Golems have come a long way since the days of Yazul and his companions. As console techniques and technology increase in complexity, more materials can be harnessed to their full potential, resulting in a greater variety of golems. The following presents a summary of common knowledge that the residents of Yozellin would have about golems.
the six types of golems
Golems are categorised into six attributes based on their natural affinities.
Spring golems are known for their fleetness and flexibility. They are among the most common types of golems that are crafted in Yozellin due to the abundance of materials associated with their attribute. They are not strong attackers and have a moderate amount of adaptability, but their ease of crafting and beautiful colours make them popular among many meisters. Spring golems perform poorly on the durability scale, but are excellent hunters and navigators. Abilities commonly associated with them are fleetness, and moderate manipulation of air or water.
Summer golems boast great strength and durability. They are less commonly seen in Yozellin as the materials associated with them are more difficult to obtain, which in turn makes them more expensive to craft. Their high destructive capabilities and stamina make them ideal fighters; few golems can match their tenacity and ferocity when things get difficult. They make good leaders as they tend to inspire courage in other golems. Despite these traits, summer golems weaken in cold places, and are notorious for their lack of energy efficiency. Abilities commonly associated with them are immense strength and moderate manipulation or earth or heat.
Autumn golems are healers and supporters. They are not the fastest nor are they the strongest, but they make up for their shortcomings with incredible versatility. Autumn golems can tolerate high variations in temperature without losing much of their capacity, and they are frequently used to support spring or summer golems in their missions. Other traits associated with autumn golems include the fact that they require much rest and can be rather fragile. Abilities commonly associated with them are first aid and moderate manipulation of wildlife.
If few golems can best Summer golems in terms of power, then fewer still can break through the defence of Winter golems. These golems inherit the hardiness and resilience of the materials that are used to craft them, and they can deflect and nullify most attacks almost effortlessly. The defensive capacities of Winter golems means that they are commonly used for defensive missions. Unfortunately, however, Winter golems perform poorly in places of high temperatures, and their materials are difficult to obtain and use. Abilities commonly associated with them are toughness and moderate manipulation of wind and ice.
Perhaps the most resilient of golems are golems imbued with powers of the Sun – the Day golems. These golems are all-rounders, having neither brute strength, fleetness nor toughness. Instead, they are highly intelligent and excel at adapting to different situations, with the ability to overcome virtually the challenges of any terrain. The materials for Day golems do, however, tend to be expensive or rare, so most golem meisters opt for enhanced Spring golems. Day golems are difficult to craft, but outperform any other kind of golem in durability and stability. Abilities commonly associated with them range from healing, to manipulation of light or electricity.
Night golems are often misunderstood, as they, like their Day counterparts, are hard to come by. These golems vary in terms of traits and are highly unpredictable; the strongest of Night golems can best Spring golems in speed, or defeat Summer golems in combat, but the weakest of Night golems can be very useless entities. They are notorious for having the largest amount of energy consumption of all categories of golems, and hold the record for the highest number of meister accidents in the console room. They do not share common traits.
Spring golems are known for their fleetness and flexibility. They are among the most common types of golems that are crafted in Yozellin due to the abundance of materials associated with their attribute. They are not strong attackers and have a moderate amount of adaptability, but their ease of crafting and beautiful colours make them popular among many meisters. Spring golems perform poorly on the durability scale, but are excellent hunters and navigators. Abilities commonly associated with them are fleetness, and moderate manipulation of air or water.
Summer golems boast great strength and durability. They are less commonly seen in Yozellin as the materials associated with them are more difficult to obtain, which in turn makes them more expensive to craft. Their high destructive capabilities and stamina make them ideal fighters; few golems can match their tenacity and ferocity when things get difficult. They make good leaders as they tend to inspire courage in other golems. Despite these traits, summer golems weaken in cold places, and are notorious for their lack of energy efficiency. Abilities commonly associated with them are immense strength and moderate manipulation or earth or heat.
Autumn golems are healers and supporters. They are not the fastest nor are they the strongest, but they make up for their shortcomings with incredible versatility. Autumn golems can tolerate high variations in temperature without losing much of their capacity, and they are frequently used to support spring or summer golems in their missions. Other traits associated with autumn golems include the fact that they require much rest and can be rather fragile. Abilities commonly associated with them are first aid and moderate manipulation of wildlife.
