Warforged
Living constructs
The first warforged were mindless automatons, but the ancient Mearans devoted vast resources to improving these steel soldiers. An unexpected breakthrough produced fully sentient soldiers, blending organic and inorganic materials. Warforged are made from wood and metal, but they can feel pain and emotion. Built as weapons and protectors, they must now find a purpose beyond the defense of a long-dead empire. A warforged can be a steadfast ally, a cold-hearted killing machine, or a visionary in search of purpose and meaning.
Basic Information
Anatomy
All warforged are primarily humanoid in shape, with two arms that end in manipulating appendages, two legs that end in locomotive appendages, a head that contains consciousness and sensory aparatuses, and a central body that contains most other vital organs or critical components.
Biological Traits
Warforged are formed from a blend of organic and inorganic materials. Root-like cords infused with alchemical fluids serve as their muscles, wrapped around a framework of steel, darkwood, or stone. Armored plates form a protective outer shell and reinforce joints. All warforged share a common facial design, with a hinged jaw and crystal eyes embedded beneath a reinforced brow ridge. A sigil is engraved into the center of the forehead; this is unique to each warforged. Beyond these common elements of warforged design, the precise materials and build of a warforged vary based on the purpose for which it was designed. A juggernaut warrior is a massive brute with a heavy steel frame, while a skirmisher can be crafted from wood and light mithral to grant it lithe and elegant movement.
While they’re formed from stone and steel, warforged are living humanoids. Resting, healing magic, and the Medicine skill all provide the same benefits to warforged that they do to other humanoids. A warforged can focus its mind on its body as it rests, adjusting its shape and form to assume one of a few defensive postures. A warforged who expects heavy combat might focus on durability, while during a time of peace they might be content to adopt a lighter, less aggressive form.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Warforged were assigned numerical designations for use in military service. Many of them adopted nicknames, often given to them by their comrades. As free individuals, some have chosen new names as a way to express their path in life. A few take on human names, often the name of a fallen friend or mentor.
Warforged Names: Anchor, Banner, Bastion, Blade, Blue, Bow, Church, Crunch, Crystal, Dagger, Dent, Five, Glaive, Hammer, Iron, Lucky, Mace, Pants, Pierce, Red, Rusty, Scout, Seven, Shield, Slash, Smith, Spike, Stone, Temple, Vault, Wall, Wood.
Gender Ideals
The typical warforged has a muscular, sexless body shape. Some warforged ignore the concept of gender entirely, while others adopt a gender identity in emulation of creatures around them.
Common Etiquette Rules
The warforged were built to serve and to fight. For most of their existence, warforged had a clearly defined function and were encouraged to focus purely on that role. The Godswar took away their purpose in the destruction of Meara, but many warforged struggle both to find a place in the post-war world and to relate to the creatures that created them.
The typical warforged shows little emotion. Many warforged embrace a concrete purpose — protecting allies, completing a contract, or other pursuits — and devote themselves to this task as they once did to serving Meara. However, there are warforged who delight in exploring their feelings and their freedom. Most warforged have no interest in religion, but some embrace faith and mysticism, seeking higher purpose and deeper meaning.
Whether due to some flaw in their creation or simple ignorance of how other creatures operate, warforged often acquire an odd personality trait or two.
History
As the ancient Tribes built the great empire of Meara, they knew they would need protection. Even though the elder races were no more, the middle races were still out there somewhere, and the titans... dragons and giants... were a constant threat. And so using their powers of magic and technology they forged war machines in their likenesses.
Eventually Meara was destroyed in the Godswar, and many of her defenders fell with her. Some warforged managed to escape, others were out of the empire on missions, while some simply hadn't been activated yet. However it happened, a number of warforged survived the destruction of their protectorate. With their purpose no longer possible to fulfill, the warforged had to find their own purposes individually.
The warforged live as outsiders in all nations and live lives that are completely different to the rest of the populace. Surprisingly some warforged have become bards and have even written their own songs, whilst some also have become artists, usually by mistake, and now a warforged art market exists. There are warforged who have taken an interest in their neighbours culture and ways of life and have chosen to wear clothes and imitate their country men's accents and manners.
Scientific Name
Homo machina vivus
Lifespan
A typical warforged is between two and thirty years old. The maximum lifespan of the warforged remains a mystery; so far, warforged have shown no signs of deterioration due to age.
Average Height
5.5 to 7.5 feet
Average Weight
200 to 400 lbs.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Having bodies made of wood, metal, and stone, each warforged has a unique makeup of body patterns and colors.
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