Name: Sand Golems, Sandstone Golems, Earth Golems, Rock Golems, Terra Incarnate Description: The Golem burst from the earth, rivers of sand cascading off its body. It planted its feet and prepared for battle. Sand Golems are hulking masses of stone and compressed sand, built to serve as sentinels and headstrong warriors. They’re distant cousins to Dust Devils, using similar concepts in their construction. While their relatives make use of rapidly-shifting ZPEM fields, however, Sand Golems tend to stay uniform. Many are valued pieces in the armouries of Djarus’ rulers, and are constructed of sculpted stone for the sake of artistry. Their cores are stored within their chests, kept safe beneath a shell of foreign material or a metal skeleton. Owing to their large size, Golems can be modified with additional parts and tools. The most common features are manipulators on their hands, allowing them to draw material from afar and cluster them in their grip. They can use these parts to repair superficial damage by filling in the area with building materials, and holding it tight using their ZPEM fields. The buffered mind of an Alakki warrior has been placed in a golem, immortalizing his strength and fervour within it. Skeletons are optional in these Golems. The heavier it is, the more necessary bones are, in order to carry the weight of its stony shell and reduce strain on their central ZPEM device. There eventually comes a point where solely relying on ZPEM becomes detrimental in terms of power consumption, so skeletons are added for reinforcements. Hybrid systems can exist, where they have metallic cores in their limbs, but use ZPEM to attach it to the body. They could even have joints made of hyper-compressed sand, allowing them to bend and flex in accordance with the field. These ones are more flexible, but prone to dismemberment. Behavior: Varies, depending on orders. If someone encounters a Golem with no owner, it’s overwhelmingly likely that their standing instructions are to protect an area or destroy intruders, leading to a hostile encounter immediately. If given zero instructions, they simply stand there until they run out of battery, sometimes not even defending themselves if they lack the programmed response to. Tamability: As servitors, they obey the whims of their masters, and cannot have their allegiance forcefully changed. The exception is if they’re taken down and reprogrammed, of course. Occasionally, one may be able to come across a wild one that has experienced memory corruption, and interact with it. Such scenarios are incredibly rare, as Sandstone Golems are rarely neglected to such a degree. Where is it found?: Sandstone and desert-themed Golems are common in Djarus, within the Undercrypt. However it’s possible for the secrets of the Golemancers to have leaked to other layers as well, allowing one to make moss-slick rock golems in Erebus, for example... A Golem uses generators in its palm to whip up sand around it. Though it can’t scour flesh from bone, like its lesser cousins, it’s more than capable of knocking a party down. Rarity: Not commonly seen. Larger ones are rarer, and often kept in the possession of notable figures. The resources needed to make large, complex ones (Such as stellar metals) are also difficult to come by. A golem is no trivial sighting, and most who possess such a beast keep them close at hand. Some experimental golems use combustible fuel such as solarium or core fragments. Diet/Method of gaining nutrients and energy: Their cores are manually charged to let them move around and manipulate material. They cannot gain sustenance on their own without being charged, so one needs to have mastery over an energy source within the vast desert. It may be possible to place a fuel burner in one. But as fuel isn’t simply lying around the layer to be harvested, such a thing is better used as a mech-equivalent than as a semi-autonomous creature. Products?: The materials that it’s made of, the metal components that can be found within, its energy source, and most importantly, the core, which might be possible to re-engineer. Reproduction: All Sandstone Golems were constructed by someone, no matter how ancient. The schematics have been passed down over the years by Golemancers (or Golem-Smiths), who guard their secrets jealously. They do not reproduce in any fashion. Schematics for a Golem that uses compressed sand and ZPEM fields to form fluid joints. Size: Big. Bigger than a person, at the very least and tends to tower over most. Legends speak of an ancient Pyramid out in the dunes, hosting the tomb of an ancient God-King. They say that the Pyramid itself walks the sands endlessly, keeping away all who would pilfer from its master. “Damn, that Golem’s got cake.” -Grenver Vokwell Weight: Very heavy, as they attach stone and earth to themselves. Can vary, but tends to be at least a couple of tons. Lifespan: 250 years of constant and regular motion. They may extend this by remaining still and entering low-power states, allowing centuries-old ones to awaken when intruders are detected. A Golem of more primal construction. After defecting from Irem, a Nas’Beru Golemancer flees into the wild with his creation to take his chances. Few will dare to cross such a behemoth. Abilities: Gigantic size, prodigious strength, and tend to be durable due to their self-repairing functions. ZPEM modules on hands to increase their carry capacity and manipulate objects. They can do things such as launch rocks or send waves of sand out. Intelligence, though it depends on programming Flaws: Slow, of course. One can take advantage of their inertia when fighting them. More commonly used as stationary guardians than mobile attackers due to this. Breaking through the shell and damaging the core will cause portions to start falling off. Will crumble apart if the central device is sufficiently damaged. Ones that use ZPEM to hold themselves together are easier to dismember. Sandstone, which is the most common and easily used construction material, is a relatively soft rock and is easier to break through than expected. The [Ancient Guardian] watches over its long-dead Kingdom. Civilizations rise and fall, but it remains. Other: ((As these are an Undercrypt creature, but I'm not a loremaster, requesting that one be the person to grade it, or Second the app after to correct potential Lore errors)