If few golems can best Summer golems in terms of power, then fewer still can break through the defence of Winter golems. These golems inherit the hardiness and resilience of the materials that are used to craft them, and they can deflect and nullify most attacks almost effortlessly. The defensive capacities of Winter golems means that they are commonly used for defensive missions. Unfortunately, however, Winter golems perform poorly in places of high temperatures, and their materials are difficult to obtain and use. Abilities commonly associated with them are toughness and moderate manipulation of wind and ice.
Perhaps the most resilient of golems are golems imbued with powers of the Sun – the Day golems. These golems are all-rounders, having neither brute strength, fleetness nor toughness. Instead, they are highly intelligent and excel at adapting to different situations, with the ability to overcome virtually the challenges of any terrain. The materials for Day golems do, however, tend to be expensive or rare, so most golem meisters opt for enhanced Spring golems. Day golems are difficult to craft, but outperform any other kind of golem in durability and stability. Abilities commonly associated with them range from healing, to manipulation of light or electricity.
Night golems are often misunderstood, as they, like their Day counterparts, are hard to come by. These golems vary in terms of traits and are highly unpredictable; the strongest of Night golems can best Spring golems in speed, or defeat Summer golems in combat, but the weakest of Night golems can be very useless entities. They are notorious for having the largest amount of energy consumption of all categories of golems, and hold the record for the highest number of meister accidents in the console room. They do not share common traits.
crafting a golem
The process of crafting a golem is an art that blends magic and science together. It is based on two core principles: construction – when runes infuse inanimate objects with life – and deconstruction, which is when life energy is ejected out to return matter to its natural state.
First, a meister would need to gather items to make two core ingredients that form a golem: the golem vessel, and the golem crystal. Materials are then tempered and refined to their desired state in a Workshop before being transferred into the console room. In the console room, magic takes over science as runes are chanted to synthesize the materials together to form both vessel and crystal. This is an exceedingly tricky process as runes behave differently towards different materials; for instance, the same command uttered over a metal and a plant would produce very different results. The same command uttered over the same plant that grew in different climates and conditions would also produce different results. Timing is also crucial; not executing a command in time can render hours of work useless as the accumulated energy destabilises and explodes. Hence, a meister must develop keen senses to detect undesirable reactions and address them before they affect the rest of the process.
Once both the vessel and the crystal have been forged successfully, the two elements can be merged to create a golem. The incantations and commands in this stage are particularly challenging and the smallest mistakes can result in undesirable flaws and imperfections. Again, timing, keen senses and patience are crucial. When both vessel and crystal have been merged successfully, the construction process begins. This is also the state that golems return to when deconstructed. Both processes inflict strain on both the vessel and the crystal.
The entire process, beginning with material acquisition and ending with work in a console room, is taxing. As console rooms are concentrated with magical energy, spending long hours is draining, and prolonged exposure to the magical energies in a console room can lead to health disorders in the long run. This is because the energy in a meister's body will also interact with the energies from the golem parts and console themselves; hence, meisters have to spend much time outside of the console room stabilising their inner energies before they can work again. The crafting process is also fraught with danger as the slightest mistakes can trigger dangerous reactions. These aspects combined mean that even in Yozellin, meister accidents are quite common, and many meisters develop complications such as speech and memory impairment earlier than their non-meister counterparts.
First, a meister would need to gather items to make two core ingredients that form a golem: the golem vessel, and the golem crystal. Materials are then tempered and refined to their desired state in a Workshop before being transferred into the console room. In the console room, magic takes over science as runes are chanted to synthesize the materials together to form both vessel and crystal. This is an exceedingly tricky process as runes behave differently towards different materials; for instance, the same command uttered over a metal and a plant would produce very different results. The same command uttered over the same plant that grew in different climates and conditions would also produce different results. Timing is also crucial; not executing a command in time can render hours of work useless as the accumulated energy destabilises and explodes. Hence, a meister must develop keen senses to detect undesirable reactions and address them before they affect the rest of the process.
