Iterator

Iterators are Artificial Intelligences used by the Ancients to solve the Great Problem. So far, two iterators are accessible in-game: Big sis Moon, and Five Pebbles.

History
As their name implies, Iterators were created by the Ancients to iterate - Take control of their daily troubles in an effort to help the people achieve Ascension easily. Iterators were created after the Void Fluid revolution, which allowed the Ancients to construct these massive superstructures with ease - Hundreds, perhaps even thousands of Iterators were created during this time. Iterators would bring food, water, energy, and other necessities to the cities on their cans. After the last of the Ancients were gone, the Iterators began to work on two different issues - One assigned to them by their creators, and the other brought to attention by the Iterators.

The first issue is the matter of helping "lesser beings", such as lizards or slugcats, ascend. This is a difficult issue - After all, most creatures in the current state of the world are fighting for their survival every cycle, and thus are often completely unenlightened. In addition, the Iterators have no reliable way to speak to or contact these "lesser beings", except in the case of the Overseers. Unfortunately, the focus on this issue was nigh completely abandoned once the second issue came into play.

The second issue is the matter of Iterators achieving ascension. Though at first considered completely impossible, Iterators began to speculate and convene with one another on how one could achieve such a feat. Interest peaked when Sliver of Straw, a deceased Iterator, released a "Triple Affirmative" - Affirmative that a solution has been found, affirmative that the solution is portable, and affirmative that a technical implementation is possible and generally applicable, according to Moon. Due to Straw's mysterious death shortly after sending the signal, no Iterator knows what her solution was. Many iterators have tried to replicate her solution, but all have failed.