Here's some concept drawings I did for a Friend of mine who is writer. He told me of a story idea he has, and asked if I was interested in designing / visualizing some components of it - ?
Of course I was, and happily agreed !!!
He has some really great ideas for scripts, and worlds, so It wasn't hard to immerse myself in it. My imagination stepped in and - ZOOM - it just took off. I asked some questions of myself - " why always clay - why always slow ? " It was very natural, and over some good coffee in the morning light - these dudes just rolled on out. I kind of tried to conjure what I'd imagine / expect to experience if I was to come across a Golem.
So I went ahead and made some explanatory notes just for the fun of it, that were included in the package I sent to my Writer Friend. I added them at the bottom of the post for your enjoyment also.
G O L E M
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Notes for concept drawings.
I thought instead of having just a traditional clay, or mud Golem - it might be interesting to branch out. What else could they be made of ? Would the construction material have any affect on the Golems disposition, character, intended tasks / purpose, and or - the ability to perform said tasks ?
All Golems are manufactured. A spell can animate almost any substance. If your powerful enough. There are WOOD and STONE Golems. Obviously good for certain tasks. The FLESH Golem - a bit trickier to operate than a direct element based Golem, but not that much harder. Out of the family, the strongest of them would be the GARBAGE Golem. To animate any single substance Golem, takes a fairly simple spell. Control wood. Control stone - etc.
So one spell is cast to animate, another to control substance, and a third to control being. This three part command based suggest / direct spell can be considered for all purposes, a single spell.
To control a GARBAGE Golem is far trickier. The GARBAGE Golem is composed of possibly hundreds of compounds. A magic user who wanted to 'run' one of these has to be VERY strong. Initial preparation spells have to be cast, then directional spells, then spells to discern the content of the purposed Golem. Then a second wave of precise appointment locks have to be issued. Think of this as software that has to be installed before you can install the functioning software that runs / backs the actual software / program you are attempting to run. Once the initial ‘base‘ spell is installed, then the secondary, building spells can be launched, and through a process of containment and acquiescence on molecular levels, finally, the Magic user is ready to ‘weave‘ the finishing, or ‘wrapping‘ spells and complete the process.
Of course nothing is perfect, and that rule certainly applies to Golems. Big time. The problem with Golems is the horrible memory that they have. The FLESH Golem could be considered a bit of a exception in this category. If the Builder was clever enough to ‘pop’ a good brain into a willing socket. If not - oh well. Suck it - your stuck with it.
ALL Golems can be fought - and they ALL have specific weaknesses.
The CLAY Golem can be thinned with water. It has to be high pressure - but it will atrophy and eventually destroy it. Fire, or prolonged constant heat can bake them. Keep them away from the steel foundries.
The FLESH Golem can be cut and hacked apart. It will rot if compromised enough, so it’s important to call back your ‘Fleshes’ for regular inspections, if you can. It can also be burnt and dissolved with acids.
The STONE Golem is a fucking pain in the ass !!! This bastard can do almost anything. Good luck with projectiles, fire, water, acid, bullets or almost anything on this beast. If the Magic User who made it knew their stuff, you could be in for a really, really hard time. A sandstone Golem is the mark of a beginner and can prove good sport on occasion. Of course stones sink. And lets not forget what sudden temperature changes can do to stone.
The WOOD Golem has no friend in fire thats for sure, but seeing as they behave and bend as ‘green’ wood would, flame has to be napalm hot and applied for considerable time to have any effect. Chain saws and edged tools are good. Crushing them is the best. All you have to do is get one to follow you into a car crusher, and - ‘voila’ !!!
The DUST Golem is a nice guy, and super handy for the crafty Wizard. They can rematerialize after being disrupted / injured in a fight or fall. Their make - up allows them to gain access to many places restricted to mortals and other Golems. They can be fought in numerous ways. Water and fire seem to be most effective. The dust Golems deadliest weapon is letting itself into you. If inhaled it is 98 % lethal.
The GARBAGE Golem is the strongest in terms of imbued magic holding it together. Created and motivated by layered and bound spells, and depending on the predominating material the GARBAGE Golem is composed of, it can truly be a handful. Always odoriferous and accompanied by swarms of insects and shit eating flies, the psychological and emotional impact of this monster can not be underestimated. Fighting these assholes is very hazardous. Many a Golem fighter has waged an exceptional battle, only to die of blood loss, caused by severe lacerations, from reaching into the worn away abdomen, in an attempt to seize it’s core ( classic Golem fighting move : break the crystal the Magic User placed at the center of it's being - the chest, where our heart would be ) and crush it, thus defeating the shambling excrement mound. But in the ooze and muck slash ones wrist on glass fragments, or dirty needles.
A very real danger when fighting city GARBAGE Golems.
