Bestiary

Long gone are the days when this copper giant carried out its duty. Presently, echoes of its past intellect reside within a shattered, barnacle-covered shell. Legend has it that Talos guarded Crete from outsiders and enforced the kingdom’s laws, which were carried with it, written on copper tablets. This ancient construct was known to circle the island thrice a day, throw boulders toward unfamiliar ships, and breathe fire on intruders. King Minos tasked Daedalus, the fabled artisan and inventor, with the improvement of Crete’s defenses. His creative genius brought forth many artifacts and marvels; Talos and the Labyrinth, however, are the only two standing to this day.

The giant’s animation is attributed to the Ichor circulating through a single vein in its body. Contrary to popular belief, Ichor — often described as an opalescent substance – was originally thought to be the blood of the gods. It’s also said that Ichor, not water, flowed in Styx, one of the five rivers crossing into and traversing the realms of the dead. Talos’ end came at the hands of the Argonauts and Medea, whose sorcery drained the giant of its Ichor and sank it into the sea.

Mythology aside, the true tale of Talos is filled with enough hubris and death for a grand Greek tragedy. In order to uncover the facts, one must go even further back: To the man named Talos and his fatal obsession. A teenage prodigy, Talos was Daedalus’ nephew and apprentice. He was such a visionary that, where others saw the spine of a fish, he saw what we came to know as the hacksaw. Thus, Talos earned both admiration and envy from his peers. Being constantly around his mentor’s lifelike statues, the young artisan was tormented by the realization that he could not surpass his master in any way. Until, one evening, while in the workshop and praying to Hephaestus, god of artisans and smiths, Talos saw a flicker of movement. The light from the furnace reflected off of the smooth surface of the statues, making them appear not just lifelike, but truly alive. The idea of giving life to matter soon begun to consume Talos, who constructed several hydraulic and pneumatic automata before becoming frustrated with how simple the constructs’ functions were. After several sleepless weeks, he traveled to Helicon and stole water from Olmeios, where the Muses bathed, thinking the blessed river of inspiration would animate his creations. And he was right; the Tass-laden water did animate the automata… but at a cost. The living statues were temperamental and violent, unable to follow instructions, dangerous even to their creator. Talos, though, would not give up. Desperate and overworked, he had an epiphany: no water would be good enough or pure enough; what he needed was Ichor, the blood of the gods. Of course, wounding a god was not an option. But there was another place where Talos could secure some Ichor: Styx. There were rumors that the famed Necyomantes of Acropolis

died and came back to life during their chthonic rituals of initiation. Talos, obsessed with his work and thinking he was destined for greatness, threw himself off the rock of Acropolis, hoping the Necyomantes would bring him back. They did not, and Daedalus was accused and convicted for pushing him over in a fit of envy.

Exiled from Athens, the artisan sought refuge in Crete and entered King Minos’ service. But dreams of Talos and his living automata plagued him and would not let him rest. Talos’ soul would not rest either. One day, his pupil’s wraith appeared to him. Artisan and spirit labored together to realize Talos’ vision of a sentient automaton. They built a giant out of copper, and then used Ichor from the River Styx to animate it. Because Styx was a river of truth and oath-keeping, the giant’s temperament remained mild, protective, and obedient. Daedalus named it Talos in memory of his nephew, and purposefully gave it a flaw in case the automaton ever became dangerous: a large nail sealed the vein through which Ichor flowed — a nail that, if removed, would release the precious liquid and disable Talos. Daedalus was not simply being proactive, though; having seen his nephew’s hubris, he built flaws into all his creations to make sure he would always remember to remain humble.

Presently, Talos’ remains were recovered from the depths

of the sea, and are being studied by the Utopian Etherite Dr. Makrygiannakis and his PhD students at the University of Crete. Rumors of this academic endeavor, however, have reached a local Amalgam, the Iteration X members of which are exceedingly interested in getting their hands on Talos. Supposing they succeed, scanning and analyzing the automaton will leave them perplexed at the huge flaw in an otherwise flawless machine. Temperance is an old lesson, and it’s one that many a young artisan has failed to learn.

Attributes: Strength 10, Dexterity 3, Stamina 10, Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 4, Perception 6, Intelligence 4, Wits 3

Abilities: Alertness 4, Athletics (rock throwing) 4, Brawl 3

Willpower: 6

Health Levels: OK, OK, OK, OK, ‒1, ‒1, ‒1, ‒1, ‒2, ‒2, ‒2, , ‒5, ‒5, Disabled

Armor Rating: 6 (16 soak dice, total)

Powers: Fire Blast for 5 dice aggravated damage that continues to inflict 1 level of lethal damage per turn until washed off; also throws rocks for Strength + 2, lethal damage.

Image: Smaller than his legend but far larger than a man, Talos stands roughly eight meters tall and features the sublime