Republic of the Abandoned Automata

A collection of ancient war-golems from all sides of the war who instead now contain tirelessly contain the battlefield and repel any attacks from necromancers or swamp creatures that might reach their wall.

## History

The history of the **Republic of the Abandoned Automata** can be tracked to the years before the Battle of Empires. The armies of the Khenomeric Empire had invested greatly in magical weapons and tools of war, needed to control the growing power of the Magoclergy over the empire. This led to the creation of many golem and automata, through the combination of magic, alchemy and even astromancy (the use of aether being essential for the manufacture and maintenance of the constructs). Many within the Magoclergy saw these magical constructs as the element that would finally grant the Khenomeric Empire the total control over the world: an army of constructs that would feel no pain, would never tire, would be easily replaceable, could be manufacture in enormous quantities and whose loyalties would never waver. However, the lack of reliable supplies of aether and the length of time needed to design and build a single automata soldier made the Magoclergy scrap this idea, though they became a part of the khenomeric armies as powerful line breakers.

However, that did not mean that the production of automata slowed down. Whereas military grade automata were complicated and slow to produce, the khenomeric nobility quickly became fond of domestic automata, much easier to produce and maintain. Their capabilities, however, were reduced, mostly limited to a couple of tasks, and they were used as an element of prestige rather than for their actual services. Many of these automata were designed abandoning the human figure, getting inspiration from nature. During the expansion to the west that would led to the Battle of Empires, the Magoclergy used some of their specially designed automata to watch over some of the most dangerous areas of the empire, especially in the provinces that were the private domains of the Magoclergy. These automata were designed to fight whatever horrors the magoclergical experiments brought forth, and were designed to work independently, without the constant watch that other automata and golems needed. This not only meant more intelligence, but also a primitive conscience and reasoning capabilities. As a failsafe, however, they were designed to obey their orders utterly or immediately become inert. Their greater autonomy made them excellent leaders for regular soldier golem and automata, just in time for the start of the war against Azan and the Western Elven Empire.

The Battle of Empires became an apocalyptic clash between the three most powerful empires at the time, and the khenomeric automata played a big part in the fighting. Most of the automata were sent to the frontlines as linebreakers, thousands of armored automata charging the azanese lines while the khenomeric wizards threw spells behind them. Their role as linebreakers meant that most of the automata were destroyed during the initial stages of the fight, and by the time dark ritual unleashed untold destruction upon the land, near the entirety of the military automata had been destroyed. The retreating khenomeric armies tried to bring back the remains of the salvageable automata, but most of them ended up abandoned in the mountains north of the Valley of the Fallen Giants, since they were slowing down the armies quite a lot, and the khenomeric commanders feared the enemy would chase them down during their retreat.

The fall of the Magoclergy and the banning of magic in the empire meant that the automata suddenly became forbidden. The instructions on how to make them were destroyed and many of the owners of automata were ordered to destroy their servants. However, many of them had formed part of their houses for decades, if not centuries, and as such, many individuals had developed an attachment to them. And so, instead of destroying them as they were ordered to, they instead instructed their automata to exile themselves from the Khenomeric Empire. While many of these were discovered, hunted down and terminated, enough of them survived untouched, mostly due to the authorities being much busier with hunting down wizards than automata, especially after the start of the growth of the Forest of Getting Lost. What happened next is discussed by historians: many of the individual automata began coalescing into small groups, which began to unite as well in their travels, until a mass of automata began crossing the Ogabo Desert. Why and how these automata detected each other and joined together is a matter of speculation, since almost all documents regarding about the creation and behavior of Khenomeric Automata was destroyed during the purges. Some speculate that the automata have a natural ability to detect their own kind through great distances, something that is somewhat sustained by the march toward the “Automata Graveyard”, where most of the military Automata’s remains were.

Once there, the Automata began repairing each other, a process that took many centuries, since the lack of materials and knowledge meant that many of the fallen automata were cannibalized to repair the salvageable ones. Once the more autonomous automata were operative again, however, the machines began the construction of what seemed to be a city. Many speculate that the automata, needing to fulfill their assigned tasks, and in the absence of humans to serve, recreated the spaces they used to live in. The automata that required to do civilian work created a city to simulate the activity of a city that needed their services, and the military automata needed something to defend. They also reclaimed the military ruins left near the Battle of Empires, like the Ancient Terracotta Wall. The automata began rebuilding and redesigning it, expanding it much further than its original length, and beginning to cover the areas near the swamps of Northern Giantstep, since the creatures and monsters from the swamps were a threat even for the artificial beings.

