Animunculi

"Dwarven military machines also range from the human-sized "Sphere" warrior, which patrols the interiors of the ruins as a harmless ball only to emerge from it as a fully armed and armored automaton fighter, to the justly feared "Centurion" whose height ranges from twice to several hundred times human size depending on which reports you believe."

- Calcelmo

Animunculi (singular Animunculus) are ancient mechanical automatons that may be found patrolling the many abandoned Dwemer Ruins encountered throughout Tamriel. The Dwemer, also known as Dwarves or Deep Elves, a race of elves known for the technological marvels, metalwork, stonework and the vast underground cities they left behind, created these constructs long ago, and now they are one of the only remnants of their civilization.

Design
The design of the Animunculi themselves are a combination of steam-powered clockwork and magic, powered by magical Dynamo Cores. Their artificial construction makes them extremely resilient to both physical and magical attacks, and grants them immunity to poison and frost. When defeated, they drop Soul gems of various sizes, Dwarven Oil, and various Dwemer Artifacts which may be sold or smelted into Dwarven Metal Ingots, or simply used as decorations.

Morrowind

 * Steam Centurion
 * Centurion Sphere
 * Centurion Spider
 * Akulakhan

Skyrim

 * Dwarven Centurion
 * The Forgemaster
 * Dwarven Sphere
 * Dwarven Spider
 * Dwarven Ballista

Combat dialogue
During or after combat with an Automaton, non-playable characters may remark upon the automaton(s) they just fought against. One such example is with Neloth.