Automatons

Automaton origins are unknown, lost to time. Not even their goddess Syth remembers where she, or the Automatons, came from...

## Automaton Culture

Automatons base their culture around Plants, Forges, and Grimflux, while also following their goddess Syth, wherever she goes...

### Nature

Automatons believe that Nature is a gift from Syth and revere it. Some plants, such as flowers or ferns, should not be harmed at any cost, unless it is by Grimflame. Crops and Trees were made to be harvested, and they have no quarrel with doing so.

### Forges

Forges are not a forge where tools or weapons are made, they are where Automaton shells are made, and their souls placed within shells. Forges are also where Automation takes place, a procedure where the Forgesmith, an Automaton that runs and maintains a Forge, removes the soul of a subject, and places it within a Shell. this, while lifesaving in some circumstances, results in the person becoming part of the hivemind, creating an undying love for Syth and her creations, and in some cases, losing the memory of their past life.

### Grimflux

Grimflux is extremely important to the Automatons, as it powers them, and keeps them alive. They also use it in their Morphers, attachments to their hands that morph them into different shapes, such as hammers, or blades.

### Syth, the Goddess

Syth, the goddess of Machines and Nature, is the supposed creator of the Automatons, but nobody, not even her, knows for sure. Syth was supposedly a powerful goddess in the Before times, but after almost all of her followers disappeared, she weakened, losing her memory and becoming a Forgotten god for an unknown amount of time.

## Body structure

### Externals

While it may seem that they have full solid bodies, that is not the case. The only true solid part is their shell, the copper body that surrounds their core and internal structures. Their limbs are made of a semi-fluid substance, made out of Grimflux. This allows them to use their hands in extraordinary ways, such as, with the help of a Morpher, making into tools that are much more durable than the standard metal tools.

#### Grimbugs

To prevent Oxidization, Automatons have a symbiotic relationship with a small mite-like insect, about the size of a dust particle. Grimbugs live on the shell of the automaton, eating the oxidized copper on the shell, producing regular copper in the process. This keeps the bugs fed, and the automatons shell clean. Grimbugs can be "trained" to allow a certain level of oxidization to occur, giving the automatons a wider range of color, besides moss and azalea flowers which can be cultivated on the shell. interestingly, grimbugs don't have a larval stage, instead replicating themselves like aphids. Usually Metallovores, Grimbugs can become predatory should something harm them, biting them and injecting acids used to break down Oxidized copper.

### Internals

Automatons internals are extremely complex for clockwork machinery, to the point where even automatons don't know what some of the parts do.

#### Anti-Weight Core

a small sphere located where a heart would be in a human, this serves as a way to negate the actual weight of the shells, putting less strain on the legs, and by proxy the amount of grimflux used. Anti-weights are also used in the Skyboats that accompany automatons.

#### Fluid Processer

can be located anywhere on the solid shell, and it is relative to the location of the intake pipe, which is usually on the head or upper body. how it works is unknown, but it is assumed that magic is used in its processes. fluid, including potions, that are put through this give the same effect that it would on an organic being. this effect also extends to the grimbugs, but how is unknown.

#### Soul container

located in the center of the shell, the soul container, as its name suggests, contains the soul of the automaton, preventing the Drift from removing the soul from this plane. should a shell become inoperable, the soul container stops working, and the soul usually returns to the Drift after a short delay.

#### Grimbug chambers

Small chambers on the inside of the automaton, where grimbug adolescents remain until their shell hardens. the presence of these indicates that automatons and grimbugs have been together from quite some time.

## Traditions

### **Engravings**

Automatons engrave important events of their life into their shells, for seemingly no reason. The Automatons themselves don't know why they do it, they just do.

### Gardens

can be as small as a personal garden or can encompass an entire forest. it is believed that making and maintaining a garden is a show of dedication to Syth.

### Beacons

takes place during an Automation, where the Forgemaster slams down on a disconnected soul with a Morph-Hammer, producing an extremely bright purple beam of light, known as a Beacon, that pierces the sky. This is not harmful to the soul and is seemingly only cosmetic.

## Relations

Automatons have a general distain towards most sentient life, viewing them as disrespectful to nature, generally barbaric, and shallow. Automatons will rarely make this known however, and will act friendly towards outsiders as a way of drawing them in.

due to a misunderstanding, resulting in 3 dead and 1 wounded kitsune, the Automatons and the Kitsune are on bad terms, with the Automatons attempting diplomacy.

Currently, the only known town that the Automatons own is Automata, located in their homeland.