After the Automata joined their forces and settled to an area that constituted about half of what the Republic amounts to today, no single government existed, and each Automaton sticked with their own kind (meaning, the ones that served the same original purpose as themselves, which usually constituted simple manual tasks).

The details of the Automata's history are mostly clouded in mystery, but what we know from the Ancient Order of Most Practical Wizards is that the Automata's society (if one could call it that) eventually consolidated into two states, the Life Function Regime, and the Republic. The Life Function Regime had a more strict hierarchical society, with most Automata being pro-Functionalists, while the so called "free thinkers" of the Automata mostly inhabiting the Republic.

The Republican Automata, as it seems, led a series of missions, aiming to "convert" the automata of the Regime into abandoning their pro-Functionalist ideals, and join the Republic (although, it seems that the simpler Automata did not gain any sort of advanced consience or anti-Functionalist thoughts, but were merely driven to believe so). These missions were known as the Great Communications, and after the fifth one, the millitary leaders of the Regime (which were the de facto leaders of state itself) joined the Republic as well, the two states now being as one, leading to the establishment of the unified Automata state that can be perceived today.

The growing autonomy of the Automata was something of mystery for most nations at the time, though the presence of a nation of Automata did not become known until much later, due to the remoteness of the lands from the major powers and its closeness to the Cursed Battlefield. It was discovered by the witchelven during its expansion to the east, where an entire raiding team was utterly annihilated by the military automata. The war between the Witch Elves and the Automata ended with the opening of the Sodomia Breach, which increased the dangers than the Automata needed to overcome.

## The Automata

Automata have been known to exist for many millenia in the world of Giantstep. An automata can be defined as an “artificial entity built by wizards or astromancers to accomplish a series of tasks, often proving a certain level of intelligence and even some level of sentience”. Automata can have different shapes and sizes, depending on the purpose of the machine in question, and also be made of different materials, though these have to be inorganic, as creating entities with organic materials would fall into the realms or other fields, such as alchemy or necromancy. All automata are the result of a complex process of manufacturing, with most of the knowledge about how to create some of the most complex and powerful automata being lost to time.

All automata need aether to function. During the process of creation of an automata, the astromancer will use a great quantity of aether, which will serve both as is energy fuel and as the container of its mind. Consumption of aether is incredibly slow, and generally takes centuries for an automata to run out of aether. Damage to its aether cells can often degrade the automata, making it behave in unexpected ways, lose parts of its memory and/or personality and even stop functioning altogether. Once an automata ceases to function, its personality, programming and memory go with it, and even if the automata in question is rebuilt perfectly, it will not be the same individual.

## Society

The society in the world of automata is a strange one. Automata have built big cities all around their territory, but after further examination, one can quickly realize that most of the things in the cities are superfluous for the automata’s needs. There are food stores, yet the automata do not need to eat. There are hospitals, yet automata do not sicken. There are bathhouses and latrines, yet automata have no need for that. The automata create exact replicas of human cities, with a design and form somewhat distorted due to time, but without a single human in sight. The wizards from the Ancient Order of Most Practical Wizards who have gone to the region to investigate it reached the conclusion that all these seemingly pointless activities actually cover the main need of the automata: accomplishing their original purpose. The simpler automata are compelled to do the task they were designed for, whether or not there are humans around to enjoy their benefits. Thus, the more intelligent and sentient automata have designed a system to simulate city activity as much as possible. This is also crucial for the military automata, since their design needs something to defend. Most of the automata designed only for aggression and attack have been lost to time, destroyed to the point of irreparability. The defensive automata have survived in great numbers, due to their tasks not needing to risk constant damage.

