Alter Aeon The Great Library

Welcome to the Alter Aeon Historical Archive!

Note - as with any topic, researchers should question the reliability
and veracity of these texts.  The library's aim is to preserve
documents, not verify accuracy.

AABN:  13795
Title: a book entitled "Advanced Mage-Craft: Golems, Volume I"

Golems are a class of magically animated constructs. Unlike undead,
homunculi and simulacrums, they are powered by elemental magic, rather than
life force or natural energies. They also differ from homunculi and
simulacrums in that they are crafted by skill and artifice rather than by
magic. Golems are generally resistant to the type of elemental magic that
was used to animate them.

Golem-craft arose on both the Northern Continent and in the old Kingdom of
Q'thelas independently. Northern golems were crafted by lone mages, who
closely guarded their secrets. The manuals of golem-craft they left behind
allowed their art to continue into modern times. It is rumored that early
Quelese golems were made by clerics under the tutelage of angels. As
golem-craft became more and more intricate, it was picked up by Q'thelas's
budding elementalist mages. Quelese golems of the High Machine Period  were
extremely sophisticated, capable of speech, self-repair and reasoning.

Both traditions involve animating a constructed body using elemental magic.
The Northern method requires summoning or subduing an elemental that can be
bound to the body. The Quelese method either used summoned elementals, or,
especially later on, simply casting elemental spells on specially prepared
magical recepticals.

On rare occasions, crude golems can spontaneously arise from mishandled
elemental magic. This happens in places where old potions, spell components
and enchanted items are disposed of. Magical accidents can also create
golems.

Most golems have a runic formula inscribed on or within their bodies. These
runes channel local mana into the golem to replenish their animating
elemental matrix. Traditional methods used a runed scroll, stone or gem
sealed within the golem's mouth. Modern golems usually have a small hollow
cavity within their chests with the runes inscribed onto the surfaces of
the cavity.

There is an alternative method of powering golems that is sometimes
employed in areas where they are used as long-term guardians. In these
places, architectural runes or wardstones channel the mana into the
guardian golems. Each golem must be specially constructed for the location.
Removing the golems usually results in their deactivation after several
weeks of increasingly sluggish behavior.

Golems created by accident usually collapse after a few days. However,
areas with powerful mana fields can sustain them indefinitely. One such
place is the magical junkyard on the island of Kordan.