Fragment
“Where did you find that piece of clockwork?”
“Among my grandfather’s things, he was a great explorer, he must have brought it back from somewhere.”
“It looks ancient.”
“Must be I guess.”
Fragment of the World Machine
These pieces of ancient machinery, improbably complex and made for esoteric purposes can be found scattered in the most inaccessible and unlikely places: mountain tops, deep pools of water, among the arctic ice, and so on. Collectors have tried to find a pattern, to predict when the fragments may be found, but if anyone has found it, they are not sharing the secret.
Sea of Stars RPG Design Journal 