Trinity:Artilect
Artilects are probably going to wind up in SteamWorks, so they may not be up here all that long.
Artilects
After the rise of the Coldlands Territory, there was some amount of interest in producing a mechanical race, primarily to make up for the lack of numbers in the Coldlands. The result of that research were the coglings, but the research in artificial intelligence and robotics paved the way for something greater. Something more... human.
An enterprising young woman by the name of Ada Fralizte took the schematics of the coglings and modified them intensely, making it larger and improving its capabilities. She improved its cognition, taking the machine from a hivemind-esque device to something with all of its cognition performed internally. As she progressed, she realized that - in order to improve some aspects of the artilect - other aspects had to be diminished; she tracked these changes, however, and ended with seven distinct designs. She then began constructing them, sometimes out of modified coglings, sometimes out of spare parts, and sometimes a combination of the two.
Before she died, Ada constructed twenty-seven artilects, each varying in appearance and construction. However, these beings were capable of replicating themselves, equipped with the ability to give their "offspring" different abilities than themselves. Before long, artilects became a rather large segment of the Coldlands population; they also spread to other continents and worlds. With their cognition wholly self-contained, artilects did not face the difficulties that coglings did in gaining recognition as sentient beings: artilects have managed to integrate themselves into society relatively seamlessly.
Personality: Artilects are not incapable of emotion, though their general lack or misunderstanding of it is one of their defining features. Artilects are much like humans in that their personalities are defined by their experiences; no two artilects are the same, on a personality standpoint, though they will often be rather similar in outlook.
Physical Description: Usually, the only thing that two given artilects share - in a physical sense - is that they are made entirely of inorganic materials. The standard artilect stands at roughly six feet tall, though a given artilect's form will usually reflect its particular "evolution," as it was given by its parent artilect. Sibling artilects will often begin life with similar appearances, though an artilect often modifies itself to make itself distinct. The majority of artilects are constructed from iron and steel, though rarely they have been constructed of titanium or orichalcum; some elements of an artilect may also be constructed of more exotic materials (for instance, artilects from Arcturas often use electrum as a power source.
Relations: While they may appear humanoid, artilects are alien in almost every sense to organic races. Their logic skills are unequaled, save by coglings, and this may be off-putting to other races. However, they are generally regarded with at least some degree of respect by most races. Moogles, dwarves, and gremlins tend to get along especially well with artilects, as these races share a common interest in technology. Artilects tend to get along especially well with coglings, sharing a sort of camaraderie with them, given that both races are artificially-constructed.
Alignment: The initial outlook of an artilect is lawful, given that its very method of thinking is purely logical in nature. Artilects tend to be neutral in regards to good and evil, looking at everything in terms of logic and illogic, though this outlook often changes as the artilect gains experience. Rarely is an artilect chaotic.
Artilect Lands: Artilects call the Coldlands Territory their homeland, their origins being traceable to a single person who lived there. However, over time, artilects have spread out across the globe.
Religion: The concept of religion is often a difficult one for an artilect to grasp. Artilects who discover it may sometimes revere Relofis, the patron of technology; others may regard Ada Fralizte as a Saint, even though she is not recognized as such.
Language: Artilects think in Assembly; unlike other races, they are incapable of forgetting this language, as it is what enables them to think in the first place. Artilects pick up on language rather quickly, though cultural nuances and tonality often escape them.
Names: Names are a product of imagination, which is something that most artilects have little experience with. As such, artilect names run the gamut: some are named after everyday objects, some are named after myths or books, while others have genuinely invented names. An artilect may sometimes rename itself as it grows older, seeking a way to individualize itself.
Adventurers: Artilects are prone to adventure, seeking out new experiences. While the majority prefer to find a routine and stick to it, some artilects find that they are drawn to strange experiences, relishing in the strange emotions and actions of other creatures. By adventuring, an artilect almost guarantees that it will have new experiences.
Artilect Racial Traits
(More will be added later.)
- Automatic Languages: One Common language, one Trade language, Assembly. Bonus Languages: Any.
- Favored Class: Any. At character creation, an artilect may choose a single class as its favored class.
- LA: +1.