The Dwarven Rebirth

The Dwarven Rebirth, or Varik Razdya in the native tongue, is the practice of giving life to mechanical automatons. While other practices use similar artifice magic to create animated constructs, the Dwarven Rebirth is the only known ritual that can weave a new soul and imbue it into a mechanical creature.

History

The history behind the Dwarven Rebirth belongs to the dwarves alone and is seldom shared with outsiders. Even amongst the dwarves of Winchester, the secrets of rebirth is kept close to an Artificers chest and passed only from master to apprentice.

"Long ago, there was a dwarf named Olbe. Olbe's history and personal details are unknown, all we have left is the Varik Razdya. In Olbe's writings, we learn that we spirits leave imprints in the Astral Plane, and that we may weave these imprints into new and unique souls. This is just one of the secrets of creating constructs with a will and life of their own. Do not share this or any other secrets of the Varik Razdya, lest you and I both be executed by the Elders."

-Kenscott Rivlovna to his new apprentice, Durzog Jadebraid

At one time, the creation of constructed life must be approved by the Elders. This was before Dr. Nikidik. Dr. Nikidik was once the apprentice to a dwarven Artificer whose name has since been stricken from all Winchester's records. Eventually Nikidik figured out a way to turn Astral Imprints into a diluted oil that when used creates a something in-between a simple animated construct and a true Construct with a will of it's own. Dr. Nikidik's Oil of Life, as his label declares, turns any mechanical creature into a semi-independent slave of whoever first speaks to it. 
The Dwarves of Winchester view this practice as a travesty of Varik Razdya, especially because of it's growing popularity amongst the aristocracy of New Viridia.