After the end of The Age of Dragons and the death of the Divine Colossi, The Colossus of Erwr lied dead in the midst of the Lundvis Desert, the only of the 11 to not be swallowed up by the Great Flood. From the corpse of this dead god, the Puppets were born. Amalgams of scrap metal and old magic, the Puppets developed a culture of curiosity and lust for knowledge. They are also the least common race in Eruwë, due to the fact that they can only reproduce by building another Puppet from scratch, something that only very old Puppets are capable of. As such, they are seen by other races as somewhat of an oddity, as most never have or will ever meet a Puppet.
PUPPET HISTORY
While the Heart of Erwr was stolen by Gormierre the Architect during the Rise of Oskilor, the Colossus of Erwr maintained an incredibly complex neural network that was, at least to some degree, active long past its death. Aware of its impending doom, the Colossus frantically sought to reproduce itself before fully perishing. Unable to move or build anything in its incapacitated state, the Colossus waited for someone to come along and help it fulfill its plans. It was then that the Archmage Haestr Vallen came upon the ruined body of the sleeping titan. The Colossus taught him many magical secrets known only to the dragons and, in exchange, Vallen helped the Colossus to create a "child" using his soul. This child, known as "Prime" by the Puppets, was the first Puppet, a combination of a mortal soul and the draconic technology of the Divine Colossi. Since then, enough Puppets have been build that they created their own city off of the dead body of the Colossus of Erwr; the city of Jörðr.
PUPPET CULTURE
Puppets typically live about 200 years before their souls "fade" and they become what is known as "Nelith" (Shells). As such, it is typical for a Puppet to choose to start reproducing at the age of about 150 years, as the process takes a serious strain upon the Puppet's soul. The process of Puppet reproduction mirrors the original process by which the race came about; they build a host body from scrap metal, and then place a piece of their own souls within via ancient Draconic magic. This process can be done alone, although Puppets have been known to do the ritual with others (typically but not always romantic partners) in order to lessen the burden on their souls. Puppets never have a child or adolescent phase, which is perhaps what makes them in general more curious and adventurous than other peoples.
The city of Jörðr is no wonderous hub of trade and culture like Attikonia, nor is it a fortress of empires like Oskil. Instead, it is a loose connection of homes, shops, and institutions built into and from the ancient scrap of the Colossus of Erwr. The Puppets of this city, being immune to poison, have made a fairly lucrative business out of descending into the noxious Chasm of Vilen-Dûl in search of ores, gemstones, and most importantly, Hellmoss, a drug that Puppets are themselves incapable of enjoying but very capable of harvesting. Puppet's, also not requiring food or water, are very acclimated to the desert they occupy. The main economic needs of Puppet's, then, are metal (for repairs and new Puppets) and oil (for bodily maintenance). Puppets are also vulnerable to water, which can rust them or cause minor malfunctions in their processing.
Although they have been known to be associated with any cult, due to their proximity to Korrad Tempeliar, most Puppets of this region follow the Creed of Oskilor. However, there is also a sizable portion of Jörðrian Puppets who follow the Cult of Aasterinian. This has caused a significant amount of tension within the city between these two sects, which has stifled Hellmoss trade and thus, resulted in economic strife following the Fall of Oskilor.
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