Contents

• Introduction
• Part One - Much Ado About Mutation
• Part Two - An Inscrutable Truth?
• Part Three - The Secret Life of Monsters
• Last Part - The End of Argument
• Acknowledgements

Introduction

This article isn’t a very standard theory, in that it is presenting an encompassing lens through which to view the entire scenario of these games, and one that I know to be decidedly at odds with the majority viewpoints represented on The Will of the Ancients. If the presumption of this format smacks of hubris, please understand that it began as only a need to question my own enduring convictions until I could be satisfied of their “truth” for myself. The diverse issues presented cannot be easily dissected from the whole, they were conceived in the chaos of my own obsession, the imperative of rationalizing my instinctive understanding and beliefs as they became first challenged by assorted expositions and debates.

As such this also retains the aspect of a counter challenge to the status quo, and in the interests of salvaging some degree of brevity, the presentation tends to assume the reader’s familiarity with the entirety of the canon. So I guess what I’m saying is, if you find you often don’t understand what the hell I’m on about, the principal mandate of the article may not entirely apply to you, so don’t worry ‘bout it!

At any rate, having toiled compulsively to herd the notions together and stitch them into something resembling integrity, however hideously notwithstanding, it would be as torture to rip them apart again. So here it is, my Frankenstein…

Part One - Much Ado About Mutation

The question of the mutated-type bio-engineered creatures’ purpose in the story of Panzer Dragoon is somewhat controversial, the one clear way to avoid that controversy perhaps by assuming they have no purpose. I believe this de facto perspective could claim roots in the most common moniker from Panzer Dragoon Saga, since “monsters” in traditional role playing games are so often incidental foes met in transit to more meaningful encounters, and maybe that encouraged players to regard them as mere ‘critters’ except when it’s been made clear otherwise. Japanese RPG’s do typically have some unifying theme for the origins of the enemies you fight, though in English they’re just as often monsters again.

Panzer Dragoon also spells out the shared “attacking nature” of all it’s non-human “living things” thanks Kimimi. Yet in contrast to other games that may have demons, fiends, beasts or other well exploited threats for whom the term monster is synonymous enough, it would seem that the native labels for our monsters were a little more considered and original. All of these Living Weapons, almost by definition, would have been created with a purpose in mind. And that assertion sets our stage…

I must devote this first section to some dry material, that the reader may be clear on the perspective from which other ideas are formed, and to (hopefully) satisfy the most immediate concerns and objections which could yet preclude benefit of the doubt on your part. If the reader happens to be generally receptive to the viewpoint, then I will ask that you forgive such a hard-sell. Yet if the reader is in emphatic disagreement with this take then… maybe I should also ask that you forgive the hard sell. But it is somewhat necessary for the larger theory to have any chance of relevance with unbelievers.

To begin, I will here stipulate that there is no controversy over the role, or at least type of roles, that the pure-type bio-engineered creatures play in this world, so I have no reason to quibble about their general nature. That said, there is one point of potential confusion and argument, that may yet reflect on the role of their counterparts… pure-types, taken altogether, are commonly assumed to be directly produced and controlled by the Towers and therefore agents of Sestren, and I am sure this is not universally the case. Consider this encyclopedia entry from Panzer Dragoon Orta:

Sea of Ash

A desolate region that extends through the area formerly known as Li Vis, the Sea of Ash can be found in the northwestern region of the Continent. It is believed that the region was once populated by a great city of the Ancient Age.

But now, the only remains of this once proud metropolis are a few barren ruins and a fine white powder that drifts in the strong winds. Also of note is the area within the Sea of Ash known only as the “Epicenter.”

It is believed that the forces that destroyed the ancient city were centered on this particular area, for all that is left is a gaping scar in the land. While the opposite side of this vast crater is just barely visible through the dust-laden air, the bottom of the hole has never been seen. Few humans set foot in this region due to the vast numbers of pure-type bio-engineered creatures.

The presence of these creatures further enforces the theory that this indeed used to be a city of the Ancient Age.

We have been given references to the ancient wars and a rebel faction that was against the Towers, I am particularly reminded of an imperial officer echoing a legend that the Tower burned three continents in one night. With these notions in place, this Sea of Ash seems a likely prospect for a city that was on the losing side of those conflicts - especially given the recurring implication, even here reinforced, that pure-types are found near ruins they guard - and simply comparing the sentinels to other pure-types known to be affiliated with Sestren, these have a completely distinct style: the ‘shell’ materials are like the difference between say, mother of pearl and a crayfish for instance. So it’s no stretch to infer that the monsters inhabiting the region are the surviving weapons of an enemy of the Ancients who controlled the Towers, but even if that were not the case, the pure-types that haunt this place - and other similarly ruined locations - without a clear agenda or client, likely never had anything to do with the (current) operation of the Towers.

It is of note that no purification of the environment appears to have taken place here, and neither are any mutated monsters inhabiting the zone.

Next is to point out an odd fact, in the English version of the games there are only a few general uses of the word “mutant” in reference to bio-engineered creatures: the village code of the coolia breeders to kill the mutants; the Mutant Hoppers and Mutant Fliers from the Underground Ruins of Uru; and a couple of anomalous entries from the Encyclopedia. That may not seem meaningful right away, but consider this… isn’t the idea of a mutant mutated-type a little redundant? For the purpose of my argument I maintain that the stigma of being a mutant is not attached to the classification of “mutated-type” in Panzer Dragoon, it is a purely descriptive term. They are representatives of mutation in the same sense that any natural creature is, but patently the majority of them are not unstable aberrations.

And even should we accept the absence of intelligent design, it does not necessarily warrant an absence of intelligent direction.

Which brings me to the crux of this primary argument… every monster is still considered a bio-engineered creature! All of the games, throughout the dialogue and narration, scrupulously avoid specifying - or indeed even remarking on - which class of monsters are involved in a given event or operation.

There is one proverbial exception to prove the rule: in the intro to Azel/Saga, the mercenaries in Edge’s company are nearly panicked by the sudden awakening of a “full blooded” monster. Even career men-at-arms are “no match” for this killer, clearly implying that battle with this type is typically avoided unless specially prepared, or prepared for death. As Edge’s captain yells, “This isn’t the usual half-breed.” And that is an important side point, taken with many other events and anecdotes, it is certain that the majority of dangerous monsters most humans will have any contact or confrontation with are then mutated-types.

That cinema as a whole also makes the case for the ‘stray’ pure-types in a more direct way, when cross referenced with a later scrap from the game: the authors saw fit to reveal Azel had been stolen from her creators before she was “completed”, which indicates where she was found is likely a “rebel” stronghold of some kind.

