Golems

“A weapon does not decide whether or not to kill. A weapon is a manifestation of a decision that has already been made.”

— Steven Galloway, The Cellist of Sarajevo

Golems are artificial lifeforms created by Sorcerers or priests to serve as weapons, be it defensively or offensively.

Golems are expensive to create and require a skilled magic user to animate them. Nonetheless there are those who sell them as guardians, servants and war-machines.

Description

Golems are fundamentally made from two ingredients: a physical body and a soulstone core. Once that core is possessed by a Spirit the entire thing comes to life.
A golem's body can be made from any material, from steel and stone to lesser materials such as wood, clay and straw. Generally the more durable and heavy the golem's body is, the harder it is to create and the tougher the resulting golem will be, but also the stronger the spirit needed to animate it.
The stronger the spirit animating the golem is, the faster it will move and the stronger it will be, but the larger the soulstone housing it needs to be.
The larger the soulstone the more expensive and difficult to construct it will be, and the more it has to be protected. Creating a golem is thus a careful balancing act.

Shackled minds: A golem is a construct created for a simple purpose. Its ability to think is given to it by the spirit that empowers it, which is then shackled in accordance with the creator's designs.
If the shackles on the spirit are too loose, it may gain undue influence over the construct's actions and use the powerful construct to run rampant or to break free and leave the construct inanimate.
As a result, a golem's intelligence is usually severely limited. Most commonly a golem will understand language, follow commands, fight with prodigious strength and endurance but will not do anything of their own initiative and simply remain inert if undisturbed.

Variants: Golems can be made from a variety of materials and animated by a variety of spirits. Further the shackles on the spirit can be designed to allow the spirit more or less influence, granting the golem further powers but giving it a personality beyond that of a mindless machine.
As such, there are countless variants of golems. From cheaply made Nightmare-possessed scarecrows to terrorize the countryside to lumbering Adamantium golems to crush city walls, the possibilities are near-endless.
It is also possible of course to create golems to serve as menial labor, but this is not the variant that most people study the craft for.

An iron golem, animated by a Demonic spirit.

A Stone Golem, animated by an elemental spirit.

Appearance

A golem's appearance is entirely determined by its function. As such a war-golem will be a hulking, brutal thing, while a guardian golem might be a beautiful statue that serves as a nice decoration if not in use.