Model-OTHLON

The Model-OTHLON is the latest-generation instrument of war conceived by the Builders of Orochtha, and specifically the organization known as Project: LEXICON.   The Model-OTHLON, and its predecessor, the prototype Model-GENYNG, are part of Project: LEXICON's push to revolutionize warfare through a blend of technological and magical means—the Autonomous Warfare Initiative (AWI). Tålthjar Hrifvang conceptualized the notion of a thinking automata—an animate machine that could be deployed into a battlefield with minimal supervision. A machine that could respond to real-time changes in battlefield conditions and respond in a manner most optimized for its own survival and the fulfillment of its mission objectives.   Project: LEXICON's first attempt, which received no official designation, was based on a modified Awaken Object-type spell. They failed preliminary testing, proving to be difficult to control, and too limited to be effective, as their intelligence was rudimentary at best.   The Model-GENYNG was the second, more successful attempt. Project: LEXICON took a different approach with the Model-GENYNG. Instead of attempting to engender a genuine consciousness into the construct, the Builders collaborated with the Tourmaline Geon, blending the former's knowledge of runelore, and the latter's innate magic to create what was termed the Comprehensive Compound Combat Decision Matrix (C3DM). The C3DM was a command construct capable of receiving input and processing it into output without the need for genuine consciousness. Structured as a decision tree with trillions of nodes, the C3DM was considered a work of thaumotechnological artistry, but its complexity introduced manufacturing difficulties, as the production of a single unit required the intensive collaboration of dozens of Builders and Tourmaline Geon. Due to this, only 5 Model-GENYNG were ever produced for battlefield testing.   Although the Model-GENYNG displayed prowess far beyond its undesignated predecessor, limitations of the C3DM quickly became apparent. Despite the great care that the Builders had taken to include every scenario they could conceive into the decision tree, the complexity of battlefield conditions exceeded the C3DM's capabilities to process by multiple orders of magnitude. The units were highly successful in every physical metric, but fell far short of the desired adaptability. Attempts were made to augment the C3DM by attuning to it, but the matrix's complexity proved deleterious to the mortal mind; while a mortal sharing the computational burden had initial success, performance quickly degraded and became worse than the performance of an unattuned C3DM.   After collating and analyzing all the data obtained from the battlefield tests of the Model-GENYNG during the Orochthan Wealth Wars, Project: LEXICON were faced with a decision; they could either continue to invest in the C3DM, and improve it by giving it the capability to learn in real time, or they could take a different direction entirely. Hrifvang chose to appoint a small team to continue research into the C3DM, but deprioritized the project. He had conceived of a more expedient means by which Project: LEXICON could accomplish the objectives of the AWI: taking advantage of a practice that the Builders have observed since quite literally the beginning of their race.   Model-OTHLON is outwardly, and as a matter of design, very similar to Model-GENYNG, but with improvements that were deemed necessary as a result of the data collected on the latter's battlefield performance. Internally, it could not be more different. Specifically, the Model-OTHLON's animating force isn't an artificially constructed pseudo-mind, but a genuine consciousness capable of learning and adapting in real-time. Preliminary testing suggests that the model is a resounding success, and projected performance far outstrips what the AWI anticipated.   The problem with the Model-OTHLON, and the reason that its manufacture is, for the time being, a strictly guarded secret that is limited to Project: LEXICON and is forbidden from being disseminated to the rest of Builder society, is that most Builders are likely to consider the Model-OTHLON a profane, blasphemous creation. This is because the Model-OTHLON is animated using similar principles to when Builders create their children; that is to say, the Model-OTHLON is not just a war automaton, it is a thinking, feeling being with an Eirdhraer—with a soul. In essence, Hrifvang and Project: LEXICON have played god and created a new race entirely.

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