Constructs
I had no intention of focusing on constructs in Gruuthak’s campaign-opener; they were simply a plot-device for getting Gruuthak out of his rural village. But they became too interesting to ignore. What motivates them? It is possible that they themselves do not know. They are intelligent; they know why they were created; but the humans who originally created them are wiped out. The Innovators may have their own motives; but they do not command the other constructs.
The construct army actually stopped their advance because of the deactivation of the Bulette attack on Dezh Markaz. Like the Elves and Orcs, they want to know how that Bulette was stopped. While the humanoids want to extend that capability, the constructs want to stop it. So the constructs and Faeries will develop a particular interest in Gruuthak and his brother as they discover the brothers’ involvement in the deactivation.
Most constructs do not have ‘motivation’ as one would understand it in humanoid terms. They are concerned about self-preservation, and they are intensely curious about life-forms and the interface between life-forms and machines. Most constructs have some organic components, particularly in the controller-mechanisms. It is far easier to grow organic ‘motherboards’ than to assemble them painstakingly in clean-rooms.
On the other side, Dwarves are also the most sympathetic towards cybernetic enhancements. So the line between humanoid and construct is a little blurred. The obvious distinction is power-source. Dwarves eat food (and drink beer) and constructs use solar power, fuel cells, and matter-folders as power-sources. But even that distinction is not absolute. Dwarvish cybernetic enhancements often use the same power-sources, and constructs have started to drink beer.
Transhumans
Another disturbing idea is that some humans did not actually die off. The Dread Plague was actually designed to transform humans into something more: high-strength, long-lived. But the Plague also destroys most of their viscera. They can only ingest blood, which they come to crave intensely. Most humans who contracted the Dread Plague died; some survived as demented ghouls. They tend to be inept at obtaining blood, so they starve into dormancy. Upon smelling blood they stagger back into action in ‘low-power’ mode–essentially these are zombies. A very few retained their intelligence, and they have been active for more than 127 years now.
There is a crucial identity-question with these intelligent ghouls: can they claim their original birthright as humans? Are they still the descendants of the original race, the one that created the other humanoids and upgraded so many life-forms?
This is why most constructs and cyborgs are so hostile towards them. Intelligent ghouls–who call themselves ‘transhumans’–regard other species and machines as slaves, or at least far lower status.