Tale of the Tickers

Tickers By Prixton Smerrs Ironcrux Historical Society 189 AT

Suppose I ought to start with old Auramium Cleonautus, since he's the one who brought the first Ticker into the world.

Solspirian fellow, spent sixteen years traveling after airships were invented. Nothing too strange about that - lots of folks went exploring once we could fly. What's strange is what happened after.

Got back to Solspire in 75 AT, locked himself in his workshop for eight years straight. Folks say he had his food delivered, wouldn't talk to anyone. Then one day he comes out with this thing he called The Root. First Ticker ever seen.

What do they look like? Seen three Tickers myself over the years, got a good look at two of them. They're about human-sized, made mostly of brass and copper. Got these intricate gears showing through gaps in their plating - that's where the name comes from, the constant ticking sound they make.

Each one's a bit different in the details, but they all have that same basic shape. The way they move is something else. Not jerky like you'd expect from a machine. They move smooth, natural-like. If you wrapped one up in a cloak, you might mistake it for a person from a distance. Until you got close enough to hear the ticking, anyway.

They seem to have perfect balance too. Watched one of them wrestle in the sheets during a storm. Those winds would have flung a regular fella into the mists but not that Ticker.

How They Come About

Here's what we know for certain: Tickers build other Tickers. Nobody's ever seen it happen, mind you, but every once in a while a new one just shows up somewhere. Never seen with the one that built it, always alone.

The Root was wandering around for about ten years before the second one appeared. Since then, they've been showing up more often.

Best count I can get is maybe fifty or sixty of them now, though nobody's sure of the exact number. Every Ticker seems to know everything about everything - except their own purpose. You can ask one about metallurgy, they'll tell you things that would make a master smith jealous. Ask about history, they know more than any scholar.

But ask them why they're here or what they're looking for, they just keep quiet.

Had a long talk with one called The Bark once about deep mining techniques. Knowledge was perfect, like reading from a master's handbook. But when I asked where it learned all that, it just said "We begin complete." Strange way of putting it, but that's how they talk when they bother to talk at all.

The Old Remains

Now here's something interesting - in the early days of air travel, before the Tickers showed up, one of our exploration teams found something on a Skyland that sounds an awful lot like a Ticker. Old and broken down, but the description matches - brass and copper construction, gear works, about human-sized. Torn to pieces by the sound of it.

Nobody's found it since, mind you. Lots of expeditions tried. Got me wondering if maybe that's what old Cleonautus found on his travels. Might explain why he locked himself away for eight years. Might explain a lot of things, if we could find it again.

Behavior

Tickers work. That's the simplest way to put it. They take jobs all over the known world, always honest labor, always done perfect. They don't take payment except what they need for repairs and maintenance. Don't seem to sleep, don't seem to rest. But here's the thing - they're always moving. Never stay in one place too long. Like they're looking for something. Ask them what they're searching for, they either stay quiet or say something vague about "completing the task."

Questions

Lot of mysteries about Tickers. Here's what folks most want to know: - Why did old Cleonautus build The Root? - What was that wrecked thing on the Skyland? - Why do they keep making more of themselves? - What are they really looking for?

Strange Patterns

Been keeping track of Ticker sightings for years now. There's patterns there, if you look hard enough. They spend a lot of time around old ruins. Show special interest in anything that might be from before. Always asking questions about the Skylands, particularly the ones that don't follow regular wind patterns. I been studying history long enough to know when there's more to a story.

Tickers are connected to something bigger, something old. Maybe has to do with that wreck they found. Maybe has to do with whatever Cleonautus discovered on his travels. Whatever it is, The Root knows. All the Tickers probably know. But they're not telling. Just keep working, keep moving, keep searching. For what? Well, that's the question, isn't it?

Note: This account combines personal observations, verified reports, and generally accepted facts about Tickers. Given their mysterious nature, some details remain uncertain despite best efforts at verification.