Back to stressing my cardinal point however… even the various books, lists and other annotation to be found in (and even outside) the games, have never once described the legacy of the Ancients, the bio-terror threat to humanity, or the actual processes of the Towers, using any terms that exclude the mutated monsters from the scenario. Some of the tags for the pure-type defeated enemies in Azel/Saga make it clear that their class is employed in the Towers’ task, which is of course no surprise…

Lazara

These Bio-technical terrors were created by the Towers. Traveling in squadrons, their purpose is to eliminate anything the Towers see as a threat to the balance they’ve created.

Glide Dragon

Glide Dragons are mass-produced by the Towers whenever the Towers’ artificial ecosystems become imbalanced. Once summoned, they will attack anything until they are destroyed.

So we do have some explicit depictions of pure-types being used for the routine policing of Sestren’s world, however this is not anything unanticipated, nor does it reflect on the mutated types for any reason. There is not one scrap to be found that could conclusively exile their mutated cousins from the overall theme of control, oppression and fear; nothing explicit or even independently implicit, and I mean anywhere. Which leads to one final reinforcement of this principle…

Some texts may even get quoted as reference to pure-type behavior and capabilities, yet in reality apply to simply bio-engineered creatures without any other qualification. Evidencing this trend of the status-quo, at times ignoring the fact that mutated monsters are 100% included in that classification. From the remaining text which actually does specify pure-types, and direct examples from play, the knowledge we may claim is quite basic…

Pure-type bio-engineered creatures: were all designed in the Ancient Age (unless you counted dragonmares); are typically of a bio-mechanical construction - though dragons are different in that respect - with any soft-tissue being grafted onto and/or contained within more machined looking (exo)skeletal components - indicating they are manufactured and/or grown in modules, also lacking any reproductive mechanism - and do not (aside from one dragon) exhibit aging or juvenile forms; do not (routinely) require bulk chemical sustenance, evidently relying on photosynthesis for energy; like machines, may be dormant indefinitely with no active function or internal degradation, many having a capacity for rapid self-repair; have the very direct purpose of being weapons - excepting some drones and other ‘tools’, and perhaps again dragons - and never engage in any activity inconsistent with that role as a combat and/or security unit.

That about sums it up, any other characteristics may be common to both classes. As a particular example I will mention the trait of absolute aggression toward humans, which is patently shared with the vast majority of mutated monsters. I could even argue that it is only defining of the mutated-types since, in practice most pure-types don’t appear to care about humans, they just regard anything living that isn’t an ally as a target for elimination.

Why is all that important? There are clearly dramatic differences between the pure-types and mutated monsters, but we should be careful not to get misled by the details, and maybe end up focusing on the wrong differences. Also consider that the mutated-types aren’t strictly inferior to the pure-types, after all they can perform certain actions that their cyborg-like counterparts can’t… like feeding and mating. With one defining exception, that being making humans miserable and/or viable, their activities seem mutually exclusive in this story, and it is conspicuous how rarely we see them mix.

The word “monster” shares origins with the word “messenger”, in a curious way our nemeses may be even more aptly named in the end, these constructs bespeak many stories of ingenuity, ambition and strife. So if the reader might please keep the predicated disambiguations in mind, let us now reconsider some of the more enigmatic messages they have born through our adventures…

Part Two - An Inscrutable Truth?

One mystery of the scenario for this volatile world has received relatively little examination. The Towers are depicted as renewers and guardians of the ecosystem in several instances, yet we have never seen, or had described, any discrete mechanism for the rejuvenation process. And we have had so many other frivolous details illustrated and explained, this omission seems almost criminal by contrast. So, maybe our mechanism isn’t so isolated but hiding in plain sight, self evident rather than a blunt instrument with a label?

To find an answer, we may need to first consider what this ecosystem is intended to be, are the Towers then trying to wrest a once natural habitat back from the brink? Or more likely, as the Glide Dragon’s tag above suggests, this really was an artificial ecosystem seeded from the ground up for a world already past the point of no return. Certainly the mutated monsters have made a place for themselves in it, even representing the vast majority of fauna in evidence. Yet if this was such a damaged environment, how could such slayers and goliaths thrive off only the struggling remnants of a natural foundation? It is reasonable to guess they don’t, one way or another their existence was dependent on the influence of the Towers. But… if they were mere pests and parasites feeding off of the Towers’ efforts, it’s inconceivable that we wouldn’t see some clear evidence of an ongoing attempt to exterminate them.

For that matter it is inconceivable - to me - that things could have reached this stage in the first place.

It behooves me to mention an alternative here, that there was an opposing sentient factor at work, as described in Robert Frazer’s War Without End Theory. In the case of an active rivalry to Sestren’s control, then it is believable the struggle could have gone on for over a thousand years. Aspects of the idea are very attractive, yet the complete lack of any hint of proactive tension between the ‘muties’ and the Towers - as well as the mountain of evidence which will be glaring at you soon - prohibit me from adopting it as an explanation for these ‘wild things’, so…

The most apparent option here, is that the muties are not actually a threat to the ecosystem at all, though if that’s the case how could they be expected to reach such a complex ecological harmony in such a brief span of time? One scenario immediately springs to mind: the monsters were selected and adjusted from the beginning to be minimally invasive on the environment, with many larger ones feeding primarily off their fellow monsters (or humans) and others actually contributing to the health of the soil and air - and the remaining flora. So just how an ecosystem with both components will typically work, and precisely how this ecosystem has been presented to us… there are known examples of mutated monsters that transform the chemical balance of their habitat, yet again no depictions at all of any pure-type detoxification systems. As such, I don’t see any way it could be seen as a far fetched notion… except;

There is one big problem, since this is after all the world of Panzer Dragoon.

The Ancients were masters of genetic manipulation, crafting living tools, weapons, dwellings, even perhaps transfiguring themselves into gods. Would anyone believe they just stopped at rolling the dice with a collection of feral monsters? Yeah, me neither… the Ancient Masters engineered a planet wide system of control - governed by an immortal and near omniscient entity - in order to oversee a -plan- after all, keeping close tabs on their little pets is the least that should entail. And while we’re asking, why rely on only natural flora, which would likely be at a disadvantage against the poisoned state of the world? As suggested by some mutie descriptions that are part plant they didn’t either - for that matter the pure-types’ own photosynthetic properties seem more vegetable than animal. So no, the idea that these god-playing geniuses would leave anything to pure chance is absurd.

Conversely… the idea that they would have been so unenlightened as attempting to subvert the immutable principles of this biological realm, that they understood so well, is perhaps even more absurd. Absolute control is a fools dream, any rational design must anticipate anomalies, and indeed, would be prepared to make use of any advantageous mutations that occur. If these mutated monsters have a role - and they must - why not choose the most simple and obvious answer available? Controlled Chaos.

