Battle Golems
A mass produced golem developed by Balri.
Manufacturing process
The vats used to grow the crystals were expensive to make requiring several enchantments of their own in order to grow the crystals at an accelerated pace. Even so, a vat cost less than a traditional golem and could produce crystals for 10 golems a week. In any other land the main ingredient for the solution used to grow the crystals might have been difficult to come by, but in Balri the abundance of slaves meant that liquefied remains of people were easy to produce without stirring up an outcry.
Slaves and lesser races also provided the power for the golems. The researchers at the cauldron had found a way to extract the psychic energy from a person at the point of death and store it in crystals. The crystals grown from the solution made of blended bodies were found to be especially receptive to this energy, allowing for the golems to operate for longer and with more precision compared with regular crystals. The time taken to grow the crystals meant a single slave couldn't provide both body and mind to the same golem, but the productionised process meant that after drawing out the psychic of a slave the body could be used to make crystals for one of the later golems.
In order to control the golems command rods were crafted. These ornate silver rods contained more of the vat grown grown crystals and the golems were designed to only accept commands from the rightful holders of these rods. Recognising that these rods represented a potential weakness in their new army, the rods were enchanted so that only those who had undergone the ritual of command could use them.
Significance
The battle golems were developed in order for Balri to have an army unmatched in numbers or fighting strength. Combining the arcane and psionic disciplines the researches at the cauldron were able to develop a construct that was much cheaper to produce than normal golems.
Rather than crafting the golems to look like a person, the designers focused on a utilitarian shape that reduced the number of weakpoints. The head was flattened down to shoulders and given the ability to turn full circle. The crystal spine was moved to the centre of the body, and the centre of gravity shifted down to make it harder for them to be knocked over. While there was some debate about integrating the golems' weapons into their arms, it was felt that having arms and hands that could be used for climbing or carrying could prove useful in sieges. The weapons produced for the golems were heavy axes, greatswords, and similar weapons that were best used with brute strength rather than finesse.
Although the golems didn't tire, their energy was not unlimited and after eight hours of continuous activity they would stop moving. 8 hours of inactivity were then necessary for them to regain a full charge. Tactics developed for the golems took this into account, with the plan being to split each set of golems into 3 teams. One team would be sent in to fight for 4 hours, while another team was held in reserve and the third were rested and repaired.
The development and production of the battle golems was a closely guarded secret until a group of mercenaries stumbled upon one of the production facilities while attempting to track down a group of slaves. This band of troublemakers and malcontents destroyed the facility, unshackled the slaves and lesser beings, and then proceeded to pass word of the project on to Balri's enemies. Despite the fact that the creation of the golems would ultimately save more of their lives than the production process took the slaves and lesser races in Balri reacted as if they were being killed for no reason. In their naivety they even believed that it was their souls which were being used to power the golems, ignoring the fact the concept of any of the lesser races having a soul was an absurdity in the first place. Various agitators organised wide scale revolts and it was some time before order could restored. Trem, Filishar, and Caresnas had also threatened an immediate joint declaration of war if the project was not stopped. As insufficient golems had been produced to hold back these combined forces Balri was left with no choice but to accede to these demands.
A visible change in the country's rulers, with the new rulers declaring that the project would be ended helped to calm the rebellious slaves and stave off war. Several production facilities were revealed and publicly destroyed by unruly mobs with the golems smashed in order to convince all parties that the project had been completely ended.
Item type
Magical
Owning Organization
Raw materials & Components
The core of the golems was made from crystals grown in special vats. The crystals were grown into the required shapes for a skeletal structure before being coated in metal in special moulds. Compared to the usual methods where the golems had to be hand crafted this production process required much less effort and enabled them to be mass produced. Even the enchantments woven into the crystals took less effort than the usual process as the energies could be worked while the crystals were being grown.
