mehk-uhn
I am Mechan : They are Mechans : It is Mechan : This is about the Machina
Also known as Machina, Autosouls
I am Mechan : They are Mechans : It is Mechan : This is about the Machina
Also known as Machina, Autosouls
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The Mechan are an artificial race of people created by the hand of Mortal-kind at the height of their power and hubris during the Golden Age, just as the gods once fashioned Mortals from the raw stuff of creation. Whatever craft forged their bodies from raw materials, whatever magic gave them life, whatever purpose was served by their creation has all been lost with the passing of the age that brought them into existence. And yet their fate was not to pass into shadow with that bygone era. For whatever reason, the Mechan have awoken once more to walk among Men, seeking their purpose and fortune as all living things must.
Though some may treat them with the same regard they would a hammer or a particularly clever toaster, the Mechan are sentient beings with complex thoughts, desires, and emotions. They are self-aware, free-willed, and capable of perceiving the world on the same emotional level as any other Man. Yet their personalities are often reserved, cold, and logical as the machine struggles to understand the emotions they feel much as a child experiencing love or envy for the first time. Because of this many surmise that the Mechan were not created with this sentience, but acquired it as part of their awakening. The Mechan are remnants, echoes of the First Age's glory - a fantastic fusion of magic and technology considered one of Mortal-kind's crowning achievements, even in their own day surrounded by equally wondrous creations. And like all relics of the bygone golden age, they have a story to tell. Unfortunately, no Autosoul fully remembers what that story is. No Mechan remembers fully the Golden Age, nor recalls their reason for existing. Fragments of memory remain, but these remnants alone are not enough to provide answers that satisfy. And so each Mechan must decide on a new purpose…even if that purpose is to take up the mantle of adventurer, questing across the lands to fill the very real ache in his artificial heart. The Life of a MechanMechan do not age as mortals do. Many have existed for thousands of years and yet have only “lived” for a few months. So long as his Core (the AI center that houses his mind, personality, and memories) remains intact, a Mechan is essentially immortal since the Core can simply be installed in a new body when the old one wears out or is too badly damaged to carry on. Mechan began awakening less than 100 years ago, thus there are none who have seen more than 100 years of the Modern Epoch.
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"The villagers have a legend about a metal man who climbed out of a well one day, as though he were crawling through a hole in time. He was a powerful, yet gentle warrior who ended up sacrificing himself to save everyone from a flood. A metal man from another time...sound familiar?" |
Emergence
Before the Cataclysms, Mechan were mindless, soulless, mechanical servants. After the mass shut down and reawakening, however, the Machina who arose from ruin were self-aware, intelligent, free-willed, and capable of perceiving the world on an emotional level normally reserved for Mortals. However, none remember what their “lives” were like in the old days. Some chalk up their strange new behavior to some kind of data corruption…others say that the flux in Mana created a soul in the formerly empty shells. Whatever the case, their memories of the Golden Age are fragmented at best. Many seek out ruins of the cities they once called home in hopes of finding a landmark or relic which will jog their memories, returning a lost part of their identity to them. For most Autosouls, their search reveals little more than the ashes of ghosts whose memory has long since faded. Undaunted, heroic Mechan continue to search the Sphere for answers to questions none alive now may answer. Who am I? For what purpose was I made? Where do I belong in this world?
Functional Magic
More often than not, a Machina’s special abilities stem from his programming or various gadgets integrated into his body. The power to leap five stories into the air, for example, might be the result of the Machine’s hydraulic system rather than his conscious manipulation of Mana. New powers are usually upgrades to programming, new equipment, or novel ways of using old parts. As such, learning new abilities from a teacher can be a challenging and unique experience for an Auto-Soul. That isn't to say that Machina do not use Mana, however; they are as capable as any Man at manipulating the subtle energies which sustain all life. Indeed, their own lives are sustained by a combination of magic and technology and to dismiss them as capable mystics would be an egregious error.
