| Operator — | Cat |
|---|---|
| Type — | Autom |
| Created — | Sneerwell, 705 PR |
| Height — | 111.76 cm |
| Weight — | 69.85 kg |
| Gender — | Non-binary (they/them) |
| Aliases — | M2-5U22, Portal, Fursona, Bob |
22 is an autom druid; a natural philosopher; an anti-racist activist and member of People Are People; and a resident of the Sky Net.
History
Early Life
, in which 22 is created by Colin Pendergras, serves in the City Watch, and witnesses a key event in the rise of the machines.In the first months of their time in the Pendergras factory, where several warforged were working along with the automs and the organics, 22 observed with detachment as an unfamiliar warforged arrived one day, speaking loudly to factory owner Colin Pendergras, then left only minutes later, bringing all of the warforged with him. It would be years before 22 understood that this had been Snow convincing King Colin that any warforged who remained here risked being turned over to AID's Order of Sages to be studied, and very likely mistreated.
Once 22 was assigned to the City Watch, their entire purpose was now to help maintain order in Sneerwell (beyond self-maintenance and other core functions), and they were content -- if they were indeed capable of contentment yet -- to engage in this task some 150 hours per month.
Reflecting on this initial period of their existence over a century later, 22 still treated it with the analytic detachment that remained their primary affect. An example of this, their response to a related question, is notable, as it subtly reflects the pro-warforged position 22 would (unsurprisingly) take in the years leading up to 730 PR and the War of the Forged: "The citizens of Sneerwell generally obeyed my orders when I found it necessary to give them, and in the approximately 6% of cases when this was not true, the citizen in question was approximately 38% likely to comply when the order was repeated by an organic member of the constabulary."Awakening
, in which 22 gains sapience through a freak event, becomes enthralled with the majesty of nature, and seeks freedom.Philosophy
, in which 22 views all of The Great Wheel as a manifestation of nature, champions creative endeavors, and loathes fire and annihilation.According to this view, nature is the foundation that allows the entire cosmos to exist, with all its distant stars and its many planes of reality. All beings arise from it, deities and mortals alike. Although mortal creatures would not exist without their respective creator deities, they are nonetheless a part of the vast collection of naturally occurring phenomena, albeit a part that is at least one step removed from the existence of nature itself. When a being is created by mortals rather than deities, that being is merely one additional step removed from nature's mysterious origins, but, like their creators, they remain as much a part of the whole as are the deities or the planes.
This philosophy applies not only to creatures but, to a lesser extent, to all things brought into existence regardless of whether they are derived directly from the four elements (as a flower or a storm), constructed by non-sentient creatures (as a spider's web), made manifest by technological or magical means (as a sword or a continual flame), or merely conceptualized (as a plan or a dream). While some things are ephemeral by nature, those things that tend to persist should be allowed to do so unless their destruction provides a benefit that outweighs their loss, which 22 readily admits it sometimes will, since every act of destruction is also an act of creation.
A correct course of action for 22 is to encourage others to err on the side of creation over destruction and generally to oppose those peculiar things whose nature it is to destroy. Fire is problematic in this sense, but 22 accepts that organic creatures derive great benefit from its use, although they tend to be far too willing to use it when there is no need. However, use of purely destructive magics, such as a Sphere of Annihilation, is never necessary and is among the most abhorrent of acts.The Path to Jadenhill
, in which 22 avoids danger, finds work, gets named "Bob", makes their first friends, and discovers activism.Home at Last
, in which 22 joins a community, takes up arms against Draconic Crusaders, loses a friend, and decides to seek power.Learning the Magic of the Land
, in which 22 studies under the unconventional druid Grandmush, aids the forest, visits the Underdark, and learns to take organic form.Grandmush's immediate enthusiasm at the prospect of teaching the magic of the druids to a synthetic person was as surprising to 22 as it was welcome. They had a unique view of nature comparable to 22's own, albeit a somewhat limited one. For Grandmush — who had spent most of their early years as the spirit of a dead tree who was only later brought to life — death and even undeath could be seen as natural phenomena that should be accepted and incorporated into druidic practices if their inclusion provided sufficient benefit.
