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"If you'd live to see the end of day, from Mechanicsburg two leagues stay."
Fearsome gargoyle clanks which serve as the air-defense system of Mechanicsburg, the ancestral home of House Heterodyne. The Torchmen perch atop Mechanicsburg's gaslamps, masquerading as statues when inactive, but can envelop themselves in flame and draw their swords from the lampposts when activated.
From the amazing webcomic Girl Genius (reference image), of which I am a huge fan. Obviously, some creative liberties were taken with the proportions, but the general concept remains the same.
~B~