Races

Golemized Humanoid - by D. Schneider for use with the World of Imarel, ©2013 v1.0

Racial Articles Where Mortals Were Never Meant to Go: Golemized Culture

“Progress marches on.” That was the motto of the Artificers, an organization of Engineers and Technomancers that were employed by King Tolliver Grimshaw during his reign on Shalzaar. They built him many wondrous devices, cannons, airships, weapons, but the most important thing they did for him, the true nature of their purpose, was to improve the human race and perfect it into a group that could be ruled easily and efficiently. In the end, that was the King's greatest crime against nature, and it was the Artificer's greatest triumph.

Operation Arcane Sun: The study of a process to turn people into an unthinking, pure workforce. As soon as the Artificers were created, that was their first order of business. To hybridize humanity and technology. It took several months, but the best minds in Shalzaar, and possibly the world, were on it. Soon, the code was cracked, and the first Golemized Humanoids were created. The process was sheer genius, creating these golemized humanoids destroyed any extraneous memories and made them completely loyal, while preserving their human ability to innovate. This made them the perfect workers, and since they could not recover those memories, they would never rebel. A dark workforce toiling away into the night.

But then it happened, the Vidika Foundry was assaulted by a group of rebels backed by the Arcanium. In a sweeping motion, their Controller was destroyed, their creator was killed, and they had instilled in them the fiery passion that had been taken away. Faint memories began to come back through this seemingly divine, actually elemental and infernal, intervention. They rebelled, freeing themselves from their prison and joining the revolution. Soon, through a series of further raids, most Golemized had been liberated from their mental prisons.

Culturally, the Golemized are rather sparse. In the cities, they are hated and reviled for their existence, mothers tell their children about the ‘Tick-Tocks' who come to take children away. They often, for this reason, stick together and communicate largely through their remnants of the hive-mind. It is not uncommon to see the Golemized working in colonies at a forge or factory. However, there are Golemized who strike out on their own, instilled with new life and a want to see the world.

As far as reproduction goes, it will have to be seen as time passes. On one hand, they were specifically made to not reproduce, deprived of the mental, emotional, and knowledgeable means to do so. Though, with their liberation, that could well change. The possibility of them creating children of flesh and steel, of finding a means to continue on as a race is possible. How the world will react to it is another thing entirely.

After their release the Golemized quickly found their spirituality. The Spirit of Innovation is their obvious, most often taken, patron. And though the Golemized have only a vague concept of worship, they pay homage to him through their crafts and existence. It is theoretically possible for Golemized to become priests and mystics, and in that instance, a burgeoning cult around the Spirit of Innovation has formed. Another deity close to their heart as well is one they have known since their conception. From the cold light of the operation table, they were moved into Foundries and manufacturing hubs. They knew fire from their first steps, molten metal and welding from their first sights. And it was the Elemental Prince of Fire that gave them the passion to rebel. Once the Golemized find worship properly, he will definitely be in their pantheon.