Statistical equilibrium is the one imperative for this task, the minimum it might really take is to monitor the ecosystem and dead-end any lines that range too far from the masters’ optimal balance, and also tweak the code of emerging species to advance the pace of response to the rapidly changing ecology. The Ancients obviously wouldn’t have set out to break the laws of nature - this is an ecosystem after all - just accelerate them.

The reader may be thinking, “all well and good, but it’s still just a theory”. As such yes it is, so before I take my exposition any further I will show that the foundation of this explanation is not mere conjecture. Other schools of thought don’t have a literal reference that declares the world to be that way, this one does. There is one single explanation given that pertains to how the Towers may be renewing the ecosystem:

{Craymen} Come with me. I have something to show you.

{Edge} Water?

{Craymen} The path to Uru. …That is the purpose of these ruins, or what we call the Tower. It creates a habitable environment for an already dead planet… To this day, we’re protected by the power of the Ancient Age. I’m sure you’ve grown to loathe the monsters. They have a purpose. Essentially, they act as the caretakers of the ecosystem. Their actions, all, are to protect mankind from extinction.

…

{Craymen} This world was constructed by the ancient ones as a delicate balance. The Tower, the monsters, everything is interwoven… Long ago there was dissension among the ancient ones. After centuries of fighting, …the warring factions built this.

This, for myself, is as defining a moment as exists in the entire Panzer Dragoon series. Previous to this cinema with Craymen in the Tower of Uru, our only concept of the Towers was as ultimate weapons of the Ancient Age. This is the first explanation for their larger function that we were ever given, and while it may be tempting to object that it’s only one character’s take on things, remember that the premise of what Craymen says here has never been contradicted, or really even elaborated on. This remains our only definitive explanation.

Humans have grown to loathe the monsters, all monsters. But their actions, all, have a purpose. Again, no distinction is made for which monsters share that purpose, additionally Craymen tells us that this world represents a delicate balance, and everything is interwoven. Not everything except those damned muties infesting half of it, but -everything- is interwoven. The only conceivable way to read this as less than explicit, would be to arbitrarily assume it breaks with a convention of use for the general term “monsters” that the games have adhered to completely.

I have wondered if, in playing the game, some had grown to dislike Craymen so much that they couldn’t ‘trust’ what he had to say? Or simply, having made up their minds a certain way the message was just ambiguous enough - as usual with these games - to let them continue seeing things as they wanted to. Regardless, I will assert that his speech, taken at face value, constitutes hard evidence for this view when there isn’t even one example of a singular passage that could, also taken at face value, negate it. A technicality that for some may not mean enough without other compelling material, of which there is a wealth, so I’ll get back to it…

Mutated Monsters

Mutated types have evolved in order to adapt to their environments, and as a consequence, are often not nearly as well-armed as their pure type cousins.

And although they lack the ability to enter hibernation and the awesome regenerative powers of the pure types, mutated types will have organs and extremities designed primarily for catching and eating food, and they also have sexual organs that allow them to breed. Mutated types also often have many self-preserving features that can be found in natural animals.

These mechanisms are thought to have developed out of the necessity to preserve the longevity of their individual species, and can vary from color-changing abilities to blend in with their environments, or even extravagant color markings on body parts to attract mates.

All of these adaptations that the mutated types have acquired brings up a perplexing question: have the mutated types “un-evolved”? It appears that they are forgetting their initial purposes as weapons and are slowly becoming more and more like the natural organisms of the world, in contrast with the pure types who do not fear death and serve only to destroy.

Unfortunately, there is no way to know the truth. Perhaps this is how the world was destined to be. Only time shall tell, and even then, the answer may not be known until humans are long gone from this world.

From Orta’s encyclopedia again. This is a good summation of the information that causes many to regard the muties as completely wild and free. It’s worth mentioning that in Orta’s time they could indeed be free, even if they weren’t before. But though this, and several other texts that speculate on the mutated monsters, raise these questions about how and why they are so diverged from their pure weapon cousins, they never present any conclusions, or indeed even speculate hard answers. It is the very uncertainty of these faceless researchers and compilers that suggests we are meant to take the questions literally, and find our own answers.

Perhaps this is how the world was designed to be, a delicate balancing act?

In any other game the confusion might reasonably be seen as an indication that the authors don’t have a conclusion in mind at all, but that guess isn’t even worth a second thought where Panzer Dragoon is concerned. This is another very conspicuous omission. So then why might the storytellers choose to leave things so clouded, in all but a single depiction? One certain fact may be as the elephant in the room here getting ignored:

Craymen is the only human character known to have had access to the control and information centers of a fully active Tower.

This hardened man even abandons the concluding triumph of his life’s ambition, the fruition of years of toil and deception and he has a total change of paradigm based on what he learns there. The Seekers clearly knew some part of this truth, but just as clearly, they only care about ending the Towers’ monstrous oppression of humanity, regardless of why they exist. The Empire only think of the Ancient Age in military terms, even fabricating a mythology to see themselves as the just heirs of that destructive might. Perhaps only one man was privy to the full method behind the apparent madness.

The monsters do have a purpose. They are the caretakers and caregivers of the ecosystem.

Now, this whole concept of “full blooded” and “half-breed” monsters, where does it ultimately come from? It’s a patently simplistic, misconstrued view in the first place, and so should be examined from the perspective of the humans on this world. Any of these creatures bio-engineered by the Ancients are a “monster” of course, but the most terrifying ones are those that have remained unchanged since the Ancient Age, the true children of the Ancients. The fact that other monsters aren’t the same implacable (and unchanging) soldiers would hardly go unnoticed, so… are they then the bastards of the Ancients? Only those who have turned a scientific mind to the issue would think to question why, however those questions are still asked using the terminology of their lore. Craymen learned the truth, the mutated monsters were never the mere fallen progeny of their ‘perfect’ ancestors.

Their actions, their nature, all, are to protect mankind from extinction… from self-destruction.

That revelation could only be more perplexing in a context of mutated-types rampaging unchecked through Sestren’s design: as far as we’ve been shown, no standard pure-type has ever protected a human from anything, much less a mutated monster. Which backs up the interpretation that the Towers have little concern for what the muties are doing to the humans… obviously because they are already part of the equation. Furthermore the statement does contain a discrepancy, but it will pertain to the pure-types, since there are many evident examples of relics that aren’t acting on Sestren’s behalf; Or certainly play no role in it’s current balance.

It’s those factors that should seal the deal from the standpoint of authorial intent (nods to Lance)… the real purpose of Craymen’s lecture, the operative elucidation to the player, is to redefine our understanding of that most inscrutable part of the legacy of the Ancients, those hordes of seemingly wild creatures that hate humanity for no known reason. The secret Craymen is imparting to us, is that all monsters indeed have a purpose, and continue to act according to the design of the Ancients, not just the obvious ones.

