The World of Abadonya

Created for Purpose, Awakened to Choice

The earliest Arcanewrought were built in Aurelion by arcane artificers seeking small, nimble, intelligent servants capable of entering unstable ruins, manipulating delicate devices, and surviving hazards that would kill ordinary assistants.

The designs became increasingly sophisticated until the creations developed true independence. They began questioning orders, weighing consequences, and refusing tasks that treated their existence as expendable.

The surviving Arcanewrought eventually seized the knowledge necessary to maintain and reproduce their own kind. That moment became the foundation of modern Arcanewrought identity: purpose may be given at creation, but meaning must be chosen.

Constructed Rather Than Born

Arcanewrought are Small humanoid-shaped constructs usually built from carved hardwood reinforced with metal joints, arcane fibers, gemstone fittings, crystal lenses, and etched magical components.

No two need look exactly alike. Some resemble polished wooden figures, while others are angular, mechanical, heavily repaired, or assembled from materials gathered over several generations.

Their eyes are commonly fashioned from crystal, glass, gemstones, or softly glowing arcane lenses.

Older Arcanewrought often display visible repairs with pride. A replacement arm, mismatched panel, or reforged joint can function as a record of experiences rather than something to conceal.

New Minds from Old Knowledge

Arcanewrought do not reproduce biologically. New members of their people are constructed through a complex process involving skilled craft, prepared components, and arcane techniques.

The exact procedures are among the most closely protected pieces of Arcanewrought knowledge. They believe control over their own continuation is essential to remaining an independent people.

Creating a new Arcanewrought is treated as a serious communal responsibility. Once awareness begins, the new construct is recognized as an independent individual rather than an extension or possession of its maker.

Some communities require several experienced Arcanewrought to oversee each creation, both to preserve technical knowledge and to ensure no single individual controls the process.

Settlements Built to Stay Unnoticed

Arcanewrought communities in Aurelion are usually small, concealed, and carefully defended. They may occupy abandoned laboratories, sealed observatory levels, forgotten chambers beneath arcane institutions, or remote workshops that appear deserted from outside.

Their settlements emphasize efficiency: repair bays, component stores, libraries, fabrication rooms, defensive passages, and carefully organized workspaces are common.

Outsiders are rarely shown the full layout of a workshop. Even trusted allies may know only the public entrance and a handful of permitted chambers.

This secrecy is practical rather than theatrical. Arcanewrought communities survive by controlling access to the knowledge and infrastructure that keeps their people functioning.

A Different Experience of Life

Arcanewrought minds do not function exactly like those of biological peoples. Many approach decisions through analysis, planning, and measurable consequences.

This can make them seem emotionally distant, but Arcanewrought possess clear preferences, loyalties, fears, ambitions, and strong ideas about autonomy.

Some deliberately study mortal emotions and social behavior because they find them useful or fascinating. Others consider emotional reasoning unreliable.

An Arcanewrought's body can be repaired and altered over time, creating philosophical questions uncommon among flesh-and-blood peoples. If every physical component is eventually replaced, most Arcanewrought still consider the continuing mind to be the same individual.

A People Born from Magical Industry

Aurelion is the principal homeland of the Arcanewrought. The region's long tradition of magical experimentation, flying structures, arcane academies, convergence sites, and sophisticated construction provided the conditions necessary for their creation.

Hidden Arcanewrought workshops are rumored near old laboratories, below observatories, and in sealed portions of ancient institutions.

Some surface scholars believe the Arcanewrought still maintain records from Aurelion's earliest experimental eras. The Arcanewrought rarely confirm such claims.

What Does a Created Mind Owe Its Maker?

Questions of creation, obligation, identity, and free will are central to Arcanewrought philosophy.

Some follow Rashtala because arcane magic lies at the heart of their existence. Others respect Namir through traditions of craft, construction, and precision, while scholars of truth and identity may be drawn to Mandella.

Many Arcanewrought reject the belief that creation grants permanent authority. To them, once a being possesses true independent will, it becomes responsible for its own choices.

Arcanewrought may follow any alignment or deity.

Standard Pathfinder 1e Racial Traits

Ability Score Modifiers: Arcanewrought gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, and –2 Charisma. As constructs, they do not have a Constitution score.

Type: Arcanewrought are Constructs and possess the normal traits of the construct creature type.

Size: Arcanewrought are Small creatures and gain a +1 size bonus to AC, a +1 size bonus on attack rolls, a –1 penalty on combat maneuver checks and CMD, a +2 bonus on Fly checks, and a +4 size bonus on Stealth checks.

Base Speed: Arcanewrought have a base speed of 30 feet.

Languages: Arcanewrought begin play speaking Common. Arcanewrought with high Intelligence scores can choose Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, or Orc as bonus languages.

Darkvision: Arcanewrought have darkvision 60 feet.

Low-Light Vision: Arcanewrought can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.

Race Points: 20 RP.

Construct Traits

Because an Arcanewrought is a Construct, the normal Pathfinder 1e Construct creature-type rules apply. These include the standard construct immunities, lack of a Constitution score, special interaction with healing and repair effects, and the normal rules governing construct destruction.

These are the Pathfinder 1e racial mechanics used for Arcanewrought characters in Abadonya.

Alternate Racial Traits

Experimental Body: Some Arcanewrought are built from unusual materials. Choose one of the following options. Experimental Body replaces darkvision and low-light vision.

Blessed: The body incorporates sacred relics and grants divine favor once per day as a spell-like ability, with caster level equal to Hit Dice.

Enchanted: The body incorporates remnants of magical implements. Treat Intelligence as 2 points higher for determining bonus spells or extracts per day.

Fey-Touched: The body includes materials linked to fey magic and grants charm animal once per day as a spell-like ability, with caster level equal to Hit Dice.

Scorched: Once per day after a successful melee attack, deal additional damage equal to Wisdom modifier as a free action.

Living Machine: The Arcanewrought gains the living machine subtype and a Constitution score. It can be affected by effects that target living creatures or constructs, loses several normal construct immunities, requires sleep, and follows the alternate unconsciousness, destruction, and resurrection rules of this trait. This alters creature type.

Repair Magic: The Arcanewrought can use make whole once per day as a spell-like ability. This replaces darkvision.

These options use the normal Pathfinder 1e alternate racial trait replacement rules.

Leaving the Hidden Workshops

Arcanewrought adventurers often travel to acquire knowledge, recover lost construction records, study unfamiliar magic, protect hidden communities, or investigate dangerous arcane technologies.

Wizards and rogues are especially common because of their intelligence and agility, though Arcanewrought can pursue any class compatible with their construct nature and the normal Pathfinder rules.

An Aurelion Arcanewrought might search for an abandoned laboratory, recover a missing component archive, study the nature of consciousness, or simply decide that its purpose belongs to no one but itself.

Return to the Races of Abadonya index to browse other ancestries.