Clockwork Beetle

_Gleaming metal and whirring gears make up the form of this elaborate mechanical insect the size of a housecat._
Bejeweled Familiars. Forged by talented jewelers and sold to gear-mages and aristocrats, 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 razorsharp horns reminiscent of deadly stag beetles. Some are fashioned as darkling beetles with prehensile antennae, and even weevil-like designs have been spotted.
Flying Noisemakers. In the southern deserts, scarab beetle patterns are particularly prized. 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.
Hidden Timers. The most talented gear‑mages occasionally design a clockwork beetle 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.
Constructed Nature. A clockwork beetle doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.