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

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the secrets of golem creation
somewhere in this misty realm.
I believe the creators of such golen IS
enjoy more control over their progeny
than the twisted personalities who ani
mate a golem through their madness
and obsession alone. This is not to sa Y
that these mages and priests do not
risk their creation turning upon them,
however. The risk is always present,
and it grows over the course of time.
Despite the research and methodical
planning, despite the great intelligenc e
of the creators, the eventuality is muc :h
the same. Even a golem created
through magic grows to despise its
creator. In time, the creator will lose
control of the monster and face possi
ble death at the golem's hands.
I take this to mean that the powerfu
magical workings involved in creating
the golem and bringing it to life eventi
ally involve the same dark forces that
give shape to other golems in Ravenlc
The process may at first appear different
due to the creator's greater degree
of control, but this may simply serve t
lull an incautious creator to his doom.
The Sp~l~k of Life
Astute readers may be wondering wh
the creators of flesh golems do not
simply choose one body to house the
darkling or stolen spirit that will brinc 1 it
to life. After all, this is surely the
simplest course of action. Instead of
spending hours in dark graveyards a1 nd
hospices, risking discovery many
times over, the would-be creator cou Id
simply select an appropriate vessel
that is whole. The vessel would also be
seamless in appearance, physically
impossible to discern from normal
mortals of its species.
Nonetheless, as I noted in the
previous chapter, at least six bodies
must be used in the construction of i 3
flesh golem. I believe several reason: S
determine why no single corpse can
suffice. Some involve the mindset of
the creator himself. Others, whlch ar 'e
even more difficult to prove, point to
the actual requirements of the vessel.
The first obstacle to choosing a
single vessel arises from the creator's
expectations regarding his creation's
appearance or prowess. Simply put,
very few mortal bodies have all the
strength, stamina, size, and dexterity
that the creator might wish for his
golem. To the casual observer, this
might seem a paltry concern. Yet to
those individuals whose driving needs
push them into creating a golem at all,
simple expedience is far outweighed
by the creator's specific requirements,
whatever they may be.
Secondly, many creators of golems
have a strong need to prove their bril-
liance or artistry (often to themselves).
To this end, they experiment crazily. For
example, they may place the eyes of an
elf and the heart of a lion in the body of
a dwarf. This sort of bizarre experimen-
tation may well increase the creator's
feelings of omnipotence. To a mind so
twisted, every individual who lays eyes
on the golem will be forced to acknowl-
edge the creator's power and genius.
Thus, we have reviewed the first two
reasons why multiple bodies are
required in the construction of a flesh
golem: No single body can reflect all
the qualities desired, and the ego of
the creator demands a hand in shaping
his own unique progeny. Both are
equally valid, and both most certainly
play a role in many cases. However, 1
believe there is a third and final reason
for the need to use these unmatched
parts-a reason which overrides both
of those previously stated.
As I have learned through the jour-
nal of a lich I once pursued, even dead
bodies still hold onto some tiny piece of
the energies of life. This spark of life, as
I term it, is what first enabled the lich to
create dreadful zombie golems. I be-
lieve this spark of life also provides
much of the energy required to bind the
spirit of the flesh golem to the body.
If my theory is correct, the amount
of energy left in the tissue of one body
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