And with the true shape of Sestren’s dominion established as such, certain themes of Panzer Dragoon we take for granted start speaking volumes by their very prevalence. What is the story then behind those vast numbers of dormant - and very diverse - weapons and facilities, sleeping “ruins” that contribute nothing constructive to this rebirthing world? It’s very intriguing how incomplete Sestren’s’ ancient purge appears to have been, did the Towers ultimately lack the power to obliterate all potential opposition? And even if so, was that simply never part of the design.

Imagine the state this world must have been in during the fall of the Ancient Age, bio-mechanical weapons of all sizes and powers marauding a bleak landscape, pitched battles of attrition on many many fronts. Craymen suggests it may have been a coalition effort that saw the joining of the Towers’ power, an alliance of nations that decided to suspend their grudges rather than fight to extinction then? Whoever they were, we know they were not unopposed, and it can be speculated that ingenious measures were needed to fulfill their grand plan…

One word that has been used to describe the pure-type bio-engineered creatures seems especially befitting of them all: Autonomous. They are basically perfect soldiers, performing their duties without compunction, without fatigue, without question. It would seem some rarer (now?) models - as opposed to the common sentries - even extrapolate their orders in the absence of a clear mission, continuing to find an enemy, looking for the next nominal ‘target’. From that we may infer that their criteria for what is an ally is very strict - and their criteria for what is an enemy very broad - perhaps based on a complex genetic fingerprinting communication.

In this scenario of undying death… self-contained, self-regenerating, self-regulating weapons being thrown into battle as fast as they can be produced - even their masters claiming little mastery over their ultimate actions - some hundreds (thousands?) of pure-types appear to have survived even the devastation of the Fallen Ground, this is a most resilient foe… essentially chaos reigns on this world. So how does one possibly defeat scattered armies of single minded guerilla warriors, that need no food or morale, no home or even cause to fight for? Clearly no victory is possible without first beheading the enemy, and halting production of new soldiers, but after that…

Even if there was a concluding strike to this world conflict, it can be said with certainty it did not mean peace and stability for humanity and the planet, so then why not? More than a devastation of habitat, this place was now an ever vigilant living ambush to anything unlucky enough to be detected. Presumably great resources had been spent - in a time of desperation - on a plan to reclaim a world, rebuild an ecosystem, and that effort could be for nothing if each step taken may meet with violence from these cold instruments of destruction. Sestren was in a race against time to end that unnatural cycle of violence.

There may only be one practical answer to this dilemma: indiscriminate subversion.

With the Tower network fully operational and any command centers of the resistance dismantled, the continuing threat to the plan would be the rogue bio-mechanical weapons and installations, uncounted and unaccountable to anything. Potentially a real threat, even to Sestren… but maybe also Sestren’s greatest resource. They are living containers of bio transformed chemicals and genetic material, the plan would then call for some sort of can opener… maybe the Encyclopedia has a clue?

Carrier Seba

Pure-type monsters contaminated by mutation-triggering genes. In case of pure-type monsters, ones that have the trigger genes mutate first, and others will then be affected and start mutating as well. Sometimes mutated monsters are found torn to pieces by their own clans, though this is not because of natural selection but the fact that the trigger genes are spreading.

Carrier Yarva

These creatures have been contaminated by a rare strain of bacteria, and mutation has occurred due to the bacteria polluting their genetic structure. Scientists have learned that bio-engineered creatures not only evolve to adjust to their surroundings, but their very genetic makeup can be influenced by bacteria, as well as other organisms that the creature encounters.

It’s rather hard to credit the Ancients allowing any chance for spontaneous mutation in their weapons, or intentionally leaving them vulnerable to infection, though if we did entertain these ideas it necessarily leads to another case for the muties being part of some plan. Regardless, while Sestren was operating, it must have known this was going on? The most direct extrapolation is to assume this phenomenon is part of Sestren’s delicate balance, rather than the gross imbalance it would represent to it’s control otherwise. And it sounds like just the answer needed to the question of how to fight chaos… with chaos.

A pernicious organism engineered for the express function of invading bio-engineered tissue might have a chance of breaching any monster’s integrity, and seems like a perfect tool for dragging these forgotten soldiers back into the natural(ish) cycle of life. Bacterial agents could be just an overture, and thinning the ranks of combat cells would be useful enough, but they may also open the door for more directed forms of influence. Exactly what other forms… there isn’t a lot to go on, but some mysteries do stand out.

Neo-Stryder

These predators of the waterways are a hybrid cross between Stryders and Lazara. Their DNA was fused by one of the weapons from the Ancient Age. Their behavior patterns are similar to Stryders.

Fused by the ultimate weapon of the Ancient Age maybe? Lazara are definitely known to be one of the Towers’ own weapon systems, and this appears as an unusual example, but that’s even more to the point. Evidently a pure-type and mutated-type have been deliberately hybridized by another Ancient Age system, and these chimaeras happen to show up in Uru, the Big Tower’s front yard. For that matter quite a few mutated monsters - alongside some other (natural?) animals and rather impressive pure-type constructs - seem entirely at home on Uru’s moat. In fact.. really the muties only ever seem to get along with Tower pure-types! Like in the Forest of Zoah… where even the trees appear to become part of a defense unit??

We effectively have proof that Sestren can and will play with all of it’s toys.

Although there aren’t many clear clues to other possible methods Sestren might employ to control mutation in the monsters, one profound mystery is at the very heart of this scenario, and I’ll get to that soon. There is however hard evidence that the Ancients had the knowledge (and foresight?) to control the behavior of the mutated monsters themselves, and we may easily expect that type of control could extend deeper. In Azel/Saga when you ask Zadoc…

About the Town of Zoah

{Zadoc} I’ve researched the Guardian Fire. There’s an ancient record of a similar find. Here, read this.

He then gives you this: Memory Report

Structure Report

1/4

Record by ‘Compiler’ Noadea. Most of the devices found in the ruins are power structures, such as engines. But in rare instances, you will find Information Structures that record data.

2/4

It was through reactivating an Information Structure that we were able to discover the existence of the Towers. We also found out these structures also contain important functions other than simply recording information.

3/4

It is a device that will create a field that can control monsters’ actions. It was built, perhaps, to guard the information recorded there. But the power source is very small, so it is probably severely limited.

4/4

If we can utilize this well, we may be able to use it as a means to protect ourselves from the monsters. We need to continue researching these types of structures.