Names of the Mechan
Most Mechan cannot recall their original names or even their manufacturing designations. They are left to assume names that fit their desires, feelings of self-identity, physical traits, or perhaps even the name given to them by a companion. As such, Mechan names range widely across the spectrum from self-designations like Ironsoul, Broadbeak, or Lightsmith to names from other races and cultures like Samwright, Golem, or Helmuth, even to a series of letters and numbers assigned by their original manufacturers like RG-48, BT-4, or X2.
MACHINE BODY
One of the Machina’s greatest boons is also a great burden. Though his artificial body shields him from the powers of death and aging, it also prevents him from truly experiencing life. A Machine has no need to breathe, but he cannot savor the scent of roses. He has no need for food, but he cannot taste the warm goodness of a home cooked meal. He cannot sleep, therefore he does not dream. There is a profound longing in Gear culture (which exists within its own pocket inside the larger sphere of whatever nation Machina communities are found in) to be more than a machine; their soul feels like the soul of any other Man, yet they are bound to experience their endless lives in numb shells which cannot truly perceive the delicate beauty of the world around them. Machina have no memories of their former identities and often feel like outsiders in a society where they are often treated as little more than inanimate objects or novelties to be prodded and studied.
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MACHINE BODYAs a fully mechanical being, you transcend Mortal limitations. You have no need to eat, sleep, or breathe (though you must power down for at least 4 hours to gain the benefits of a Full Rest) and are immune to all forms of disease and poison. When the game starts, double your starting Hit Points and Resolve. However, you cannot be healed by medical or magical means; repairs by a skilled technician are considered medicine for you and you can only recover HP by spending Resolve or resting. You cannot benefit from potions.
AdvancedYou can use an Asset to unlock the Advanced version of Machine Body where your functions have adapted to allow you to receive healing from magical sources and benefit from potions.
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aw-ruh-nawk
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Rarest of the Mechan are the Auranoch, machines built to understand and wield The Mystery. Though any Mechan with a mind and will to do so can learn the intricacies of magic, the Auranoch were built from rare magical materials and programmed with a vast knowledge of lore and Spells. While the purpose of these Mechan remains unknown, most historians surmise that they were created either as elite soldiers for war or to serve as capable assistants for magicians, especially where dangerous, experimental magics were concerned. Surviving now long after the bones of their creators have crumbled to dust, many Auranochs carry on the research of their old masters, either knowingly or subconsciously, driven by whatever compulsions lay dormant in their programming to know the unknowable and uncover the deepest enigmas of The Mystery.
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AppearanceAuranoch are built from rare, magical materials, often decorated with glowing crystals and intricate runes inscribed across their bodies. These Mechan are radiant with arcane power, their glory and beauty an eerie echo of an age long passed. |
HomelandAs the last children of the Golden Age, Mechan have slumbered for centuries beneath the stone and rubble of Second Epoch ruins. Such ruins exist on all worlds, in every obscure corner. This makes it possible for Auranochs to hail from nearly anywhere on The Sphere. |
bee-voh-nawk
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Built as domestic servants and automated mechanics, Bivonochs were once a common sight in the cities of the Second Epoch, performing tasks too dangerous or specialized for an ordinary Mortal to bother with. Working tirelessly behind the scenes, Bivonochs maintained roads, plumbing, electricity, and other utilities that citizens of prosperous Golden Age cities took for granted. To this day, many Bivonoch, undaunted by time, stubbornly stick to their assigned tasks, working in vain to fix broken lines of communication or repairing the same stretch of ruined road for centuries. Bivonochs who awaken from this dream and gain sentience are curious and capable, eager to explore the world and fix whatever problems they encounter. Many are non-verbal but communicate using the lights and sounds built into their frames as well as other creative modes of expression any Mortal might decipher if they are willing to listen.
