Mechagnome

Mechagnomes (also called mechanognomes, and clockwork mechagnomes) are a race of titan-forged creatures, resembling clockwork machines, who inhabit the Storm Peaks of Northrend. Creations of the titanic watcher Mimiron, they are the ancestors of the gnome race, having been transformed into them after falling victim to the Curse of Flesh.

Origin
The mechagnomes were created by Mimiron (also referred to as "The Grand Architect") within Ulduar, apparently as servants and caretakers much like the earthen. When their creator was struck down by the corrupted Keeper Loken, the mechagnomes scrambled to save his fading soul by transplanting it upon a giant mechagnome body, though they could do nothing to help his deteriorated mental state. Alongside the earthen, a number of mechagnomes left Ulduar and became caretakers of the facility of Uldaman.

Like the rest of the titan-forged, the mechagnomes were struck with Yogg-Saron's Curse of Flesh, though the ones at Northrend appear to have been unaffected. The mechagnomes of Uldaman, however, suffered the full blunt of the Curse 3,000 years in the past, where they degenerated into fleshy beings which would later become simply known as gnomes. Physically and mentally debilitated, these creatures lost all sense of purpose, abandoning the halls of Uldaman and fleeing into the surrounding caverns and mountain peaks. Only a handful of mechagnomes remained in the facility, still driven by their titan-forged imperative.

Wrath of the Lich King
At the Borean Tundra, a broken mechagnome by the name of Gearmaster Mechazod was rebuilt by a group of gnomes from titan parts found across the Fizzcrank Airstrip. Upon reactivating, he immediately declared his goal to rid the world of the Curse of Flesh and began to forcibly revert many of the gnomes into mechagnomes. Because of his deranged crusade against organic life, both Greatmother Taiga of the Horde and Fizzcrank Fullthrottle of the Alliance placed a bounty on his head, leading him to be killed by adventurers.

As Keeper Loken fell completely to the whim of Yogg-Saron, the mechagnomes of the Storm Peaks became his servants and allies of the iron dwarves, and are predominantly found around the Inventor's Library. Within Ulduar, a number of mechagnomes guard the outer defenses of the facility, protecting the path to the Flame Leviathan.

With the death of Loken, the cleansing of Mimiron's mind and the defeat of Yogg-Saron, the mechagnomes were freed from the influence of the Old Gods and once again serve as loyal servants of the titanic watchers.

Appearance
Mechagnome bodies consist of metallic plates and screws, marked by runic tracks of light. Some of them have mustaches and similar hair-fragments on their heads, also made out of metal. They are all masculine in terms of features, implying female mechagnomes are either non-existent or simply unseen. Being machines, they are likely genderless anyway.

The sounds they make resemble the voices of normal gnomes, just in a "metallic" fashion. Mechagnomes come in various sizes but are usually at the size of a normal gnome. They have three fingers on each hand.

Traits
Mechagnomes are immortal. This does not mean they are invulnerable, just that they can't die from aging. They can, however, malfunction. When they do, they require someone else to repair them. Additionally, mechagnomes can be taken apart without being permanently damaged (as long as they are put back together properly).

Matching their appearance, mechagnomes act very robot-like; their behavior is marked by a pragmatic, objective and sometimes commanding way of thinking, and they seem to have a habit of meticulously analyzing their surroundings." While this trait often may seem odd to the mortal races, it often makes it very easy to understand mechagnomes and pick up the information they give. When performing an action or a choice, mechagnomes often utter their reasoning out loud. From what they are saying, the minds of mechagnomes are clearly much similar to a computer-program, processing variables and executing commands.

Apparently, they have a connection to what could be "titan databanks" - they can sometimes be observed "accessing" these databanks in order to retrieve information they need. This can be done either directly through the Databanks or through nothing at all, as seen when Attendant Tock attempts to contact them when analyzing a piece of strange metal.

Mechagnomes possess the convenient ability of going into standby-mode. They often do this after completing or being released from a task. Most likely they will stand in standby-mode until their master gives them a new order, as they have little reason to do anything else. It is unknown how long a mechagnome can remain in this state.

They have also been seen riding mechanostriders. The only ones doing this reside at the Inventor's Library, but they seem to have quite a bit of them. The model they use seems to be White Mechanostrider Mod B. They adopted these inventions from the gnomes, for their own mysterious purposes. Other mounts used by mechagnomes are flying machines.

Amazingly, normal (fleshy) gnomes today still possess the robotic heritage of their ancestors. Normal gnomes can be reverted back into being mechagnomes, despite those gnomes having been flesh for generations. This is not done by merely adding a supplementary spell on normal gnomes in order to transform them, but oppositely by injecting them with something that removes the Curse of Flesh. Likewise, gnomes who have been turned into mechagnomes may be reverted back to their original fleshy form by injecting them with something that 'reverses the reversion' of the curse. The player has to revert several newly "mechanized" gnomes back to their former self in the quest Re-Cursive. After being mechagnomes, most of these gnomes were apparently not fond of having been so. Then again, some of the gnomes felt that being mechanized had "perfected" them.

