Overview & Origin
The Forgeborn are a artificial species created after the Mind-Rend Ritual, originating from the dark ambitions of a renegade Resistor named Matakor. Driven by a desperate fear of mortality, Matakor ripped his soul from his biological body and bound it to a mechanical chassis. He then formed a fanatical cult, forcefully transferring the souls of captured victims into metal frames to serve as immortal thralls. Following Matakor’s eventual defeat, these former thralls were freed, coming together to build a life for themselves as a recognized species. Today, new Forgeborn still emerge—either created as thralls by the lingering cult of Matakor, forged by misguided Resistors attempting to replicate his process, or golems that accidentally spark true sentience through unpredictable Flow exposure.
Physicality & Traits
Mechanized Vessel: A fused blend of heavy metal plating, stone internal joints, and dense wood-fiber musculature, completely lacking organic organs or biological blood.
Flow-Core Heart: Rather than a beating heart, a vibrant, glowing Manna Crystal rests in their chest cavity, acting as a soul-anchor and converting ambient Flow energy directly into physical movement and life force.
Iron Resilience: Their inorganic bodies grant them immunity to biological diseases, exhaustion, and poison, alongside natural physical defense against incoming attacks.
Culture & Place in Society
The Stigma of the Thrall: Because their origin is so closely tied to Matakor’s dark cult, many surface dwellers view Forgeborn with suspicion, fearing they might be sleeper agents or mindless constructs.
The Search for Purpose: Freed from mind-control, Forgeborn grapple with existential identity. Some dedicate their long lives to hunting down Matakor's lingering cult cells to liberate newly created thralls, while others seek honest labor as tireless blacksmiths, bodyguards, and miners at the Primal Wells.
The Looming Shadow: Matakor remains alive, hiding in the uncharted caverns of Vael-Kaelen. His cult actively kidnaps travelers to bolster his hidden army, ensuring that every Forgeborn carries a personal stake in preventing their creator's return to power.