Golem
Overview
Golem (/ˈɡoʊləm/ GOH-ləm;) is an artificially created humanoid servant - a lifeless husk driven by a magical script. It differs much from most other animated creatures, such as abominations, as it doesn't have free will, decision-making capacity or mental capabilities. The Golem is a willless worker fully obedient to its master. Usually, the craftsmen and craftswomen created them to perform a specific task or labour or rarely to fulfil a purpose. Such jobs are short-termed, but there are cases for prolonged assignments. The earlier Golem husks are short-lived and wear off quickly as they don't undergo repairs, maintenance and modifications. The amortization is not a problem for shorter and quicker tasks as the Golems are disposed of or discarded after they finish the job. It started being a problem, however, for long-running tasks. Usually, the Golem crafters fix it by building a new husk and transferring the script. Most often, any repair to a Golem husk requires too much effort. Instead, they are recycled or abandoned, depending on the used raw materials. The newest designs, however, tend to be much more long-lasting. Scripts, on the other side, are always scavenged and reused as they are much harder to produce.
Body
The Golems vary in size, shape, style and material, depending on their creator's personal preferences. Usually, they are between 1.5 and 2.5 in height and resemble the form of a bulky, obese genderless human. Their weight depends on the quantity and type of the used materials. Regardless of the shape, size and purpose, the husks always wear the style of their creators. The aesthetics, ornamenting, amount of decoration and fashion features hugely depend on the husk's exact purpose. Based on the building technique, different schools appeared through the ages. However, the tiny details usually bear the unique handwriting of the husks' creators so they can be distinguished. The most famous craftsman usually left their signatures on each of their works. Some Golems were considered masterpieces, and after they ended their services, their husks were preserved and restored.
Unlike abominations, the bodies of Golems need to be carefully arranged and ordered. All parts must be connected into one uniform structure before a Golem can be animated and brought to life.
Materials
Building materials for Golem husks varied and depended on the Golem generations. The statues and sculptures, converted into the first golems, were built from different types of stones. When Golem-crafting became a thing, the crafters switched to unbaked clay, mud and other softer materials. Organic materials like bones, wood and flesh were an option, but morality restricted their usage to a very rare. The Holy Church proclaimed organic Golems as unholy and unnatural, an insult to God. This decision permanently sealed the fate of such husks. The evolution of Golems-crafting required more durable and sturdy materials for the husks. Ceramics and terracotta replaced unbaked clay and mud. Metals and alloys joined the preferred materials. Introducing of axial wiring and wireframed construction led to the usage of multiple different materials for a single husk.
Script
The script is the heart, the brain and the engine of a Golem. Without it, a husk is a passive sculpture without any function or purpose. The only exception is if the quality of work is too high and can be considered decoration. The scripts are subject to constant improvements and modifications. They have evolved from simple magical inscriptions to pictograms to current complex texts. Usually, they are in use until they physically wear off and start crumbling. Golem crafters always try to scavenge used scripts from abandoned or damaged Golems. They often keep special "libraries" with Scripts and use them to animate a husk on demand. Crafters rarely create a new script, as it is expensive, demanding and requires many resources. Replication of an existing one is relatively cheaper and requires lesser skills. Light or medium modifying scripts requires very high skills and is most expensive on resources and time. Sometimes it is even dangerous if the scribe isn't skilled enough, unwary or unserious. Heavy modifications, development and experiments are the hardest, riskiest and costliest. All those activities are a challenge requiring knowledge in multiple areas, practical experience, good intuition and a bit of luck to succeed. Most often than not, they don't and fail miserably. Often, failed experiments claim the life of the experimenter. The most complex developing project, the "Sentient Golems Project", failed too hard and had a terrifying backlash. It single-handedly almost brought the Golem-crafting to its end.
