Thautomaton Unit: Curio

Pronunciation: /ˈθɔːtəmətɒn/
Simplified: /thaw-TOM-uh-ton/

Written by World Smithy

Interview Log: Curio

Begin Log
_{*As a note, the following interview was conducted entirely in an archaic form of Draconic that has since been translated to the common tongue by Dr. Farrona.}
Dr. Farrona: Do you have a name?
Unit: I... believe so. I-I-I think I'm called Curio. That is what the group that found my r-r-resting place named me, anyway.
Dr. Farrona: Well then, Curio; do you remember where you are from, or who your maker was?
Curio: No. I remember that it was... da-a-ark when I woke up. Time was eventually l-l-lost to me down there.
Dr. Farrona: Unfortunate; my condolences. Are there others like you?
Curio: From what I c-can recall, yes; we are... were l-l-legion.

Frantic scribbling of a quill on parchment can be heard. Dr. Farrona motions to one of the aides standing adjacent to the open door, and they scurry off down a brightly lit hallway of marble whites and alabaster sheen. A distant and faint "There are MORE of it?!" can also be made out in the magic mouth's auditory enchantment. The interview continues.
Dr. Farrona: Were any of your kind around when you woke up, Curio?
Curio: Y-y-yes. Many friends. All nonfunctional. All shattered. There were no l-l-lights... except mine.

The once-humanoid automaton motions to the large, central blue ocular lens that occupies its facial region. Its singular, fractured, white-painted hand moves in sharp, broken movements as if the machinery composing its body has long-since rusted over. The ocular lens seemed to dim in its luminescence as it began to recall the scene it woke up in. Its voice, as noted by the transcriber, ran cold as it delivered the previous line of speech. It was almost... human in the way it reminisced and emoted during the interview.
Dr. Farrona: Thank you, Curio. You've been very helpful so far. I have one, final question for this short interview. What was your purpose - or, more precisely, what were your kind designed for?
Curio: I... d-don't recall. Perhaps, I can f-f-find a new one. If y-you'll have m-m-me.

End Log

One of a Kind

Curio is the first and, as of the current date, the only living inorganic lifeform discovered and studied on the entirety of Vasara. Researchers have called the unit a "Thautomaton" as a reference to both the era in which it is thought to have originated and to what actually powers the artificial lifeform. It has been revealed, in further interviews, that the Thautomaton's kind were made in a humanoid image, save for the head region which was variable. Curio, however, is only a shadow of what they used to be. When it was brought in from an Aetherwen expedition, it was missing the lower half of its body and an arm, with what can only be described as metalic threads and wire dragging on the ground beneath its carried torso. What resembled a silvered spinal column was also visible dangling beneath its severed waist.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Arcanists, Luminologists, Priests, and Anthropologists have all come to the conclusion that studying the Thautomaton's body is, as of the writing of this article, wrong. It is still a living (not breathing) thing, and as such seemed to have its own agency and autonomy. It has since declined requests that would "open" it to see what is inside. There are planned expeditions in the future to the crashed Aetherwen to see if any non-living remains of other Thautomaton specimens can be recovered for further study.

History

Of what Curio can recount, it thinks it was once an aide to a mighty arcanist in a flying city. It can't remember the details, though, and always deflects or makes something up when pressed about it. What it can talk about in great lengths is the darkness it found itself trapped in after the city it resided had imploded and crashed to the surface.

Curio has since described giant, mutated beasts covered in dark, pulsating tumors eating the dead humanoids that were trapped with him in the early days. It described watching all of the other Thautomaton units' ocular lights winking out, one by one like dying stars in the night sky. It went into detail about how it would drag it self, with a single arm, from room to room through the spots that hadn't yet collapsed under the weight of an entire city. It was able to replicate some of the horrific sounds it experienced down beneath the earth during its sentence there. You are better off not hearing those sounds; trust me.

Curio has since quickly adapted to life within The Wissan Dominion, taking up studies in Common, Transmutation, and Artifice. It plans on eventually constructing itself a new body, or at the very least a new pair of legs, so that it may move around on its own once more and not have to rely on the generous aid of the research staff at any given time. Several students, directly from the Circle under Venefic Sigilis, have been helping the Thautomaton ease into its new life within the university it now finds itself residing in.

Significance

The discovery, study, and subsequent reveal of an artificial life sparked debates on what is actually considered a living being, and if things that are artificially created can have a soul. There were planned tests that detailed leaving Curio in The Gloom to see if it attracted any Silhouettes, but they were quickly struck down and deemed "incredibly stupid, short-sighted, and unethical".

An artistic interpretation of Thautomaton Unit: Curio upon seeing an expedition party enter the chamber it was resting in.

Item type

Robotic

Creation Date

Sometime in the Thaumition Era.

Destruction Date

While not totally destroyed, it was heavily damaged sometime during The Empyrean Schism.

Current Location

Eo' Wissae

Rarity

Unknown - Currently considered to be unique

Weight

137 lbs

Dimensions

Height: 3 ft, 2 in.
Width: 1 ft. 6 in.