Post by Jason on Oct 3, 2010 17:39:23 GMT -7
The Watchers are the guardians of Hyper-space travel.
The true form of the Watchers has never been seen. They never take off their encounter suits, not even in their own section aboard the Scanlon Station. Each Watcher's encounter suit is similar yet unique, it's one of the only ways to tell them apart.
Rumor is that their home world is actually IN hyper-space. And that the Watchers are inter-dimensional beings, hence the encounter suits. Others believe they have the 'sight' and can see the ways in and out of hyper-space, which has left them physically altered. Still others believe them to be gods. Whichever it is, a Watcher is needed when a new Hyper-Gate is built. They will direct the construction and placement to make sure it opens a safe wormhole into hyper-space. Mysteriously no one remembers how to build the gate after it is complete.
Watchers are the most powerful beings in the known galaxy. Fortunately their goal seems to be to unite the galaxy through Hyper-space and not to rule it themselves. There is not a single force in the Greater Galaxy that can come close to their power. If every living soul where to unite against them, the Watdhers would still be able to defeat them all.
The glowing sygls at their backs have multiple purposes. The most observed and prominent use is as a shield, keeping the Watcher from being hit with just about anything. The second and least noticeable they seem to reflect the Watchers mood, changing in slight color variance and intensity.
Watchers always seem to know more then they let on, as if they know the outcome of any event, but chose to let it play out.
Each Empire accepted into the Greater Galaxy is assigned a Watcher that will stay within that Empire. ( The empire can chose it's name, personality and look, the sygls always being the same among watchers. Watchers are not very talkative, aren't chipper or friendly. They are always mysterious.)
Watcher ships are the most powerful in all the universe, and are extensions of the Watchers themselves. The only thing similar to all Watcher ships is that they do not look like normal ships and have no entrance unless the Watcher so chooses. Normally a Watcher phases into the ship.
To help a Watcher they create Cabals, which are a five person group of Sib'yl
A new Empire once, achieving FTL for the first time, will usually comes out of their jump to find themselves face to face with the Watcher's ship and his Cabal. The group was assigned to the Empire before it even achieved FTL and has been watching and waiting for when they did. How they know is unknown.
An Empire's first interaction will actually be with the head of the Watcher's Cabal, who will introduce him or herself, the Watcher and the rest of the Cabal to the young Minor Empire. They will then ask to meet with the leaders of the contacted.
When meeting the leaders the head Sib'yl will explain what the Greater Galaxy is, the Scanlon Station and Ambassdors there, the Hyper-Gate and it's system and anything else they may deem necessary for the Empire to know. During this time the Watcher will usually speak, but they always inform without informing. They are cryptic and secretive, but wish to convey the importance of the step the new Empire is about to take and the need to be a part of the Greater Galaxy as a Minor Empire and not a rogue empire.
A Hyper-Gate is usually brought in until more can be built. For some reason no worker that builds a Hyper-Gate ever remembers how they did it or how it went together. A Watcher will always be present when a gate is built.
Watchers are the most powerful beings known to exist in the Greater Galaxy. Because of this some Empires see them as gods and their Cabal as angels, profits, or avatars of the Watcher. Watchers do nothing to promote this view, nor do they do anything to counter it either.