Cactus, Cloning

Cloning Cactus

A community of Cloning Cacti will be served - and guarded - by as many slaves as the local food supply can support. One of the tasks of these slaves is to capture capable specimens for the Cacti to make new clone-slaves from.

Folk and beasts captured by the clone-slaves are tested to determine their potential. Those deemed unworthy are killed, both to be added to the food supply and to keep they from betraying the Cacti's secrets; in a few instances, slavers have been able to make arrangements to buy the rejects in return for larger quantities of meat or other supplies the Cacti's community cannot make for themselves.

The worthy are sacrificed to the cacti. First they are stripped and then bound, not with ropes but with a gumming sap-derived glue. Thus rendered harmless, they are ready to be inserted into clefts that open up in the bodies of the Cacti. The clefts are disturbingly flesh-like, their linings moist with viscous sap fluids; the restraining glue is, in fact, derived from these sticky fluids. Once the worth are sealed within the closed clefts, digestive juices are released; the melting flesh is absorbed by the Cloning Cactus as it eats its victims alive.

But this death may not be the end of the worthy's life. The Cactus retains clusters of cells from select sacrifices; each cactus can maintain a set number of such "starter cultures," about one per 200 pounds of mass (one per hit die, or per fifty hit points.) When it wishes, the Cactus can use a bit of this culture to grow a new clone of the worthy.

Each clone takes one day per hit point to grow; the Cacti may choose to grow clones only to the juvenile stage, as a mature specimen would take twice as long. It is imprinted with a devotion to the Cacti, but actual knowledge must be learned. A Clone has all the innate potential of its prototype, but would only receive actual knowledge as the occasional "flash-back," as other Folk may have memories of their previous incarnations.

Clones newly grown, whether juvenile or fully grown, are in many ways child-like. They are cared for by their predecessors; the community will teach them all they need to know. As they are educated, the Clones of the Worthy are just like regular Folk, save for their slavish devotion to their Cactus masters.

The community of Clones gains cultural features from those of the Folk living in the region as they come in to contact with them. As they often do not have good relations with their neighbors, the Clone community may be somewhat technologically backward. After a century, they will probably develop a more equal level of technology and cultural sophistication, although it is likely to have deviated substantially.

The Cacti can take wounded Clones within their clefts and heal them completely. The process involved digesting away the damaged flesh and then cloning back healthy flesh. It is assumed that the Cacti could do this for other Folk (or beasts) if they wished.

When a Cloning Cactus starts life alone in a new place, it initially grows like any other plant. When it is large enough, it opens a cleft. Soon some small creature enters, seeking shelter. This first critter provides the Cactus with its first prototype.

As the Cactus grows clones, they strive to bring back a more worthy prototype. Eventually, it gains a substantial beast, usually a carnivore. Soon thereafter its clone-slaves will bring it a sapient prototype, if there are any in the region.

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Last update Apr 4, 2006