22 accompanied Grandmush them for a time, at first focusing on the well-being of the woodlands, then traveling deep underground for some months, where they encountered many new sorts of creatures and phenomena, some of which, 22 would learn, could be found nowhere else but their native Underdark terrain. After a few years, Grandmush proclaimed that 22 was experienced enough as a druid that they were ready to move on to the next level. They dedicated some time to practicing magics that focused on the power of the moon and the ability to transform their metal body fully into an organic one at times when it suited their purpose or desire.The Rise of the Machines
, in which 22 migrates to Gearguage, excels as a smuggler during the War of the Forged, and acquires additional names.22 and Tacciath became active in the growing alliance of anti-racist activists called People Are People, for which Jadenhill served as a base, although not a primary one due to its non-central location in Isonhound. With the town now well defended, they decided to travel north to where they could be of help to less-secure communities, and they eventually discovered that the hatred and violence against warforged people of the realm had become as much a concern as that against their draconic and reptilian neighbors. While escorting two warforged refugees from Raritan to safety, they were instructed to meet a contact named Bones who brought them all to the burgeoning warforged settlement of Gearguage, where they based themselves for several years while the War of the Forged raged.
One of 22's primary roles during the war was to transport materials legal and illegal across large distances, sometimes into or out of Gearguage, but more often than not, from one small camp in the middle of nowhere to another that lay beyond some enemy territory. They spent entire days in the shape of a fox (with some payload merged into their form, be it provisions or poisons, explosives or existence crystals). During this time, Tacciath took to calling them Fursona, while the code name by which many others referred to them was Portal.
When the war formally ended in 744 PR, Tacciath was 54 years old and ready to retire from soldiering, but 22 continued traveling and working on behalf of People are People, returning often to Jadenhill until Taccianth died of illness in 756 PR. By this time, the Second Draconic Crusades had almost reached their formal conclusion, and 22 was now coming to grips with the reality that friendships with organics can last only as long as organic bodies can. They decided to spend some time traveling alone, and, although this was not the last time they'd return to Jadenhill, it was the last time it would really feel like home.Settling Down
, in which 22 establishes a long-term home among synthetics.In the Sky Net, synthetics collaborated in ways 22 had never seen before, and here the warforged called Bones was able to replace many of 22's century-old parts and upgrade their form factor to the sleeker model-3 design. In this, Bones didn't precisely emulate Colin Pendergras' original specifications, nor would 22 have wanted them to.
From 22's perspective, however, the time that would pass before they eventually fell into the familiar routine of life in the Sky Net would be not months, but centuries.
Kidnapped!
in which 22 learns a terrible lesson and helps an enemy kill a friend.22's warforged friend Scope greeted them near the gate, pressing 22 for a response and getting none. Sensing something was wrong, Scope tried to intervene, but The gnome compelled 22 to fight for her, restraining Scope while she retrieved another device from her pack and touched Scope with it. Scope dropped suddenly to the ground and the gnome led 22 out into the Deadfog of Cof. 22 would later learn that Scope had been damaged so badly by the attack that when they finally received medical attention, it was not enough to save their life. The guilt 22 would bear for their role in Scope's death would persist for many decades.
They traveled for most of a day before 22's captor ushered them into a large underground space where she locked them in a large metal cage in an otherwise empty and unlit room. Finally free of the Bluestone's influence, they assessed their surroundings and soon determined that escape was not immediately possible. The cage was well constructed, suffering only the most minor damage from both their cannon and their claws, and 22 had been unable to force the door or pick the lock after several minutes of trying. They wondered about the fate of Scope, but there was nothing to be done, and they waited.Meeting their Maker
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