Steam-Powered Cat-Petter

Type: Trinket / Plot Hook Origin: Lira Copperwire (House Copperwire)

The Steam-Powered Cat-Petter is a small, clunky, and highly specialized mechanical device designed by Lira Copperwire during one of her more eccentric experimental phases. It consists of a brass base with a series of articulating wooden arms, each tipped with a soft, fur-covered pad. When wound up and placed near a cat, the arms move in a rhythmic, "petting" motion. While a marvel of miniature engineering, the device is notoriously loud, smells faintly of grease, and has a 50% chance of scaring the cat away rather than petting it.

Despite its apparent uselessness, the Cat-Petter has become a minor celebrity in Steamfort's Iron Tier. More importantly, rumors persist that Lira used the device's complex, miniature gear-rhythms as a secret code for a new, high-density Aether-encryption method. Many factions, including the Gilded Hand and the Obsidian Scale, are currently searching for the original prototype, believing that it contains the "Master-Key" to Steamfort's most secure communication networks. To most, however, it remains just a funny example of dwarven ingenuity gone slightly off the rails.

Plot Hooks:

• The Stolen Petter: Lira's original prototype has been stolen by a group of "Gear Grinder" rebels. She hires the party to retrieve it, emphasizing its "immense sentimental value" while secretly worrying about the encryption code.
• The Cat's Opinion: The party finds a Cat-Petter in a treasure hoard. When they activate it, a local street cat is so impressed that it begins to follow the party, acting as an unlikely (and very demanding) guide.
• The Encryption Riddle: A master cryptographer in Kigum believes he has cracked the code hidden within the Cat-Petter's movements. He hires the party to find the device and help him "play back" the code.