Post by ThreeDawg on Mar 10, 2019 7:32:42 GMT -5
Sotha Sil's Enigma.
Introduction:
In this book I will attempt to describe to you the wonders of the mechanical realm, Sotha Sil's Clockwork City. Know that I have never been there myself, as I have been unlucky (or perhaps fortunate?) enough to not stumble across one of the shifting rifts into the realm of machine nor have I been invited there by any of my contacts within the Clockwork Apostles. Yet this is my wealth of knowledge I have gathered on over a century of by-chance contact with the denizens of this mysterious realm. If this book finds itself in the hands of any Apostles, do stop by for a chat and maybe give this Exodromal a look through one of your Doors of Egress, or a short visit to correct any mistakes I have written.
The Clockwork City, the realm of the late living-god Sotha Sil. Sotha Sil was a sorcerer and scientist without compare, a true genius not seen since the time of the Dwemer. The young Sotha Sil led the Chimer alongside Vivec, Almalexia, Lord Dagon and their figurehead, Nerevar, in war against the Dwemer. Late in the war, when the Chimer were facing loss after loss, Sotha Sil developed a means to turn the Dwemer's own technology against them. An army of automatons shaped after Dreugh made of steel and salvaged dwemer constructs, the Clockwork Dreugh.
The Clockwork Dreugh were Sotha Sil's first major foray into what would dominate his time for the rest of the First, Second and Third Eras. When the Tribunal stole the power of the Heart of Lorkhan, Sotha Sil chose to use his power to forward his research into automatons, science and the creation of life. He pursued the construction of his own realm, a place he could keep secret from those who would harness his constructs for harm and keep his fledgling constructs from harming others. Beginning where the Dwemer left off, he created a micro-realm and within it a city, The Clockwork City. Completely synthetic in nature, this micro-realm is built upon metallic soils and even the sky is mimicked by the Celestiodome that covers the realm, providing a day and night cycle and even weather patterns. It is said that a mechanical divine heart, fashioned after millenia of tireless work by Sotha Sil and automata, powers the city and provides life to the denizens of the realm - biological, mechanical and biomechanical.
The location of the Clockwork City has remained a mystery even to me. They say the physical representation of the Clockwork City, the Clockwork Globe, moves frequently under the security of Sotha Sil's cult of Apostles, powerful and secretive sorcerer-scientists mostly of Dunmer origin. Since the loss of Sotha Sil at the end of the Third Era, it is said the Apostle Council took control of the city's government and production. They employ an army of Fabricants and Factotums to defend the city and provide the main source of labour. The realm began to flourish sometime in the Fourth Era, when the construction of the Mechanical Heart was completed by the Fabricants Sotha Sil had left to construct it.
The divine life brought by the heart has completely changed the Clockwork City. Plantlife is said to have flourished in the metallic soils, with new and wondrous forms of life springing up to cover the realm and the Clockwork City in vines, trees and shrubbery and has since fallen into disrepair. In an attempt to keep the plant life in check, the Apostle Council has redirected the forms of Fabricant to balance out the out of control ecosystem, but more on them later in this publication.
Inhabitants of the City.
The Apostles guard the doorways to Sotha Sil's realm, or most of them. I theorise that the creation of a micro-realm within Tamriel has a chaotic effect on the foundations of our realm, as rifts into the Clockwork City appear at random across the continent. The rifts are often short lived and are almost impossible to determine the location of. Unsuspecting denizens of Tamriel have been known to stumble across the rifts and, as people often do, curiously explore the rifts and trap themselves within the micro-realm.
These Tarnished, new and foreign inhabitants of the realm, wander towards the only notable landmark in the realm - the Clockwork City itself. The Tarnished are recruited by the Apostle Council, if they are worthy, or are abandoned to the harshness of the wilderness on the outside of the city - Slag Town. The Tarnished are considered lowly by the Apostles. They receive nothing but the barest aid, and are looked down upon as minor annoyances. Access to the City is heavily restricted, with Factotums using deadly force to keep the Tarnished out of the city.
