“The gear asketh not why it turns, but keeps its faith, never failing. Be thou the Gear in the Builder’s Plan.”
The Order of the Gear is a splinter sect of Hammerites formed by Karras. Its members are more commonly known as Mechanists and are responsible for numerous innovations introduced throughout the City.
Navigation
I. Overview
II. Origins
III. Modern History
IV. Hierarchy
V. Armaments
VI. Role within the City
VII. Places of Interest
VIII. Persons of Interest
Overview
Mechanist inventions included more efficient lighting and power, automated security systems, and the Builder’s Children. However, the Order was disbanded following the death of Karras during an unsuccessful plot to kill the inhabitants of the City.
Throughout the entirety of Thief II: The Metal Age, Garrett encounters numerous steam-powered Mechanist creations. Though mentioned in texts, the Order does not make a return appearance in Thief: Deadly Shadows.
Origins
After the Trickster died, a group of Hammerites began to show disdain for the teachings of the Order, believing that technological innovation should be valued above all else.
Karras was one such Hammerite priest who left the Order with about one hundred other Hammerites, including Cavador. He led these rebels and created a new Order that would come to be known as the Mechanists.
Whereas the Hammerites preached primarily of sin and punishment, Karras and his followers concentrated instead on the benefits of serving the Builder. Many Mechanist sermons spoke of the love the Builder had for his children and the blessings he wished to bestow upon the faithful.
As such, the Mechanists quickly became more popular than the Order of the Hammer, and most inhabitants of the City found themselves preferring the Mechanist message to that of the Hammerites. Seeing this shift, Karras understood the power it would gain his Order.
Modern History
Over time, however, Karras grew progressively more unhinged and began to believe that only beings of a mechanical nature could serve the Builder. With this revelation, he initiated a plot wherein he would spread the Necrotic Mutox throughout the City to destroy all organic life within it.
The plan would eventually fail though, when Karras sealed his fate by releasing the Necrotic Mutox within the confines of Soulforge Cathedral.
Once Karras’ plot came to light the Order became a blight upon the City. They were ignored in public and hated in secret. During one incident several Mechanists were sighted in the street and beaten to death by an angry mob before the City Watch could respond.
Although it was the only incident of retaliation, the event made it painfully obvious to the Mechanists that they would never be welcome in the City.
Thus the Order was disbanded and its members left with nothing, yet some clung to the hope that the Hammerites would take them back and would petition for re-admittance into the Order of the Hammer.
Although the subject was debated at length by the Hammerite Priesthood during a series of heresy trials, the petitioners were eventually allowed to rejoin and submit to whatever penance the Order decreed. Thus the Order of the Gear and the legacy of Karras faded into history.
Hierarchy
The hierarchy within the Order of the Gear is comprised of three levels: Novice, Friend, and Father.
Novices are the lowest ranking members of the Order and are usually those who have recently joined. They’re typically treated well and must apprentice for only six months or so before being elevated to the level of Friend.
Nearly all Mechanists were called ‘Friends’ and were full members of the Order. Both men and women could be found in the Order, thus the gender-specific ‘Brother’ was often replaced with this more neutral title.
Unlike the Order of the Hammer, the Mechanists possessed no Master level. Priests in the Order were few and not given a title that differentiated them from any other member. Instead, the highest level was represented by Karras himself, whom the Mechanists revered as ‘Father’. Many within the order treated Karras as if he were the right hand of the Builder himself.
Armaments
Like the Order of the Hammer, the Mechanists combined their religious doctrine with martial preparedness. Karras and his Order, however, sought to destroy the Pagans with a passion far beyond that of the Hammerites and therefore equipped themselves accordingly.
Most Mechanists wore light plate armor. The red and silver of the Hammer, however, was replaced with the teal and gold of the Gear. Priests could be found wearing robes similar to those of the Hammerite priesthood. And lastly, their laborers wore work suits and protective helmets.
Mechanists forgo the typical hammer in exchange for a mace which possessed a head in the shape of a four-sided gear. When range was a requirement, they carried another device of their own design – a crossbow.
The Mechanists also forged large mechanical spiders, sentries, and clockwork sentinels that were used for combat.
Role Within the City
The Order of the Gear were not all that different from the Hammerites in their interactions with the City, but where the Hammerites provided tools and other crafts, the Mechanists offered a variety of technological innovations.
The most popular by far was the Watcher, a rotating mechanical head which could detect motion and activate alarms or other security systems upon sighting an intruder.
Other contributions included improved electric lights, automated security systems, and the Builder’s Children. Almost all of them were powered by steam and utilized a clockwork design.
Although the Mechanist order was rooted within the religion of the Builder, most teachings and scriptures were delivered directly from Karras who preached that the love and blessings of the Builder were for all to partake of, a claim he endorsed by allowing woman to join the Order.
As time progressed, however, it became clear that he also believed that the Builder would return, and gave the Mechanists a mandate to create a paradise to receive him. Furthermore, Karras believed this paradise could only be brought about with the total annihilation of all organic life. This would lead to the Order’s eventual downfall.
Places of Interest
The list below profiles the various Mechanist compounds that were located throughout the City. All of the facilities listed have been either acquired by the Hammerites or destroyed.
Like those of the Hammerites, all Mechanist facilities were constructed of stone and metal. Unlike the Hammerites, however, there was no wood or thatch to be found in any Mechanist structure.
- Angel Watch Tower (Demolished)
- Soulforge Cathedral (Abandoned)
- Markham’s Isle Facility (Abandoned)
- Eastport Seminary (Reclaimed)
- Karath-Din Excavation Site
