more direct in telling him their plans before resuming watching.

## Relationships

### Marco

The Monitor is somewhat fascinated by Marco, both due to his status as the first human to be incorporated into the Galaxias and his large role in The Parents' plans. The Monitor tends to watch over Marco, asking him questions and providing advice as needed. He is often amused by Marco's curiosity and strong will, though on occasion he can be annoyed by the human's more independent streak that causes him to question his path.

In Interea, the Monitor strongly objects to interfering in the lives of Marco and Amicus once again. He seems to sympathize with Marco's reluctance to trust the plan of those who had previously gotten him killed and encourages The Parents to share more with the human. As such, it seems that the Monitor has a soft spot for Marco in particular.

### The Parents

The Monitor was created by The Parents as a link between their dimension and the sapient world. As a result, he is the only being to have direct communication with The Parents and speaks to siblings and children on their behalf. He seems to sympathize with The Parents' good intentions, but can become frustrated with how they operate in complete secrecy toward sapients.

While in most cases the Monitor simply follows The Parents' instructions, he possesses free will beyond them and is willing to argue with them when he feels they are in the wrong. He also dislikes being forced into silence, especially when The Parents are redacting answers from the person he speaks to.

### Cassius

The Monitor holds a low opinion of Cassius due to his crowning leading the path set by The Parents astray. He is extremely dismissive toward the "false emperor" and finds him to be a coward, enjoying the fact that he frightens him.

## Trivia

* Although the Monitor has a full sprite, he is never seen without a shadow overlaying him.
* The Monitor is subtly featured in many of the promo images released alongside Adastra's various builds, such as in statues or background illustrations.
* The shade of blue used for the Monitor's dialogue during his appearances in Adastra is the same one used for Scipio, the protagonist of Khemia. In Interea, the Monitor's text color was modified slightly, possibly in order to distinguish the two.

## Gallery

The Monitor as he appears in-game.The Monitor depicted on an urn in a promo image for Adastra's second build.The Monitor depicted on a carving in a promo image for Adastra's third build.The Monitor depicted as a statue in a promo image for Adastra's fourth build.A statue of the Monitor (as the prow of a ship) alongside the rest of the cast of Adastra in a promo for the fourth build of Interea.