#ClockMagic

[thanatophobia999]

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[blissmygift]

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[paperanddice]

Clockwork Beetle and Beetle Swarm

Clockwork beetles are among the least of the clockworks, and more likely to be found up for casual sale than the more militarily inclined ones. The difference between a small clockwork familiar/companion and even a weak humanoid soldier construct would be pretty stand out to anyone who wants to control military influence. These constructs have an incredible potential variability in design, with specific jewelers likely having their unique styles and favored type of beetle to imitate.

The last paragraph in the fluff is something to seriously consider though. The idea of a clockwork beetle hidden in a back corner (or worse, out in public owned by some random child) with a countdown slowly ticking away to a potentially violent transformation. The result of such a transformation is up to the GM to decide: does the beetle simply shift to a different species of beetle, or does some powerful magic that’s been building for years transform it into a much larger, more dangerous construct? What happens at the end of a countdown is left vague enough for anything.

The swarms are simply the result of a large number of clockwork beetles that break free from their programming, whether through a glitch in their clockwork code, the death of their creator, or perhaps a purposeful act by the original creator to cause chaos.

Clockwork beetles are incredibly popular in a major city. Over half a dozen different jewelers each have their own specialties, and hundreds of the constructs flutter over the city to create a background drone of whirring gears and shuddering metal. The richest nobles will have a dozen beetles each of various different designs, usually representing the best work of their favored crafter. It’s not uncommon to find clockwork fighting rings, where amateur designers and clockmakers will pit their upgraded or home made fighter against all comers, though many of these rings operate illegally.

A renegade clockmage seeks revenge on all of his rivals. Driven out of business when his shady practices came to light, he’s developed a plan to try and destroy the reputation of every clockmaker who has seen more success than him. Carefully capturing a rival clockwork beetle, he shifted a few gears to create a discordant pattern to its flight. This jarring harmony is contagious, as the beetle influences other clockworks it comes into contact with. As more and more beetles have their gears slip and their programming break, swarms of confused and malfunctioning constructs will form spontaneously in the streets to harass and dive pedestrians or batter themselves against buildings to break windows and damage siding. Clockmakers have postings for rewards for anyone who can capture a rogue beetle undamaged for examination, but the renegade can’t allow it. Investigations may uncover the source of the error, so his time is taken up sabotaging many attempts to collect on this reward.

Sherila was a clockwork master, perfecting the design of the clockwork myrmidon and personally crafting 368 clockwork beetles for many prestigious clients, in only 5 years before her sudden death. Even now, 62 years after completing her first one, many still function perfectly and are still in regular use, sometimes by descendants of the original owner. However, there’s a secret in each construct, and its come due. A hidden countdown has begun reaching its conclusion, as each beetle in order of its creation goes through a metamorphosis. The first several went by entirely unnoticed, a minor change in the coloring or filigree, easily overlooked. But the later transformations started gathering attention. Several beetle’s species changed dramatically, while others morphed into different insects entirely. The 58th transformation was far more terrifying, with the beetle growing significantly in size, and the next few after that saw greater and greater growths. The latest transformation led to a massive rampage through the streets as the 12 foot long construct lay waste to a market while attempting to return to its owner. The results of the coming transformations bring fear to the owners and authorities alike, as many of the constructs have been lost to the years without confirmed destruction, and the potential damages from these escalating changes could grow.