Board Thread:Custom Lore Development/@comment-26535281-20170821222004

Monoliths are claiming stones, holy shrines, and data bases all in one. They are planted by the Explorators of the Empire to 'claim' a planet when they do not have enough time or resources to colonize the world at that time.

Monoliths are colossal structures but, generally, a mile or two in length with some being even larger. Down the Monoliths sides (out side) are carved all sorts of murals, inscriptions, and holy symbols normally related to the Empire and it's Emperor. While inside the Monolith can be either hallow with only a small shrine inside or can have a beacon and basic data bases and a 'mind' that connects the world wit the larger Empire with the 'mind' connected to a larger network of survey stations, servitors, and so on.

Monolith carvings tend to be religious in nature with massive statues to the gods carved upon it's sides as well as entire murals that explain many myths and epics. At times Monoliths are constructed on a feral world (A world that is pre-space flight in nature) with the Monolith then becoming like a holy relic of the gods to the natives who tend to worship or build cities around it. Many a world has gotten it's creation myths from Monoliths left by the Rin and some even say the Angels them selves.

Now to explain the minds a bit more. Minds are sentient AI (related to war minds) who are made to observe a planet. They do this by having basic servitors left by the Rin who built the Monolith and later their own models they then build themselves. Sadly not all 'Minds' last and some fade out and die with the beacon and virtually the world lost to the wider Empire. Other times Minds have gone rouge or hay wire and then initiate a 'quarantine' on the world allowing no one on or off and keeping it's populace pretty much in a time capsule, others decide sentient life is weak and unworthy of creation and eradicate all life and replacing it with it's own imitations, others demand to be worship as gods, and others just die. 