Many-Armed Sage (Alchemist) by WargamesCrew

Description

I made the acquaintance of Mahadev, called the Many-Armed Sage, within a courtyard that smelled faintly of ash and sandalwood. He is a tall, gaunt elder, his frame wrapped in layered cloth and crowned with an enormous turban that seems almost architectural in its construction. His face remains hidden behind a smooth mask, devoid of expression, yet his presence is anything but cold. From behind his back extend several delicate mechanical limbs, folded neatly like the limbs of a resting insect—until they move, at which point their precision becomes unsettlingly graceful. Mahadev belongs to the Rakta-Sutra Artificers, a caste that treats transformation not as study, but as creation. In his presence, elements do not behave as they should. Flame coils instead of rising, metal softens without heat, and liquids gather as if listening. I observed him idly shaping a small construct while speaking to me, as one might absentmindedly carve wood. When I remarked upon it, he chuckled softly and said, “If it screams, then I have overworked the mixture.” Despite his gentle tone, his work is anything but benign. The Artificers are granted rare freedom, and in return they offer their creations to the engines of war. Among these are great leonine constructs—beasts of terrible elegance—that I am told can tear through ranks as easily as silk. Mahadev himself walks the front lines when required, carrying with him vials and devices whose effects I hesitate to describe in full. I have seen armor…