Golems have been a part of Orn for nearly as long as magic has been mastered by living beings. The art of golemancy was truly mastered during the time of the Company of Seven, when Imphalios used his understanding of golemancy to create a legion of stone soldiers to fight the pressing darkness of an undead horde and to build the city of Thaedmore. Throughout time however, golems and other constructs have been made to guard ancient holds, help doddling mages, and fight in wars too cruel for the living.
Shards of Orn verison 4.0 Information
| Costuming | Golem | Golems must paint, at the least, all areas of exposed skin on the face, back of hands, and forearms, an unnatural grey hue; they may choose to paint all areas of exposed skin. Golems must also wear full face masks to hide their player's human faces. |
| Passive Effect | Immune Bleed | You are Immune to Bleed Effects. |
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Combat Effect
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Self, Feign |
You do not need to do anything special to trigger a Self ability. When you use it, it affects you. You appear dead. You must fall to one knee in addition to crossing both hands over your head. The effect ends if you move. Note that a character cannot effectively ‘play dead’without a “Feign” effect, and monsters and NPCs may ignore your “Feign” effect if they have witnessed it before during the same combat. |
| Narrative Effect | Adapt Gas |
You are able to see and breathe normally in smoky or gas-filled environments.This does not grant any inherent advantage in combat. |
Golems are required to cover all of their skin with paint or cloth that represents what they are built out of. This could range from bright silvery steels, hues from a rainbow of crystals, or colors of stone from which they are made. Many golems also choose to wear full face masks to hide their player's human faces.
Golem often refers to a class of simulacrum also known as constructs or automatons. By and large, they are built as servants to a living master to serve a specific purpose. As a result, golems are widely varied in form and function due to this and other factors: such as the culture and location of where the golem is built.
Golems normally operate under strict sets of commands which they will follow until their end. However, in some cases, these commands don't hold and the golem will malfunction. In most cases, this leads to a simple but small explosive element as the binding energy is released. Sometimes these golems remain just intact enough to cause harm to those around them. In the rarest of cases, a malfunctioning golem will achieve a level of sentience.
Golems that manage to survive the ordeal and gain sentience normally have very stagnant personalities. They generally can only understand two or three feelings or emotions, and stick to these. Even those who can comprehend more feel alien or plastic to the living creatures they interact with. This causes many creatures to feel uncomfortable or uneasy around golems.
At the core of every golem is an item that contains all the bindings, spells, or blessings that run the construct. This object is called a Name, as the object is normally inscribed with the golem's designation. A Name contains the anchor that powers the golem as well. Anchors pull from planes of magic or from an immortal's plane of power to fuel the golem.
Constructs and golems don't age like living creatures. At most, they will degrade at the same rate as the substances they are built with. Their Names however do age in a way. They incur the same scars any soul would, but largely lack the ability to repair and heal them.
The golems don't really have a history to call their own, as they would have no one to record it for them. However, if you look closely at any living creature or nation's history, there is a chance that golems will appear in them as soldiers or servants.
Golem-kind did play one very key role during one of the final battles with the Company of Seven, after a near crushing defeat at the hands of the lich Valedir . With a mostly injured army and no reinforcements inbound, the then mortal construct Thaedrin suggested that he could build the wounded soldiers new golem bodies. Jacob Silver, the Bard King, was wholly in favor of this option as it would let them win the battle. Cassandra du Soliel, the Chosen of Istensia, vehemently opposed this decision, as it would prevent the soldiers from passing onto their eternal rest. In the end, the soldiers asked for the opportunity to keep fighting, and in a great feat of magic, Thaedrin then wrought the spell that gave the soldiers this chance. To this day, the Church of Istensia regards golems with a certain level of scorn and distrust they normally reserve for the undead.
Golems come in three main variants. The differences are based on how the golem is powered:
Spellborne golems are powered by one of the realms of magic, usually the one that best fits what they are built to do. Their Names are dependent on what the golem was built for, but can range from a scroll, chunk of mana, or even an old weapon. Most are powered by the Aether, as that realm controls space and kinetic energy. Some Spellborne are made to channel the energies of their Anchor realm into the physical world.
Soulforged golems are blessed by a church to carry out an Immortal's will in ways their living followers cannot. Their Names are generally a church relic or holy symbol that is prayed over for days on end until the immortal blesses the object with life and sentience. These golems are normally built to reflect their un-ending faith, and are covered with murals and stories of their deity. Soulforged golems have a greater chance of being sentient from the start, as they are the closest to true life.
Rigs are golems who are powered in part by the Maelstrom, much like some Spellborne. But, these golem's Names simply serve to power steam or kinetic systems that actually run the golem. These are the gear and piston filled creations of engineering opposed to the bindings of enchanting or the prayers of faith. They tend to be on the robotic side, and are normally void of any real personality being the furthest from true sentience.
