Golems

Golems

Subclass: Constructs (Physical)

''“Surprisingly simple to create. Surprisingly difficult to destroy. That’s good, when they’re on your side…”''

-       ''Master Henry Griffiths, of the R.B.G.H''

First recorded in the story of Rabbi Loew ben Bezalel of Prague, golems are a catch-all term for physical constructs animated by Belief rather than by direct arcane power, as opposed to Automatons, which are mechanical and operated only partly by direct arcane forces, and Revenants, which are made from parts of animals or people and animated by a combination of spells and bound lightning. Golems are generally made from a combination of earthen material such as stone or clay, and plant matter such as branches or charcoal. Once the body, generally humanoid in form and great in size, is finished it is subjected to rituals by a person of Faith. Should many people know of tis creation and believe in its success, the process will go easier, and it is even theoretically possible for the golem to animate on its own should enough people believe that it has been brought to life, via the Law of Belief.

Once animated, it is generally quite difficult to deactivate a golem for any not designated as allies by its creator, or the creator himself. Given that the rituals for creating the golem are not at all set in stone, many golemancers experiment to find the ritual which grants the optimal amount of strength, speed, endurance and intelligence for the specific task the creator has in mind. Golems might be small as children and unnaturally quick and untiring, making for excellent messengers like those of the famed Jewish Postal service, which run messages reliably and cheaply over much of Europe and western Asia, or they might be massive, lumbering and self-repairing, like the great siege golems of old or those animated to aid in construction of great buildings.

In general, a golem can be made simpler and more versatile than any other construct, but requires a sizable number of people who believe in their existence and capabilities. Thus, in a large city, a golemancer working in construction or other public works gains both pay for the work done by his creation and the belief of the people who have seen his creation work. Two positives, all for the price of three wagonloads of clay and sticks.

Of course, like most magic, golemancy is regulated by most nations in the scope, number and attributes any aspiring golemancer may bestow upon his creation. Rogue golemancers sometimes run for the hills and practice in rural sites where oversight is limited, but the small number of witnesses generally restricts these to merely one or two golems at a time. Still, a well-built golem guided by a competent golemancer can be a lifeline for remote villages under attack by monsters. The R.B.G.H cannot work outside the confines of the British Empire without the approval of the current ruler of the nation in question, and many local Hunter groups are inept and lack resources and support from mages. Thus, a golem, being fuelled by belief and not direct magic, might well be the best weapon a small community could turn to a roosting wyvern or a gryphon infestation.

Golems are generally lacking in both intelligence, insight and personality as a whole, with very limited curiosity and free thought, but there are some rare examples to the contrary. On a theoretical level, one could make a golem as intelligent as a man, maybe more so, if one simply convinced enough people that it could be done. Golems are, after all, powered by the Law of Belief, and thus are supremely adaptable. Personally, this humble author has met no less than three golems which held their own mind, no less than any man alive. One of them even worked as a librarian, and claimed to enjoy reading and writing fantastical fiction and poetry.

Once more, merely identifying a potential foe as a golem is just the beginning of figuring out the potential strengths and weaknesses of your quarry. Is it designed for speed or strength, can it repair itself, is the golemancer alive and active, is it malevolent or just confused, can it be deactivated or must it be destroyed, is it very obviously a construct or can it pass for a living being, and lastly, perhaps most importantly, is it capable of rational thought, does it possess even a semblance of a soul?