Once both the vessel and the crystal have been forged successfully, the two elements can be merged to create a golem. The incantations and commands in this stage are particularly challenging and the smallest mistakes can result in undesirable flaws and imperfections. Again, timing, keen senses and patience are crucial. When both vessel and crystal have been merged successfully, the construction process begins. This is also the state that golems return to when deconstructed. Both processes inflict strain on both the vessel and the crystal.
The entire process, beginning with material acquisition and ending with work in a console room, is taxing. As console rooms are concentrated with magical energy, spending long hours is draining, and prolonged exposure to the magical energies in a console room can lead to health disorders in the long run. This is because the energy in a meister's body will also interact with the energies from the golem parts and console themselves; hence, meisters have to spend much time outside of the console room stabilising their inner energies before they can work again. The crafting process is also fraught with danger as the slightest mistakes can trigger dangerous reactions. These aspects combined mean that even in Yozellin, meister accidents are quite common, and many meisters develop complications such as speech and memory impairment earlier than their non-meister counterparts.
golem care
Golems do not last forever, and different golems have different lifespans depending on the materials used to craft them, and on the skill of the meister. Golem care can be divided into three different aspects: how to sustain a golem, how to repair damaged golems, and what happens when a golem is destroyed.
In its constructed form, a golem continues to consume energy that is supplied by constant interaction between the golem vessel and the crystal. This means that golems do not need to eat to sustain themselves, although they are able to do so. As long as the both the crystal and vessel are able to continue interacting with each other, energy is produced, so the lifespan of a golem is directly tied to the durability of the two key components.
Golems function on the principle of equilibrium – every object, dead or living, contains a kind of magical life energy in the Golem Meisters world, and these energies are always interacting with each other, negotiating until an equilibrium state is reached. The console room is where these energies are manipulated to turn raw materials into golems with cognitive abilities. This principle also means that different regions have different compositions of energies, all of which affect the energy inside golems. This is why Summer golems experience weakness in colder places but thrive in heat; the energy within them is disturbed when they enter cold regions, and so on. Energy interactions cause immense stress on golem vessels and crystals, disrupting the equilibrium state of the golem itself. The stress fractures the golem components or cause them to malfunction; this is when golems need to be repaired. In other words, golems suffer injuries when the energy inside them is destabilised. Repairing a golem then translates to stabilising the energy interactions inside a golem.
Finally, golems crumble into dust at the end of their lives. This happens when either the crystal or vessel (or both) cease to function or are destroyed, which can be achieved in various ways. Golem dust is highly lethal and induces different effects on contact; some golem dust cause blindness, some will eat away flesh, some will lead to memory loss. A storm of golem dust can easily wipe out large areas of forests in minutes; keeping them somehow invites misfortune. For this reason, special golems have been developed to dispose of golem dust properly.
In its constructed form, a golem continues to consume energy that is supplied by constant interaction between the golem vessel and the crystal. This means that golems do not need to eat to sustain themselves, although they are able to do so. As long as the both the crystal and vessel are able to continue interacting with each other, energy is produced, so the lifespan of a golem is directly tied to the durability of the two key components.
Golems function on the principle of equilibrium – every object, dead or living, contains a kind of magical life energy in the Golem Meisters world, and these energies are always interacting with each other, negotiating until an equilibrium state is reached. The console room is where these energies are manipulated to turn raw materials into golems with cognitive abilities. This principle also means that different regions have different compositions of energies, all of which affect the energy inside golems. This is why Summer golems experience weakness in colder places but thrive in heat; the energy within them is disturbed when they enter cold regions, and so on. Energy interactions cause immense stress on golem vessels and crystals, disrupting the equilibrium state of the golem itself. The stress fractures the golem components or cause them to malfunction; this is when golems need to be repaired. In other words, golems suffer injuries when the energy inside them is destabilised. Repairing a golem then translates to stabilising the energy interactions inside a golem.
Finally, golems crumble into dust at the end of their lives. This happens when either the crystal or vessel (or both) cease to function or are destroyed, which can be achieved in various ways. Golem dust is highly lethal and induces different effects on contact; some golem dust cause blindness, some will eat away flesh, some will lead to memory loss. A storm of golem dust can easily wipe out large areas of forests in minutes; keeping them somehow invites misfortune. For this reason, special golems have been developed to dispose of golem dust properly.