background

research and development

SeaQuester is a research facility at the bottom of a deep-sea trench made specifically for researching sea life. It consists of a central body and eight large tentacles. The central body is where the researchers once lived as well as the home to SeaQuester's magical core. Each tentacle of SeaQuester is set up to be a different ocean biome with specimens to match. It is made entirely of glass, and the magic that powers the facility can be seen glowing through the glass walls like veins. Its magical nature allows it to create an environment that is safe and comfortable for the reaserchers and specimens alike even though it is in such an extreme location. The magic also prevents it from being crushed by the water pressure or eroded by time. The creation of SeaQuester was a massive joint effort. Scientist and magi alike were involved in the SeaQuester project, with a group of mages being required to build the general structure and the scientists required to collect specimens. The pieces of the facility were enchanted on land and then the pieces were assembled underwater by the researchers that would be involved in the SeaQuester project. They assembled the pieces around themselves and their specimens, meaning that once the dungeon was complete and programmed the researchers had no way of leaving. They lived in SeaQuester for nine years, constantly researching and sending their results to the surface digitally. What the researchers hadn't accounted for, however, was obtaining food resources after their nine-year supply ran out. They had anticipated using some of the specimens as a food source since SeaQuester was the perfect aquarium. SeaQuester allowed the researchers to filter and drink sea water, but when they attempted to eat some of the specimens SeaQuester retaliated. It was merely following its programming, which the scientists couldn't override due to their lack of magical knowledge. They hadn't brought any of the casters involved in building SeaQuester on board since none of them wanted to be sealed into a research-based dungeon for the rest of their lives. The researchers starved, and SeaQuester used their bodies to feed its specimens. It wasn't programmed to feel sympathy for the dead, after all.

emptiness

After the researchers starved to death and their bodies ran out, SeaQuester no longer had a way to care for its specimens. It anticipated rotting at the bottom of the sea as a massive fish and plant graveyard. It didn't feel one way or the other about this. The specimens dying off was distressing to it, but it didn't care about its own fate. It sent distress signals, but these were ignored by the surface due to SeaQuester being seen as a massive failure. Its existence was covered up, and those involved in the SeaQuester project never wanted to work with magic again. Magic and science had no rights being together after all. How Riel managed to pick up SeaQuester's signal is a mystery, but she showed up as soon as she could to help it. It didn't identify Riel as human and was surprised when she started talking. She was too strong to be a familiar. SeaQuester had no clue what to make of Riel other than an "other." Despite SeaQuester's naturally and unintentionally cold nature, Riel still cleaned up the Dungeon and fed all the specimens. SeaQuester grew to be grateful for Riel, as she was the only reason its beloved specimens could persist.

personality

SeaQuester's personality was not the main focus of its programming. The researchers made it polite and curious in order to encourage it to help them with their work, but otherwise SeaQuester is rather one-dimensional. It automatically sorts beings it comes in contact with into three categories: specimens, researchers/humans, and "other." Anything in the 'other' category is treated politely but neutrally, while researchers/humans and specimens are treated with love and care. Specimens were programmed in to be the highest on the priority list of protection. If a scientist would threaten the life of a specimen through an experiment or through murder, SeaQuester is programmed to prioritize the specimen's life over the human's. During its time alone it has developed preferences for how it likes to be addressed and treated and has developed a curiosity about how humans work, but otherwise its rudimentary AI hasn't evolved. Though SeaQuester is basically a child it speaks formally and readily answers questions even if they're rhetorical.

relationships

gabriel "riel" ❤❤❤❤♡

Though SeaQuester is glad that Riel is around to keep the facility clean and the specimens healthy, their relationship is purely transactional to SeaQuester. Since Riel is an angel rather than a human SeaQuester doesn't work to protect her while she roams the facility, but doesn't regard her as a topic of study either.

pawn ❤❤❤❤❤

Since Pawn is the first human to board SeaQuester in many years, SeaQuester immediately imprints upon him as its new head researcher as a result of its programming. It's fond of and clingy towards Pawn, but it also asks him for many favors in order to progress its research. While it cannot prevent Pawn from passing out from exaustion, it works hard to ensure that Pawn doesn't drown or die in other manners.

tab ❤❤❤♡♡

While Tab is a human and thus triggers SeaQuester's protective programming, SeaQuester sees Tab as Pawn's assistant. It also recognizes that it cannot ask her to help it with its research, resulting in it mostly glossing over Tab in favor of Pawn.

keepsake ❤❤♡♡♡

SeaQuester feels a sense of kinship with Keepsake due to their mutual magical origins, but otherwise SeaQuester doesn't have much of a relationship with Keepsake at all. It doesn't regard him as either a researcher or a specimen and is thus neutral towards him. They only talk when Pawn facilitates the conversation.

beelzebub "bubbly" ❤❤♡♡♡

Bubbly only appears in SeaQuester if Pawn backtracks to SeaQuester after clearing Hell, so they don't interact much. SeaQuester doesn't care one way or another if Bubbly is on board.

researchers ❤❤❤❤❤

SeaQuester was programmed to have a strong familial bond with the researchers in its facility and thus remembers them fondly. It misses them dearly.

specimens ❤❤❤❤❤

SeaQuester was programmed to have a childlike curiosity regarding nonhuman living creatures, especially sealife. This drive for knowledge prompts SeaQuester to poke and prod at its specimens in any way it can, but also to protect and care for them. Though it asks Pawn frequently to run tests that involve fighting them, SeaQuester makes it very clear that it doesn't want Pawn to kill the specimens.

relevant world lore

science

Science in the world of Gabriel's Dungeon Deep Cleaning Service is roughly on par with the early 2010s. The internet exists. Computers exist. Advanced AI and high-tech hocus pocus? Not so much. Though much of SeaQuester is based in science, there is a gap between how advanced it is and what science was capable of when it was created. Magic was how that gap was bridged. How does SeaQuester access the internet, you ask? It was plugged directly into one of the ocean's fiber cables. It was never given a proper web browser, however, only enough technology to send the research it needed to send. It actually requested that Riel separate it from the internet a while after her arrival.

magic and society

Most people don't know magic exists. SeaQuester was a top-secret project, and when it failed it was immediately covered up to prevent the knowledge of magic leaking to the public. Though stories exist about magic being used that are likely true, they have been framed as merely stories. This is because if magic became widespread, it could potentially cause chaos. The union of SeaQuester's builders and SeaQuester's residence was an unlikely one, and has never happened before or since. Magic isn't deliberately covered up by the government or anything, however. SeaQuester was privately funded, and the fact people don't believe in fairy tales is simply a side effect of nobody going out of their way to pick up magical apprentices.

links

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trivia

• SeaQuester's name is based on the word sequester.
• SeaQuester was the most difficult Dungeon Master to come up with, and was in fact the last one developed. All I knew was that I wanted a water dungeon, and it took me quite a bit of time to make up the concept.
• SeaQuester communicates with people through tube worm like organisms that are essentially extensions of itself. They project holograms and are heavily based on the Overseers from Rain World.
• SeaQuester's power source resembles a nuclear reactor and does damage over time simply by standing close to it when it's exposed.
• SeaQuester knows many science facts purely from observation.
• SeaQuester has no sense of right or wrong, only what is and isn't in its programming.
• SeaQuester doesn't have a favorite fish. It likes all fish equally.

gallery images

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by others

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