Food is sourced from the overgrown wilderness and Fabricant wildlife around the city, or the tasteless yet filling Nutriment Paste that is pumped into Slag Town out of 'charity' by the Apostles. Water comes from the Everwound Wellspring, sourced from a stabilised rift into Tamriel and piped throughout the city and beyond.
Factotums.
Factotums are humanoid automata, built with metal alloys similar to those the Dwemer used and powered by soul gems and the Mechanical Heart. The most recent series of Factotum is the ninth, unchanged since the Third Era and Sotha Sil's death. The Apostles consider them the perfect mechanical lifeforms, and it is said some of them undergo the dangerous process of putting their minds and souls into the automata - although it drives many mad.
The Factotums are capable of many alterations in their fabrication, allowing them to work as varied tasks as harvesting food, working as merchants and guarding the Clockwork City from outsiders or rogue Fabricants or heathen Apostles. Some are equipped with more powerful soul gems, making them capable of harnessing magicka much like mortal mages. Most Factotums speak with the same voice, that of a female Dunmer but many Apostles swear the Factotums differ in personality if not voice.
Older series of Factotums are only recycled should they break down beyond repair and given how well built they are it is assumed this happens rarely. Older Factotums are placed into the harsher labour pools, so the Apostles are surrounded mostly by the ninth series. Refabricants and Prefabricants are the oldest, and rarest, models which are built upon the backs of Dwemer automata and share similarities in aesthetics and construction. They are less refined, less developed and prone to breaking down in dangerous ways. Most Refabricants are found abandoned in the wilderness outside the city, dormant and awaiting orders - or 'threats' to deal with.
Fabricants.
Fabricants are Sotha Sil's personal attempt to create an ecosystem within the Clockwork City. They are automata grown in Incarnatoriums from magickally created flesh and automata components. There are many types, each fitting into their own section of the ecosystem and each designed to fulfil the purpose of maintaining the city and defending its unknown purpose. As can be expected, they are animalistic in behaviour and perfectly represent the lifeform they were designed after.
The overgrowth of the Clockwork City and the Mechanical Heart has fueled some of the biomechanical lifeforms with renewed vigour and the ability to graft their own offspring from discarded parts from Clockwork City. The Fabri'siraynosim, as they are known to the Apostles, are allowed to continue to exist - but often Factotums or predatory Fabricants are employed to cull the populations if they grow too large.
In Sotha Sil's absence his creations have done themselves what he had only dreamed of, converge nature and engineering into the 'perfect lifeforms'.
Types of Fabricants:
Beetle Fabricants;
Insect-like fabricants form the base of the Clockwork Ecosystem, breaking down and redistributing the bio and mechanical mass that makes up the realm's waste, detritus and foliage. The most common are hardy beetles, much like Thunderbugs. They vary in size and form the major food supply for the predatory fabricants in the ecosystem. Due to the divine power of the Mechanical Heart and their proximity to excess bio and mechanical mass, these fabricants were the first Fabricants to spontaneously produce their own offspring, and the most common to do so. The Apostle's call these offspring Fabri'siraynosims, merged-ones, and their existence is accepted as part of Sotha Sil's great plan to merge biology and engineering together. However their presence is a danger to the Clockwork Ecosystem, so regularly new predatory fabricants are introduced to lower their population or Factotums are employed to cull the more dangerous aberrations.
Brass Mudcrabs;
These Mudcrabs serve a similar purpose to the Clockwork Ecosystem as the Beetle Fabricants, however their service is aquatic in nature. Their primary purpose is to clear the detritus and build-up from the waterways of the Clockwork City and the surrounding wilderness. Being early denizens of the Clockwork City, and made of a rust-proof brass alloy, these Mudcrabs aren’t particularly well suited for their role and often sink to the bottom of the waterways and beneath the oily sands where they will remain dormant until disturbed.
Brassilisk;
Brassilisks are the primary predator of Beetle Fabricants in the Clockwork Ecosystem. They are built to mimic the snakes of Tamriel and thus come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including some much larger than a man or mer. Some are built with wings, much like the Sep-Adders of Hammerfell and Elsweyr.