If read under certain assumptions that could, I will imagine, be interpreted as describing a system that commands pure-type servants and soldiers, a central communication hub perhaps. But that explanation does not stand scrutiny, because one example in question, the Town of Zoah, has been completely safe from attacks by any and all monsters for generations. Also it is absurd to expect these devices, with their very small power sources, would be capable of maintaining control over enemy pure-type weapons… so what else would they be guarding against?

This makes for a perfect illustration of the inclusive meaning the individual word “monster” must carry in the general context. In Panzer Dragoon’s story, the technicality of classification is never deemed relevant to the larger narrative, in general the monsters are only qualified as pure-types when the situation is exceptional… because the pure-types are the exception. So truly and simply, and literally, these devices control the monsters’ actions.

A few remaining ideas fit well with the state of this world witnessed by the games. Such as how it could serve Sestren’s purpose to preserve the predatory characteristics of these weapons, to both accelerate the redistribution of living matter, and to oppress, if not eliminate, the scattered humans who may still oppose this forced marginalizing of their status in the world - and it might also give the muties a fighting chance against random pure-types. Then there’s the mutated monsters’ apparent disregard for self preservation, in particular concerning humans, as though nearly every breed lives according to a colony imperative, like a hive insect. If they’ve been evolving, or de-evolving or whatever, at the phenomenal rate that has been observed, surely more of the weaker ones wouldn’t be so eager to die every time they see a human?

And this final unique anomaly… those Mutant Hoppers and Fliers in Uru are the only example of mutated-types inhabiting a functioning bio-mechanical ruin. Azel herself remarks that “Your (Edge’s) dragon is no different than the monsters you’re fighting. They were both created by humans, and exist only to fulfill the duties assigned to them.”… she does say these had “mutated since they were born here” which means they could’ve been something very different when first created, yet these ones also seem particularly unlikely to have “de-evolved” from some half machine weapon system…

Think about this, Uru is the birthplace of dragons, and so probably the location where the pinnacle of (for lack of a better classification) purely biological weapons technology was reached. So the very “fountain of the world” is the only ruin infested by “mutants”, and yet they seem to belong there. At least the facility is little the worse for wear with their presence, as they evidently haven’t interfered with the basic functions in any way, and effectively continue in the role of guardians… ?

I believe this puzzle is complete, but aside from these individual pieces - and how nicely they all fit together - in the end what matters most is the finished picture of this world. A picture that, at the very least, makes a lot less sense if the mutated monsters are relegated to the role of coincidental props. It’s almost like un-weaving them from a tapestry created primarily of their colors, and expecting the design to remain legible. There is limitless room for debate about details, and I will in no way try to claim this view is exact. But it should be clear by now that, even though there are anecdotes to be found that may also be interpreted to support the opposing viewpoint, those details are more the anomalies. And certainly viewing mutated-types as having nothing to do with the ancient design of this world is blithely presumptuous, if we’re to go by the volume of literal evidence.

However, accepting then that they are here for a reason, if we take the most pressing issue of the mystery and reduce it to yes or no questions, then answer each with the most readily apparent choice accordingly with the minimum of conjecture, it looks something like this:

Are the mutated-types a part of the ecosystem of this world? - Yes.

Does Sestren have some degree of control over the ecosystem? - Yes.

Does Sestren have some degree of control over the mutated-types? - Yes.

Which may as well be what Craymen told us.

With the chore of rendering the argument for my assumed foundation done, I will be somewhat less concerned with anchoring my ideas to a literal reference as I continue further out on this limb. My sincere thanks to anyone who may have followed me this far, though I could well lose you in short order. The majority of the next section is pure speculation and conjecture, and draws support more from the running themes of Panzer Dragoon rather than details, and may be even more fundamentally contrary to the lens through which many already enjoy viewing this story.

So before I burn any bridges, there is one last critical detail I have kept up my sleeve, saved as a launching pad for my flight of fancy… it is that great mystery I alluded to previously, and it is also the most conclusive anchor for the whole scenario as it’s been presented. If the reader still demands some kind of proof that Sestren is capable of effecting and controlling mutation in the monsters, look no further than right under your in-game nose. We were shown from the very beginning that the Towers, or at least certain agents of the Sestren collective, must have some conduit to remotely and dramatically influence the form and fate of a mutated-type bio-engineered creature.

Our proof is Lagi.

Part Three - The Secret Life of Monsters

It has hardly even been questioned how the “Heresy Program” could have become the Heresy Dragon. Clearly everyone accepts that it existed as a separate conscious entity from before it was ever Lundi’s winged coolia, and it is generally agreed to have been chased or kicked out of “Sestren-space” by Sestren Exsis itself. But it’s hard to get a grip on what that acceptance really means for people, because if the seeming majority preference for a ‘virtual’ model of Sestren collides with the also prevailing reluctance to believe the Towers have any direct connection to the mutated monsters -and- preoccupation with avoiding notions that sound too “new-agey”… then we end up with a big mess. Or at the least it would appear that Lagi becomes one of the unspoken exceptions to the distaste for mystical explanations?

I don’t subscribe to any need for entirely ‘mundane’ / pseudo-scientific conventions in Panzer Dragoon though, and it should be acknowledged that this story is ultimately sci-fi and any standards are greatly arbitrary, we can (and should) consider the full flavor of the mythos before limiting our options of arbitration. For instance… do we simply ignore things like teleportation and/or energy being converted to mass at ridiculous ratios; sustained thermonuclear level energy discharges from diminutive living creatures; precognition? Kimimi’s translations indicate the English versions may have avoided retaining some terms like “souls”, but in the end we still have a Divine Visitor and a dragon that can project images and information directly into a ‘normal’ human’s consciousness. And how should we explain Lagi’s communication, is it something that might be termed telepathy or… well, is there really any better word for it?

That the bio-engineered creations of the Ancients can “synchronize” with one another is only fact, and in holding to my principle of following the path of least extrapolation: while one might simply choose to believe they use electromagnetic signals or even say, pheromones, such options aren’t in any clear manner suggested, nor are they consistent with every depiction available… whereas a ‘psychic’ model is. For that matter psychic ability is firmly within the same bounds of pseudo-science that any of the rest of it would be, and there is as yet no strictly material model for how our own brains and memories operate that will conclusively explain their potential. Quantum mind theory postulates that the electrical activity of our brains reiterate patterns in such a way as to resonate them at a quantum (or rather sub-quantum) level, and as such could indeed reach to a continuum of awareness that’s communally accessible. The rules of matter and space-time would appear to go all goofy at that level too, in theory it is all relative…

Particle physics accepts that matter may only behave, or even ‘exist’ while we’re observing it. In that sense it is also theoretically proven how much power us living beings have in the scheme of things, that material laws conform to the whim of emergent phenomena. As though our existence is virtual, and while rules have been defined and terrain generated, reality only draws the complete picture while the player is looking. I am getting all transcendental (and tangential) for a reason though… the operative concept here is that physical and metaphysical arrangement is interdependent, meaning doesn’t exist without matter, as much as vice versa. So what I’m proposing is that ‘Sestren’ is actually extra-dimensional in some sense, but the fabric of it’s realm is yet spun from the psychic threads of the Towers and their subsidiary systems. Outside conventional time and space indeed, but the functional formation of that ‘space’ itself maintained by the focus of the Ancients’ creations.