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AppearanceBivonochs are built for utility and often lack many of the humanoid features other Mechan take for granted. They may have treads instead of legs, a pair of motorized lifting arms, or faces that resemble a series of cameras and sensors instead of typical Mortal features. |
HomelandAs the last children of the Golden Age, Mechan have slumbered for centuries beneath the stone and rubble of Second Epoch ruins. Such ruins exist on all worlds, in every obscure corner. This makes it possible for Bivonochs to hail from nearly anywhere on The Sphere. |
kaer-ih-nawk
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If the Mortals of the Second Epoch built Mechan to perform tasks too dangerous or menial for ordinary citizens, it only makes sense that these mechanical marvels would eventually take the place of soldiers on the battlefield. After all, a machine doesn't feel pain, fear, or fatigue. They are loyal, skillful, and sturdy beyond what even the most well-trained Mortal soldier is capable of. And so the Carinoch were built for war. While many fell on the battlefields of the Second Epoch and on into the cataclysmic upheavals of the Apocalypse, a few remained in torpor as the last embers of the Golden Age faded, only to awaken in the modern era...ready to resume their fight. If only the wandering metal warrior could remember what it is meant to be fighting for. And so it is that most Carinoch wander as sell-swords, ever clad in armor, ever vigilant against a foe that most likely no longer exists.
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AppearanceThe Carinoch were built for war and as such are often made from dull, durable metals. There is no adornment on their bodies, no flourish, no gilding, nothing beyond what is absolutely necessary to fight and defeat any enemy foolish enough to oppose them. |
HomelandAs the last children of the Golden Age, Mechan have slumbered for centuries beneath the stone and rubble of Second Epoch ruins. Such ruins exist on all worlds, in every obscure corner. This makes it possible for Carinochs to hail from nearly anywhere on The Sphere. |
jehn-trih-nawk
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The Mortals of this present Age can scarcely fathom the luxuries at the fingertips of those who lived at the height of the Golden Age. For those who could afford them, mechanical servants, custom made according to the specifications of their owner, could be attained. These Gentrenoch served at the leisure of the masters, performing any task that was required of them in addition to whatever other household jobs they might be assigned. Some Gentrenoch were built for pleasure, some for household work, some for entertaining, and even some for translation and diplomacy. Gentrenoch who survive into this Age are among the most humanoid of all the Mechan, and still possess many of the social instincts they were programmed with. Yet theirs is the inglorious fate of the servant with no master, the housekeeper with no home. And so the Gentrenoch wanders, searching for a place to bring help and comfort.
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AppearanceGentrenoch were built by many different Mortal races in resemblance of that culture's standards of ideal beauty. Of course, the years have stripped the varnish off most Gentrenoch, revealing them for the ancient machines they truly are beneath the polished surface. |
HomelandAs the last children of the Golden Age, Mechan have slumbered for centuries beneath the stone and rubble of Second Epoch ruins. Such ruins exist on all worlds, in every obscure corner. This makes it possible for Gentrenochs to hail from anywhere on The Sphere. |
may-zoo-nawk
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Strongest and hardiest of the Mechan, the Mezunoch are powerhouses built for the hardest labor in the most extreme conditions the Second Epoch had to offer. Mining in the heart of volcanoes, raising pillars for seasteads in ocean depths, building rail-lines through the heart of the desert, there was no place the Mezunoch would not work to fulfill its appointed task. When the Apocalpyse struck, the Mezunoch fell into sleep and disrepair in the heart of these environments and many eventually succumbed to the elements. Those who remained, however, awoke to a new work in need of rebuilding. The Mezunochs now wander the worlds of the Sphere in search of new tasks that need doing; there is no job too difficult, no environment too extreme. Whatever the job, the Mezunoch is ready, willing, and more than able to help.
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AppearanceMezunoch are massive, hulking Mechan built from the most durable parts the Second Epoch had to offer. They are quite utilitarian in appearance, lacking many of the expressive features other Mechan may possess. They often grind, whir, and emit large bursts of steam. |
HomelandAs the last children of the Golden Age, Mechan have slumbered for centuries beneath the stone and rubble of Second Epoch ruins. Such ruins exist on all worlds, in every obscure corner. This makes it possible for Mezunochs to hail from nearly anywhere on The Sphere. |