Clockwork Dragon;
The Apostles I’ve spoken to mention giant guardians of the Clockwork Realm that take the form of Dovah. Their constructions were unique and overseen personally by Sotha Sil before his death. Built with personalities based on the Dovah of Tamriel, these reclusive and individualistic behemoths keep their lairs in the extremities of the wasteland surrounding the Clockwork City. Their emergence would signal that they detect a grave threat in their area that requires removal. One ex-Apostle I spoke to mentioned the rumour of a secondary function to these Dovah, the complete cleansing and renewal of the Clockwork Realm should it fall into the wrong hands, become corrupted, or threaten the stability of Nirn.
Clockwork Felines;
An early form of construct built to keep the Clockwork Ecosystem under control, Clockwork Felines were created to hunt, dismantle and redistribute Brassilisks and Skeevatons. Larger variants, Motorized Tigers, were built to hunt the larger fabricants in the wilderness - and guard the wilderness from threats. Many Clockwork Felines of smaller varieties find themselves employed by Apostle households as companions, and pest control.
Clockwork Hound;
Clockwork Hounds are canine shaped Fabricants that come in a variety of sizes and uses. Some are built for personal use by the Apostles, constructed for companionship or guard-duty. Others are more feral, taking the shape of wolves and left to roam the wilderness surrounding the Clockwork City. They protect the City from threats in the wilds and perform an important role in the Clockwork Ecosystem.
Fabricant Bird;
One of the more recent inventions of Sotha Sil before his death, Fabricant Birds were designed to fill an important role in the Clockwork Ecosystem should the Mechanical Heart finish construction. Coming in a variety of sizes based on those native to Tamriel, they fill both predatory and herbivorous niches for the Clockwork Ecosystem. The primary directive for the majority of their series, however, is the spreading of seeds for the floral component of the Clockwork Ecosystem.
Fabricant Dovah-Fly;
Apostles and Tarnished alike accidentally or intentionally bring in contaminating lifeforms. Many of which are insects that proliferate in waterways. To combat this spreading corruption, Sotha Sil created the Dovah-Fly, a voracious predator, with the purpose of cleansing the waterways of the Clockwork City of biological contaminants. An early Fabricant design, the Dovah-Fly much resemble their counterparts in Tamriel and were the first Fabricants capable of true flight..
Fabricant Fish;
An advancement on the idea of the Dovah-Fly, the Aquatic Ecosystem was constructed around Fabricant Fish. An entire ecosystem in themselves, they come in as many shapes and sizes as their Tamrielic counterparts. The primary purpose of the Aquatic Ecosystem is to cleanse and maintain the waterways of the Clockwork City. Of course, like on Tamriel, many are kept for aesthetic or hobbyist pursuits.
Fabricant Gargoyle;
An early development along the lines of the Clockwork Dragon, the Fabricant Gargoyle were designed to defend the Clockwork Realm. Violent and territorial, their fabrication has since been outlawed by the Apostle Council after numerous rogue Apostles sought to use them to conquer the realm. Their Prime Incarnatorium dismantled, the Fabricant Gargoyles are rare and exiled to the extreme fringes of the wilderness surrounding the city where they lay dormant until their prime directives of extermination kick in. My Apostle contacts have mentioned that hasn’t stopped rogue elements from creating illegal Incarnatoriums in the wilderness in the aims of creating new Gargoyles.
Firepot Spider;
Spider-like Fabricants, Firepot Spiders serve an important role for the Apostles in the Clockwork City. Working as mobile campfires and grills, these Fabricants follow the Apostles around and work in the various kitchens of the Clockwork City alongside Factotum staff. Like most Fabricants, they have defensive capabilities themselves. They are capable of charging threats with explosive results.
Hulking Fabricant;
The apex predators of the Clockwork Ecosystem, Hulking Fabricants were designed after another apex predator on Tamriel - Chaurus. A mix of insect, reptilian and mechanical parts these incredibly deadly fabricants roam the wilderness breaking down, and redistributing, other Fabricants and trespassers. Their use by Almalexia during her attempted coup of the Tribunal has soured them in the eyes of the Dunmer, and many Apostles avoid them out of fear.