Panzer Dragoon’s setting is defined by a lost technology of life manipulation, if the science of the Ancients is the legacy of reverse engineering billions of years of evolution, it is reasonable to guess they arrived at some practical understanding of all the forces in that web of life. Mastery of not only the genetic building blocks, important as they are, but also the life-force that cements those blocks together. So if even the ‘computers’ of this technology are likely based on reforging and refining biological functions into specialized tools, then we may apply the same type of speculation to the ‘brains’ of the Towers as we do to our own brains. And adopting this notion of a cognitive organ that is also a sort of ‘antenna’ to a deeper realm of consciousness, imagine the antenna array the Towers could represent in this world?

Even if the reader rejects this styling on some subjective principle or another, at least consider the applicable facts of the matter. Corporeal bodies can be wholly translated into this alternate state of Sestren’s, and in most cases back out again, to perhaps another location entirely. I’m aware of cases it has been termed a “digitizing” process, which may be the most obvious concept if one also views Sestren as conforming to the strict model of a digital network. In that case it’s still completely fantastic and dictates some kind of insanely complex control of matter at a sub-atomic level. But really, why would a cyber sci-fi cliche be considered preferable in this scenario anyway? I’ll just leverage my case this way… to anyone who might have a problem with my metaphysical musings, yet somehow be okay with our unique world becoming “TRON“… well this theory was probably lost on you from the beginning, and I’ll assume you aren’t even reading this now…

:anjou_sticking_his_tongue_out_at_you:

So, for those willing to go with the organic flow of this favored mythology, I will take the liberty of breaking these shackles of prejudice forged in cybernetic stereotypes. If anything the themes of this series more parallel steam punk than cyber punk: within their more fleshy and bony manifestations, the Ancients’ constructions often betray a preoccupation with oversized gearworks and frivolous gilding and ornamentation. And rare though our hints about Ancient scientific process are, they yet suggest a somewhat… intuitive approach to research and development. A practice of directing emergence, instead of the convergence of empirical values.

Those more advanced and specialized servants, the drones, cannot even be trusted to remain in control without basically pre-lobotomizing them against an “outbreak of self”. That in particular reinforces this view of the Ancients’ power being more exploitative or almost manifest, rather than a science of absolute quantities. Retaining the connotation of eugenics almost as much as genetics, they seem to tinker with their projects like a ‘recipe’ until they conform to the requirements of the intended role. Neither is it implied that the intelligence of their creations is artificial per se, far from it, these systems are explicitly living and biological.

To put it another way, consider the apparent evolution of their expertise: rather than progressing from mechanical then chemical then electronic technologies, they instead have biological tissues grown and connected to sometimes almost archaic looking contraptions. But shortly before their civilization came to a close, their most powerful weapons abandoned the more primitive agglomeration of technology altogether. And we may again infer a somewhat stumbling, cavalier method to their development from both the fact, and the evident forms, of the dragon “failures” Azel remarks on in Uru. Speaking of that sprawling laboratory… these ultimate monsters evidently arrive at some sort of quantifiable divinity, to go by the records found near Azel’s birthplace:

Report regarding the Light Wing. We have at last succeeded in developing the ultimate form of the dragon. But it is more than a dragon. It is a being far different… Something… perhaps even superior to ourselves… A messenger of the Gods.

The Institute, which considered the development of the Light Wing, a renegade project, has ordered us to delete all records regarding the Light Wing… But we have decided to record and seal all data regarding the Light Wing into one memory plate divided into 12 pieces called D Units, and scatter them throughout the continent… hoping one day a later generation would inherit our work…

What is it these scientists could be seeing in their data to make such a claim? Should we take this as a mark of insanity… but no, their conviction is ultimately connected to messages found throughout the game, and indeed the series. So this doesn’t sound at all like the sort of clinical genetic analysis that our own current understanding would be confined to, but rather an attunement to the incorporated emergent potential of the entity, or even it’s manifest destiny? I believe these Ancients regarded the life they toyed with from a standpoint far more primal than our comfortable concept of technology might impose. In the same manner we develop tools for testing and extending our perceptions of material behavior, these bio-engineers could amplify their ability to find and shape the very intent and will to become, to live.

The Ancients’ most impressive templates were sculpted from the intangible properties of living existence, as much as the bio-molecular concerns. Playing god indeed.

We can only claim certainty of two general terms that apply to the technology they possessed, “mechanical” and “biological”, and nothing else. Plainly many of their systems parallel the functions of electronic devices, but just considering the aesthetics of them it is equally plain they were developed and manufactured through very different processes than any of our own ‘electronics’ would be. Those strobing “veins” are like some universal circulatory standard, I imagine them carrying a plasma of partially bonded molecules, free electrons and maybe even kinetic impulses? And again these systems appear to achieve states and reactions that exceed anything strictly chemical or electrical, and could only be explained by acute sub-atomic manipulation of some sort, were we to impose real world criteria on them.

OK, time to steer this gallivant back on course, by remembering where we began, Lagi… our Heresy Dragon was virtually immortal, linked somehow to an inexhaustible reservoir of life sustaining energies, regardless of it’s physical location. And how was this amazing boon received? From the “destroyer of Towers” half of it’s being, an entity accepted to have - more or less - occupied Sestren-space previous to it’s possession of a coolia, and that the Japanese version of Azel referenced as a “dragon soul”.

There’s only two fundamental options for interpretation of this depiction, to regard it as an anomalous miracle of some sort, or to accept it as part of the manifest evidence for how far reaching the Ancients’ command of life was. And rather than try to have it both ways, according to the convenience of immediate desires - as I’ve witnessed often enough - I much prefer to take the portrayal at face value and incorporate it into a holistic view of the assumed intent of the authors. And thusly… I will assert another useful principle here:

Taking the information in these games at face value rarely leads to confusion, as long as it is done with consistency.

Where problems most often arise is through expecting conformity to arbitrary conventions from alien influences, the example in question right now being the trend of imposing a context for their technology which has no literal basis within the games. Sestren is not a “computer network”, it is a bio-engineered system. The way it operates is never termed “digital”, so really the only direct implication available is that it would be closer to a ‘thought network’. Sestren Exsis is not an “artificial intelligence”, and if it’s a sentient part of a bio-engineered ‘organism’ would that not mean it’s ‘alive’ as well? These are only the terms we’ve been given, what purpose can be served by importing others that are so routinely at odds with the immanent conventions of the fantasy?

