The Enders

Jump to Subpage in A Quest of Queens Table of Contents

Even the Artificer feared the Enders. He did not master them—he merely locked the door and prayed it would hold.
Scholar Orthus Fal, Introduction of A History of the Polytechnic

The Enders are ancient, colossal beings of Clockwerk design that predate all known constructs of the Artificer. Unlike their humanoid successors, the Enders are thought to originate from a material reality within the Astral Veil, raising questions about their creators and purpose. Legends describe them as primordial forces, entities capable of "remaking the world" through their vast elemental hivemind.

The unique physiology of the Enders suggests a terrifyingly advanced origin, one unrelated to mortal ingenuity. Some scholars speculate that the humanoid Clockwerk are an evolutionary offshoot of the Enders, altered over millennia to function as complementary to humankind. Others argue that the Artificer’s Clockwerk creations were an attempt to mimic or harness the Enders’ power in a controlled, less catastrophic form.

The elemental hivemind of the Enders connects them as a single entity, capable of transmuting matter on a scale that defies comprehension. This power is indiscriminate, affecting both the living and non-living, making them a threat to the fabric of existence itself.

The writings preserved in the restricted annals of the Polytechnic in Arcanum reveal that the Artificer, along with his circle, sealed the Enders in a forced slumber deep beneath the earth to prevent them from remaking the world in their image. However, their dormant state does not mean they are without influence. Subtle tremors in the earth and strange anomalies in the behavior of Clockwerk technology near sites where Enders are believed to have been buried suggest that the creatures may not be entirely dormant.

The amorality of the Enders adds to their terrifying nature. Unlike the Clockwerk, the Enders think with an entirely alien mind: to them, all is material to be transformed. If awakened, their hivemind could bring about a transformation so absolute that the very concept of life as Midworld knows it would cease to exist.

Adventure Hook

The Enders represent an eldritch threat with alien motivations. If they are prehistoric entities, the party must connect the threads of history to understand them; if they are from a realm within the Astral Veil, they must decide whether such power can ever be fully understood, and whether to use then as tools is worth the risk.

A remote mining operation near Arcanum begins to report strange vibrations and mechanical noises deep underground. The party, a group of Retainers, is hired to investigate, discovering that the miners have uncovered part of an Ender buried beneath the earth. As the dormant machine begins to stir, the party must choose between sealing it away or finding a way to destroy it—if such a thing is even possible.

What triggered the Ender’s awakening, and how far has its hivemind already reached?
Can the party prevent the mining operation from spiraling into chaos as workers succumb to the violence of suddenly sentient Clockwerk technology?
Might the party find allies or enemies among the humanoid Clockwerk, who feel the pulse of their ancient kin?

Tags: Monsters

Elektra

Lady Elspeth

Numenic Ore

Unleash Your Inner Hero