In most cases, golems are threads in the tapestry of the society they reside in. There are some exceptions, albeit rare ones.
Like minded and similarly equipped golems will sometimes come together and organize themselves into a cadre. How a cadre is run is normally decided by the cadre itself, and differs from group to group. For instance, a cadre of soldier golems will normally have a sergeant or golem of rank that leads them with unquestioned authority. On the other end of the spectrum, other less military flavored golems will join in a consensus to come to a mutually beneficial decision for the group as a whole. Soulforged rarely form groups, as they are the least common. If a Soulforged joins a group of golems, their first obligation is to their immortal, then to their cadre. These small examples go un-changed for hundreds of years as the golems neither die nor reproduce, nor require any natural resources. They live in perfect harmony as all decisions are made with cold, logical consensus.
On the shard of Nastal, there is a un-completed city called Thaedmore. This city was started in the time of the Company of Seven by Thaedrin, who later became Imphalios. For unknown reasons, the city was never completed and was soon take over by monsters. However, pockets of golems still remain.
When two or more golems do come together and make a decision, its often done quickly and seemingly telepathically. This is not the case however, as many golems have very similar thoughts and lines of logic. As a result, very little verbal communication is needed. This feature of golem-kind is often viewed as strange and tends to unnerve many living beings.
In some large cities colleges and schools are founded or staffed by golems. Golems make excellent teachers, as they have near endless patience and a deep founded sense to help living creatures in most cases. Golems are also often used as high end training dummies, as they can fight back and replace parts with no pain.
Golem culture is very stable as a whole. Without factors like food, reproduction, or defined leadership, golems generally don't argue or fight when a decision has to be made. The constructs will gather and come to a logical consensus that benefits the whole of the group. The concept of personal gain isn't simply strange to a golem, but completely alien to a golem. When a task is assigned or agreed upon via consensus, the community will complete it.
If a golem finds itself in a living culture, it will do it's best to replicate and mimic said culture. Most golems do this simply as a means to better communicate with the beings of that culture, although some will study them to better understand the culture.
Golems tend to fall into the background of situations. Because they feel no need to argue and take commands well, they tend to get swept along with whatever decision is made. When interacting with each other, they may be more emboldened to disagree if there is a reasonable chance the living beings will agree with them and move forward.
Despite the generally passive nature of golems, many are viewed with fear and concern. Constructs have been long used in war and as engines of destruction. In some parts of Orn, golems are known to behead the un-wary traveler for no apparent reason. The golem tendency to think far more than they say also tends to unnerve the living beings of Orn.
Faith is a strange subject for many non-soulforged golems. As they do not have souls and death holds no fear for constructs, there is very little reason for a construct to hold a faith in an immortal. Soulforged golems are programmed to believe and are as devout as a soulless being can be, but its still just a set of commands. However, some golems follow the teachings and lessons of the stories of some immortals as a way to further understand what it means to "be".
Imphalios: Imphalios is by far the most well known construct in the Shards. He was a member of the Company of Seven and helped win many battles by their side. When he ascended, he stood as a placeholder for Espidrel as the Immortal of Craft. Since the coming of Kragg, he has been forgotten as this by many living beings, but is still held as such by golems. Many sentient golems have sought to follow his footsteps and become adventurers as he once was.
Githal: The teachings of Githal generally strike a true note within many golem's Names. The structure and hierarchy of the military is logical and sound, and some legions will ask for Githal's strength in battle.
Thareon: Since the ascension of the new immortal, some cadres have found this immortals teachings mesh incredibly well with how they already behave. Golems as a whole operate purely in truth, as a lie serves no beneficial purpose in most consensuses. This makes Thareon a very easy immortal for a golem to follow.
Golem adventurers are rare, as it takes a certain level of individuality and want for personal gain to become one. They are not unheard of however, as many start as simple servants or assets to other adventurers, some do seek to follow the footsteps of Imphalios.
As part of a party dynamic, golems are often the voice of logic and tactics within the group. With no emotion to cloud a decision, they often make clear, concise thoughts about how to move forward. These decisions are often morally questionable, as things such as pity, mercy or political gain are not thought of or considered in most cases.
Golems can excel at any role within a party. Many golems are more than content to swap out parts and equipment to better suit the needs of the party if able. They will do the duty assigned to the gritty end, and are tireless combatants. Their construction of stone and steel however makes them better suited for front line roles, but golem mages are also common as they are far more sturdy than their living counterparts.
"This one / That one". Golems generally converse in the third person neutral. They are also largely gender neutral, and their speech reflects this.
"Name / This One's Name" This references the golem's core. It is often used in the same way a living being would reference a soul. An example: "It is not in this one's Name to kill a child"
While not a worded communication, the light a golem emits will generally change in intensity based on how its "feeling". It will grow brighter when excited or angered or dim when weakened or sad.