Definiciones

Cost: 1 Willpower Installation Cost: 1 mote Duration: Instant Type: Simple

Minimum Intelligence: 4 Minimum Essence: 4 Prerequisite Charms: None

This Charm takes the form of an adamant ring im-planted around an Alchemical’s soulgem, inscribed with

E s s e n c e a n d W e a v i n g C h a r m s

AUXILIARY ESSENCE STORAGE

UNIT

MAN-MACHINE WEAVING

ENGINE God-Machine

Weaving Engine

hundreds of stylized Old Realm glyphs evenly spaced around the circumference. When activated by an expenditure of 1 Willpower point, the crystal rapidly spins in its socket, and a unique series of runes begin to light up. At this point, the character may spend the required Essence to initiate a single Man-Machine protocol of Alchemical weaving that she has learned. As the ring spins ever faster in the seconds it takes to shape the Essence (exactly as with Emerald Circle Sor-cery), incandescent sparks jump from the Charm into the soulgem. When the protocol activates, the soulgem flashes with a brilliant display of power, and the magic takes effect.

Once an Alchemical installs this Charm, she gains 1 dot of permanent Clarity. Furthermore, she cannot ever remove the Man-Machine Weaving Engine and can never include this Charm as part of an Array. For full details on Alchemical weaving, see pages 145-159.

G

-M

W

E

Installation Cost: 2 motes Duration: Instant

Type: Simple

Minimum Intelligence: 6 Minimum Essence: 5

Prerequisite Charms: Auxiliary Essence Storage Unit, Man-Machine Weaving Engine

This Charm fits as a larger adamant ring concentri-cally surrounding the Man-Machine Weaving Engine, similarly marked with glyphs. When activated by an ex-penditure of 2 Willpower points, both crystal rings begin turning in opposite directions, with a brilliant storm of sparks jumping between them and arcing into the Exalt’s soulgem. The Alchemical must designate a single God-Machine protocol of Alchemical weaving he knows and wishes to initiate, spending the Essence cost for that effect.

After two turns of shaping the Essence (exactly as with Sapphire Circle Sorcery), the protocol takes effect with a bright display of Essence rivaling the noonday sun.

Once an Alchemical installs this Charm, she gains 1 dot of permanent Clarity. Furthermore, she cannot ever remove the God-Machine Weaving Engine and can never include this Charm as part of an Array. For full details on Alchemical weaving, see pages 145-159.

culminate only in its retirement and cannibalization to support undamaged units. OX-229 would then have used its blades, boring tools and hammers to smash the noisy intruder to a pulverized paste. OX-229 was not a philosopher.

OX-229’s domain was Bearing Race 1 through 5,000. Of what, it did not know. Was it important? Obviously important enough that the Great Maker had appointed OX-229 to do its utmost to guard it. Redundancy was fine, but the needs of efficiency dictated that there be a minimal acceptable amount of redundancy in a system. The nature of complicated mechanisms was that they required efficiency. OX-229 could not have formulated that — it could barely recognize its self enough to report itself present during regular checkins. Yet, it understood the concept at a fundamental level, that whatever Unit OX-229 defended, it defended wholeheartedly.

Scuttling to the site of recent disruptive gremlin activity, Unit OX-229 found that the disruptions, far from having concluded, remained in full swing at its arrival. Seven gremlins of various sorts gleefully sawed and cut at the housing of Bearing Race 2,435 until Unit 229’s steel crushing claws worked their hydraulic magic on the smallest target.

And then, there were six.

OX-229 requested assistance as it crushed the tin parasite, then moved forward to engage its foes. They were a motley band, mostly service machinery and construction equipment gone rogue. OX-229 identified a crayfish-like welder, two medium cargo movers and a self-portable mill and drillpress. The other two had been twisted by the Void and the efforts of their fellow gremlins until they no longer possessed a discernable silhouette. Perhaps they had been manufactured in some defective factory in the Blight.

OX-229 didn’t care about their point of origin. It only knew that they were the ones most likely to mount powerful weapons capable of damaging a custodian, as there was little call for such firepower among non-custodial laborers.

Thus, 229’s next target was the larger of the two, and it set upon the strange gremlin with tearing claws and its terrible drills, crippling it instantly. That was when the target’s partner fired on it with the pneumatic punch. Normally, the punch drove anchors or spikes into hardened steel. Now, the spikes made fine missiles, and OX-229’s multi-legged form staggered, and its armor crumpled under the repeated hammerblows of the pneumatic launcher.

OX-229 scuttled right, pulling the spike-shooter’s line of fire back across the cluster of gremlins. Two of the malfeasors, the welder and one of the loaders, crumpled to twisted springs and bent metal under the hammer of the spiker. OX-229 charged forward and hurled itself from the top of the crippled loader unit as the fastening spikes smashed the unfortunate gremlin down to its stubby knees.

Then, the OX model was on top of its spiker-armed foe, seeking out critical joints or exposed wire conduits with its snipping claws and fanning its burner in the gunner’s sensor module. Two more spikes struck Custodian 229’s armor, one severing a coolant line in a garish smoking green spray. Then, 229’s superior close-in power triumphed, and the gun-armed gremlin crumpled under the custodian’s weight.

The custodian drew itself up, several limbs hanging limp and glowing green coolant dripping from the severed line. The light loader/lifter prepared its brutal graspers. It had little crushing strength in its grippers, but its lifting strength was incredible for its size, and if it grasped with both arms and set them to moving in opposite directions, Custodian Unit OX-229 would need immediate replacement.

So, OX-229 and the loader faced one another, the custodian damaged yet still able to fight, the loader, an inferior but undamaged combatant. Whatever had led them there?

Who won? You are here, aren’t you? OX-229’s bearing races support the revolving platform this city rests upon. Those gremlins were attempting to destroy this entire city.

It makes it seem important, doesn’t it? Though you will never hear of, this drama happens every day in a thousand places across the Great Maker. This is the toil and travail of those who keep the systems operational. By this labor and this sacrifice, all are protected. When it is important to you or endangers you, you notice the enormity of small actions. But everything that happens to us has the potential to be like unto the Great Maker, for our society is like a custodian inside his form. That is why Autochthonians