Gearborn were originally built by the Humans during the Age of the Fifth Sun utilizing what is now known as Fifth Sun Technology. Originally simple automatons that could only follow simple sets of instructions, as their designs became more complex they eventually were programmed with sentience and individuality, leading Nellayotlni to grant them Souls just as it had with their creators. The Gearborn initially lived with the Humans as a subjugated people, but became seen as equals following Nellayotlni's gift to them. Following the Humans departure from Desolation between the Fifth and Sixth Sun, having joined the Humans changed as their original parts degraded; their aluminum frames were slowly replaced with Brass and Steel, something that only accelerated after their arrival in Creation's Rest. While the complex cores that draw in energy to power them remain unchanged, the knowledge of their construction or how to repair them has been lost to the ages.

Gearborn live all throughout The Mooring on Creation's Rest, with those arriving in the Elemental Halos with the first Hymhaving long since degraded from the harsh conditions. The modifications needed to allow Gearborn to remain within those realms, being difficult to build and maintain, have prevented them from expanding within those locales. In the Aether, some Gearborn remain in isolated settlements across Desolation having maintained themselves through scavenging parts from the old Human Ruins and some remain in stranded Ark Vessels that drift aimlessly through the Abyss.

The Gearborn were originally built by the Humans and later maintained by the Hym before arriving on Creation's Rest. In the modern era they typically receive assistance from any of the Tonallitecameh who are knowledgeable with complex automatons and willing to aid in their maintenance, as self maintenance is a risky endeavor due to the difficulty. The Stoutmorin are the most common in this task, as several enjoy tinkering with clockwork as is.

Gearborn, as not entirely based off the Hym like the other races, are more erratic in appearance. Many are configured for specific tasks or were reconfigured several times over, and with the change from electro-mechanical designs to ones based off of clockwork, they have no real standardization in form anymore. The only consistent design criteria with Gearborn is that they are all built around their cores, which gives the appearance of standing upright regardless of body design or frame attachments. Their outer layer are typically made of Steel or Brass, although they can sometimes have parts made of gem, stone, or wood. This outer plating layer acts as a shield to protect their inner clockwork from nature and the elements in addition to protecting their core.

The core of a Gearborn is similar to the heart, brain, and all of the organs of one of the other races combined into a singular object. Utilizing Fifth Sun Technology to draw in ambient Arcanum and "burn" it in a way that produces energy, the cores provide all of the energy that Gearborn need to function. The core also acts as the central processor for the Gearborn, handing their thoughts, desires, and allowing for their locomotion. The Soul of a Gearborn is also contained within, meaning that Gearborn can change frames should the damage to one be too great and can be rebuilt so long as their core survives. Due to their Ancient construction, Gearborn Cores are nearly impossible to repair.

The memory of a Gearborn is limited, despite their theoretical indefinite lifespan. With relatively low capacity contained within the core, Gearborn are only capable of remembering 200 years into the past, unless they find and maintain memory expansions or are able to find a way to export their memories using Fifth Sun Technology or Magic. Additionally, should a Gearborn ever lose power for a prolonged period of time, their memory banks are the first to lose function and will be reset once they are able to be restarted. Many Gearborn have lived several lives unknowingly because of this.

As a whole, Gearborn do not have any extra-sensory capabilities relative to the other races. While some have managed to retain parts from the Age of the Fifth Sun that allow for things such as Thermal Vision or Arcanic Sight, and keep them in working order, those individuals are rare enough to be considered an extreme exception. Gearborn can detect Arcanum in their surroundings due to their usage of it as a fuel source, and have found ways to discharge the excess amounts stored within their cores to achieve Arcanum based Magic, however they are unable to tell the amounts beyond "a little" and "a lot", nor are they able to detect directional flow of it or any localized properties.

So long as an environment is traversal, Gearborn can technically operate within it. The environments effect on the material that builds their frame is the only factor in how long Gearborn will remain in a location. As such, most tend to stray from humid locations or those with lots of rain to prevent their exteriors from corroding.

Gearborn subsist off of the ambient Arcanum that floats about, absorbing it into their cores and "burning" it to produce the energy they need to operate. Their cores do have small reserves, however they effectively need an environment with a constant supply of Arcanum or they will begin to shut down and enter a state of hibernation until Arcanum manages to reach high enough levels to restart them.

The only connecting myth that the Gearborn have is one shared with the Hym, in addition to their descendant races. The Hymic Incursion, a story of a world covered in cities made of Steel and Glass that was conquered before the Humans, the precursors to the Hym, along with their descendant races, fled from at the end of the Age of the Fifth Sun. They fled as the world begun to swallow cities whole, and were carried upward by ships of silver propelled by fire. They groups worked together after eventually arriving within the Mooring upon Creation's Rest to carve the name of each traveler upon stones along the coast of the Sea of the Ancients in addition to as much of the history that they collectively could recall before spreading out across this new world.