Livrite

The Livrites stand as a race like no other, shrouded in mystery and complexity. Created by the master of clockwork magics, Nevelle, during the tumultuous days of the Mage Wars, these magical constructs emerged as tiny, delicate entities, no larger than a mayfly. Nevelle's intent was nothing short of extraordinary - to reanimate the deceased without the need for the complex and rare divine magics that had been the sole path to such restoration.
These tiny beings, known as Livrite machines, individually appeared frail and underwhelming, but it was in their swarming numbers that their true potential lay. In Nevelle's hopes, these swarms, resembling pools of quicksilver, would revive the recently deceased, breathing life into the fallen and rekindling their existence.
However, when swarms of Livrite machines were unleashed upon the battlefields of the Mage Wars, the outcomes were far from what Nevelle had anticipated. Rather than merely reviving the deceased, the Livrites embarked on a transformative process that saw them rebuild corpses. They cannibalized their own bodies and nearby inorganic resources, crafting new limbs, organs, and inorganic blood, bones, and tissues. The fallen, as a result, rose once more with renewed vitality, yet Nevelle's elation soon turned to sorrow.
The tragic flaw in the Livrite's method of reanimation became apparent - while they indeed brought the dead back to life, it was a life without memory or a connection to their former selves. The resurrected had lost all recollection of their past lives, emerging as entirely new entities. The most these revived individuals could hope for were fragmented memories and distant dreams of their former existences.
Nevelle found himself torn. He considered the Livrites a failed experiment, yet he couldn't bring himself to abandon or destroy his creations. After all, he saw them as his own children, albeit imperfect ones. In the centuries since Nevelle's passing, the Livrites have evolved into a distinct race, marked by their peculiar nature and identity.
Sterile and unable to reproduce through conventional means, Nevelle granted their leaders the knowledge to create more Livrites through a morbid ritual. This ritual involves the production of new Livrite machines within their own bodies, which can then be used to transform a recently deceased humanoid into a Livrite. Although this method offers a means of ensuring their race's continuity, it's a process both time-consuming and energy-draining, not to mention controversial. Some Livrite elders believe it's their right to steal the dead and forcibly transform them into Livrites, while others argue for a more ethical approach, leading to a significant schism within Livrite society.
Livrites are a distinctive blend of flesh, metal, stone, machinery, and magic, their blood a curious blue-green substance containing traces of copper. They often sport unusual inorganic limbs, eyes, or other features, making each one unique. While their humanoid forms vary widely, most tend to be human-like. Born as fully functional adults with no memories of their past lives, Livrites often exhibit limited outward emotions and struggle with interactions with organic beings. They are perceived by many as cold, calculating, and pragmatic, and some who recognize fallen friends or loved ones have even labeled them as monsters or abominations. The most poignant aspect is the Livrites who dream of their former lives, torn between their past selves and their existence as Livrites.