CLASS: BIOCONSTRUCT
BIOLOGY: Mostly hollow, the Golgotha requires little more than heat and light to sustain itself, drawing energy through its eyes to be metabolized by its bacterial flora. The creature otherwise exhibits few biological processes, requires no sleep and produces no waste. Reproduction is a simple matter of growing a second, only slightly smaller individual within the conical mantle. The Golgotha's interior is lined with a thin layer of redundant neural tissue and crystalloid psychocircuitry to facilitate the transmission of cognitive information, the creature's primary offensive and defensive weapon. Susceptible organisms find themselves drawn to the monster's rhythmic "ticking," transfixed by its luminous eyes and induced to believe with absolute certainty that it is simply "their time;" that they are "meant" to perish by the monster's blade when its ticking comes to a close, often peacefully submitting to termination without resistance or regret. BEHAVIOR: A Golgotha is silent, serious and unwaveringly patient, stirring to action only to defend itself or fulfill the orders of a superior. It carries out an execution with somber indifference until the very moment its blade ends another life, upon which it "celebrates" with a brief, spinning "dance" and a sound often compared to a cuckoo clock. This behavior does not appear programmed by its original creators, and it can explain only that it simply "feels right." APPLIANCE: The original creators and masters of the Golgotha were poorly understood, keeping to themselves and even outright rejecting the basic modern conveniences of biological immortality, sealing their inevitable extinction. Near the end of their existence, the cult employed Golgotha not only to extinguish themselves but to assassinate whatever powerful beings they judged as having lived "long enough." Today, memories of this uncouth behavior and the ease with which Golgotha score their kills has given them an unsportsmanlike reputation in professional battle, but they continue to be valuable watchmonsters and even food harvesters, sometimes stationed on rooftops to draw and slaughter passing birds. SICKLE: the Golgotha's elongated blade-arm can move with impressive speed and force. TICK-TOCK: the monster's ticking sound lures in its targets against their better judgment. TRANSFIXING GAZE: the monster's flashing eyes are difficult for its victims to turn away from. DEATHWISH: the Golgotha can cognotransmissively convince other creatures to accept death.   Contents copyright Jonathan Wojcik
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