Thus, there is little to no economy. Whatever the automata produce is swiftly discarded, only for the automata in question to continue the production in a never-ending cycle. Travelers who have crossed the territory describe mountains of artisanal products finely crafted and in perfect condition, abandoned by the automata in massive landfills, only for other automata to take the reusable materials back to the cities where they can be made into the exact same items, in a never-ending process. Many automata have been seen building great mansions, empty of all life, just so they can have a place to clean up over and over. The works on the Ancient Terracotta Wall are not just for defensive purpose, but to allow certain types of automata to continue their function. The only area in which there seems to be no automata labor whatsoever is in agriculture, for the simple reason that even at the peak of the khenomeric power, dedicating automata to something as lowly as farming or agriculture was a great waste of resources. Some have been seen planting trees, but only with the purpose of obtaining wood for their tasks. While many nations and groups would be interested in accessing the dumping grounds of the automata, the total isolation of the region makes any kind of trade with the outside world impossible.

There is a considerable amount of discussion between academic circles about the sentience levels of the automata. While automata have proven to be intelligence, and they have developed over time in ways their original creators possibly didn’t intend, many automata show little conscience of themselves. The simplest automata only do their assigned tasks, stopping only when they need repairs or when they are being interrupted by something from the outside. The more complex automata do have a sense of self-recognition and creativity, but in ways that seem uncanny for most living species. Automata have little to no need for interaction, even with other automata. The research done by the Ancient Order of Most Practical Wizards showed that some of the destroyed automata had been active and “awake” ever since the Battle of Empires, seemingly trapped in eternal bodies, unable to move for thousands of years. And yet, their faculties and senses do not seem to be affected by this long period of isolation. Most automata have enough faculties for basic levels of conversation, mostly due to them being made for roles that needed interaction with humans, like social events, domestic work or the military. However, they produce a sense of uncanniness in those who speak to them, since they never know whether the automata are truly alive.

## Religion

The most puzzling thing of all about the automata society is that they seem to have developed a sense of spirituality and religiosity. At first it was thought it was a part of their design, a simple formality added to the minds of the automata back when they lived amongst their human creators. However, once experts began comparing the behavior, rituals, values and deities adored by the automata greatly differed from those in the ancient Khenomeric Empire. The theological implications aside, this is also part of the developing self-conscience of the automata society. Whatever compels the automata to seek religion is still a hotly debated topic between experts.

The automata do not have a unified religion. Every city has developed dozens of different faiths, each of them only having a couple hundreds of active followers, with their own individual rituals and customs. Only the more advanced automata and those designed for social functions show signs of any religiosity, with the remainder of them not particularly focused on anything but their tasks. However, that does not mean the religious signs and buildings are rare, on the contrary. The building of religious icons and structures serve to give many automata an activity to work on, even if they do not really practice the faith itself.

The different religions, however, do follow a similar pattern. Usually they involve the praise of a singular god entity, represented in their art as somewhat humanoid. Whenever the automata would talk about the deity in question, it would be spoken of as a thoroughly cold and logical entity, designed to give the automata their lives and tasks. The figure would be represented as either male, female or an indistinguishable mix of both, and would be adored with all manners of titles, neither one really forming a coherent whole. However, once the automata begin creating works of art for the deity, they will invariably represent it as distorted: slightly asymmetrical proportions, eyes somewhat clouded or deformed, hands twisted or with extra digits, or parts of the body where they don’t belong… When confronted about this phenomenon, especially when it is well known that the automata can create peerless works of art, the given answer is that, since they are not perfect beings, they cannot represent the perfect figure, and as such they willingly add these imperfections to the figures.

## Factions

Reports from the Ancient Order of Most Practical Wizards indicate that some Automata align themselves with certain factions. These various factions and groups serve religious, cultural, millitary, and other purposes, with each individual automata seemingly belonging to each faction from its creation, as if programmed to do so. Some of these factions include the Primal Purpists, a religious group that views Primal Elves as deities, the Creator Society, a faction that seeks to replicate human "high art" (usually scavenged from leftovers around the Terracotta Wall), the Great Gears, which are the leading Automata of the Build Function, the faction responsible for building and repairing other Automata.

