ECOLOGY

Environment any
Organization solitary, pair, or scuttle (3–12)
Treasure none

Forged and sold throughout the city, clockwork beetles are highly prized as familiars. Although normally created in the form of metal beetles, their appearance can vary greatly. Some resemble incandescent ladybugs while others have razored, horn-like protrusions reminiscent of deadly stag beetles. Some are fashioned with prehensile antennae and even weevil-like designs have been spotted. Anytime the creatures move they emit an audible rhythmic buzz, especially when taking to the air. Once in flight, they create a disturbing cacophony of clicks and whirs.

Occasionally clockwork beetles are designed with a hidden countdown clock that silently ticks down over years or even decades. When the tightly wound gear-counter expires, it suddenly triggers a mechanical metamorphosis within the beetle, causing it to rapidly transform and blossom into a completely different clockwork creature—a wondrous surprise known in advance only to the designer who created it so many years ago.