Construct

Construct
Fauna
Official Name	Construct
Common Nicknames	Magic Cloud, Seraph Remnant, Build-of-Nature
Classification	Magus
Habitat	Various
Domesticated	No
Current Status	Rare

Unnatural, magical, and unknowably ancient, Constructs are the artificial de facto guardians of ancient sites across Aloria, bound to the limits of the ruins that they have inhabited for many hundreds of years. Most lurk in the sites of lost civilizations, found most commonly in the remains of the Seraph, but not unknown in the ruins of the Allorn Empire and beyond; their appearances are in turn as varied as their creators, often shaped like no living being, unable to be communicated with, possessing only the knowledge to drive off perceived threats to themselves and their ruins. Some are only tales today, rendered extinct centuries ago, yet many more live on to threaten expeditions across Aloria.

Spring Bok

Spring Boks are commonly perceived to be proto-Yanar, or even the predecessors of the Grul-Yanar, despite their disappearance from Aloria. They were creatures that were long part of Altalar mythology, the servants of Estel in the truest sense, beings of animated nature with unknown wills. Appearing as feminine, hollowed vegetative forms grown over decades, and then animated with a green mist, Spring Boks were often found wandering the grounds around temples of Estel strewn about the Allorn Empire. When angered, they could rapidly shift their bodies into that of a monstrous, vegetation-formed stag that wielded the natural world as a weapon. Despite this threat, many were defeated by Altalar Archmages and never allowed to reform as the Altalar grew more corrupt. The Night of the Weeping Stars is thought to have rendered them completely extinct, but records of the creatures ceased in 500 BC, suggesting a death far earlier than that of the Empire. Their only remnants are supposedly fragments of unburnable wood held by ancient Altalar families that claim their origins to lie with the long-dead Constructs.

Hehlus Sphinxae

Little is known of the Hehlus Sphinxae as it was a creature of pre-Great Storm Farah’deen. Sariyd myths frequently spoke of these beings, wise beyond their years and often positioned at the feet of the great mountain ranges that dominated the inland of the arid continent. They were often approached by folk heroes and even Dragons for their knowledge and wisdom, always speaking in riddles and issuing challenges to others. They supposedly appeared as bright yellow creatures of living stone, with vast wings which would spread to practically envelop all the area around them and those that approached them. Their faces were often hidden by blinding light, but were said to be humanoid, while their bodies also featured four limbs like a feline or canine. The greatest of the Hehlus Sphinxae was named Khafarran, who supposedly taught knowledge to the ancient Sariyd leader their history named as “The First Prince.” It is often assumed that the Great Storm wiped out these Constructs, but some Songaskian tales speak of encounters with these creatures over the past four centuries. It is uncertain if these tales hold any truth or merit.

Petralyth

Perhaps the most simple of Seraph-crafted Constructs, Petralyths are snake-shaped clouds of pale grey energy that travel along the ground of Seraph ruins. Usually found as a first layer of defense, the creature is relatively small for a Construct, only about three to six feet long, though when aggravated, bright while lines will emerge from the crown of the creature’s head. These can then lash at targeted foes as it moves in to constrict a single target in its body. This effort is ideally meant to crush a victim, while the lashes are only stinging in their capacity, but it can be fought off and “cut” into parts (though it will simply take a few moments to reconnect itself). Petralyths are best known for somehow being the inspiration for the abilities of the Artifact known as Callandor, but also for being involved in the discovery of Seraphalo nearly two centuries ago.

Petratron

By far the most versatile and varied Construct, Petratrons are nebulous clouds of pale blue energy that emerge as a second layer of defense at Seraph sites, found within relatively empty chambers and lying dormant until intruders begin to move and poke at items. The cloud then manifests, and rises into the air, dragging with it black shards similar to flint, though of an unknown element. These shards are rarely used in attacks, instead shrouding the creature’s body, and capable of deflecting arrows or blasts of Magic. Instead, the Construction will take some time to “charge itself”, glowing brighter and brighter before unleashing a series of white energy blasts akin to thunder bolts at targets. It can also move through people in an aggressive way, which can shred armor and seriously scratch skin, given the cyclone of shifting shards they keep around their form. When they are defeated, they explode, pushing their shards out like a volitive porcupine which then shatter like glass, and turn into black sand within a few minutes of being expelled. They are the most common Construct encountered, and while most have only been a few feet in size, one large specimen was reportedly nearly nine feet tall and three feet wide.

Ytratron

One of the few Constructs found in ruins not of Seraph origin, the Ytratrons exist instead in the scarce remnants of the Second Civilization. Due to the rarity of Second Civilization remains, sources regarding any Ytratron are few; what is known of them is that they primarily appear to be humanoid-shaped mass of orange energy, with a lanky, slow moving form and a lowered, blob-like head, which will focus its “eye” upon any intruder it notices; its eye will then change colour almost instantly, shifting into a deep red ringed with pale yellow. They will then rapidly scramble after their target, ignoring all others, and attempt to tackle them, hugging their long limbs around them and sending a paralyzing electrical shock through their body. At the same time, the Ytratron’s form will expand and gradually cover the individual entirely while also pushing them down toward the ground. The Construct’s body will ultimately harden, and their head will have enveloped that of their target, eventually suffocating its target in the extremely tight amber-like bubble formed around their body. This substance can be shattered by those outside of it however, and to date, there is no recorded instance of a Ytratron inflicting a fatality. Though, if the Second Civilization’s ruins were intact, many wonder at what type of damage would be done.

Ovalon

Unquestionably the Construct with the least recorded information, the Ovalon is suitably also one of the rarest encountered by any explorer or adventurer. Generally recorded to be a perfect sphere of red energy that spontaneously manifests itself deep in Seraph strongholds, the object rapidly spins and covers itself in sharp, blade-like protrusions. It will then begin to fly at a chosen target, bouncing off a nearby surface if dodged and then continuing to pursue its target. How to defeat it is unclear, though one Altalar Mage supposedly froze the ball in the air and then pushed it out of the room it manifested itself in, instantly destroying it.

Patriclon

The ultimate Construct, said to have been faced only a handful of times by different Altalar Mages, the Patriclon guards the deepest levels of Seraph structures. While its exact appearance varies from encounter to encounter, it is said to look like a charybdic maw of chaos, a vast purple cloud-beast with a huge mouth and long, thin tendril-like limbs that trail behind it. Though these appendages are sometimes said to be used as gripping limbs, it is more often recorded that its mouth is used to create a strong vacuum, sucking its victims into its maw. Despite their apparent consumption, however, they are not killed immediately; those who have been saved from death by those outside defeating the Patriclon are described as having felt a sense of agonising disintegration; thus, it can be assumed that any unfortunate enough to be consumed without escape are utterly destroyed.

Trivia

• The Allorn Empire destroyed many ancient Constructs during their long reign, raiding dozens of Seraph ruins across Aloria with the Mages and Archmages who finished off these unnatural foes being highly lauded in chronicles of the nation.
• Animals such as the Vannhestia were once considered Constructs by the Altalar, but domestication by the Ailor has dispelled these beliefs.

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Accreditation
Writers HydraLana Processors MantaRey, Scribbe	Last Editor HydraLana on 05/21/2023.

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