Warforged

The Empire of Asuria created automata of metal and wood to fight in their army. Initially mindless and controlled by skilled artificers and spellcasters, developments while seeking to make them more self-sufficient led to a sudden and inexplicable sentience. The Warforged are a new race in the world and are still seeking their place. Especially, because, the civil war and collapse of the empire led to a great deal of chaos among the Warforged. Some remain with the remnants of the imperial military, defending the capital city. Other Warforged deserted and formed nomadic bands of mercenaries and tinkers, rejecting their creators. Individuals can be found all across the empire. While rarely openly persecuted, they do often face resistance as tangible symbols of imperial strength. They are often mercenaries and bodyguards or are have found work as manual laborers or skilled craftsmen with metal. Some, after the disappearance of their creators and purpose, have become pilgrims and ascetics, seeking to find personal meaning and purpose.

### The Adamantine Throne

Among the Warforged, there is a hope (though not universal) that one will rise up, unite the Warforged and lead them to a home of their own whether by peace or by force (The Adamant King). This goal is known as the Adamantine Throne. It first promulgated by a Warforged named Novi. Novi was a fighter in the imperial military. His division, along with the artificer guiding them, was sent to quell an uprising of warrior monks in the mountains. An ambush led to a hasty retreat, where the artificer-captain sent them into a dangerous pass during a snowstorm. An avalanche swept down from the mountain and killed the artificer and all the Warforged, with Novi the sole survivor. He was, however, knocked out. While unconscious he says he received a vision of Pro'Weden, The Master Artificer, a being of immense power that Novi said gave the Warforged their inexplicable sentience. This being was seemingly composed of millions of interconnected adamantine mechanisms that took the form of a massive hand. Yet, the hand had delicate enough control to repair the mechanisms within Novi's body. He was told to establish Adamantine Throne and provide a home for his people. When Novi awoke, he was among the monks he was sent to destroy, his body repaired of the damage from the avalanche. He remained with the monks, learning from them and seeking more visions from the Master Artificer. When he returned to the empire, it was in the final throes of the succession crisis. A general, hoping to make an example to the Warforged and prevent further desertion, executed Novi. Instead, he made a martyr, with many of the Warforged now refusing to follow the commands of their masters. This event shattered the strength of the Asurian military and led to the secession of the city states.

Some believe that the Adamant King will be a reborn or resurrected Novi. Others believe that Novi was never killed and is currently in hiding. Others believe that someone else will take the torch that Novi lit and lead the Warforged to the Adamantine Throne. Others, even Warforged, believe that Novi was crazy or that his vision was something he used to liberate the Warforged but nothing more than a dream.

Notable Warforged:

-Mel: An NPC/character?

-Novi: The self-declared prophet of The Master Artificer