Ashenvale Docent

The Ashenvale Docent is a relic recovered from the Ashenvale.

## Description

A small spheroid contraption approximately two inches in diamater, the Ashenvale Docent was recovered from the broken remains of a Cogheart Titan half-buried in the mud and dirt on the banks of the Long Divide within the Ashenvale. Deep-burnished facets serve to lock the construct in place within its housing case, forming an intricate pattern of grooves and trenches in the otherwise smooth polished metalwork.

## Research

### Completed by Fafnir Lutgehr

Masterfully but undeniably mass-produced, the Ashenvale Docent was one of many seemingly identical structures within the twisted and broken mass of the fallen Cogheart Titan, forming a nodular network that provisioned coordinated and purposeful perception, computation and actuation. Multiple docents appear necessary in the largest constructs, though how this scales to facilitate the operation of the three colossal Coghearts unleashed by the Astedian Empire remains unseen. Nonetheless, by acting in a parallel series of nodes, the associated construct can monitor many aspects of their surroundings simultaneously, the arcane sentience within formulating responses and reactions alike in unison - and then the most suitable option executed near as quickly as a physiological and organic reflex through use of the clockwork mechanisms laced throughout the predominately metallic form.

Further study shows a deeper layer of neuro-inorganic connections that exist within the Docents, designed to push through widespread subroutines sourced from an external source point. While autonomy is seemingly facilitated in the design of the Coghearts, with many - particularly those of higher military designation or individuals intended for more civilian purpose - grafted with personalities to boost congenial relations with their associates, the deeper connections appear to serve as some level of remote management system. While acknowledgement of independent function seems forefront, reducing the likelihood of enemy acquisition and subsequent control of legions of the first-generation troops made by the Milltall Manufacturing Guild, this supposed fail-safe provides a manual override of surrounding units for those in possession of said control unit. In order to prevent infiltration or otherwise corruption, it seems likely that such a mechanism likely functions over a short range, though what form it might take - or if instead it simply was a variation on the *Telepathy* or some similar evocation spell cannot be said. Nonetheless, it seems that through this route, programming can be subtly updated without the knowledge of the individual relying on said docent, indirectly guiding their conscious actions through manipulation of the subconscious.

Final scourings of the Ashenvale Docent reveal one such subroutine, its programming partially compiled but ultimately corrupted by means of traumatic shutdown from external damage before it could be fully disseminated and acted upon:

*New Primary Directive Subroutine Received...*

*Pending...*

*Pending...*

*Updated Primary Directive Subroutine Acknowledged...*

*Pending...*

*Pending...*

*Intel Ordinace Acknowledged, New Target Acquisition in Process...*

*Warning! High Threat Level of New Target...*

*Pending...*

*Pending...*

*Cautions Noted, Arcane Shield Activated...*

*WARNING! DAMAGE DETECTED, ARCANE SHIELD FAILED!*

*Acknowledgement Made, Maintaining Distance...*

*Pending...*

*Remote Override Command Received - Prompt to Proceed Obtained...*

*Pending...*

*Pending...*

*Target Identified, Postive Match Confirmed...*

*Pending...*

*Pending...*

*Apprehension of Target Initiated...*

*WARNING! UNKNOWN ELDRITCH ARTIFACT DETECTED!*

*WARNING!*

*WARNING!*

*WARNI-...*