Golems
Who are they?
The Golems are a particular unit of the Peak. They are a smaller, elite group, so their number is never high. Usually, they have 15-20 members. They don't have a named leader. They all have the same responsibilities, and when a task comes up, they quickly decide among themselves who will do it. If their fighting skills are required to protect Peak Haven, the settlement leader will command them.
Who can be a member of the unit?
They are selected exclusively from the Peak. Mainly because the door of the Womb can be opened only from the inside; from the outside, only a Peak can open using their stone-shaping ability. The Golems' stone-shaping ability is not the best among the Peak, but it doesn't have to. Usually, they only need to operate the door's inside latches. However, their fighting skills are exceptional to protect their wards.
What are their responsibilities?
The Golems' primary responsibility is to protect the Womb and everyone under their care. Their secondary responsibility is to safeguard Peak Haven itself if necessary. However, since time immemorial, nobody has tried to attack the settlement, making the Golems' lives essential but boring.
Part of their responsibility is to protect the females and younglings living in the Womb; they take care of their day-to-day needs. They check all the levels of the cavern daily, and if something is lacking, will run out soon, or a part of the Womb needs to be fixed, they notify members of the Peak who are responsible for the maintenance. The Golems also take care of disputes between females and younglings. It is likely their most frequent task. And if any of the wards want to spend a little time out of the Womb, the Golems will act as bodyguards.
The Golems are here all the time if we need anything
The descriptions about the Golems always being there reminds me of the famous Golem of Prague story and the myth that it's still in the attic, waiting to be activated. Nice work! (PS I haven't forgotten about what you sent me on Discord. I didn't mean to fall off the face of the planet. I'mma read it when Summer Camp shenannigans are over.)
Thank you for your kind words! I would be lying if I said that the Golem of Prague was in my mind when I came up with the name. Probably, I was thinking more of the golems in TTRPG games, but sometimes, these names rise from the deepest recesses of my mind, and I have no idea what the source was. I wanted to convey with the name that this group will protect the ogre females and their younglings no matter what. I hope I was somewhat successful with my message. Don't worry about the Discord message. You will get there when you have time. :)
I mean, if that's what you're trying to convey, I think "golem" is very fitting. Idk if you're Jewish/know much about Jewish folklore, but that's kind of the whole thing with golems. Nothing stops them from carrying out the task they were made for, aside from being deactivated. (And likewise, idk about your golems, but the Jewish stories often end with them needing to be deactivated because they do this too well, in a Sorcerer's Apprentice kind of way.)
No, I'm not Jewish, and I know close to nothing about the folklore. I read about the golem of Prague in a graphic novel first when I was a kid. But that's all I remember because that was a long time ago. My Golems are more of a medieval version of modern-day agents assigned to safe houses - Peak Haven itself is a safe town - so they are not focused blindly on their task. But that gave me an idea. Because they can lock themselves into the Womb and nobody else can open the door from the outside, if someone takes control over their mind and orders them to - sorry for the word - kill everybody in the Womb, other members of the Peak might implement a codeword that would "deactivate" the Golems to save their wards. I'll add it to the list of articles to be modified in September. :) Thank you very much for the brainstorming!!!
Glad to give you ideas! I love golem folklore, and even though most Anvilites probably have a different background than me with them, I still get excited when I see them <3