Altered Lore

Tocsin

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Tocsin

Tocsin is a sentient Golem Chimera who serves as the Alter Ego of Gulrang Oduro through the Musubi ceremony. The stone creature is bonded to the Ordis Exalt and serves in the Aegis forces alongside her.

Origin and Arrival

Tocsin came to Asgartha during a Tumult surge that crashed against the Rampart. The creature infused into a stone statue which suddenly came to life when the Tumult wave brought Chimeras to the wall’s serrations. Upon manifestation, Tocsin immediately became involved in a battle with a griffin Chimera with blue feathers.

First Battle and Saving Gulrang

The two creatures lunged at each other in a violent battle. Columns and stone bulwarks were overturned in the crash of their combat. The griffin pushed the Golem which violently collided with a marble wall. The wall toppled backward and one of the rock blocks detached from the edifice, hurtling toward Gulrang Oduro.

Despite being in the midst of battle, the animated statue managed to raise its arm to protect the Ordis Trooper. The Golem seemed to look Gulrang in the eyes as if to make sure she was okay. However, the griffin took advantage of this distraction to pounce on the stone creature, absorbing its Mana as if it were a life-giving breath.

Gulrang responded by using Heka to inscribe Glyphs into the stone, creating prodigious spikes that sprang forth. The griffin spread its wings to escape but was too late. Two spikes pierced its flank and it tumbled over the battlements, lifeless. The Golem struggled to rise, weakened but still acknowledging the soldier’s presence as if thanking her.

Capture and Imprisonment

After the battle, other sentinels surrounded Tocsin, threatening the creature with their halberds. Without strength, Tocsin allowed itself to be captured without offering resistance. The creature was placed in a cell while authorities determined whether it posed a danger.

Developing Communication

Gulrang visited Tocsin in its cell, wanting to know why the creature had saved her. Communicating proved difficult as Tocsin was unable to express itself using sounds and could only breathe silently from an orifice located at its face level. However, by using Heka Glyphs, the soldier and the sentient statue managed to initiate a conversation, expressing and deciphering ideas.

Over several visits, the Golem proved intelligent and almost good company. They began a laborious conversation, contenting themselves with small victories when they managed to understand each other. Through this method, Tocsin explained that it had been attacked by the griffin within a Tumult hurricane. The griffin had been driven by hunger and a quick need for Mana. Tocsin explained that was how one could survive in the Tumult: by siphoning Mana where it was present. The Golem amalgamated a great deal of Mana within itself.

Gulrang’s superiors watched these interactions and allowed her to continue conversing with the creature to learn more about what lurked beyond Asgartha’s borders.

Receiving a Name

After weeks of dialogue, Gulrang and the Chimera had developed a puzzling rapport. Since the Golem could not produce sounds through its orifice, Gulrang brought it a trumpet. The Chimera managed to produce cacophonous yet powerful notes through the instrument.

The soldier burst out laughing at the puzzled then euphoric expression of the stone monster, and it seemed to her that Tocsin was also laughing heartily in its own way. It was on this occasion that she gave the creature the name Tocsin. The Golem seemed delighted with this name, as it had never had one before.

Release and Integration

When authorities were sure the creature posed no danger, they allowed Tocsin to leave its cell. Gulrang was tasked with showing the Golem around Arkaster and introducing it to the lives of Asgarthan inhabitants. Since the announcement of the Rediscovery Endeavor, the Faction had been looking for people who could bond with a Chimera, and the opportunity was too good to pass up.

When Gulrang introduced Tocsin to her family, they discovered that her brother Kojo had also taken in a Chimera. The young boy had stumbled upon a creature from the Tumult that had washed ashore on the grassy foothills of the capital, probably at the same time as the surge that had brought Tocsin.

Musubi Bond

Over time, Gulrang and Tocsin increasingly aspired to understand each other fully. Communicating with Glyphs was a tedious and frustrating process for both. The Musubi naturally imposed itself on them as the solution. When Gulrang mentioned it to the Golem, Tocsin accepted without any hesitation.

Through the Musubi bond and connection to the Hive Mind, others could converse with Tocsin. The creature could make itself understood and understand in return. This made Tocsin a serious asset for the Faction when the Expeditionary Corps set out. More importantly, Tocsin and Gulrang could finally exchange fully, like the friends they had become.

Physical Characteristics

Tocsin is a sentient stone statue, a Golem animated by the infusion of a Chimera from the Tumult. The creature has:

  • An orifice located at face level through which it breathes silently
  • Arms capable of raising to protect others or engage in combat
  • A body made of stone that can withstand significant damage
  • The ability to amalgamate large amounts of Mana within itself
  • No natural ability to produce sounds, requiring a trumpet or horn to create notes
  • A marble compartment looped around the shoulder for storing a great horn

Combat Abilities

In battle, Tocsin engages physically using its stone body. The creature can withstand attacks that would fell organic beings, though it still requires Mana to sustain itself. Tocsin can raise its arms to shield others or strike opponents. The Golem’s stone construction provides natural armor and strength.

Role in the Expeditionary Corps

Through the Hive Mind connection enabled by the Musubi, Tocsin can communicate with all Ordis members, making the creature valuable for coordination and intelligence gathering. The Golem’s unique perspective as a Chimera that survived in the Tumult provides insights into that hostile environment.

Rallying and Morale

Tocsin recites rallying verses before battle to warm up and lift the spirits of soldiers. Using the great horn stored in a marble compartment, the Golem sounds powerful blasts to signal alarms and call troops to their stations.

Timeline

~393 AC - Rallying Call at Earthen Fort

Before Belisenki assault at an earthen fort grown using Alteration, Tocsin sounded the great horn and recited rallying verses to lift the spirits of approximately 50 soldiers manning the ramparts while Gulrang Oduro stood beside the Golem watching defenders approach through the mist.

~393 AC - Belisenki Defense at Tundra Foothills

During all-night Belisenki assault on Ordis positions, Tocsin sounded horn blasts whose vibrations pushed back attackers, though Belisenki swarmed onto the Golem’s back and arms forming a pulsating mass of butterfly wings.

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