World Forged

World Forged are metallic lifeforms, built to obey orders, yet with the energy and potential to break free from their shackles and gain true free will. This artificial life, said to be the second time in history that mortals ever crossed the threshold to godhood, an achievement only done before by Amukk.

History

It is said that when he took the position as Dwarven General of the Golden Automatons, Bhelgrum began work on the World Forged. Others debate this fact, stating other years. All that can be said for certain is that the Dwarven blacksmith by the name of Bhelgrum started a project long before it ever came to fruition: an endeavor to create life.

Bhelgrum by Jarhed

Becoming a God

The STNK Project was the public name given to the Golden Automaton's project. Bhelgrum became the General of the Golden Automatons Squad in -11, 4 years after the Orc known as Amukk began his "War of Mercy" in the quest to attain Godhood by killing the Nameless God.
Bhelgrum took this as a challenge. He had previously gone to Udai and met Amukk, and thus he now considered Amukk his rival in a way.
The General considered the idea of becoming a God to be one that he, too, could achieve.
Bhelgrum would not, however, kill a God. That was not in his wheelhouse, for he was not a combatant as much as he was a creator.

"Was it not Hadur, God of the Dwarves, that created our world? I will not be a violent beast to become a God... I will be a creator. I will build life itself with my bare hands."

— Bhelgrum

STNK

There are two known creations of the STNK Project: STNK1 and STNK2, codenamed Stinky and Stunky. Stinky, or STNK1, was finished first, though it is said that parts were gathered for Stunky initially, but that he simply took longer to make. Thus his name is in the past tense, as he was the first idea, while Stinky was the first to truly live.

STNK1 by Jarhed

There are many that claim there to be a failed prototype called STNK0 or Stonky. No one knows exactly what Stonky would be like, but this has not stopped people from theorizing.
In 448, Bhelgrum, alongside another General and Thane known as Dorbo of the Orange Phoenixes, was tasked by King Muirdris with showing off his achievements.
The STNK units were completed. Stinky and Stunky were finished, but Bhelgrum had not truly trained them, had not truly raised them. They were still in the testing stages. Still, he had no choice. Dorbo was ready to unveil his perfect soldier, Corporal Ironforge, so Bhelgrum had to compete with his own perfect soldiers.
Bhelgrum had left behind the dream of being a God for the most part, though when he began to reveal his plans his aspirations returned in a way. However, he instead had the idea that with these World Forged, no Dwarves would have to die in war again. After all, Dwarves were known for their craftsmanship and ingenuity... why could that not save their futures?

God Killers

Bhelgrum gave a rousing speech in Ironforge in 448 after Dorbo revealed Corporal Ironforge, describing the World Forged as the future of conflict, a way to prevent Dwarves from being involved in war. Then he went on to say:

World Forged by Jarhed

The World Court

The World Court is a lawmaking body in Totania, run by thirteen major species in the world. These species, as well as the codenames given to them and the Judges that represent them, are:

• Humans - Alpha


• Elves - Beta


• Dwarves - Delta


• Orcs - Gamma


• Draconians - Omega


• Mammen - Epsillon


• Nereids - Upsilon


• Ophidians - Omicron


• Kamejin - Kappa


• Gnomes - Theta


• Halflings - Zeta


• Lizardfolk - Sigma


• Korvians - Psi

In 550, when World Forged fully made their presence known in Totania as more than just prototypes, a new species was added as the fourteenth judge: a Devil with the codename of Judge Lambda.

Sentience

World Forged under the World Court's control do not get to have independent thought. It is said that the World Court controls them and forces the Forged to only obey their orders.
It is believed that the STNK units had sentience. Stinky acted on his own, with heroism and bravery. He sacrificed his life for the greater good.
Stunky, in contrast, acted with evil, killing his creator and causing chaos. This was not in his programming, yet still he did it.
Most notably in terms of sentience, however, is Oculus, a World Forged who not only betrayed the World Court, but became a rebel who fought against them.

“These are not living beings. They may seem alive, and they move and think and speak like they are… but there is no blood in a World Forged. There is nothing but a stone from our very own mountains: Thorasite. That is what powers the World Forged. They are purely artificial beings… which I have created with my bare hands. That’s right; I have reached the plane of the Gods. Worship me, if you’d like. You should.”

