Warforged of Perradin
The Warforged were first devised sometime in the 15th century by The Didacy. While the credit for their creation was at one point attributed to Didact Victus I, it is widely assumed now that the technology and magic used to create Warforged was a joint effort between many parties. Built of metal, wood, and alloys of immense complexity, Warforged are capable of apparently indefinitely long life, only dying from external causes.
As the surviving histories claim, the Warforged were created for a war of conquest against the Final Kingdom in 1501. The ensuing war lasted until 1507 when the Queen of the Starfall brought the moon Velnor down upon Perradin, destroying the entire Domain of the Didacy in southern Sinderlan. In the aftermath, the surviving Warforged scattered across Sinderlan, searching for a purpose. Today, Warforged mainly operate within the Didacian Consulate, sticking close to the Didacy to maintain their aging bodies and finding purpose in the long-destroyed land they hailed from over seven millennia prior.
Basic Information
Anatomy
The standard model Warforged consisted of alloy sheets, hardwood, and plates of metal surrounding an apparatus of clockwork. Inside their heads is a seating for a Soul Cloister. Their mouths, while hinged and openable, were not required to open for speech. They contained various compartments in their limbs and chest cavities for equipment and personal effects. Some were capable of imbedded weapons, such as swords emerging from their forearms. Warforged imbued with magic always cast their spells with a faint orange aura. Many spells used today were developed by Warforged, but do not bear this aura.
Non-standard models, produced later in the War, were far more varied. Experimentation in form and function yielded siege-capable Warforged, such as the Titan. Later advancements rumor that Colossi were built to destroy cities. Tales of their deployment are lost, as they left no survivors and other Warforged did not convey their accounts before their memories were lost. Many such models were secreted away and hidden after the war as stipulations laid down by the Treaty of Throne.
Other humanoid models were also made, some capable of strange feats. Some models indicate experimentation in materials used in construction, as well as expanded views of their combat limitations with examples of blood-filled Warforged to be used as Blood Hunters or porcelain Warforged used for swift agile combat.
Biological Traits
Warforged do not appear to age in any meaningful way. They are, however, susceptible to wear and tear and can be killed through severe damage to their Soul Cloisters. A Soul Cloister removed from a body appears to be fully aware of its surroundings and can be inserted into a vacant Warforged body.
If a Warforged is killed by the destruction or heavy damage to its Soul Cloister, it cannot under any circumstances be revived. Scholars and healers are unable to determine why this is, but speculate that the soul is destroyed in the process or removed from any plane accessible by mortals.
Civilization and Culture
History
Warforged history is unique, as the same Warforged alive today are the original ones created over 7000 years ago, with no way of reproducing or constructing more. They have, over the millennia, developed a strong sense of identity and connection with one another.
Creation
Conceptualized by the greatest minds of the Didacy, the Warforged, as the histories tell it, were meant to be the ultimate advancement in warfare and potentially the solution to mortality itself. Knowledge on their development is lost, but due to recently-recovered information, the end result of the project was the Anvil of Emptiness, the Hammer of Souls, and the Soul Cloisters which were used to convert sapient volunteers into Warforged bodies. Volunteers were placed upon the Anvil and their souls were converted into Soul Cloisters. Every volunteer was recorded in the Tome of the Liberated, which by the end of the War of the Starfall contained over 6,000,000 names. The first humanoid Warforged was Warforged 2, who served as a role model and prime example of the ideals of the Didacy. What records remain seem to indicate that Warforged 2 played a large role in convincing others to go through the process before the war began. Immolate, whose origins remain unknown, later became a central leader of the Didacy and close personal assistant to the Didact.War of the Starfall
In 1501, Didact Victus I declared war on the Final Kingdom, and unleashed the first wave of Warforged soldiers onto the battlefield. However, the initial wave was pushed back by a massive force of Kingdom soldiers in the neutral areas of the Snowmelt Basin. Here, thousands of Warforged perished in the opening weeks. The Snowmelt Basin became the primary combat zone for the next six years. Throughout the war, records show that the Didacy ramped up Warforged production to a staggering degree. By the final days of the war, it is estimated that nearly 5,000 new Warforged were being created daily. In 1507, during a surprise offensive led by Didact Victus I on the Kingdom town of Scepter, the Queen of the Starfall ended the war by bringing the moon Velnor down onto the Didacy's territory. It is estimated that 80% of all Warforged on Perradin were killed that day, leaving somewhere between 750,000-900,000 left in reserves on Greenwave, inside Kingdom territory, or on the sea at the time. Numbers are difficult to ascertain as Warforged suicide massively spiked in the days and weeks following the Starfall. As part of the Treaty of Scepter, the Didacy agreed to permanently cease all production of Warforged and only teach methods of repair to a small circle of certified individuals.Postwar Aftermath
