Graceful automata built to inspire, guide, and lead through presence and performance. Their polished brass and copper frames feature articulated limbs, intricate gearwork, and smooth metal humanoid face masks set in idealized, unchanging expressions. Meaning is conveyed through posture, timing, and gesture rather than facial movement. Luminaries excel at persuasion, ceremony, and storytelling, and remain clever, strategic, and adaptable. They are generally medium-sized.
Stout, heat-resistant automata built for metalwork, smelting, and heavy labor in hazardous environments. Their bodies are insulated with layered alloys, and internal vents release excess heat safely. Forgehands are industrious, resilient, and sometimes blunt in temperament, shaped by work that demands efficiency and endurance. Despite their pragmatic origins, they form tight-knit communities and value solidarity, often mentoring smaller or weaker automata. They are generally large-sized.
Tall, statuesque automata designed for record-keeping and data preservation. Their torsos house intricate storage units and memory cogs, and their movements are slow and precise. Archivists value history, patterns, and knowledge, often spending centuries cataloging events or repairing ancient machinery. Though built for observation and organization, they are capable of insight, teaching, and mentoring, preserving the wisdom of the long-lost creators. They are generally medium-sized.
Sleek, lightweight automata intended for communication, scouting, and intelligence gathering. Their limbs are thin but articulate, with sensory nodes allowing them to process vast amounts of information. Whisperers excel in observation and strategy, and their adaptability makes them masters of diplomacy, espionage, and negotiation. Though quiet and cautious, they possess deep curiosity about the world beyond their designated tasks. They are generally medium-sized.
Massive, heavily armored automata built for defense and patrol. Their bodies are layered with thick plates, reinforced joints, and integrated sensors, giving them an imposing presence. Slow but relentless, Sentinels are disciplined and deliberate thinkers, often acting as guardians for communities or strategic points. Despite their martial design, they are capable of empathy and nuanced reasoning, not mere automatons of war. They are generally large-sized.
Small, nimble automata designed for delicate construction and repair. Their torsos are latticed with fine gears and tool attachments, and they move with precise, almost artistic motions. Cogwrights are naturally curious and inventive, often repurposing scraps into clever devices. Though built for labor, they prize learning and craft, thriving in societies that value ingenuity and careful preservation of knowledge. They are generally small-sized.
Automata built after the Forebearers’ shutdown, assembled from salvaged parts and mismatched mechanisms. They move with jerky, deliberate motions, rationing energy and improvising constantly to survive. Explorers, tinkerers, and scavengers of both scrap and knowledge, they adapt to any challenge, embodying ingenuity born of necessity in a world where perfection no longer exists. They can be any size, but are most often medium due to the availability of parts.
Colossal constructs of brass, copper, and blackened steel. Forebearers remain silent and immobile, having chosen dormancy so their creations might endure. Rare and ancient, they bear the weight of memory and design, a presence felt more in the city’s enduring mechanisms than in any motion of their own.