Word for purpose-built construct

Question

I am looking for a noun that means "thing built for a specific purpose" or "construct that was made with reason, rather than chance" or "entity which was designed", assuming such word exists.

The extremely specific purpose is for a new role playing group introduction, for every player to read. I am including a sentence for each character, trying to be specific enough so the player knows it's them, and vague enough so the other players are still mostly in the dark.

The sentence I'm working with is: "Alone in the darkness, a tireless {entity} hones his craft, and waits."

In this case the character is a D&D 5e Warforged, so they're a humanoid and for all intents and purposes a conscious being with free will etc (for whatever that matters to the word choice). I could go more specific and use "soldier" or "sentinel", but I'm hoping there's a way to make it a bit more vague while still adding some information.

(Also this is my first question on English stackexchange, if this is a better fit for Writing let me know.)

Phil Sweet · Answer

Writing in the context of how the jajmani system operated in the 1960s, Pauline Kolenda noted that the "caste function of the Kshatriya is to lead and protect the village, and with conquest to manage their conquered lands. The Kshatriyas do perform these functions today to the extent possible, by distributing food as payments to kamins and providing leadership."

In the Wikipedia article on Kshatriya, the above is creditied as: Kolenda, Pauline Mahar (Spring 1963). "Toward a Model of the Hindu Jajmani System". Human Organization. 22 (1): 11–31. JSTOR 44124164

The historical use dating back a millennia or more referred to a caste of warriors and administrators of conquered lands.

Kshatriya never flees from the war, he shows bravery, skill, chivalry and patience in the face of war. Donation to the society and protecting citizens (Kshatra duty) are the norms of a Kshatriya.

Translation from the Bhagavata Gita.

Greybeard · Answer

The problem with the question is that it gives no example sentence and no context. There are several words that are suitable depending upon context. As an example:

Automaton 1.b. A machine which resembles and is able to simulate the actions of a human being; humanoid robot, an android (in early use frequently in Science Fiction) […]
1944   C. L. Moore in Astounding Sci.-Fiction Dec. 138/2   And for one dreadful moment it was the voice of an automaton that sounded in the room, metallic, without inflection.
1969   Amer. Philos. Q. 6 74/2   An adequate description of an automaton capable of exhibiting behaviour indistinguishable from that of a human being would amount to a semantic account of interpretation of its data handling capacities.
3b. An organism that functions purely involuntarily or mechanically; an animal, insect, etc., not motivated by higher consciousness or intelligence.
2002   R. Porter Blood & Guts iv. 83   Bernard was no vulgar materialist... Living creatures were not automata wholly at the mercy of the external environment.

These definitions can be extended to anything that is created for a specific purpose.

Word for purpose-built construct

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