abstract
| - A stone keeper appears to be an animated stone statue. A stone keeper has a humanoid body, although it is otherwise nearly featureless. It is made from a smooth, grey marble alien to Azeroth. It stands 7 feet tall and weighs 1,300 pounds. Stone keepers have relatively plain features, as though their creators could not be bothered with the details of appearance. They are functional, and nothing more. Only a few colored crystals embedded in its left forearm are particularly distinguished. The titans created stone keepers to be servants and assistants. These constructs were granted an almost sapient intelligence, though little of the brute strength of the stone watcher. While stone watchers served as guardians of the titans’ property, stone keepers often served as companions; one might even think as pets. Stone keepers possess a programmed intelligence so sophisticated that observers have a difficult time distinguishing one from a sentient being. A stone keeper is able to communicate in the ancient language of the titans. However, few creatures (if any) are alive who understand this language. Not all is lost. The constructs can use powerful magic to analyze languages, and are able to communicate with any intelligent being capable of speech. A stone keeper is generally not programmed to fight, but is usually programmed to defend itself. Stone keepers tactics often include simple frontal assaults, but some employ tactics when necessary. A stone keeper can manipulate the crystals on its forearm to generate any number of spell-like abilities, such as tongues. Further, a stone keeper can activate its crystals to retrieve archived information. Most of the stone keeper's knowledge tends to be millennia out of date. A transmute rock to mud spell slows a stone keeper, while transmute mud to rock heals it completely. A stone to flesh spell does not actually change the keeper's structure. The secrets of constructing a stone keeper were lost long ago with the titans. Today, those who have located and studied stone keepers may try to replicate these masterpieces; but they succeed only in replicating basic traits, not its programmed intelligence.
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