Notable

 * , the Grand Architect and creator of the mechagnomes. Originally a titanic watcher, his spirit is now housed inside a mechagnome body.

Engineering
Engineers can craft a number of different mechagnomes to perform various services for a limited time.
 * Scrapbot Construction Kit
 * Jeeves
 * Walter

Blingtrons
Blingtrons are a series of diamond-encrusted mechagnome-like robots invented by Gnopetto Bizzfuse, known for their tendency to give out gifts to nearby adventurers.
 * Blingtron 4000
 * Blingtron 5000
 * Blingtron 6000
 * Blingtron 7000

As a companion pet

 * Clock'em can be purchased from Paul North or Quackenbush upon reaching Rank 4 with the Brawler's Guild.
 * Clockwork Gnome is a rare Dwarf Archaeology artifact.

As a mount

 * Mimiron's Head is a very rare drop from Yogg-Saron in Ulduar, obtainable only in 25-man mode if no titan keepers are helping (Alone in the Darkness (25 player)). It may also be found for purchase in the Black Market Auction House.

Notes and trivia

 * Players can turn into a mechagnome using the Robo-Gnomebulator toy, the reward from the achievement The Toymaster.
 * It was previously stated that Mimiron created the mechagnomes in his image, but this was changed with Chronicle.
 * Hearthstone: The Grand Tournament shows riding a mechanical horse as a mount.
 * Mechagnomes largely use the same themes as gnomes generally, but have some specific inspirations.
 * For general gnome cultural inspirations, see Gnome.
 * Comparisons can be drawn between some elements of the video game series and the themes of Mechagon, such as splicing vs mechanization, giving up one's "humanity" for the sake of genetic/robotic perfection, and an extreme form of utilitarianism by an extremist ruler.
 * Many Mechagon NPCs, like Pascal-K1N6, use the form of English writing known as, developed online over the past two decades.
 * Mechagon generally uses the theme of the.

Speculation

 * Since gnomes derives from mechagnomes, their obsession and expertise with mechanics and technology could be explained as a trait from when gnomes were robots. In other words, the gnomes' fascination for making cold steel and electricity into "living" beings may descend from the mechagnomes' sentience of being such constructs themselves. Then again, the mechagnomes' and later the gnomes' interest for engineering may have been implemented by Mimiron in order to make mechagnomes effective workers.
 * While they usually appear to be nearly brain-dead, most mechagnomes seem to have some kind of pseudo-consciousness. In the quest Slaves of the Stormforged where you have to free some mechagnomes from the iron-dwarves, some of the mechagnomes are clearly thankful for being freed (say). A few special mechagnomes, like Gearmaster Mechazod, are furthermore quite conscious of their own actions, talking like "normal" gnomes.
 * Although transforming a normal gnome into a mechagnome (and opposite) somewhat changes the gnome's personality, it seems that they don't lose any of their memories in the process. This assumption is based on Fizzcrank Fullthrottle's tale of how the mechagnomes his crew had been transformed into "recognized" him and the other normal gnomes.
 * Even though most of the mechagnomes that have been reverted back into normal gnomes apparently didn't like their "new" metallic shape, it doesn't necessarily mean that being a mechagnome feels bad, just very different from being a flesh-gnome. Otherwise, it would be strange that most original mechagnomes act rather relaxed (when they are not fighting) and affectionate towards their master.
 * Gearmaster Mechazod was found in the Borean Tundra within a pipe during the process of draining water away from the Geyser Fields. It is unknown how he ended up underground in the first place, but as the traces of the titans are found all over Azeroth, it could imply that there are several other mechagnomes buried around the world.
 * How the mechagnomes of Northrend escaped the Curse of Flesh is unknown. It can be presumed that around the time the titans returned to deal with the curse in the earthen, Mimiron likely used this information to create new mechagnomes that were immune to the curse as well, which is why there are still mechagnomes that exist today.

Gallery
 Gnimo.jpg|Gnimo, a mechagnome emitting a blue light. Dirkee.jpg|Dirkee, a mechagnome emitting a yellow light. MechagnomePurple.jpg|A mechagnome emitting a pink light. Library Guardian.jpg|A mechagnome riding a mechanostrider. Mechagnome concept art Glenn Rane.jpg|Concept art by Glenn Rane from The Art of World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Thudd Lockspring.jpg|thumb|HS Thudd Lockspring, a female mechagnome in Hearthstone. Clockwork Knight HS.jpg|HS Clockwork Knight in Hearthstone.