Mechanik’s Union

Named after a now non-existent mining village in the Borokuhn Mountains, this ancient machine defies much of what modern science can bring to bear to analyse it. What little of it is known comes from a small treatise on it the few copies of which were published by a little known Cyriss acolyte in Horgenhold. It is believed he was one of the party that originally recovered the device from the Mountains, although his work is notably close mouthed about how precisely this came about. It appeared to be a machine of complexity rivaling that of some of the more impressive Cyriss-tech, and the author seemed in some awe of its construction which may have tempered his account somewhat. The short of his conclusions being that the device was an extremely advanced form of arcantrik relay.

From a sketch of the device, it appears to resemble a small metallic sphere, although breakdown sketches later on show it in its activated state, splaying out like a jagged petaled flower to reveal what appeared to be a form of  matrix, accumulators and conduiting of unrecognizable design. In many drawings you can see some of the damage this device sustained in some long forgotten disaster, most of it internal fusing. Although the sketch is imprecise, the notes appear to make a great deal out its casing, which appeared in all particulars to be identical to the arcano-conductive alloy used for magelock pistols. Something for which the author could not rational account for in his work, as magelock steel was developed recently (recently in rhulish terms anyway, being some few decades).

The precise method activation is speculated on, but due to an unfortunate cave-in this question was rendered moot. Upon being pressed against the chest of a living humanoid, it embeds into the flesh and bone. Through some manner of biothaumaturgy, the device melts and reforms the ribcage, although thankful it not the organs beneath, to accommodate it. From the authors own witness accounts, this process was fairly painful and the subject took several days of care to recover fully. The Cyrisst takes several pages accounting the subtle changes he perceived during the week it took to return to the southern gateway to Rhul. Although the drawings appear identical, he states that a number of key components rearranged themselves around the more damaged and fused sections, as if the device itself was attempting to repair its flaws (or, as is more darkly hinted; imprinting itself with its hosts arcane talents).

However the story of the Cleftrock device doesn’t end there, and it is the gruesome culmination of the tale that draws a larger audience. A month or so after its discovery the captain of the Militant order of the Arcane Tempest (with whom the device had accidentally bonded) was returning from the dig in Rhul with his squad. According to a missive sent ahead by his second in command, he suffered a sudden convulsion and fell into a coma on route back to Caspia in the village of Meldstead. Despite tending by the local healers he remained insensate. Tales vary as to what occurred a day later, but all agree that about a day after the mans shocking lapse, he awoke and fell into a violent psychotic fit killing his entire squad and everyone in the boarding house. When the local constables broke down the doors they were met with a hail of arcane gunfire and all were killed.

Witnesses after that point are among the few survivors of what occurred next, for the Gunmage is said to have appeared from the boarding house and begun slaughtering the townsfolk with cold systematic precision. The strangest thing about this was not the act itself, but that his tools where no less than eight magelock pistols, which floated several feet above the ground and surrounded him like a school of metal fish. Of the few able to give this account at the nearby town some miles away, all are very clear that the Cleftrock device was still on the mans chest, blazing with a terrible golden light. How far these accounts are to be believed remains in conjecture, but it is a fact that when a body of militia aided by a number of inquisitors entered the town several days later, not a living soul was left alive. What remained of the bodies were riddled with bullets or torn apart by incantations. Of the squad none remained alive, and all nine of them were missing their firearms. Where the device rests today is anyone’s guess, although most who are familiar with the tale will point out any number of missing gunmages on their way to and from war-zones as proof of a dark insidious stalker. But then, many will  claim the depredations of pistol wraiths or Khadoran man-hunters in the same breath.

The Cleftrock Device:-

Weight: 1lb.
Cost: minor artifact

Bullets fired from a Magelock under the Devices control gain:

1. The properties of Rune bullets (they still need to be bullets that fit the firearm)
2. The benefit of the Quickened Channeling Feat
3. the benefit of the Imbued Runes special ability (see: Arcane Tempest PrC, No Quarter Magazine #16 p69)

Main Power:

• Any object forged of magelock steel within 10ft (+10ft per point of charisma modifier) of a creature implanted with the Cleftrock device can be animated as per the spell ‘animate objects‘ (CL 20) under the creatures control.

This includes objects worn by other creatures, magical objects that are currently held get a Will saving throw to resist animation. Bonded items, item families and magelock pistols which are animated become bonded to the implanted creature regardless of the limited number of times that creature could normal bond with said items. This bond remains as long as the items in question remain within the radius of effect, terminating when they exit the radius with no ill effect to the implanted creature (spells can be channeled through these objects regardless of distance as long as they are within the radius). All objects remain under the implanted creature direct control unless they leave the radius of the effect at which point they return to their original state. These objects also gain a fly speed of 30ft per round (perfect). The implanted creature cant order a number of animated objects to attack, move or otherwise follow a course of action up to his Charisma modifier per round as a move action.

Use:

Implanting the Cleftrock device deals 2d6 points of constitution damage to the target and takes up the amulet slot, removing the device once implanted requires a Heal check (DC 25) and causes 1d6 points of constitution drain. Without a successful Heal check, removing the device kills the implanted creature, causing their brain to rupture inside the skull from empathic feedback.

Side-effects:

Every day after implanting the Cleftrock device there is a percentage chance the side-effects kick in. This percentage begins at 5% and increased by 5% every day it remains attached. If the side-effects come into play the implanted creature must make a Will save (DC 20) or become confused as per the ‘confusion‘  spell for 10 rounds save for the following differences (see below). After 5 failed checks the implanted creature becomes permanently insane and seeks only to gain possession of more magelock forged items and return with them to the hidden location in the Borokuhn Mountains, coldly eliminating anything that threatens that goal.  Removing the device after this point automatically kills the implanted creature, however the entire device can be suppressed by a successful Dispell check or ‘antimagic‘ effect (which is likely the last refuge for a victim of this terrible device).