The main engine of any Golem is the script stored in its co-called script vault. The very first scripts used more symbols and pictures than actual instructions. The execution of a command often varies from husk to husk or when the location changes, or in different environments. Later, scripts became more structured and textual. Words and formulas replaced most of the pictograms. It contains primitive functions and functionality, such as moving, using tools and limbs, and registering actions and events. There are also instructions of a more sophisticated nature that the Golem should perform on a command. Some scripts even have logic and conditional actions, but they are rare as this practice is strongly discouraged. It is accepted only for Golems, designed to fulfil highly specialized duties when there are overriding conditions. The evolution of scripts led to its separation into different chapters.
Chapter I: Fundamentals
The first part appears as a direct descendant of primitive scripts of Proto-golems. It contains the primitive layer of functionality. The first chapter "tells" the script how it must interact with the husk. The texts usually are the same for all husks of the same type, regardless of their actual purpose.
Chapter II: Settings
The second chapter differs, depending on the exact purpose of the Golem. It is the most modified part where all adjustments and so-called "settings" usually are done. It usually has multiple references to parts of the first chapter. The texts in the second chapter interpret commands given to the Golem, so the husk could be able to execute them. All Golems with the same purpose have similar texts in this chapter, regardless of their husk type.
Chapter III: Logic
The third chapter of Golem's script is something experimental and very controversial. This part holds the logic and conditions used for higher functions and operations. The chapter doesn't have a unified structure and standardized connections to previous chapters so far. Instead, they all are custom-made, and each implementation bears the handwriting of its scribe. Its first appearance is unknown, but gains popularity because of Project "Sentient Golem". The project's downfall was also the reason for the chapter's downfall. For a long time, the chapter was forgotten and forbidden, so it became a lost art.
Husk
The first Golems were just animated pieces of art. Their bodies weren't optimized for work and quickly began to crumble. Golem-crafters resolved the affinity to self-crumble by introducing complex husks. They split the husk to separate parts and then re-connect them with moving joints. However, it turned out that the scripts could affect only the directly connected materials and components. Commands didn't travel from one material to another. Initially, this was solved by attaching all parts directly to the script. Now, the crafter should write a command for each connected limb. If something was undescribed, it simply didn't work. This solution turned the scripts into overcomplicated novels - or comics. The direct connections forced crafters to create too heavy or complex husks that sometimes crumbled under their weight.
An unknown craftsman discovered that the script could be attached to the husk's wiring instead of limbs. He quickly shared his discovery even before he investigated it, and this new knowledge led to a revolution in husk-building. New lightweight Golems started replacing old bulky heavyweight ones. Crafters reworked the entire wiring of their husks, converting them to skeletal and nerve systems. The new design was named "Axial wiring". Connecting a script to the wires was much simpler than the limbs. The wiring became its extension. The further development led to the creation of the so-called "contracts" or "contacts", a standardized connection between the wires and script.
Axial wiring design (dubbed as "skeletal design") evolved into wireframe design. It replaces the axial wiring of limbs with a full-cage frame of wires. This design makes the husk much more durable and even allows applying some minor repairs and fixes. It adds very slight complexity to the script. However, wireframe husks are much more expensive and time-consuming to produce. Most Golem-crafters the benefits for too little, compared to the costs. It has a very niche usage for occasions where durability or the possibility of repairs are more important than the price. It was the preferred design for the Project "Sentient Golem". Nowadays, most Golem crafters prefer the axial wiring design due to its cheapness and suspicious past.