The simple fact of the dragon’s relative “mortality” after being separated from it’s other half, should be a convincing enough illustration of the power and will the Ancients were able to vest in a singular immaterial being. If this was only like some software code, why should that indomitable force be lost by merely transferring the “programming” back to Sestren’s core? It’s easy enough to conjecture some explanation or another, but again, the only reason to even try is jury-rigging a concept into the story that has no intrinsic presence in the first place. This is not a “computer” and the entity that formed the Heresy Dragon was not a “computer program”. It was however conceived of as a “dragon soul” originally, yet even in the absence of that explicit connotation it is patently a unique, and not easily replicated force in this world. Suggestive once more that the ordinal template for these demigods is the very living essence, which they have in rare concentration…

The unprecedented regenerative and destructive potential of dragons is a direct reflection of their ‘spiritual’ magnitude.

Our dragon was apparently unprecedented in the singular, outclassing every other ‘draconian-type’ foe it ever fights. I think we may all agree that, there can only be one Heresy Dragon, so this is another case for the multi-step process of mutation. Seeing as this entity has typically been envisioned as a free roaming separate consciousness - possibly even seeking out multiple hosts through the series - I think we can also discard any notion that it was encoded as mere bacteria, or long ago recessed within coolia genetics. On the other hand, something did begin a process of gifting some coolias with at least early development of the bioluminary oscillator, wings, and presumably other less obvious physiological requirements for a dragon. The most important characteristics would likely be the least apparent of all, it’s brain and energy matrix…

The heretical “dragon soul” would clearly need an organism of a certain degree of sophistication - and in our case maturity - to host the full capacity of it’s immortal spirit. This entity may have been patiently waiting for the right kind of coolia to survive long enough that it might then… Receive the Light! And gain immortality in turn.

There is another take on this theme in Geoffrey Duke’s Heretic Birth Theory, and it presents a good grounding of some of the assumptions that I am also here building from. Terming this circumstance as the Heresy Entity “scattering it’s essence” among coolias would seem to fit right in with my own ideas, but it again begs that question of what channels said essence would get scattered through. So I will use this opportunity to reiterate the principle of taking every ‘fact’ of this narrative as a part of the whole, and assuming the integrity of the overall scenario, rather than taking only certain things on faith when it is convenient. If this particular embodiment of Ancient creation could manifest changes in a mutated monster at a psychic (as good a word as any) level, is there any serious reason to believe that Sestren in general couldn’t?

Recall that the only possible visual depiction of any of these entities as ‘naked’ of their corporeal form, is the “butterfly dragon” shapes of solid gold or black. They are indubitably very equivalent forces.

There are no obstacles of any great concern to assuming this model for the invisible synchronicity of Ancient technology, indeed everything would appear to funnel into the interpretation. Consider then, that the realm of Sestren is built of the very stuff of life that inhabits it’s servants. The Towers are the physical infrastructure of Sestren’s control, representing a sort of overlay on the world, stationed to enforce one kind of order. But they may also be the pylons of the foundation for Sestren’s other overlay, enforcing one kind of order on the web of life. Like radio towers… ‘cept different, they’re “Mental Towers” broadcasting the Monster Mash this world dances to.

So the conversion of renegade monsters might begin on a purely genetic level, with bacteria or even more robust direct delivery methods, but once the critical mutations are established - synchronizing them with the psychic frequency of the Towers - they forever belong to Sestren. An alliance with this “artificial ecosystem” running deeper than even unnatural selection might account for, they are now allied with the artificial life-web as well. Of course, in the same way that the Towers cannot claim absolute control of their domain, being still subject to physical laws, Sestren will surely have metaphysical laws under which it must operate. Again, it’s not like every monster can just up and decide to be a dragon… right?

Therefore I’m not suggesting these slaves to the machine are remote controlled at all times, that would be inconsistent with both their evident character and with the sense of the overall boundaries of Sestren’s maintenance. But it is apparent they will adhere to some broad regulations, and their individual instincts and ‘personalities’ would follow deliberate protocols. Still, while the strings attached to these puppets may be finite and mutable, output is only one consideration, and this epiphany reflects on another manifest state just begging extrapolation no matter how else one might choose to perceive things… because Sestren’s capacity for input appears both limitless and relentless:

Completely irrespective of the level of function the Towers were sustaining at any given period, their data acquisition continued uninterrupted, and was also rather unnerving in scope. The way in which Sestren records nearly everything that transpires in the world suggests it has eyes and ears everywhere so… maybe it does? In the very senses of the monsters!

A related subtle mystery remains, also regardless of interpretation, for if information is power, and Sestren’s knowledge is so absolute, how do we resolve it’s relative failures of understanding at so many key junctures of this odyssey? We must take it for what it is, and the Heresy entity is of course an eminently formidable foe, but we can also take it as inference that Sestren doesn’t subjectively process all of the data it records. However this seems almost “natural” actually, memorization happens autonomously, but conscious recall of details is based on prioritization and context. Sestren Exsis may have been almost as the Ego for this collective organism, claiming ultimate authority for arbitration of all exceptional responses, and how intelligent those responses may be, they are yet limited by the intelligence that has been filtered to it.

The majority of what transpires in the world would be regarded as background noise, and filed accordingly. The Heresy entity presumably was able to camouflage itself as that category most of the time, and evade attention when required, even with it’s entire story etched in Sestren’s memory somewhere or another. Humans seemingly have to do something pretty radical to claim any definite degree of it’s attention, since they may as well be in a cage, in so far as the threat (or lack thereof) they are seen as to it: Sestren Exsis, The Decider… and if it was indeed the Ego, it makes me wonder what or who the Id and Super Ego might have been? But, for once at least, that’s for another theory altogether… ^_^

A side note of interest, on the subject of Sestren and it’s memories… the motif seen in it’s abstract innards could perhaps be called holographic? Because that’s a respectably held conceptualizing of how biological memory functions, based on evidence of a universal redundancy in the ‘physical’ storage of information. In that people who have lost certain portions of brain matter / function don’t simply lose an equivalent chunk of their memories, but will often have trouble with the details concerning a range of memory. And this phenomenon is likened to holographic film, which can be divided into pieces and each will still project a full image of it’s subject, but with lower definition. Nothing weighty about this, but it’s at least suggestive…

Wow, I can’t seem to recall much more in the way of details myself now! But I want to wrap this up from a slightly different direction, the more human interest side of our story.

