Brassguard

Utility

Brassguard are simple, tireless automata, typically in the form of a bipedal humanoid. Unlike Talus, they do not possess their own identity or agency, but have proven adept at carrying out basic commands, display an uncanny level of situational awareness and adaptability. They are most commonly assigned routine tasks with simple directives, acting as sentries or patrolmen in their most common usage. Most cities, noble estates and guild company properties have at least a few brassguard on hand to supplement organic soldiers. As brassguard cannon be ensorcelled and are incapable of perceiving glamour, they prove adept at countering Similherez and Faerie opponents. As a result, they excel at detection and are more difficult to subvert than bribable guards. However, like Talus before them, they lack nuance and social awareness in carrying out their tasks, which they adhere to with single minded determination.
Other brassguard are repurposed for other tasks, serving as sparring partners, carrying out simple household chores or even farmwork. Exceptionally complex units can be used as frontline soldiers or assassins.

Manufacturing

Brassguard are largely constructed in a few major production centers across Alvez, most notably Gwened in Letha, Rotomagus in La Manche, Samarobriva in the Cloth Cities and La Citta Gigliata and Balzana, both in the Golden Sea.
Brassguard, as their name suggests, are typically constructed with brass, but other materials are used for specialized parts. For the most part, all the gears, pistons and plates making up the brassgaurd are made and assembled by hand in specialty forges. Outside of the major production centers, tinkerers and smiths with access to specialized materials and training may alter and repurpose brassguard on a per-unit basis in specialized cottage industries.
Brassguard are animated by a specialized mixture of Tanfoeltr and Ichor, the scarcity of the latter that makes it difficult for independent manufacturers to break into the guild-controlled market.

Social Impact

As their ubiquity has increased from oddities to facts of life, Brassgaurd have made their impact, especially on the upper classes, which view them as symbols of wealth and social status. A "proper" Gallian or Anjevin noble is expected to have at least one brassguard at their disposal.
Brassguard are effective guards and patrolmen, adding physical and anti-magical security to assigned targets. However, their single minded dedication to carrying out their assigned tasks can lead to tragedy as a result of their heavy-handed tactics and lack of social awareness. More than one innocent has been cut down in a crowded marketplace or fencing demonstration with an improperly supervised model.

Access & Availability

Since the opening of Talus' crypt, the Brassguard have slowly, but surely gone from legendary artifacts to eccentric curiosities to common occurrences. Although they have become relatively commonplace, they remain exceptionally expensive to create and maintain, with the majority of Brassguard owned by wealthy nobles or merchant guildmasters. Most brassguard are created on commission, although templates now exist to quickly and (comparatively) cheaply produce the basic models.
The ever shifting fortunes of those in power and the continued development of the Brassguard sometimes leads to the technology finding its way into reclamation ownership, with stolen or recycled units finding their way into the possession of poor woodcutters, small hamlets and ramshackle Sparkcatchers.

Complexity

The mechanics behind the Brassguard is extraordinarily complex and well guarded, with production a jealously kept secret in the few industries with the knowledge and resources to create them. With some exceptions, it has proven virtually impossible for an outsider without these long-held resources from creating a working brassguard at the level of those already on the market.

Discovery

The Iron Knight

The precursor to the Brassguard, from whom the technology largely is derived, was Talus, the Iron Knight, a hero of the 4th Century. His origins are a mystery, but there are numerous theories, such as being part of a secret mechanical army deep within the ruins of the The Empire of Tarif or falling through an Oristal Bleed from another realm of reality entirely. None of these theories have ever been confirmed.
Talus first appeared on The Armorican Peninsula, a traveling companion to the Eladan Princet Muldumarec Artegall. Talus joined Muldumarec during their time as a knight errant, and fought in the Black Dog War as part of the Alliance of the Brekilien. Talus was defeated in 395 SI by Prince Conomor the Cursed during the sack of Gwened, his life-giving ichor drained from a fatal strike to the leg. His remains were secured by Samson of Dol, a Perfect of the Faith who sought to give the metal warrior a hero's burial in the necropolis of Boismoreau in Gwened

The Palace of Brass

Talus's rest was disturbed during the Lethan Civil War of 780 SI. Seeking an edge against his rival Gurvand I, Paskweten I, Kont of Gwened, ordered the Iron Knight's sepulcher opened to build an army of tireless automata. Neither Paskwaten, nor his successor Alan I were successful in this endeavor, but the seal was broken. Numerous pieces of Talus were robbed during the Fomorian Interegnum, and smuggled out of Letha.
In the 860s, Dug Konan "The Crooked" I saw an opportunity in the House of Brass, and quickly moved to stem the tide of smuggled relics out of the region. Konan's agents seized control of the Necropolis and began to research the remains of the automata in depth, producing the first Brassguard to serve in The Poisoner's Game, Konan's decades long plot against the House of Naoned.
By the 11th Century, Brassguard had been produced in several locations outside of Gwened, growing increasingly sophisticated and complex with each passing generation, but never reaching the true autonomy of their ancestor. The Brassguard saw their first major battle during the Heresy of Albi, first in Tolosa and Southern Arle against heretical forces, then in Letha, when both sides of the conflict deployed them for special missions.
By the 13th Century, the Brassguard are commonly found in the elite guard of nobles, the Church and major cities across the world, but had also begun to be created for other purposes, such as martial training, household chores, courier runs and even assassinations.

Related Species

• Babewyn