Kagouti Fabricant;
An omnivorous part of the Clockwork Ecosystem, Kagouti Fabricants are designed to break-down and redistribute the more roughage parts of the Clockwork Ecosystem that Beetle Fabricants struggle with: shrubbery, trees, other Fabricants and the occasional Tarnished that stumble across their packs.
Nix-Hound Fabricant;
Another omnivorous member of the Clockwork Ecosystem are the Nix-Hound Fabricants, although they are more predatory in nature than the Kagouti. They perform a role similar to the Nix-Hounds of Tamriel, and some Apostles keep them employed as guards.
Nix-Ox Fabricant;
A large fabricant capable of carrying heavy loads, and Apostles. The Nix-Ox Fabricant is the primary mode of transport throughout the Clockwork City and the surrounding wilderness for the higher-class Apostles. They are also, rarely, found in the wilderness surrounding the city where their function is the dismantling of heavy foliage, mineral structures, disused buildings or Tarnished camps.
Scorpion Fabricant;
A predatory Fabricant, the Scorpion Fabricants come in a variety of shapes and sizes from small, hand-sized, Fabricants that disassemble Beetle Fabricants to large horse-sized individuals that disassemble threats and Tarnished.
Shalk Fabricant;
Like their organic counterparts, Shalk Fabricants were built to be capable of generating their own internal flame source. Primarily these Fabricants are used to disassemble mechanical parts by melting the metal into smaller chunks. Since the Mechanical Heart finished construction, it has been said they’ve been the primary cause of a number of wildfires in the realm and are considered a dangerous pest to be managed carefully.
Skeevaton;
A common Fabricant found in the Clockwork City and Slag Town, the Skeevaton was constructed to redistribute organic matter leftover by the city’s occupants. Since the Mechanical Heart finished construction, a plague of Skeevaton Fabri'siraynosims began to form that feed heavily on the organic plant life of the realm. My Apostle contact shared with me a fear that these Fabricants might one day grow to such a size and population that the tide of the vermin would scour the realm of organic life.
Verminous Fabricant;
The most common predatory Fabricant in the Clockwork Ecosystem, the Verminous Fabricants come in a variety of sizes but all share the same unusual morphology. It is said by Apostles that the Verminous Fabricants were Sotha Sil’s first, and only, attempt to create a lifeform purely of his own design without borrowing from Tamriel. The unusual reptilian bipeds are ravenous and quick, if not particularly strong. Tarnished regularly fall prey to their sharp claws and teeth.
Wind-up Bear;
A rare and early form of apex predator in the Clockwork City, these bears are kept around as more an example of Sotha Sil’s earlier work. Their primal, solitary, nature make them unaccustomed to use inside the city proper and their predatory directive drives them to disassemble malfunctioning Fabricants across the wilderness. I’ve been told some Apostles keep defunct bears around for ornamentation, which passes as barbaric to others.
Custom Fabricants:
Rogue Apostles have been known to set up their own Incarnatoriums out in the wilderness of the Clockwork City. These cult-like groups often intend to usurp, or in their words “perfect” the Clockwork City in their own image. Since the death of Sotha Sil, these rogue Apostles have ever grown more numerous, powerful and centralised. Some even recruit directly from the Tarnished camps - or bring in corruptive influences from Tamriel, an act capitally punished by the Apostle Council.
The Incarnatoriums these Apostles build often create new and unusual forms of life, beings imaginated and designed by the rogue Apostles themselves. So varied are their designs that I couldn’t even attempt to find a direct list from my Apostle contacts. Such designs are prone to throw off the carefully curated balance of the Clockwork Ecosystem their dismantlement is the prime directive of most predatory Fabricants employed by the Clockwork City as they threaten the stability of the realm.
Although rare, they are most often found in clusters around rogue Apostle camps. Some Apostles have even attempted to create humanoid Fabricants from the races of Man, Mer and Betmeri. These abominations are often driven mad by the process, but attempts have continued throughout the millenia to recreate the process with which Sotha Sil combined himself almost entirely with machines - and the internal commands of the Clockwork City.
