Physical Characteristics
The Awakened are a people of clay and clockwork instead of flesh and blood. The bodies of the first Awakened were designed to serve a particular function: bulky miners, nimble pilots, warded soldiers, etc. The design of modern Awakened is not so utilitarian, and generally reflects the aesthetic tastes of their Family. They are humanoid sculptures of unmatched technical quality. That said, many designs retain the gizmos and gadgets of their forebears.
Natural Habitat
Awakened, as a species, do not have any one homeland. They tend to prefer cities and industrial towns, where fuel is readily available. Small independent communities have been established in regions inhospitable to most organics.
Procreation
There is no guaranteeing a given golem will develop the Spark of Life that defines the Awakened. The age of the golem, and the skill of its sculptors, are both contributing factors, but even the Awakened Families cannot be certain. Modern communities have developed techniques to increase these odds. Each Family’s practices are unique, but they generally involve would-be parents, working in teams of three or more, practicing their skills on simpler automatons before tackling the complexity of a potential child.
Special Abilities
Every Awakened is different, and their diversity of form is only limited by the skill and imagination of their sculptors. Most are liable to be equipped with a handful of useful tools and enchantments. Awakened do not need to eat, breath or sleep, and they are immune to all venom and poisons. They can shut off their pain receptors and any of their senses. The only way to properly kill them is to damage their head beyond repair.
Weaknesses
Awakened bodies do not naturally heal and must be repaired by hand. All Awakened require a certain fuel source to keep running, be it coal, potions, a wound mainspring, etc. As they run low on fuel, their body shuts off non-essential functions. The first thing to go is always their glamour, followed by their fine motor control, magic and, ultimately, gross motor control. An Awakened that has entirely shut down will need to be manually restarted, and fast. Long periods of deactivation are hazardous to the body and mind.
Culture
The first Awakened communities formed around the factories or workshops where they were born. However, the modern Families were formed by individuals from various backgrounds that gathered into nomadic groups. As they expanded, portions of these Families settled in different cities, forming neighborhoods that can be found throughout Avonlea. At this point, most Awakened are members of at least one Family. Families tend to be anarchistic in structure, relying on mutual aid to support their members. Within a single community, major decisions are made using a form of consensus-based discussion. The perspective of elders is given great social weight. When the time comes for decisions to be made that will affect all Family members across Avonlea, each community sends representatives to a reunion summit. Similar summits are held when multiple Families must weigh in on a topic. Each Family has a unique history, philosophy and set of traditions. The most contentious point of disagreement is the matter of “failed” offspring. Some keep them within their Family, treating them with as much dignity and bodily autonomy as any other member. Others sell them as service golems, on the condition that they be returned if a Spark develops. Heated as these debates can be, there has never been a feud in the history of the Families. Most communities must trade with their organic neighbors to obtain fuel. These relationships can be mutually beneficial, or openly hostile, depending on the region. Among the Awakened, there is a branch of metaphysical philosophers called Daydreamers, who spend their time pondering the nature of their creation. Their theories are elaborate and difficult to explain to outsiders. Practitioners often develop a heightened connection to the mana of the universe, although the Tower has officially dismissed it as meaningless esoterica.
History
Magical constructs have been around for millennia, but the Awakened only emerged after the Fall, when unsheltered survivors, first arriving in the Old World, turned to the labor of golems to build their new cities. Over time, many of these constructs developed new skills and personality traits. Eventually, some of them started speaking for themselves. Opportunists turned general surprise into fear and hatred. The golem workshops were shuttered, their craftmasters burned, and the first Awakened fled to safer regions. Over the millennia, the opportunists’ stories continued, conflating this emergence of new life with the Fall construct that had wrought so much death. Modern Awakened live side-by-side with organics, often relying on them for access to fuel. Fearing the consequences of such dependence, more than one Family has established a self-sustaining community far from prying eyes. The Awakened continue to be seen as a small, insignificant minority by the organic-led government and Tower. To the few that are paying attention, this conclusion seems less and less accurate every day.