Consider how many characters in this story speak of the monsters not as -we- might about animals, with the instinctive respect for something that just is, but with superstition and resentment born of their distorted understanding that they are not natural. There is subtext running all through of the games, the people know that the very world is against them somehow. Indeed it is from the Seeker Gash, that the continuity of hatred for both pure-form and mutated monsters alike is made most clear. Even with their advanced knowledge, the Seekers also regard all monsters as a part of the Ancients’ legacy of oppression. A funny thing there, it makes me wonder if Gash harbored any suspicions about his coolia, since it’s a monster too. If he didn’t, well… he probably should have!

At the end of Azel, with the perspective on such a connection to, and control over the very fabric of nature brought into focus… seeing the final truths of Sestren and the dragon was almost like the feeling one has after becoming conscious of a pebble in your shoe, once removed realizing how long this minor burden has been suffered, and freshly knowing what true freedom is. Everything, for myself, just fell into place regarding Lagi’s relationship to events and what the dragon really was. If this entire planet was the machine, then our friend was the monkey wrench chucked into the works long long ago. Or the pebble in Sestren’s shoe that would ultimately cripple it.

Witnessing the campaign against the “impurity” from the other side, it’s very compelling how… personally Sestren took it’s existence. Okay, so it only makes sense that it would try to purge a potential threat from it’s “circuits”, but things didn’t end there did they? Even after it had been reaquired in corporeal form, the threat was regarded the same, as an impurity of the design. Sestren does indeed perceive the whole world as of itself, and anything not explicitly accounted for and accommodated by it’s protocols must be removed… which actually ties into another established riddle of substance: while it is possible that the Towers had not been functioning optimally for some unknown duration, any postulation for their outright malfunction is greatly belied by the reality of their reactions to this serious threat. And truly, the record seems to bear out that the Heresy entity and Azel were the only factors to ever be deserving of that designation, nothing even the Empire tried was worthy of notice or reprisal, until either the dragon or the drone were pulled into the mix…

And so, one Tower seemingly cares nothing for some filthy humans rummaging around it’s corridors, yet another flying Tower displays an equal lack of concern for vaporising them if they unwittingly harbor it’s nemesis. The humbling message to be taken from this: that Sestren spares no concern for humanity on an individual or even group scale at all, they’re just one of many statistics in it’s equilibrium. As long as they continue as a race, but remain powerless in the grand scheme of things, they are within the acceptable parameters and thus part of the background noise.

Well, I think that’s about the end of my plea. If even any part of it was heard I hope it may inspire some fresh consideration for the complex possibilities inherent to this tale of legend, which is after all the only real value of sharing these interpretations. In that spirit I don’t wish to end on a note of making the case, as such, but indulge in some hypothesis gathering up loose ends, unburdened by persuasion and technicalities.

Last Part - The End of Argument

If the Towers had been around for some time even before the fall of the Ancient Age, it’s reflected in their relative diversity that they may have been built by separate factions originally? If that were indeed the case, I have wondered whether they were also intended to have a universal governor, in Sestren, from the beginning. I have a hunch one version of the plan was initiated after an alliance had won partial dominance, and the Towers consolidated their rule individually for some period… but as time went by a combination of infighting and insurrection eventually erased whatever progress had been made, and the world was brought even closer to the brink, resulting in an emergency coup type situation.

Whoever (or whatever) it was that may have sown the seed of Sestren’s eventual destruction, it was a most resourceful maneuver, so from that I’ve always pictured them as entrenched saboteurs of some sort. It’s impossible to say for sure what any of the original motives might have been, for either why Sestren’s dictatorship was deemed necessary in the first place, or the Heresy Dragon’s own mission. But in the most general sense one message always rises to the top, Sestren exists to enforce the continuous moratorium on human influence, an end to the whole game, which in a sense proves the Ancients knew they couldn’t trust themselves. Ironically that sentiment was itself proven by the fact of Sestren’s schizophrenia…

The proximity of Uru to where Azel was found, combined with that facility’s fostering of the “renegade” Light Wing project, would seem to bear out a scenario of political rather than simple geographical delineation. Fragile loyalties, technological espionage, probable ongoing power plays at the highest levels… regardless of what “the plan” was, it’s unlikely anything ultimately played out according to plan. Be they the oligarchs, rebels, traitors or even Sestren itself, whoever it was that pulled the trigger on civilization… it was probably a last resort kind of thing, at least in terms of how it actually went down. It’s intriguing to consider the things that went wrong, but what’s almost more suggestive is how many things evidently went right, in that humanity has certainly been kept in it’s place all this time?

That so many military automatons survived the last “wars” and continue to function is an especially impressive mystery, considering the culture of their human counterparts was so effectively obliterated. It almost seems like the hypothetical aftermath of neutron bomb warfare, all the people disappeared, yet their creations are unaffected. An attack on human physiology would be a little hard to justify given the evidence, but a better fit in this story would be an attack on the human psyche! A mass synchronized EMP-like telepathic blast, and everyone forgets… now a race of children with only vague dreams of their former glory to help them make sense of the world. An end to resistance, the end of human ambition… well, for a time maybe.

I believe that Sestren Exsis was ‘made’ specifically to unite the Towers, an entity of such psychic monstrosity that it could bend every Tower’s energy to it’s own will and purpose.

But it’s just a theory… of course. And this is really just for fun and to try to open up the viewing angle of the article a little after so much focused attention. Also there’s a ton of related issues that can still fit in, even though they may first come across as contrary to the explicit premise here, I have thought of plenty of them trust me… but it’s time to call this turkey cooked! I’ll end with my express acknowledgement for there being still lots of room for compromise with other established themes, which this viewpoint may on the surface appear to be incompatible with, but if so it is only by default, and as a parting illustration:

For the record, I also believe the Towers directly manipulate some aspects of the environment… it is indicated the actual geology became unstable in places after the Great Fall, and the storms mentioned at the end of Saga are some kind of reaction to the system shutting down. My guess is that atmospheric barriers were maintained to quarantine extremely toxic - or simply untenable - regions so that their efforts could be focused on greener pastures as it were. And perhaps they even redirected the energy from geological instability, be it natural or from some catastrophe the Ancients caused, and with those channels closing nature takes it’s course. But hell, the Lathums make it clear that even “earth” can be alive on this world, so almost anything could be plausible…

Which is a major part of why this story we’ve been privileged to “live” is so adored.

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge this site in it’s entirety: though the specifics of the theory have a reactive tone, the bulk of this material is yet built directly off of the elaborations I have soaked up from The Will of the Ancients. And of course it is only because of all the discussion and articles that have gone before that my article has a case to make in the first place. I will particularly thank anyone who’s argued against my views - Lance Way very notably - since they enlightened me to the majority of issues needing resolution, and so also bear some small part of the blame for how long winded this turned out… ;)