i encounter the knight automatonic

I DISCOVER THE CONDITION OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC

1 - Washed ashore, covered in barnacles; seaweed-entangled limbs and sand-clogged guts (clean out inner workings)

2 - Shattered, limbs blown off in some ancient catastrophe (reassemble)

3 - Inert in coffin, chest open. Bright arcing heart in crucible (replace in chest)

4 - Bound tight in an empty vault, hung from a dangling chain (free bonds)

5 - Frozen in clear sea-ice, swimming midstroke (thaw and dry)

6 - Strapped to table, attached to lightning rod apparatus (flip switch)

7 - Buried in sand, its fine filigree circuits scoured (retrace circuit connections)

8 - Embedded in a tree, branches and undergrowth grown around its limbs (cut away plants)

I INSPECT THE CHASSIS OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC

1 - Fist sized bronze cubes, rippling like a pixelated figure. Can stack up to 20ft as climbable blocks

2 - Marble statue of a buff princeling. A valuable, attractive piece of art when motionless

3 - Etched coils of silver curls flow over each other like snakes. Can fit through small holes

4 - Brass armor like stylized flames. Immune to cold; speeds up in heat, faster until it melts

5 - Boxy green-enameled armor. Helmet plume from extinct bird. Plant & animals never attack it

6 - Head like security camera, cloaked and hooded. Bonus to stealth

7 - Golden likeness of a many-armed god. Roll twice on WEAPONRY

8 - Oxidized iron body, top heavy like Superman. Can fire six chest missiles each long rest

I ADMIRE THE WEAPONRY OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC

1 - Estoc (exploding d8)

2 - Hex wrench tetsubo (d20, loses a turn on miss)

3 - Radium broadsword (d8, glows and save vs poison radiation on hit)

4 - Rack of wakazashis in its back (2d6, always has another if disarmed or thrown away)

5 - Morningstar steam-fists (d8, rolling sends them flying)

6 - Spinning saw blade (d6, save or lose a limb)

7 - Oversized grabbing claw (bonus to grapple, crush d6)

8 - Drillbit lance (d8, odds ruin armor)

I INQUIRE THE IDENTITY OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC

1 - Rex Talionis. An iron crown on its head. It claims to have memories of a king

2 - IG-77. A bandolier across its chest. A mercenary

3 - Knight of the Cartridge. Wears a round table emblem. Has romantic fixation on member of royalty

4 - Master Nameless. A black bandana. Assassin-hunter

5 - Newer Elements of Our Defense. Face of a human soldier. Tomb guard

6 - Unknown Joshua. Childlike naivete. Plays tic-tac-toe with anyone willing

7 - Three Interlocked Pigeons. Quotes engraved excerpts of Hidden Leaves. Ronin knight

8 - Turagapadabandha. A chess knight atop its turban. Might actually be a hoax.

I HEAR THE VOICE OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC
1 - Two grinding metal disks produce one-word shrieks

2 - Resonates body and floor to speak in resounding echoes

3 - Alters shape of holes in latticed head to create a fluting voice

4 - Silent. Etch-a-Sketch face shows pictographs

5 - Only expressive whistles and pops

6 - Tinny voicebox in head. Precedes with description: “Query” “Command” etc

7 - A calm seemingly male monotone from its one pulsing eye

8 - Totally normal human voice. Ridiculously complicated workings for proper imitation

I LEARN THE MISSION OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC

1 - to enact revenge on a conquering nation

2 - to guard its sleeping masters

3 - to bear an urgent message to a foreign monarchy

4 - to map the poisoned wastes of the beastmen

5 - to recover a holy relic for its clergy

6 - to preach holy writ to the dominant heathens

7 - to activate a great weapon on behalf of a guerrilla group

8 - to ensure the prosperity of its creator’s descendants

BUT

1 - they are in hiding, a persecuted minority

2 - by all accounts they never existed

3 - that was on the other side of the world

4 - it has forgotten who they were

5 - they are rather well off now and wish to hide what it knows

6 - it appears similar to a legendary demon of theirs

7 - they have been gone for an age, but its reactivation heralds their return

8 - they were horribly cursed or mutated by an event that it caused

I PLUNDER THE WRECKAGE OF THE KNIGHT AUTOMATONIC

1 - Wind-up alarm clock

2 - Fist-sized perpetual motion machine

3 - Sample of reverse-engineerable alchemist’s fire

4 - Wiring and generator, like a janky taser

5 - Sliding puzzle key to the Pyramid Calculative

6 - Polished slate prophecy of the prehistoric serpentmen

7 - Salvageable mainspring and winding mechanism

8 - Chaos Butterfly fossil

See also: Asimov, HAL, Prehistory, Time Travel, Robots, Rip Van Winkel, Arthuriana, Chivalry, Programming, Droid concept art

BONUS: I GET TWO KNIGHTS AUTOMATONIC TO DUEL