Clockworkers and Fleshworkers playing God

In the early nineteen hundreds a Mechanomancer became increasingly frustrated with the limitations of his art. Whilst he could make increasingly complex imitations of life, true, reproducing life still eluded him.
At about the same time an Epideromancer was becoming frustrated with the limits of his art. Whilst he could master his own body, or another’s, he wanted to produce something original. He wanted to make new life.
Unfortunately they met each other.
Finding a common interest they seized upon the idea of a joint project. If the Fleshworker could provide cogs and gears of living tissue the Clockworker might fashion them into something that truly lived. Each was confident that since parts of his mind/body would be used in the project they would have final control of what was produced.
The two set at their work with dedication that only the truly obsessed can manage. The early experiments used components made from the bodies of animals (the flesh worker being unwilling to surrender too much of himself too early) but these did not seem to be sufficient.
They had more success with human parts and quickly found that the ideal solution was to take parts from people whilst they stilled lived.
Needless to say by the time they were satisfied the cost of the magic they had expended had crippled them and the atrocities they had committed had left them both hopelessly insane.
Eventually however, they succeeded.
The final product was a spherical bone “nest” about the size of a grapefruit from which issued a swam of small crab-like creatures.
In the moment of triumph both Adepts commanded the creatures to destroy the other and being compelled by their makers they consumed first the Clockworker, then shortly afterwards the celebrating Fleshworker.
Since then the Bone Factory has become something of a random factor. The creatures search out a person (how they decide who is suitable is unknown except that they will not join with either a Mechanomancer or an Epideromancer) then swarm over them. With surgical precision they implant their nest in the belly of the chosen host.
Whilst many people have died during this process it seems it is mostly due to the new recipient of the Bone Factory panicking and making the wounds worse. Those who simply allow the creatures to work (a sanity rocking experience) will suffer considerable damage but never enough to kill. The creatures are quite precise and will close the wounds they inflict on their host as best they can.
The end result is the host having several scars and a small hole in their abdomen through which the creatures enter and leave the nest.

Once the nest is implanted a symbiotic relationship forms between the creatures of the Factory and its host. Some of the drawbacks and benefits are outlined below:

The host may mentally command the creatures and those within range will obey. They possess a human level of understanding and will use their skills to the best of their ability to complete the tasks that are set them. The will undertake dangerous endeavours but not suicidal ones. “Attack that person” is alright “climb into that fire” is not. Skills the swarm has available are listed below.

The host may see through the eye of the creatures. However he can only use this ability on those creatures he can command. The creatures who are away on their own secretive buisness are unavailable (see below)

If the host is an Adept they may use the creatures as extensions of their own body and thus may use magic through the creatures eyes, for the purposes of line of sight, and claws, for the purposes of touch. This makes an Adept that possesses the Bone Factory very dangerous indeed.
Note that for some reason Avatar skills do not function through the Bone Factories creatures although possessing them does an Avatar no more damage than anyone else.

Should one of the creatures be destroyed another will grow to replace it. For some reason the creatures are only ever constructed from the flesh of the host. Each creature that grows in this manner causes the host two points of damage. Should the host not have enough flesh to replace all the lost creatures (i.e. they die from muscle and bone wastage) the remaining swarm will take the nest and go looking for a new host. The internal injuries the host suffers as the creatures regrow the swarm are likely to manifest as weakness, cramps, vomiting or urinating blood along with dizzy spells and blackouts. Because of this few people have ever used the swarm as an effective weapon.

It is worth noting that at any one time only a certain number of the creatures will be with the host. The swarm numbers fifty creatures in total, no more, no less, however at any one time between five and fifteen will be absent, completing some task of their own. These creatures are unavailable to the hosts sences though if they have the skill or power there is nothing to stop them investigating what the creatures are up to with their own resources.

Creatures of the Factory

Note that for purposes of adjudication the swarm’s Body, Speed are based on how many of the creatures are in it. It is perfectly possible for the creatures to form two swarms and attempt two things at once thought the GM will have to keep track of how many of the creatures are where.
Remember that a skill cannot be higher than the stat which governs it.

Body: Equal to the number of creatures in swarm.
Eat The Flesh Off Your Bones: 50
Break Things: 50
Speed: 2x Creatures in Swarm
Repair (people): 50
Repair (mechanical):50
Extra Pair of Hands: 70
Mind: 55
Soul: 45
Scary As Hell: 45

Extra Pair of Hands: This is a general skill the creatures possess to make themselves useful to their host. When engauging in a physical task where an extra pair of hands would be useful the creatures may assist. Thus when repairing a car, cooking a banquet or searching a room the creatures may give the host between a 10% and 20% shift in their skill check.

Eat The Flesh From Your Bones: Should the creatures become involved in combat treat them as a single swarm for the purposes of mechanics. The GM may want to modify others attempts to harm them (as they climb over the flesh of their victim shooting them suddenly become a less workable tactic) but for every two points of damage inflicted on the swarm a creature is destroyed thus lowering the size and power of the swarm. Be aware that the creatures of the Bone Factory will not fight to the last, should it look like they truly face extinction they will flee.

The creatures of the Bone Factory each has a round body about two inches across which is enclosed in a shell on top and bottom. The creatures have four legs and a single eye which is often the only way to tell which way they are facing. On top of the shell is a small arm which has four claws. Although not strong the arm is extremely dextrous and the claws are scalpel sharp. All the creatures limbs move 360 degrees at all joints.
If someone kills or dissects one of the creatures they will see they are composed of gears, levers and springs made of flesh and bone. This strange biology makes them swift and strong but identical. Each creature is exactly the same as the rest. However given time damaged creatures heal, repairing even lost limbs.
Communication with the creatures is nearly impossible. Those that are with the host obey their commands silently and efficently and simply ignore commands they deem too risky. They are obviously intelligent enough to learn and improvise, but stubbornly refuse to make any attempt at meaningful dialogue.
Each of the creatures has the ability to recreate the nest, should it be destroyed. Thus if even one of the creatures survives the swarm can live on. Of course this also suggests that should they wish to fifty creatures could make fifty nests – and on and on. So far there has not been any evidence they wish to multiply beyond fifty creatures in a single nest. However each host to the Bone Factory has spent time wondering exactly where the absent creatures are and what they are doing.

What they are doing of course, is up to the GM.