The Crafted Races
Crafted Races are those races that are not born into the world, so much as forged into it. While some make use of living, or formerly living, components, the individual is not born into this form. Thus they are referred to as "crafted".
Androids are sometimes considered a "crafted race". It is true that they are not born, but made. They are alien in design and function. Additionally, androids are no longer able to be created. They also have a unique means of "recreation" that cannot be replicated at this time. Finally, an android is of extraterrestrial origin. It is, for all intents and purposes, truly a refugee on Ursu.
The Forgeborn is originally two entities merged into one. The first is the psionic essence of a previously great warrior or great martyr to the cause of the people. Prior to death, part of their psionic essence is imprinted onto a specialized crystal, called the "seed". The second part is the host. This is normally a warrior or similar person, near death, and grievously wounded, beyond what the healers can normally cure.
At this point, with the host's permission, the seed is placed on the chest of the host. At that moment a transformation begins. The host and the seed's personalities, their mental patterns, merge into a new mental entity. At the same time, the body begins to draw metals and other minerals from the surrounding area to craft replacements for damaged or lost limbs and organs. This entire process can take hours or days, depending on the extent of the damage. When the process is done, the Forgeborn awakens, now both entities a greater sum than their parts, and a body that is both flesh and stone.
Forgeborn were once the frontline defenders of the Crystal City and later the Deva Empire. Unfortunately, when those cities were destroyed, a large number of seeds were lost. Occasionally, one is found, and a new Forgeborn comes into existence shortly afterward. These new Forgeborn, now without a nation to defend will take to wandering the land, looking for purpose, similar to a ronin, or masterless warrior.
The plan has its merits, having a scapegoat should one's heart be found too heavy, but it is not always successful. The Gods are not so easily fooled. They do, occasionally, let it go, but often the perpetrator is found out, still punished and the shabti returned to the lands of the living, to begin life anew. There is risk in this plan, but some still consider the attempt better than the alternative. One cannot deny that over the centuries, the number of shabti that walk the streets of Khem is such that one has to wonder, what are the odds of success, really?
Shabti are only able to be afforded by the richest of nobles. Some say that it's all the gold that weighs down the heart. This, though, makes a shabti's appearance remarkable. Golden skin, lapis lazuli eyes, and statuesque figures all are hallmarks of the form. Some say that they are exaggerated, a perfected form of the subject. It's this hubris in form that makes some believe that's why they aren't as successful as one would like. They are also a combination of arcane, divine, and psionic magics, which animate the body and allow a duplication of the mind of the subject into a new form. At this point, a shabit is practically a self-moving doll.
Buried alongside their patron or parent, depending on the attitude of the shabti, the duplicate essence appears before the gods to be judged. Some make the heart as beautiful and light as possible, while others make the heart out of heavy woods, masterfully carved, of course, to weigh the heart down and send the shabti to the reward the patron expected to receive. What happens next is not fully known. Even the shabti do not remember. They wake up, outside the burial, knowing that it is their life to live, now fully sentient. It is suspected that, at this point, more than a few "borrow" some grave goods to have funds to begin their new life.
Shabti are often fascinated by "real life". Most, but not all, find beauty in the world, despite having the memories of their "parent". Some, on the other hand, are jealous of those who will one day meet their end and have the chance to move on past this world. Regardless, shabti presents an interesting "success" story of creating new life.
Prometheans are born into the world normally in states of confusion, too many voices all at once. Some lash out, some turn inward, all handle their new life differently. Prometheans also do not have others to lean on. They are not born into a community, and so rare, possibly only 10 to 100 in the world at any given time in so many different places the odds of a promethean finding another of their kind are rare. Except during the days of Taoul'Ver, where there was a period of a rash of prometheans made, so much so that laws were passed in regards to such creations.
The origins of the knowledge to create prometheans is also somewhat of a mystery. Some creators claim to have come across the secrets on their own, some through dreams, and others through stumbling upon some forgotten tome. If one were to put all of these together, there might be a bigger picture, but if there is, its not one that's been uncovered. All of them, though, follow the same basic processes and ingredients. The core is: Body, brain, and electricity. Beyond that, it becomes more reflecting the creator's beliefs. Magic, chemicals, runes, even blood all can have some part of the ritual.
Unlike the Shabti which are practically immortal, Prometheans have only slightly longer life spans than humans. They do not "age", but in time the energies that infuse the promethean will fade and the unpleasent fact that they are stiched together pieces will begin to take it's natural progression. It is not unusual that, at a certian point, to just find the promethean had fallen asleep, never to rise again, their energies finally expiring.
In recent years, there have been rumors stirring in Vyak of prometheans not made of flesh and bone, but metal, gears and a brain in a jar. If this is an evolution of the ritual, the recovery of some lost ritual from the times of a Thousand Magics, or something else entirely is just another mystery to add to the long list of ones that make up the patchwork of prometheans.
Forgeborn
When the Crystal City was at its height, there were many psionic achievements that went far beyond expectation. Among these were the Forgeborn. The forgeborn are a combination of man and minerals, integrated through psionic might and will.Shabti
Many things changed when the Lands of the Dead came into existence. Not the least of these was the concern that the sins of one's life may condemn them to the servitude of the Queen of Anubidin. Alchemists, priests, wizards, and all manner of casters attempted to find a solution. After examining both an android and a foregborn that they had acquired through various means, they hatched a plan. What if they could ensure one's soul got to the Sea of Reeds, without the danger of being cast out? In this way, the person would bypass a means of undead enslavement. This would be accomplished through the creation of a replica of the person that has passed, and it would be that replica, the shabti, that would stand before the judgment of the Gods.Promethean
Promtheans are a perplexing mystery. These patchwork beings, often made from mismatched parts, are frequently the results of experiements to return life to the dead, without the ties to undeath. There are occasionally other reasons to perform these gruesome experiments, but all are acts of deperate people. Perhaps a loved one was not able to be resurrected through traditional means, or the experimenter is just curious. The results do bring to life a being, but it is rarely the "perfect" being they desire.
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