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Fauna, Companions & Familiars
15.1 Domesticated Species
| Species | Role | Bond Type |
|---|---|---|
| Steam-Mice | Workshop assistants; test miniature prototypes by running through gear mazes. | Practical - fed and housed, no magical bond. |
| Clock-Owls | Messenger carriers and nocturnal scouts. Feather patterns resemble gear teeth. | Semi-bonded - trained from hatching, loyal to their handler. |
| Aether-Fireflies | Living light sources; their glow-dust is harvested for lanterns. Swarms are kept in crystal terrariums. | Symbiotic - Gnomes provide crystal-dust feed; fireflies provide illumination. |
| Cog-Hounds | Compact, stocky dogs bred for guarding workshops and detecting gas leaks via scent. | Loyal companion bond; families keep them as pets and protectors. |
15.2 Wild Fauna
| Species | Habitat | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| Stone-Beetles | Ironspine Mountains ore veins | Exoskeletons yield Titanium-Weave; considered sacred by miners. |
| Aether-Serpents | Deep caverns beneath the Reservoir | Rarely seen; believed to be guardians of raw Aether deposits. |
| Gear-Foxes | Verdant Lowlands brush | Clever scavengers known for stealing small tools; featured in Gnomish fables as trickster figures. |
| Crystal-Stags | Crystal-Glen deep forest | Antlers contain crystallized Aether; hunting is strictly forbidden by the Order of the Green Gear. |
15.3 Familiars & Magical Companions
Some Gnomish Chronomancers and senior Artificers form Resonance Bonds with specially crafted Familiar Automatons - small clockwork creatures imbued with a fragment of their creator's Arcane Conductivity. These familiars can:
- Relay sensory information to their bonded Gnome.
- Perform simple tasks autonomously within a 500-ft range.
- Serve as emergency Aether batteries, channeling stored energy to their creator in moments of need.
The most common familiar forms are Gear-Spiders (eight-legged scouts), Cog-Birds (aerial reconnaissance), and Spring-Cats (agile, silent infiltrators).