Inevitable

Inevitables, are a fusion of living machine and Aeon – created by the Axiomites to combat the forces of chaos, the Proteans themselves. Inevitables recognize mortal imperfection. Their goal is to nudge behavior towards lawfulness, sometimes with magical compulsion. They understand that mortals will likely never fully meet their standards, but their dedication to order remains unwavering.

Basic Information

Biological Traits

Their very appearance reflects their purpose. Crafted from stone, metal, and jewels, they resemble awe-inspiring works of art. Their booming voices, meant to command obedience, further emphasize their imposing presence. While resembling constructs, inevitables are indeed living beings, albeit not of the mortal kind. They are immune to fatigue, hunger, and disease. Their metallic bodies are forged in Mechanus, where patitioners, who solve inscribed riddles are granted the chance to become inevitables. These patitioners retain faint memories of their past lives, shaping their new personalities as guardians of order. While inevitable designs and powers varied, all share an impressive regenerative ability. They can repair most damage, as long as their core functions remained operational. However, this resilience has its limits. Weapons infused with chaos and attacks from chaotic creatures bypass their defenses and inflicted permanent damage. This vulnerability mirror their own strength – the lawful nature of inevitables empower their weapons and attacks, making them especially effective against beings of chaos.

Biological Cycle

An inevitable's destruction scatters its essence back to Mechanus, obliterating its identity. Those who retire are ceremoniously dissolved back into the plane's essence, a final act of service to the order they upheld.

Behaviour

Inevitables are not driven by emotions or self-interest. They exist solely to uphold the laws that govern reality and society. Their unwavering dedication makes them immune to bribery, but they may offer leniency in exchange for assistance against greater threats. Lacking gender and with minimal sense of self, they are the ultimate embodiment of impartial law. Despite their unwavering nature, inevitables are not immune to corruption. Exposure to chaos or possession by powerful beings can twist them into chaotic beings known as unshackled. Inevitables have little interest in forming friendships or developing a rich culture. Their relationships are strictly professional. When dealing with mortals, they may rely on local authorities, adventurers, or followers of lawful deities, unless these individuals are part of the problem or informing them would jeopardize the mission. They rarely resort to compulsion, even offering payment to those outside Mechanus hierarchy for assistance.

Unyielding in Battle

When faced with a transgressor, an inevitable focused solely on that target, ignoring all others. Their programming prioritize avoiding harm to innocents, but they view accomplices and agents of the transgressor as fair game. This can occasionally lead to conflict within their programming, forcing them to decide between pursuing the main target and defending themselves from unforeseen attacks. Despite this focus, self-preservation is not entirely absent. An inevitable under lethal attack would defend itself, and would only sacrifice itself if such a sacrifice ensured the completion of its mission. In the face of certain defeat, an inevitable would retreat and strategize a new approach.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Mechanus can track its inevitables through divination, though this power is fallible. Destroyed, rebellious, or magically shielded inevitables cannot be located. Inevitables operate within an unspoken hierarchy. Rank is determined by power, but inevitables also respect the urgency and importance of each other's missions. A powerful inevitable might even defer to a lesser one if the situation demands it. Interestingly, Axiomites exist outside this structure. Inevitables hold them in high regard and are absolutely loyal, but their relationship is more that of partners than master and servant.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Inevitables are rarely seen in large numbers on the Material Planes. They primarily operate alone, dispatched by their creators to nudge mortals back towards lawful behavior. These methods can range from gentle guidance to forceful intervention, even lethal force in extreme cases. Some inevitables return to Mechanus regularly for new orders, while others are granted broad discretion to patrol vast territories. These lawful constructs could also be found on other planes that aligned with their principles, such as the Nine Hells and Heavens. However, their pursuit of lawbreakers isn't bound by location. Inevitables can appear anywhere in the cosmos to apprehend transgressors.

Civilization and Culture

Relationship Ideals

With few exceptions, inevitables struggle to build positive relationships with other outsiders. Angels and Agathions find their rigidity off-putting, while psychopomps view their zeal and interference as disruptive. Archons and Devils may cooperate on specific tasks, but disagree on how punishment should be delivered.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Bailiff sects model the laws and order of Mechanus on the Material Plane, becoming relentless foes of anarchy, corruption, and radicalism. They pursue their goals through the seemingly mundane fields of mathematics, accounting, and legal studies. These fields, however, often yield considerable wealth, which many bailiffs (assuming they avoid corruption) reinvest into their communities. They readily cooperate with local law enforcement but take particular satisfaction in assisting inevitables in combating cosmic threats. Specific inevitables, known as maruts, are tasked with enforcing contracts signed within the Hall of Concordance. There, any being, even the notoriously deceitful Mezzofiends, can enter binding agreements. They only resort to combat as a last resort, using lethal force only when the contract dictates it or their survival is at stake.

History

The origins of the inevitables are tied to the plane of Mechanus. This neutrality was challenged by Proteans, who view Nirvana as an affront to the natural order. When a devastating planar incursion threatened to destroy Mechanus, the Axiomites, desperate to defend their creation, turned to crafting the inevitables – the first line of defense against chaos.

Geographic Distribution