1. Lea`Brooks

    Lea`Brooks Contributor Contributor

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    Golem dilemmas

    Discussion in 'Fantasy' started by Lea`Brooks, Apr 7, 2017.

    Alright, so... I know I've asked this question about a million times, but I'm going to ask again because.. I'm still stuck. -_-

    Details!: I've decided to modernize golems, if you will. It's my own take on them, my own reimagining of them, and I know it's very different but.. Hey, I like them. :p My golems are made of clay, have sharp shark-like teeth and long claws. Their arms and legs are twice the length of ours and they can run on four limbs as easily as they can walk on two. But, as they are shapeshifters, they can walk around looking totally human until they need to eat. The only thing that gives them away is their yellow eyes.

    The original golem, the Stele, is so old, he is essentially a statue. His lower half has melted, so he can no longer walk -- he just looks like a torso sitting on a clay pedestal. To make new golems, clay must be taken from the Stele's base and formed into a body. An incantation is then said to bring the bodies to life.

    But these golems are forever tied to the Stele. Away from him, they drain their magical charge significantly. If they do not return within a certain amount of time, their magic will run out and they'll die. There are three possible forms of energy I'm experimenting with, but I can't make a firm decision. One thing I know for sure: being around other golems slows the depletion of their magic. A group of ten golems can survive away from the Stele a lot longer than a solo golem can. But as for their other forms of energy? Still undecided.

    Dilemma #1: My golems eat metal. They are the "garbage disposals" of the world, eating up old buildings that people want demolished cleanly. I don't know why they eat metal. I thought about infusing their bodies with it at their creation, maybe making their bones metal or something... That way, the metal is a form of energy that keeps them alive. It could increase their magic and help them stay away from the Stele longer. Or, I could just make it food unrelated to their magic.

    Dilemma #2: I was toying with the idea of giving them magical blood. An elixir of sorts, to be exact. It's extracted from.. well, the Stele, probably, and infused into new golems before the incantation is read. It becomes their blood, and the magic slowly drains out of it over time. They must return to the Stele regularly to get new "blood." (This could also open up the door to a fellow golem sacrificing their blood to save another golem.)

    Now, my story itself fellows Giselle, a human, and Lonnie, a golem. Lonnie turns Giselle into a golem... Which is where my next problem starts.

    Dilemma #3: I don't know how the hell a human could turn into a golem. I literally cannot figure it out. Sure, Lonnie could know the incantation. He may even have some of the elixir.. But how can a human physically turn into a golem? I need her body to transform into the golem form (sharp teeth and claws, elongated body). But in order for that to happen, she needs a body of clay... right? I mean, I guess I could have it be a werewolf thing.. But then, would she still be dependent on the magic of the Stele, which I need her to need?

    I'm fucked, aren't I? :sleepy:
     
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  2. Lea`Brooks

    Lea`Brooks Contributor Contributor

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    Yep, fucked. :sleepy:
     
  3. Lea`Brooks

    Lea`Brooks Contributor Contributor

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    Have I been thinking about this the wrong way?

    I've been assuming that, once the golem is formed in clay, the body remains clay. But it's magic, right? The elixir or incantation (or both) could change the body to flesh and blood. They would still be shapeshifters, able to take the golem form and change their faces.. But they'd have the same body makeup as humans, except with elixir for blood. So when changing a human, the elixir would replace their blood, tying them to the Stele, and the incantation would bind them to the golem form and give them shapeshifting abilities....

    That could work.
     
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  4. Simpson17866

    Simpson17866 Contributor Contributor

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    ... Good talk.

    :D
     
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  5. Seraph751

    Seraph751 If I fell down the rabbit hole... Contributor

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    I wouldn't say fucked... just quit trying to make it so complicated. Golems are comprised of clay and dirt right? So they need something to strengthen and nourish their bodies. Metal is a fantastic start.
    #1 What if they eat metal to create certain qualities within their golemness. They take on some of the qualities of that particular metal.
    #2 Their blood could be the properties derived from that metal in a small portion of the dirt/magic mixture. Clay bones equates to dirt. Marrow produces blood. Logical if somewhat boring jump there but hey it provides a plain foundation to build on.
    #3 When we die we 'return to earth', think of death or being at the peak of deak as catalyst if caught at the right time. The timing is crucial as if you wait too long then all that a person is (their soul, memories etc.) disappears and this process fails so timing is crucial and exact. With the infusion and fusion of such different qualities this creates a rebirth of a sorts and it allows for the the new golem to retain their original form.
     
  6. IHaveNoName

    IHaveNoName Senior Member Community Volunteer

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    When I was reading this, I thought about Frankenstein's monster and Rabbi Loew's golem. They're basically the same thing, when you get down to it - a humanoid created from parts and given life. They eat metal because metal is refined earth - it has more... metaphysical "power", so to speak, than stone.

    If they become flesh and blood, wouldn't they be vulnerable? It's kind like what I did for my dragons - they were humans who infused their consciousness into an elemental construct, but when the body was killed, it ended up inhabiting the construct. They can take their original human form, but they're still made of elemental matter - they don't need to eat, breathe, or sleep, they don't bleed, and they can't be harmed by most weapons. So, applying this to your golems: they can take a human form, but they're still made of clay, which means their true nature can be revealed if they're not careful.

    If you want to turn a human into a golem, you just infuse them with the elixir, and it transforms their flesh to clay and their blood to more elixir. You could also make it so that they need to have the incantation performed within a certain time otherwise they'll die because the new form can't properly contain the soul - the spell is done to bind the soul to the new body, like the parchment gave life to Loew's golem. This also opens up another interesting development, if you want: breaking the incantation could kill a golem.
     
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  7. Alex Brandt

    Alex Brandt Member

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    Never fear! I'm in this with you! Golems don't get enough love.
    Okay, so here's my thinking: the metal is a temporary stopgap it only briefly refills the golem like junk food (see what I did there?). Whereas another item/substance, (the elixir?) is sustainable for far longer. This way you can show two classes of golems, those who are healthy and who are tied closely with Stele and the more rebellious junk-eaters who waste away quickly, but would rather have their freedom.
    Rabbi Loew's Golem had an amulet that gave it instructions, perhaps the piece of Stele could be an amulet that is concealed inside the chest of the golem and becomes its heart.

    I'm voting for the elixir to be food provided by Stele (and his attendants) and the incantation and piece of Stele (the amulet) is what changes a human into a clay golem. Or maybe, human-golems don't have the amulet which makes them social outcasts.

    One last thing:
    Honestly, the whole time you were talking about turning someone into a golem, it sounded horrifying. I really hope Lonnie has a good reason for doing this... like she was dying or something and it was the only way to save her. The whole thing made me think of Batman: the Animated Series when gangsters created Clayface:
    It always struck me how horribly sad it was.

    PLEASE keep me updated on how this story progresses, I'm very curious.
     
  8. Lea`Brooks

    Lea`Brooks Contributor Contributor

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    Actually Giselle becomes a golem voluntarily. I haven't decided her motive yet. I'm still toying with three different reasons. 1) Her aunt became one and she wants to be with her. 2) Lonnie convinces her to do it, making it seem like an amazing life, better than the restrictions of humanity, or 3) to spite her father, who hates all of the creatures and wants to see them killed. Hell, I could do all three if I wanted.

    The junk food idea is brilliant! I immediately pictured the difference in a golem who eats the metal versus one who refreshes their elixir. Lonnie is definitely a junkie :)bigwink:) so I think that could be a lot of fun to play with.

    Thanks again!!
     

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