— Bhelgrum

Bhelgrum then instructed Stinky and Stunky to greet the crowd. Stinky did as he was asked, however Stunky faced the crowd with his first free thought, a simple question:

“Are these the lives I’m meant to protect?”

— Stunky

STNK2 by Jarhed

Stunky saw these fleshy creatures as fragile. They were mortal, easily torn apart, worn away with age. He was asked to fight his brother, Stinky, as a demonstration, and as he did, he gave a speech.

"Tell me something, brother. Why do we exist? To protect these people, whose stature, let alone purpose, is lesser than ours?
These lives we were made to protect… they’re fragile. They need us, but we don’t need them. We can break them apart, tear their lives from their weak bodies. Take the world for our own.”

— Stunky

At the end of this speech, Stunky shot a laser through Bhelgrum, killing him and fleeing. Stinky, then, was taken in by the Debt Collectors to pay off his debt to the living as the first artificial life.

Stinky and Stunky

Over the course of 448 and into 449, Stunky continued his chaos as Stinky was missing for some time. Meanwhile, Stinky was in Hell helping settle some debts.
When Stinky and the other Debt Collectors returned to Totania, led by the creation that was revealed alongside him, Corporal Ironforge, they stopped problems in Dwarven Territory only to be met by Stunky once more. He slaughtered a portion of the Debt Collectors, who had rechristened themselves as the "Death Collectors" due to their overwhelming casualty rates.

Otikul Nurdesh by Jarhed

There was only one man able to stop Stunky's rampage. The World Forged had made his way to Zephys, the capital of the Draconians, ready to destroy it.
Otikul Nurdesh, son of the Grand Wizard at the time, Echus Rhozire, wielded Capture Magic and stopped Stunky with a wave of his hand. When Stinky and the Death Collectors arrived looking for him, Otikul promised them information on Stunky, as well as a man named Tanosh who was hunting the Death Collectors.
They simply had to do one thing for Otikul: kill his father, Echus Rhozire.
Stinky worked with the Death Collectors to do so, and when they returned, Otikul led them outside Evity, a Draconian Village. Here, he let out Stunky, who attacked the Death Collectors. They were, to him, expendable. They collected death, and therefore were perfect representations of how fragile mortal life was.
However, it was with that fragility that they, particularly Stinky, were able to stand up to him. They showed the power of a life that is fleeting, how a body that knows what it is like to break is one that knows, too, what it is to heal and grow. Stunky was defeated, repenting after his defeat and saying they all deserved to keep living.

End of STNK

That was when Tanosh arrived. A large, Purple Draconian appeared from thin air, ripping the Thorasite from Stunky to fuel his plot. He wished to stop the death caused by the Debt Collectors, whom he had a grudge against since before the Corporal changed their name. Stunky and Stinky had the Thorasite to increase his power.

Corporal Ironforge by Jarhed

With the Thorasite no longer powering him, Stunky was functionally killed. Tanosh battled against the Death Collectors, but when Stinky learned of his plans, he sacrificed his own life for Tanosh and all life in Totania. Tanosh ended the life debt of the Debt Collectors and, in doing so, allowed all further World Forged to live without a debt. No one would say they owed anyone for simply living, because life was not earned. Life was simply meant to be lived.
Stinky's and Stunky's bodies, alongside Tanosh and the Thorasite to power them, were stolen by Otikul Nurdesh. Corporal Ironforge, who had been made to live as both an artificial life and a weapon similar to the STNK models, was killed as well by Otikul for being "in the way."
The Corporal is honored in memoriam as an honorary World Forged and the patron who fought for them.

The New Creator

Many other models of World Forged were made in secret over the next hundred years, though the public simply knew of STNK1 and STNK2 and were told they were failures, thus the project was "abandoned."
In truth, Bhelgrum's successor Harbek had taken up his mentor's job. He was hired by the World Court to continue the job. They had taken an interest in Bhelgrum's work and had gotten information on the STNK models from Otikul.
Thus, Harbek began on multiple lines of World Forged, coining the name because they would be forged from the wealth that lined the pockets of the World Court. Prior to this, they were simply called STNKs, but as these would be new models, they would need a general name. For Stinky was a hero, and the World Court wanted their new creations to be associated with him.

Other Models

It is unclear how many lines of World Forged were made, as the World Court likes to keep these things a secret from the general public, and it took until 548 for them to be seen anywhere outside of Stallbourne or Ironforge, however there are four that are known that Harbek created.

