Pawns

Old automatons of simple make. Originally designed to assist in hunting monsters, little more than wooden dolls with bear traps affixed as a “head” and a soul-bound blade that makes the thing tick. Beyond the fact that they miraculously function, little is known when it comes to the intricacy of their existence. Most pawns don’t exhibit consciousness and simply follow orders, but rare few seem to have more going on with them. Some think it’s the soul within the blade that makes the difference but the craft of forging such relics is a lost art, so testing this theory is impossible.

Also pictured: Old Pawns attacking a Ribbonmane. Ribbonmanes are hermaphroditic and are always producing brood which live just beneath their skin. The oldest larvae emerge from the gills, forming a "mane" and eventually detach once they've matured enough to live on their own.