Gremlin

Biodata

Background and History

Gremlins originated in the Black Forest region during the early Industrial Revolution. They absorb the aetheric ripples produced by operating machinery rather than eating flesh. Drawn especially to brass, steel, and steam-powered devices, they steal industrial parts to build large, functionless Mechanical Shrines underground 25.

A pack operating beneath London's West India Docks stole materials from a warehouse and built a shrine in the sewer system. Four missing Night Watchers were confirmed dead; three had been modified into Mechanical Wraiths. Lin Jie and Sergeant William destroyed nine Gremlins, recovered materials from the nest, and withdrew rather than confront the larger pack and its Artisan Leader 27 29 31.

Appearance

Gremlins are small, ape-like creatures described in the warehouse as mechanical monkeys 25 30.

• Crystal lenses in their heads glow while they are alive and lose their light after death 26 30.
• Metallic bones are hard but lightweight; their muscles resemble intertwined rubber fibers 30.
• Machine-oil-scented dark liquid flows through their bodies instead of blood 30.
• Jointed metal claws can manipulate and dismantle mechanical parts 25 30.

Behavior and Social Structure

• Packs have a strict hierarchy headed by an Artisan Leader, the largest and most intelligent member. The dock pack's leader was nearly twice the size of its kin 25 29.
• Construction centers on a Mechanical Shrine assembled from stolen machinery and scrap. The dock shrine stood over ten meters tall 25 29.
• Mechanical Wraiths at the dock nest were made from the modified bodies of three Night Watchers. Their trapped souls and clockwork parts made them dangerous guards 27 28.

Abilities and Weaknesses

Mechanical Curse

A Gremlin's presence creates a negative aetheric field that disrupts precision machinery 25.

• Prolonged occupation increases firearm jams, steam-valve failures, and clock stoppages in the area 25.
• Provocation intensifies the effect and can render a gun unusable. Its influence has a limited range: William fired successfully at Gremlins far enough away from him 25 26.

Agility and Senses

• Gremlins climb and move stealthily through complex spaces, and are highly sensitive to sound and changes in light 25.
• An individual has limited combat strength, but a swarm can overwhelm a target 25 29.

Repulsion

• Continuous rhythmic sounds, including ticking and music-box melodies, cause mental interference and agitation. Lin Jie's team used ordered noise to drive a warehouse pack toward its sewer entrance 25 26.
• Gremlins also fear pure, intense light. Repelling them does not necessarily eliminate a pack or its nest 25.

Materials

• Claws and crystal lenses — recoverable from Gremlin bodies; the claws are valued for small, precise tools and trap components 30.
• Spiritually infiltrated machinery — objects affected by the pack's collective will can become supernatural materials. Parts from dismantled music boxes and alarm clocks were found in the dock nest 30.
• Chaos Brass and Void Rubber — materials recovered from the Mechanical Shrine. Gremlin-influenced Chaos Brass was later used to turn the Mechanical Curse into a directed effect in Lin Jie's Spellbreaker Bracer 30 31 33 34.