Harbek by Jarhed

First are the most basic models, which are sleek, easy to design, but weaker than the standard. These are BSC or Basic Models. They are the standard foot soldiers that the World Court began to employ, powerful but not very unique.
BSC models have two numbers to define them, due to how mass produced they are, so for instance B1S2C is the second unit in the first batch, with the B number being batch and the S number being the unit's section number, which is when in the batch they were made.
There are AQS, or Aquatic Standards, which are Basic Models with the additional functionality of fins to aid in swimming faster. They are used in underwater scenarios around the World Cell as well as when dealing with Nereids.
HDE or Hide units are modeled after Stinky instead, being more suited to ranged weaponry and fast attacks. They specialize in "in and out missions."
TNK or Tank units are particularly durable, strong World Forged modeled after Stunky. They are powerful, have claws which can extend from their arms, and are even bulkier than most other World Forged. They specialize in more physical tasks as well as fighting tougher foes.

The Invasion of Vitroveil

The first public appearance of the army of World Forged was in 548, to kick off the Grand Crowning, the World Court sent an army of World Forged on their first official mission: invade Vitroveil, the Lawless City.
For years, the World Court had let it remain outside its jurisdiction, and they had lured Fepar Tilrak, Marshal of the Revolution in charge of the Army of the Revolution there. Now, they decided it was time to use the World Forged, alongside Head Priest of Helle Vornush Wrakris, to take care of him.
Fepar, alongside other members of the Army of the Revolution, fought against these robots, but were unable to hold them back due both to the overwhelming power of them as well as how they did not know what they were fighting.
The first one to attack Fepar was a BSC unit named B4S1C. This unit engaged Fepar in single combat, and he managed to shock it and hit its Thorasite fragment with his blade, infused with lightning. This caused B4S1C to malfunction and be left behind.

Oculus

When the World Court took over Vitroveil and Fepar Tilrak fled, crippled, B4S1C remained unconscious. He was found by Phund Monet, a member of the Army of the Revolution who was unaware of the attack. He decided to train this World Forged to fight against the Army. He trained B4S1C to think on their own, even giving them a name instead of a designation: Oculus.
Together with Oculus, Phund intended to free the Lawless City from the World Court. Oculus was the first World Forged to break from its programming and choose something on their own, becoming a sentient individual who proved that World Forged are like all other mortals, and also bridge the gap between man and God. If man was able to make life... what was stopping them from becoming Gods? And if man could be like Gods, then World Forged could step up to be like man.

"Biological" Traits

When talking about the physical traits of a World Forged, it is often called biology. While they are living things, it is not exactly true to call World Forged biological creatures, for they are not. However, just because something is not biological does not make it any less valid as a person, and World Forged are in fact people.

Oculus by RovaRed

Bodies

The bodies of World Forged are made of Fuccium, a metal found mostly in the Jihdi Empire, particularly the mines of Suzuishan. It is nearly indestructible, and can absorb magic, with what has been observed to be about a 60% chance of doing so.
When magic is absorbed, Fuccium becomes Ascinating. What happens with this is that it turns a bright green and becomes hard enough to scratch diamonds.
With World Forged, this means that they can turn green when they absorb magic, and they are the perfect weapons to counteract mages. It is said the World Court wanted this property in specific due to how mages have taken power around the entire world. They wanted something to keep mages in check.

Thorasite

In the head of all World Forged is a chunk of Thorasite which powers them. It absorbs the light of the sun, which then bounces through the Fuccium body and powers it. The exact wiring and such required to do so is unknown.
It is with the light energy these crystals absorb that World Forged can shoot lasers at targets, the most deadly attack possible.

Height

All World Forged, save for Stunky and some TNK models, are the same height. They are made in forges with templates that fuccium is filled into. Every World Forged, then, is about 6'0" tall.

Gender

Despite often being referred to by gendered language due to the general appearance, World Forged do not have a gender necessarily. They are truly androgynous, and can identify as any gender they please if asked. The foot soldiers of the World Court are not afforded that freedom, however if asked, it is likely they would have an answer to the question.
Famously, the STNKs are referred to with male pronouns because that is how they referred to themselves. When it comes to a World Forged like Oculus, however, the preferred gender is as of yet unknown, so they are referred to without gendered terms.