Project "Sentient Golem"
The attempts at Golems' improvements reach their apogee with the so-called Project "Sentient Golem" (PSG). It collected many of the most famous Golem-related crafters, scientists, engineers and scribes with the very ambitious task of creating a living and thinking Golem. Many considered the project very controversial. They began very closely watching it, and when the project made its first real progress, they expressed their concerns about its morality. The Holy Church also observed the project with great interest and a bit of anxiety. However, they refrained from intervention until the first semi-sentient Golems appeared. Then the Church outlawed the PSG and all its members and began persecuting them. Many scientists surrendered immediately, begging for mercy. However, many others chose to resist and released all already-built prototypes, experimental and regular Golems. The scripts of many were vague, incomplete or even deranged. The Church forces and the rebels of PSG clashed several times, wreaking havoc and destruction. The rising number of civil casualties forced The Order of Purity to intervene. All its members were trained and educated to counter and eradicate any supernatural, alien, or other non-human threat to humanity. Its knights and priests engaged and neutralized rampaging Golems while the conventional Church forces fought scientists and their mercenaries. The remaining members of PSG turned illegal and went hiding. They took some of the most advanced prototypes with them. Rumours said some of those Golems were already sentient.
Later, rumours turned into folk tales. Most told stories about wise Golems that helped heroes or insane ones that wreak chaos. One particular motive appeared later than most others but quickly influenced all of them. It told about a colossal, mysterious Golem with a bloody-red husk wearing a yellowish crown. The tales called it "Prince-Pauper" and insisted other sentient Golems built him and crowned him as their master.
Build materials: Unbaked clay, Mud, Liquid Sand, Liquid Glass
Prince-Pauper
The tales about "Prince-Pauper" caught the attention of the Order, and it immediately launched a full investigation. Interrogations of the Golems held in the Order's menagerie provided no clues. All information came from folk tales, rumours and very little from trustworthy sources. Witnesses confirmed the existence of the crowned bloody-red husk, but there was no evidence that the so-called Prince was sentient or not. The Order's investigators captured a few more PSG prototypes and found the project was advanced deeper than previously thought. And maybe it never really stopped. The investigation forced everyone still connected to PSG to go deeper into hiding and cover all their tracks. The lacking of new evidence and all clues that went cold forced the Order to archive the case.
Order's Menagerie
The Order of Purity holds multiple Golems from PSG in captivity in its menagerie. The Order treats them like living being, not like machines, although they are crafted and animated by humans.
Rules
The PSG caused fear of human-killing, man-hunting, self-reproducing sentient Golem. Angry or scared mobs killed many Golem crafters and destroyed any Golem they could find. Some scribes attempted to reduce the tension by modifying the scripts of existing Golems by adding distinct orders that forbid them from doing any harm to humans. This addition usually ruined the entire text than acting as prohibition. The fear blocked the crafting of new Golems for a very long time. The scribes had to develop a specific set of rules before its restoration. According to them, each script must contain a text forbidding the Golem from any attempt to harm humans. Later, those rules were fundamentals of the new Golem Theory. For now, they are redundant as the Golem is only a tool but not a person. It is a creature with no own will, no sentience, and no conciseness.
Golem Theory
Recently, several universities showed renewed interest in Golems. They developed a new scientific discipline named "Golem Theory", which addressed both aspects of golem-crafting at once - scriptwriting and husk-crafting. The experiments with scripts led to the rediscovery of the Third chapter. Chapter's usage continued to be heavily discouraged, and any experiments in the area had to undergo strict revision. However, some universities build and equip special laboratories dedicated to Golem Theory. Small numbers of very trustworthy scientists were allowed there to develop and experiment. Usually, a church representative oversees each laboratory and its personnel. Officially, they are in charge of the moral side of work and any ethical problems and decisions. Unofficially, their task is to block any new attempt to create a sentient Golem.
Generation
First Generation: Proto-golems
The first Golems were just animated sculptures and statues that could execute only basic commands like walk, stop, hold, carry and drop. Their "scripts" contained just a few words carved in their foreheads or written on parchment in their "mouth". The bodies had no joints, and all movements wore them off very quickly. The script and the husk were inseparable, but due to the script's simplicity, it wasn't a problem at all. However, such Golems had limited functionality and usage.
Build materials: Limestone, Marble, Granite.
