Tassenmaschine

"Einsa pulled away from the wall suddenly. The floor shook a little as though a distant, tremendous weight crashed down upon it. Her hair stood on end. " " “There it is again!” Steffen exclaimed. The other prisoners whimpered softly.  " "— The Sword and Its Servant" Tassenmachine were insectoid machines created by the Eschar. Ilnel possessed six such machines in his castle, which were given to him as tribute in exchange for agreeing not to attack the kingdom of Hinland.

Physiology
The tassenmaschine resembled huge centipedes with many dozens of talon-like legs along both sides of their long, segmented body.

Their heads were protected by a helmet-like piece of armor with two sharp mandibles and exhaust spouts at either side.

A tassenmachine's carapace was almost impenetrable; its only weak spot was underneath the machine, where all of its internal components were exposed.

History
Ilnel was given six tassenmachine to place within the Kaltstein as part of a peace accord with the Eschar of Hinland.

Ilnel later reneged on the deal and had the king of Hinland assassinated.

Overheating
Because the Löwa did not know how to properly maintain the tassenmachine, the ones in their possession were overly prone to overheating and breakdowns.

This explains why the tassenmaschine that chased Einsa through the corridors of the Kaltstein shut off temporarily while it cooled down.