OCTOBER REWARDS 8

vamoris 

I would like to see with my own eyes a mechanical abomination eldritch or machine. Especially since they are rare on the web, but yet they do exist and I would like to have your version. ^^

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I decided to make a mechanical abomination. It isn't eldritch but it is definitely considered a mechanical abomination... To learn about it though, you need to learn about the Dryran.

Dryran, also known as Dwriybriaznm (Dry-bri-asm), Bladerunners, Leapclaws, and in the scientific community it is known as Trichododromeus (Hairy Runner). Dryran are relatives of dinosaurs and Birds and have been greatly domesticated on Urth in the same way that Horses have on Earth.

Dryran are hunters, related closely to the Velociraptor and other similar dinosaurs, they have a retractable claw that they use to hunt their prey. They can vary in size from 6 to 12 feet in height, and tend to hunt in packs where they rush their opponent and land devastating blows with their kicks. Though they do not possess a tail, they possess a strange gyroscopic organ within their bodies that allow them to maintain a position while running and moving, and because of it they tend to quickly tumble back to their feet after they fall, rarely taking damage from a tumble to the ground. This is also helped in part that their bones have no marrow within, nor are they hollow, but they possess a liquid that always shifts quickly as they move, helping to balance them. Because of this they tend to weigh twice as much as normal creatures of their size, and upon death their bones partially fracture and release this liquid around them in a puddle which gives off a scent warning other Dryran that something has killed one of them. This scent can change depending on how the creature dies and some scents tell for other Dryran to steer clear while others act as a call to arms. They possess large ears accentuated by feathers, and they can turn them with the same range of flexibility and mobility as a cat, able to hear up to 4 miles away. Their eyes are small but powerful, allowing them sight in the dark, and they possess horns on their snout which are mostly used for battle when mating and are rarely used in combat against other creatures. The thick coat of down feathers that is all over their body works similarly to hair, and is able to keep the Dryran warm even in cold environments. Combined with the strange liquid in their bones which tends to maintain a relatively warm temperature, they are able to live even in snowy locations. Dryran lay eggs in clutches of 3-6 at a time and mated pairs will protect their young for up to 1 year after they have hatched, afterward still usually allowing the young to act as part of the Dryran pack. 

Dryran are powerful hunters, often hunting smaller creatures, but working in packs to take down large prey as well. Due to the relatively small amount that they need to eat, Dryran have thrived in most environments, and it's the reason that early in the Gods wars the ancient Nemerians began taming Dryran and using them as mounts for combat. Over the years Dryran were farmed and kept as pets as well as transportation until they became a major method of travel across Urth. Dryran are incredibly loyal and are as intelligent as dogs, being able to learn many tricks and possess natural hunting instincts, but they also possess the social bonds similar to horses. Dryran are one of the most extensively studied magical creatures on Urth due to these facts, and the strange gyroscopic organs within their bodies have been used as references to create many alchemical devices, and the strange liquid within their bones is known as "Avisoleum" and is used as a fuel source due to it's strange properties with being heated in the cold and with being extremely slow burning as well as having many alchemical properties....

Which leads to the next image. 

On Urth there exist groups of people who utilize scientific  discovery in tandem with magical potions and strange elixirs to create a  new form of magic known as Alchemy. Some Alchemists further extend  their specialty to be that of engineering and in doing so they learn to  combine their magical knowhow into strange, mechanical devices with  steam and clockwork power and magical combustion engines that allow them  to make many dangerous and somewhat unstable but amazing devices. These  people have many names. Mechromancers, Mechanists, and even Steam  Engineers.

These people are creators of devices such as Mechanized Steam Suits and gravity suits, but are also the creators of devices such as the Promethean Walkers.

Within the Kingdom of Yangol, where they had created mighty machines to place themselves in states of suspended animation, they were often raided and left unprotected. This was until they developed machines and pods that could house their bodies and fight to protect them while they remained in their eternal dream state, their bodies kept alive through alchemy. Not every creature within Yangol however wished to remain in the eternal dream, and those left on the outside became raiders and defenders of the kingdom, or became mechanics whom would fix the alchemical machines as they broke down and continue their aclhemical research unimpeded by those within the dream. 

Using similar technology that created the Promethean Walkers, The Alchemists developed Promethean Hunters as well which used bodies of Dryran as their base, being upgraded and altered with strange, steam powered attachments and mechanized parts to become steam powered cyborgs. Their heads would be replaced with helmets, which house the creature's brain, and it's sensory organs as well as a large number of it's vulnerable organs such as it's heart being relocated into this area to keep it protected. Beneath the helmet is a mass of organs and alchemical processors keeping the creature alive and in a state of medicated complacency. 

