Clockwork Golem

Clockwork Golems are a relatively recent creation of science and magitech. They are machines which move and act like humans, but are constructed from brass and steel.

## Description

### Creation

The process of creating a clockwork golem is expensive and complicated. The knowledge and expertise to create them is rare, but the result is well worth it. Clockworks are bespoke creations, each one being unique in appearance and capability. Clockworks are sometimes created by independent scientists, but more commonly created by institutions or companies, to fulfil a specific purpose, such as to act as servants or soldiers.

Clockworks are a fairly recent creation, meaning that all clockworks are somewhat young, despite usually being created with an adult level of intelligence.

### Appearance

Clockworks vary in appearance due to their artificial nature, however they usually share some common traits. Clockworks are almost entirely humanoid in shape, and are crafted from brass and steel. They are usually made with an exterior chassis, to protect the complex gears and cogs which keep them working. This shell is usually plain, but is sometimes decorated. Older clockworks, or those who have led a dangerous life, may have parts of them mis-matching, as they have had to replace parts of their chassis, or even limbs.

Most clockworks have very plain faces, with only a pair of glowing circular lenses for eyes. However, some clockworks may have stylised facial features, or a head shaped like a helmet, or something entirely inhuman.

### Sapience

A Clockwork’s robotic speech and movement often belies the complicated and intelligent mind within. Though it may not always be evident, Clockworks are capable of a wide range of emotions, just like any human, and have the potential to be just as empathetic and sentimental. They also have the advantage of advanced calculation capabilities, they are able to compute complex arithmetic and excel at anything that requires logic.

Nevertheless, this is complicated by the fact that they usually possess fully mature and developed minds from the moment they are created, and thus must often spend a long time learning about the world around them. Clockworks being a fairly recent creation, the oldest clockworks are still younger than most humans, and have a lot of developing left to go through.

## Background

Those with great magical talent have always been able to create golems from stone and metal, but these constructs are temporary and few have the required expertise, not to mention the maintenance required.

And so, a marvel of machinery was invented in 20.77 by a scientist in Varawyn named Wilfred Henderlyn, a fully intelligent machine which did not require constant power or maintenance, and could mostly be left to run on its own. He named it "Bobby", and loved it like a son. Wilfred presented his invention, and it was met with mixed results. Some were impressed by the creation, but many more were nervous about the prospect of intelligent machines. You couldn't force a sentient being to work, that was slavery. Others were worried that these machines would want to take over humanity. Paranoia grew, until a mob surrounded Wilfred's house, wanting to destroy Bobby. The old man told Bobby to escape, and hobbled to face the mob. He stalled for long enough, and when the mob realised he was protecting the object of their hatred, they killed him.

Nevertheless, Henderlyn's research was public, and many scientists were intrigued by the prospect of building a thinking creature, despite the controversy. Before too long, there were many more sentient machines in the world, and the paranoia decreased slightly as people realised that these Clockwork Golems were no superior to humans, and that they didn't really want to take over the world.

in 20.81, the Varawyn military formed the Clockwork Regiment, for Clockwork Golems who wished to be soldiers, since the Erdannian Military didn't recognise them as valid soldiers. These were mobilised against Hirokir in 20.84, since they would be immune to the dangerous climate and venomous wildlife.

### Relation with Humans

How clockworks are perceived depends entirely on the context. Most people see them as a marvelous pinnacle of technology, but very few people see them as being equal to humans. Some humans may even treat clockworks as if they are slaves.

The tensions between these beings are mutual. Many clockworks have grown resentful of their creators, and struck out on their own in a bid for independence.