Free-Tail
Matte-black machines measuring less than a dozen centimeters long and weighing tens of grams, these bat-shaped flying machines are created by ARTEMIS to act as remote sensing agents. Tiny blue eyes glow dimly, less than a firefly, beneath thin, impossibly detailed “ear” sense structures. Fuchsia stripes, only visible in bright light, run along the “finger bones” of the wings.
Free-Tails do not have any weapons, nor even a mouth. They do not squeak, but the rapid beats of their wings are audible when they are close. The hooks on their wingtips and feet are sharp enough to grab hold of many types of surfaces, but it’s up to the Narrator whether they can do any damage.
Free-Tails in the wild are generally neutral to passive/avoidant in demeanor — they are observers, not fighters. Humans unaware of Free-Tails would likely not ever notice their presence, or if they did, would likely not be able to distinguish it from a living bat without close inspection.
When paired with a Focus, the Free-Tail considers the wearer of the Focus its “companion”. To conserve energy when not otherwise engaged, the paired Free-Tail will lay flat on its companion’s shoulder, hooks stabilizing it in place. It can also be sent into pockets, bags, folds of clothing, etc, to be hidden from view. By default, only one Free-Tail will pair with a Focus at a time, though characters may learn additional skills to modify this.
These machines fulfil the same kinds of play enabled in some systems as summonable/found familiars, fey spirits, woodland creatures, etc. Like many of those creatures, you can see, hear, smell, and taste through the Free-Tail’s sensors when paired with your Focus. The Focus shuts off the feed of your own senses when you do this, to prevent disorientation from overlapping sensory inputs. Unlike fey creatures, Free-Tails cannot disappear and reappear in other places — they are machines, not magic. You can direct them to specific locations, but they must be able to navigate to their destination, and it takes them time to get there.
Free-Tails understand straightforward commands from their companion, though they lack complex reasoning or judgment. In practical terms, Free-Tails are as intelligent as trained dogs or other pets. They can be talked through completing moderate tasks, but they lack the problem-solving ability to come up with the steps on their own. Free-Tails may be directed to return to ARTEMIS for repairs, if needed.
Companions can track their Free-Tail up to 5km away. Within 100m, and presuming no communication barriers between them, the Free-Tail can relay its sensor data, allowing the companion to temporarily replace their senses with the machine’s. Companions may instruct the Free-Tail which other characters may be trusted — the Free-Tail will not interface with other friend’s Focus devices, but it may follow friendly commands.
Free-Tails can be asked simple yes/no questions, and to provide simple counts of things — for example, “how many rooms are between here and there”, or “are any machines alert in the area”. Responses are relayed through the Focus, though in desperate situations the Free-Tail can also blink its eye-lights.
TODO: stat blocks