Promethean hunters tend to possess many weapon attachments, such as the SA-GOF flamethrower on it's head, also known as a Dragon's Breath Cannon, which uses various alchemical substances processed within the creature using the Avisoleum in it's bones to create a napalm like substance. It's arms are replaced with two DA-Dreadnought-94 class 50 caliber rifles, which possess great range, and because of the steam powered auto loading mechanism they can be fired at incredibly swift speeds compared to many other rifles, and hold up to 8 shots at a time before needing to be reloaded. These weapons are often utilized by heavy infantry or mounted on other vehicles, however due to the Dryran's great center of gravity and heavy weight it can maintain it's balance while firing such weapons despite the recoil. The frontward ports, the four tubes along it's stomach, are used to drain excess Avioleum or other excrement and buildup within the machine, and it can be weaponized into a sichening gout of waste if needed. The tank connected below houses all of the creature's various secretions, compartmentalized into various fuels, foods, and alchemical catalysts which can be combined to change the energy types of the Flamethrower or imbue the rifles with different alchemical effects within the bullets. Because of this easily accessed tank, along with the platform on it's back where it can be controlled manually, the creatures can be used as minor mobile alchemy labs in a pinch. Though the creature is in a state of medicine induced subservience, they occasionally have their instincts return and can go rogue and attack their riders or those around them, and many are in great pain due to this horrible process they've been forced into.

Riding the back of the Promethean Hunter is a Yangolian Raider. Also known as a Mechanite, the Mechanites are a race of humanoid creature that have deviated greatly from humans due to the constant arcane and alchemical processes their bodies have undergone and they now have a dependence on alchemical technology to maintain their bodily functions. They implement steam powered technology into their bodies and use special combustion engines, to keep themselves cold despite the high temperatures of the technology within themselves. While some simply integrate this tech into themselves, others have formed a religion around it and have turned to Cryomancy to keep themselves cool. This Yangolian Raider is equipped with an alchemical combustion engine on his chest which regulates his power and allows for quick injection of various alchemical materials into his system, and can integrate immediately with other alchemical devices and attachments. The vials on his waist are no doubt catalysts that he can add to his engine to quickly grant him enhanced abilities. His face is attached to a harness of various mechanical devices which allow him to breathe and eat without needing to actually do so, having various food and air filtered into his system from another device somewhere within him. He possesses goggles that can zoom and see into all sorts of spectrums, including the ethereal plane of ghosts, and it connects to a Sentinel Crown, which the people of Yangol use to control Promethean units as well as connect them to the central system hub of communication. Though they don't have the same connection as the rich do, able to live in the eternal dream, they use the system to get maintenance updates and keep the kingdom prospering and finding new creatures to make into alchemical cyborgs. The handgun he is wielding is a SP 100 basic handgun, the most common kind of handgun on Urth.

Finally with the Yangolian Raider, we have a Yangolian Servitor. Also known as the mindless, the followers, or an Alchemical Dreg. The Dregs live a pitiful existence as they are horribly abused humans whom have been lobotomized and had all of their humanity stripped away from them. Equipped with modified Sentinel crowns that have replaced half of their brains after the tops of their heads have been cut off, These devices receive signals from the other units and it allows them to be piloted like an RC car or to be controlled by a rudimentary A.I. System. All of their sensations are eliminated and they essentially work as flesh puppets controlled by the system or the raider in charge of it. Equipped with minor steam units to keep them functioning, fed, nourished, hydrated, and medicated, they are smaller versions of the Promethean walkers essentially. Their legs are often replaced with blade like attachments which allow for all terrain travel, due to the amount of damage the first prototypes often took to their legs on the field. Some possess weapons such as the long mace like object depicted here, which is known as a Thunder Stick, which works as a bludgeon but due to the way it swiftly rotates and generates electricity it is also a taser or stun baton. The Hand Gun is a modified SP 100, which has an alchemical bandolier clip connected to her pack. This particular Dreg was designed to assist on the field and so she can't actually reload herself due to having only one arm, and so once the bullets run out she resorts to melee combat. The steam tank on her back however houses enough bullets that running out or needing to reload is often unnecessary.

Dregs are also unfortunately often times sold out of Yangol and used as living sex slaves, servants, or enforcers in other locations, and the underground sex trafficking rings are especially heinous, with many governments looking to find a way to shut these dregs down and put them out of their misery. The art of creating them is seen as taboo across all of Urth, and only considered in the most ruthless or horrible of circles. While many of the Dregs are prisoners of war, and often times young boys and girls as well as homeless people picked up off of the streets and put in this situation, there have been quite a few whom have volunteered to be a part of the Eternal dream. While some members of the aristocracy have had their brains entirely removed and placed in mechanical bodies to exist within the dream, leaving their body to the Dreg program, others have been lied to and were simply made into slaves while believing they would be made a part of the dream consciousness. This is done as punishment many times as their brain functions are essentially gone, however many times they are still alive and conscious within their minds, simply unable to do anything about their fate. Rarely does a creature ever recover from becoming a Dreg, however it is not completely impossible.