Second Generation: Ancient Golem
The success of the proto-golems led to the development of a stand-alone design for golems. The first Golem crafters decided to replace solid and wear-irresistant stones with something much more movement-tolerant. They experimented with many materials until they discovered semi-liquid and plastic matters fitted best. The husk still was made from a single piece of the material. However, now it bore the tension and stress of movements much longer before starting to wear off and crumble. However, this was at the cost of some sturdiness and strength. Golems also need to be smaller to keep their integrity.Third Generation: Advanced Golems
Advanced Golems were the next stage in Golem development. They should resolve the sturdiness and strength problems their predecessors had. However, the solution came at the price of mobility loss and increased weight and volume. New husks were bulkier and big than previous ones. Initially, they tended to crumble without visible reasons, but the crafters quickly investigated and resolved the problem. The new design of husks replaced the old one in the most economical areas. However, the more flexible and smaller ancient Golems outperformed the new ones in some jobs. They co-exist for a long time until the development of classical design.
Build materials: Baked clay, Ceramics, Terracotta, Metals, Alloys
Forth Generation: Classical Golems
Classical Golems appeared with the mass usage of axial wiring and wireframe designs. They combined both strength and sturdiness of advanced golems with the flexibility and smaller size of ancient ones. Classical Golem design was the longest-used one and was the base of many discoveries and successful experiments. The infamous PSG used primary Classical Golem design for its research and prototypes.
Build materials: Axial wiring, Wireframes, Porcelain, Alloys, Ceramics, Terracotta.
Fifth Generation: Modern Golem
Modern Golems are complex creatures coming in various shapes, colours and sizes. They are not only tools, but once again, they are pieces of art. The new Golem Theory and the advancement of material science allow the crafting of very durable husks that can be painted and decorated. Modern crafters obligate much from axial wiring and wireframe design, and practically they can achieve any form. For the first time in history, there is a Golem fashion. Its trends dictate the exact appearance and facade of the Golems much more than their real purpose.
Build materials: Complex material, Axial wiring, Wireframes, Porcelain, Alloys, Tempered Glass
All-generations: Rampant Golem
Rampant Golems are products of heavy modification or experiments with the script. They often differ from each another and may have many uncommon or unique features like pincers, claws or tails. Rampant Golems are wild and uncontrolled creatures that wreak havoc and chaos. They could destroy an entire village or small town, killing hundreds or even thousands, before they got stopped. They are fearsome enemies due to their colossal strength and durability and invulnerability to common effects like fear, pain, tiredness, and lack of moral sense. They also don't have a sense of self-preservation. Rampant Golems are two types depending on the motives and circumstances behind their creation.
Vile Golems are crafted for revenge or as punishment tools. Their creators usually didn't have much experience, knowledge or general conception. Instead, they brought all available parts together and assembled them similar to abominations. The creators themselves often cannot produce a working script, so they attempt to adjust an existing one. However, modifying a script is even more complicated than writing one from scratch, and any intervention could cause the misinterpretation of one or more commands. Custom-made husk could hardly be connected right with the script. Wrongly interpreted instruction and conflicting connection between "brain" and "body" turns Golem into an uncontrollable monstrosity that destroys everything on its way. Usually destructive path begins with the laboratory it is "born".
Abominable Golems are rarer, a product of much better Golem-design knowledge. Abominable Golems are fault products of developing new scripts, new types of husks or attempts to build a connection between them. Often, their creators - scientists or experimenters - had all good intentions. They wanted to implement a new ability or desired to improve an existing design. However, they failed to do it correctly, and experimental Golem went out of control. This most often led to their premature demise.
Firsts Rampant Golems, both Abominable and Vile, appeared shortly after the first Proto-golems. Too many people experimented with Golems through the ages, and many horrific creatures were born. They are the main reason people fear all Golems. However, they reached their true heyday after the Project "Sentient Golem" was disbanded, and the Holy Church started persecutions all its former members.
Build materials: anything.
Geographic Distribution
