Van Richten's Monster Hunter's.pdf - Askadesign.com

4 ignorance may cost them their lives.
While a few golems might be dubbed
"mindless killing machines," such creatures
clearly are in the minority. In fact,
the mind of a golem is most often keen.
Unfortunately, it is always twisted.
Like natural parents, many creators
of golems fashion their "children" in a
familiar medium: flesh. As my knowledge
of the Created comes mainly
from experience with flesh golems, this
treatise will focus primarily on creatures
of this type.
However, if the accounts I have
gathered can be trusted, it is possible
in this world to construct a golem from
virtually any material, from silver to
straw. I will attempt to give what information
I can on the destruction of
other, less common forms of the
Created as well. But I must first confess
that what knowledge I possess in
such areas is limited indeed.
I have often stressed the importance
of understanding the mind of one's
enemy. With the golem, the hunter
must seek to understand not only the
creature but also its creator. What
would drive someone to meddle with
life and death in such a foul manner?
Obsession, yes. Madness, surely. But
what else? Few of us are fortunate
enough to ride life's course without
claiming some sort of obsession or
madness of our own. I myself might be
considered obsessed by some. Over
the many years of my fight I can think
of any number of good people who
have named me mad. Perhaps in some
small way they are right. I acknowl-
edge my life's work is an obsession to
me. It has been one since the moment
I held my wife, Ingrid, in my arms for
the final time. Cradling her cold, still
form against my chest; burying my
face against her soft, perfumed hair;
hearing the echo of her sparkling
laughter in my mind; I swore
vengeance on Baron Metus and all of
his murderous ilk: the vampires.
Over the years, I learned of still other
evils: liches, ghosts, werebeasts, and
more. My work and the obsession gov- e
erning it broadened. I gained an understanding
of golems only recently. In
studying these creatures, I discovered
something about the nature of evil, and
about myself. Here, now, I freely confess
to sitting by my hearth, in my home
empty of wife and child these many
years, and toying with the idea of creating
a new family in their image. This
idea crossed my mind for but a moment
before I realized the true horror of what I
contemplated. Yet, for that briefest of
times, I understood the need-the utter
loneliness and the aching void withinthat
could drive one to commit acts
which were previously unthinkable.
Looking upon the darkness in my
own soul, I realized we all must be ever
vigilant. Dark forces lie in wait for the
unwary. They listen for our cries and
call out to us in turn, offering to fulfill
our deepest desires. They seek out the
seeds of torment within us and strive
to nurture them, bending them toward
darkness rather than light. Every one
of us, especially those who have
dedicated themselves to fighting evil,
must be on guard. The darkness calls
to us from without, but it has no true
power over us unless we allow it
access to our hearts.
I consider these insights extremely
valuable. No less valuable is the
knowledge I have gained about
golems. I have a dear friend to thank
for both. But this information was
acquired in the most difficult manner
possible: through my friend's death.
Indeed, many good people have
perished to gain the information I shall
impart throughout this work. I hope at
least some few will be saved by this
hard-won knowledge. As always,
however, a would-be vanquisher of evil
must remember this rule: Nothing in
our world is absolute. Do not cling so
hard to old beliefs and knowledge that
you become blind to new evidence.
I shall now relate to you, dear
reader, the tale of how I came to know
of golems. It is my fervent wish that
t