Rialsa is a kingdom on the coast, blessed with artificers and mechanical engineers who can build the most wondrous things. Powered by imagination and magic, the people of Rialsa are used to seeing the oddest of creations wandering down the Main Street of the capital or meandering along in the countryside.

Lately, though, a more malevolent tone has been struck among the creations. No one knows who’s made the creature, but it started with thievery and moved on to assault and most recently escalated into murder.

The people of the capital in Rialsa are desperate to secure aid against the rising darkness. The Queen has considered forbidding artificers and engineers to work on their mechanical wonders, but the truth is that every citizen is dependent on the normally very helpful mechanical wonders that the artificers provide.

Suspicion is raising its ugly head and one unfortunate engineer has already had her workshop burnt to the ground.

The Queen of Rialsa, residing in the capital of Iver, has sent out for adventurers brave enough to take on the mechanical murderer. The reward is substantial. But so is the risk.

The Queen asks the adventurers to Find the murderous mechanical, but not only that, to also find the artificer or engineer behind the machine.

What has happened?
Old Lucille de Ghent, artificer of wonders, mage, and provider of amazement, has passed away from old age. Her wondrous servant Otto has become overwhelmed by grief. His mechanical heart beats strongly for Lucille, even in her dead and currently somewhat smelly state. Otto, glitching like only a mechanical wonder can glitch, has decided to build her a new body.

Otto is aware of the soul as a concept and tries to take it into account when tinkering with the body parts and mechanical replacements, but the fact that bodies, fresh or not, belonging to anyone else but Lucille might conceivably have a soul is not something Otto has really considered.

To twist the story further, Lucille is alive, after a fashion, and quite upset at having been trapped like a firefly in a mason jar by her trusty mechanical servant. She is equally upset that he is attempting to build her a body made of other people’s bodies and mechanical parts, and is trying desperately to dissuade Otto from further carnage. Her limited capabilities of communication is however putting a damper on her efforts.

Stopping Otto
The first steps in stopping Otto is of course to find out who this mechanical menace belongs to and what motivations it has. Otto has been stealing items intended to keep a body alive and in a state of non-decomposition for as long as possible.

The murdered individuals all have a certain common likekeness and they are only missing parts of their bodies.

Finding and following Otto will lead our intrepid adventurers to a house at the outskirts of the city, where Lucille de Ghent once lived. Digging into Lucille’s life gives the adventurers the information that Lucille passed recently from natural causes. In addition, the character may also find out that her servant Otto was very protective of her and that some artificers questioned their close relationship.

Otto is, in fact, self aware in the most rudimentary meaning of the word, and he loves Lucille so much that he’s prepared to kill for her. In his mind, she is the only person that means anything.

Lucille in her current state is incapable of stopping Otto, but she does what she can to reduce his rampages.

Otto (based on Mechanical Brawler)
AC: 16
Hit Points: 75
Speed: 40 ft
Challenge: 5 (1800 XP)

STR 15
DEX 19
CON 15
INT 12
WIS 13
CHA 3

Saving Throws: DEX +7, WIZ +4
Skills: Perception +4
Damage Immunities: Poison, psychic, bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t adamantine
Condition Immunities: Charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft, Passive Perception 14
Languages: Understands the languages of its creator but can’t speak
Immutable Form. The clockwork brawler is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Magic Resistance. The clockwork brawler has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Magic Weapons. The clockwork brawler’s weapons are magical.
Raw fighting style. While the clockwork brawler is wearing no armor, wielding no shield and not using a weapon, its AC includes its wisdom modifier.

Actions
Multiattack: The clockwork brawler makes two unarmed strikes.
Unarmed strikes: Melee weapon attack +7 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit 10 (1D12+4) bludgeoning damage plus 9 (2D8) force damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC15 constitution saving throw or fall unconscious for 1 minute. A target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turn ending the effect on itself on a success.