Keng
Keng was a mechanical automaton built by the Meckros, famous “mechanicians and artificers” of huge ‘floating cities’,[1] to be an eternal guardian of an unnamed Meckros floating city located somewhere in the middle of the ocean between the continents of Genabackis and Quon Tali. This unnatural, seemly armoured, creature was constructed entirely of metal, rusty and dented, whose ‘face’ was a contoured metallic mask. Keng was armed with two wicked-looking blades and spoke in a “screeching, scraping voice, as of metal snagging on metal”.[2]
Deadhouse Landing
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The Tempest – a corsair vessel carrying Kallor and his minion, Lars Jindrift, as passengers – had moored at the piers of the Meckros city, where it was met by an armed force of men and women plus Keng. The guardian automaton, recognizing Kallor from a previous disastrous visit long in the past, told Kallor that he was “not welcome here among the Meckros”. Joining Keng, a Meckros city elder arrived upon the scene to deal with Kallor. After reluctantly agreeing to resupply the Tempest – in exchange for Kallor not destroying the city – the city elder left, leaving Keng and the armed force to keep an eye on Kallor until both Kallor and the ship had safely sailed away.[3]
Quotes
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“The eerie creature, Keng, remained; immobile, watchful, its inner mechanisms whirring.“
- ―Keng keeping watch over Kallor as the Tempest was resupplied with food and water.
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There are clear resemblances between Keng and the similar mechanical automaton, Veng – in its original form, which had been a guardian upon the Meckros floating city of Ambajenad. Veng made an appearance in Ian C. Esslemont’s book, Blood and Bone. It was not apparent if such manufactured “creatures” were common, or not, on Meckros cities in general.[4]
Notes and references
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