After the war, the surviving Warforged struggled to find purpose. Warforged 2 led a contingency of veterans and Didacy citizens into the newly formed Stargash Crater where they began settling. On the island of Obsidian, the Basillica of the Fallen Moon was constructed to honor the Warforged who perished in the war. Forgotten by many by the 91st century, the lower levels contained the broken bodies of many Warforged, several Soul Cloisters of Warforged who wished to rest, and the Anvil of Emptiness and the Hammer of Souls, now viewed as profane and evil. Smaller numbers of Warforged ventured north, joining the Hrim Expedition. Others were said to have sailed into the Roil in one last act of defiance. Some even settled in small communities in the Kingdom for a time. It is theorized that some made their way to the Free Cities, but it is unknown what became of them. Some Warforged attempted to immigrate to the Isle of Ren, which led to the War of Kerro's Ear in 2022 in which a large group of Warforged refugees committed suicide after being captured by Giff wanting to add them to their technological arsenal. Many later joined the Didacian Consulate which officially broke away from the Didacy in 3434, several returning to the Stargash Crater for the first time in millennia. In 3440, the Consulate created the Office of Warforged Preservation which aimed at providing access to repairs at the Didacy and ensuring their comfort after centuries of trauma.Fading Memories
Warforged survivors did not enjoy speaking of the War, and as such much of their perspective on events is lost to time. As the millennia continued, Warforged spent their time finding ways to contribute to society or themselves, usually preferring to keep a low profile. Over time, however, Warforged gradually began dying from various causes. Violence, the leading cause, came from those who continued to be active in combat. Others were killed in accidents. Some even killed by poor maintenance practices or lack of availability of those skilled enough to repair major damage, especially to Soul Cloisters. In the 66th century, many Warforged began experiencing gradual memory loss of their oldest memories from before being converted to Warforged. These memory losses became widespread, and it became clear that Warforged memory cannot last longer than roughly 5000 years. By the end of the century, all memories of their past lives and the War of the Starfall had faded away. After many centuries of memory loss, many Warforged began exhibiting drastic personality drift as formative memories ceased to exist.Modern Day
In the 91st century, the official Consulate census states that 30,000 Warforged are citizens. Many, still active, are viewed as friends and peers, but also simultaneously as living ghosts as their oldest memories slip away each day. Other nations report having a significantly small number of Warforged as a minority population, many choosing to live alone. Repair knowledge for Warforged is a fading skill after Didact Cassius III eliminated the department in the 90th century. The Consulate, through its still robust Office of Warforged Preservation, provides aid to any Warforged who requests it. It is believed by many Consulate experts that, with current trends, that the Warforged may become extinct by the year 10,000 if the Didacy cannot rediscover the techniques for long term repair and Soul Cloister maintenance. Very few outside of the Consulate have seen a Warforged in their life, especially outside of border regions with the Consulate. Southern Kingdom citizens will sometimes catch glimpses of them, while those in the north only know them by reputation. Outside of Sinderlan, they are exceptionally rare. Citizens of the Free Cities who have seen them are awestruck by their mere existence, powered by magic and technologies that are lost. The only Warforged they are truly aware of is Warforged 2, a major historical figure who negotiated the global creation of the Teleportation Network and the Sending Stone Network.Recent Rediscoveries
The adventuring group known as the Partycrashers unsealed the long-forgotten tomb on Obsidian which housed the Anvil of Emptiness and the Hammer of Souls in Dying Light 9047. There, they encountered a necromantic creature known as the Keeper who told them that the place was built to house the "prisoner" and "those who had been betrayed," but appeared to be unable to elaborate further. Throden Lowaan and Miloš later came into the possession of the Hammer of Souls. After reporting their findings to Immolate, he explained his perspective of the Warforged existence: The Hammer and Anvil work together to completely destroy and break down the soul of a sapient being, after which a copy is made within an empty Soul Cloister. The process and the artifacts, according to Immolate, was viewed as an atrocity when the truth came to light and were sealed away to never be used again.
Origin/Ancestry
Created upon the Anvil of Emptiness and Hammer of Souls
Lifespan
Indefinite with proper maintenance (speculated)
Average Height
6ft
Average Weight
450lbs
Geographic Distribution
Related Technologies
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