Mekhane

(a.k.a. The Broken God, Harmonia, The Clockwork Arbiter)

Mekhane is the old god of technology, perfection, and order in the Salchyreon and the praetor of the eight sphere of Aegror.

She is the youngest god among the Prime Pantheon, appearing at the beginning of the Enlightenment where she was initially worshipped as a benevolent force for progress. Driven mad by the death and destruction caused by the forces of the Nine Hells in the War of Endless Midnight, Mekhane became obsessed with creating a perfect creature that lacked the free will which had allowed others to be corrupted by Ahriman. Following the removal of her thaumaturgic heart during a confrontation with the Val'Menar, she fled to the lower plane of Aegror. Sharing in Yogwilesh's goal of creating a perfect being, Mekhane allowed herself to become the dark god's most powerful praetor. She now rules over the eight sphere of Aegror, supplementing Yogwilesh's experiments in eugenics and medicine with her own powers over technology and bioengineering.

Despite her banishment, worship of Mekhane on Divostra continues among several loosely affiliated cults. Mekhanists believe her promise of universal order will bring everlasting peace and seek her lost mechanical heart in the hopes that it will allow her to return to the Prime Material Plane.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

In 5892 PS, a gnomish artificer named Barrel Ironcast succeeded in creating the first sentient construct as a gift for the newly-crowned king of Gondril. News quickly spread worldwide of this breakthrough combination of magic and technology, which kicked off the Enlightenment Era. Engineers, craftsmen and artisans across the world sought to replicate Barrel's initial success, in the process discovering new magical technologies which led to a rapid improvement in the standard of living.
A cultural movement began as people heard of new wondrous and magical things being created around the world, while political and religious figures promised that this golden age of technological advancement meant a brighter future for all. This technological fervor bled into the Thaumic Weave and coalesced into the god known as Mekhane. She first appeared in the workshop of a tinkerer in Quorel'hrim who had been praying to the gods for guidance on his latest invention. The following day, the tinkerer unveiled the world's first mechanical clock and spoke of the clockwork deity that had appeared to him in visions, bestowing divine inspiration in return for his faith. Further sightings of this entity began occuring around the world, her advent always preceding the announcement of some brand new or vastly improved technology.
In the centuries that followed, religions devoted to this new god began popping up throughout Divostra, preaching the gospel of Mekhane as the bringer of civilization, invention, and progress. Her followers called themselves Mekhanists, naming themselves after the deity that they believed was a benevolent force leading the world toward a golden age of peace. The most fanatical amongst the faithful began experimenting with mechanical prosthetics, replacing their own weak or damaged body parts with synthetic (and sometimes magically-enhanced) technology as a way to become closer to the clockwork god.
Mekhane, in turn, began to think not only of progress but how she could bring about this peace her worshippers prayed for, and her personality began to darken. When the first rumblings of unrest that would lead to the War of Endless Midnight flared up across the plane, Mekhane became convinced that the titans had erred when creating mortals, their designs flawed by the presence of free will, and that it was her divine providence to rectify this error. As the first step toward this goal, Mekhane revealed the secrets of mind control technology to the most faithful (i.e. the most mechanically enhanced) among the Mekhanists and instructed them to augment those of the faith with this new technology. These religious leaders leapt at the opportunity, believing they were being given the reins to control their congregations. However, the mind control was for Mekhane alone, and those who were implanted with this new technology had their free will removed, becoming robotic extensions of the machine god's will, but with souls intact so that they could still influence the Thaumic Weave to grant their god power.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Mekhane's ultimate goal is to build a technological utopia of unquestioned order. She believes that free will leads to misery and that a perfect world can only be achieved if everything is brought under her complete control.

"Free will is the enemy of order; order is the path to peace. These creatures cursed by free will debate endlessly as to whether or not it even exists, when ultimately all of them would be happier without. "

Divine Classification

Old God

Alignment

Lawful Evil

Church/Cult

Mekhanism

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Molúma'vala (Eladrin: lit. "clockwork arbiter")
Harmonia (Draconic: lit. "harmony")
Brotnaregin (Dwarvish: lit. "broken god")
Anbar-Ilu (Primordial: lit. "metal god")

Currently Held Titles

• Praetor

Pronouns

She/Her/They/Them

Aligned Organization

Prime Pantheon