Last but not least, many Automata are split between being pro and anti-Functionalists. Pro-Functionalist Automata strictly follow the task they were originally designed to do. Most simpler automata fall under that category, as well as most Automata that belong to the War and Build Functions. Anti-Functionalist Automata are the opposite, and will occasionally go against their intended purpose or commands, although some believe that their original design meant for them to go against those from the very beginning. Such Automata usually find themselves in the Creator Society or other similar artistic factions. Scholars of the Ancient Order of Most Practical Wizards still debate to this day whether the pro-Functionalist Automata can be considered as sentient or not, or whether a more simple Automaton, intended for manual labor and inherently pro-Functionalist can actually inherit anti-Functionalist beliefs. Some claim that there are Automata who are not pro-Functionalist by design or purpose, but it is them acting out their original task due to respect or adoration for their creator's, something that was observed during the Battle of Mendatabya Arbata.

## The Terracotta Wall

The ancient **Terracotta Wall**, built mostly using bricks, was erected by the Khenomeric Army, fourty days before the advent of the Battle of the Empires. It encircled a large bastion built by the Khenomerics to station their troops against the enemy armies.

Following the devastating battle, the Terracotta Wall, as well as the war camp built behind it, were swiftly destroyed and abandoned, to the point that only one wing remained intact. It wasn't until the arrival of the abandoned Automata that the wall got rebuilt to its original state, using whatever materials they could scavenge. Eventually, it expanded much further than its original length, and now includes three wings (a large western one, a northern and an eastern wing), with many Automata cities either sitting at its base, or even build onto the wall itself.

## Cities

### Mendatabya Arbata

Mendatabya Arbata (North Automata: መንደቕ ጣብያ ሓሙሽተ, Wallsite Four), is a vertical fortress city and Function Hub on the Great Wall of the Automaton Republic. It is located at the junction of the wall’s three wings, bordering the Cursed Battlefield to the West and the Pestaran Waste to the East. Mendatabya Arbata is a key choke point in the region that is central to the operations of the Wall Function. Mendatabya Arbata was once the Capital of the Life Function Regime before integrating into the Republic at the end of Great Communication Five.

#### History

The site of Mendatabya Arbata was home to active automatons from at least the third century ABE. Evidence shows early cluster communes using it as a defense point against terror when incursions into the then lush forests of Sylva Orcinus.

By the 7th Century ABE, it had developed into a key fortress against aggression from Baba Pestara. The Golem’s naturally resistant to rot was enough to hold off most encroachments but the leadership of the Fortress during this period was strictly pro-Functionalist and so wouldn't leave their “posts on the battlefield” to counter-attack.

The fortress eventually became part of the wider Life Function Regime, becoming its capital by the 12th Century ABE.

It would be incorporated into the Northern Wing of the Terracotta Wall by the 20th Century ABE.

After Great Communication Five, it was designated Wallsite Four under the Republican System and was made the centerpiece of a project to connect the Northern and Western Wings of the Great Terracotta Wall. It became the starting point for the Eastern Wing of the Wall in 2516 ABE.

During the Second Bog War, it was the site of The Battle of Mendatabya Arbata, in which The War Function allied with The Last Quing of the Giants to escort refugees from Baba Vegna’s realm.

#### Main Sites

Moteri Hāya (High Golemic:ሞተር ሀያ, Engine 20) is the third largest production hub in the Republic. The Build Function reports 10 units produced per quarter and the Great Gears as they are called have become a symbol for the Republic in the wider world after the Snoloth Artisan-Adventurer Chen made them the subject of their third painting (of nine made in their lifetime).

#### Cityscape

The City is divided into four geographic portions. The Central fortress tower and small outcrops into each of the three wings of the wall.

#### Demographics

War Function: 40 Units

Build Function: 20 Units

Message Function: 3 Units

Hunt Function: 1 Unit

#### Economy

Like most of the Republic, Mendatabya Arbata doesn’t engage in commerce.

#### Arts and Culture

Occasionally, pilgrims from the Creator Society and independent artists will come to the city to produce artwork capturing Moteri Hāya.

#### Religion

The City has the highest population of Primal Purpists in the western Republic.

#### Notable Inhabitants

23rd Supply Warrior Unit 3: Killer of Sister Whisper, Daughter of Baba Pestara

18th Communal Messenger Unit 12: Acolyte of 3rd Communal Messenger Unit Six, founder of Primal Purpism

Dreamstone: Druidic Golem who uncovered the Dragonfern Spell.