Builder

Builders are humanoid beings, with a head, two arms, and two legs. In their juvenile or diminished forms, they have a physique comparable to stocky human laborers, with pronounced upper bodies and stable lower bodies. In the place of flesh, their bodies are comprised of animate stone. For eyes, they have glowing faceted orbs usually made of garnet, topaz, or corundum, though rarer gemstones are not unheard of.   Although they remain humanoid and retain roughly the same proportions, Builders grow considerably larger once they inhabit their prime forms and can develop up to two additional pairs of arms. In this form, they also develop thick tails that are used for balance and to support their increased mass. Furthermore, Builders in their prime forms posses rune matrices that are etched into the stone of their bodies, flowing across their torsos and tracing down their limbs like veins, glowing faintly with the magic intrinsic to runelore.

Builders perpetuate the species by creating young, rather than engaging in procreation. They do so by creating the form of an infant Builder from clay. Traditionally, this was done only with a unique kind of clay considered sacred, but since the fall of the Builder civilization in the Frostmere, the Builders have had to make do with "inferior" clays of sufficient purity as to reduce the detrimental effects thereof.   Once created, the clay form is placed into a special kiln—typically one that is purpose-built as part of the process. To ignite the fuel, the parent Builder (or Builders) calls upon their Eirdhraer, which is the fiery force that animates the Builders and gives them life. The flames bake the clay form, creating a hardened shell of vitrified clay around the form. In the process, the flames take some of the life force from the parent's (or parents') Eirdhraer to serve as the kindling for the child's own Eirdhraer, which slowly grows in strength as the kiln cools. The child's Eirdhraer then eventually burns hot enough to shatter the shell of vitrified clay from within, heralding their own birth.

Builders are formed, rather than born. Often, they are brought into the world by single parents, but rarely, they can be created by two or more. Their adolescence is brief, as they develop quickly during the early stages of their life and become juveniles within approximately a year of their creation on average, without accounting for environmental factors, and mature into adults after another two.   From here, Builder development bifurcates. Under ideal conditions, an adult Builder would undergo a dramatic metamorphosis, emerging as a prime Builder within 30 years. This transformation, however, is contingent on the Builder learning runelore and earning their Mark of Mastery. Without the magic of the Mark, a Builder would be unable to reach their prime. For Builders who fail to embody their prime form, after at most 60 years, they experience senescence and become diminished. Their stone flesh becomes dry and cracked, their joints become brittle, and while they remain stronger than most, they become relatively weak by Builder standards.

Builders possess an ability to see flaws and areas of weakness in various materials and increases in strength with the material's artificiality. Stone of any kind is the exception. This ability is strongest in stone of any variety, but is still fairly potent when it comes to metals. In organic matter, this perception is only of limited use with respect to substances like bone, keratin, or chitin, and is practically nonexistent when used on flesh.   With respect to artificial structures, they can perceive, and possess an intuitive understanding of, the distribution of load and stress across the component parts of a building. At a glance, they can determine whether there are any overt structural problems in an edifice, and where they are located. With sufficient focus, they can spot even minor flaws in construction, which they take advantage of to address problems that might normally go unnoticed for a long time.