The Hollowed Army

[Old-Rattlesnake 1534]

              In our world today we are faced and beleaguered by dark magics, the undead, necromancers, rogue daemons, and everything in between on a regular basis. However, there has always been a niche community of thinkers holding a belief that we might someday add golems to this list of assailants. For most people this seems rather impractical and highly unlikely, because for a few rogue golemsmiths acting alone it is just that. But what if I told you we came very close to seeing such a prospect come to fruition, and right under our noses? This very nearly occurred while the mortal forces of the realm found themselves occupied with Setherien’s spies and raiding parties.

            Once, long ago, I found myself in the care of the infamous Arcane Delvers, a guild whose time within the realm was short but nonetheless impactful still today. Having just garnered a semblance of telekinesis, and being fully aware of the advantages offered by my current state, I draped a black cloth across myself and took up the mantle of ‘Mimir’. For the Black Scourge cult I was somewhat of an oddity, a floating joke that they found amusing enough to take along on their raids against the human capital and their outlying settlements. Though I was physically harmless, my unique nature gave me a gift for showmanship. Peasants would run in terror as my floating cloak flared its jagged edges, the soulless stare of a single eye peering them down from within the darkness.

But with every village that burned, I was taking notes. The names of every cultist who let their guise slip in the heat of battle made their way to the end of my quill, but then I found myself faced with a choice. If these names were publically published, my ruse would undoubtedly be discovered – and I would face the wrath of a being nearing in power the fallen daemon himself. Perhaps my condition offered me a delusion of immunity to Setherien’s powers, or perhaps I was simply foolish enough to challenge him. That night, I snuck away to the outskirts of the Cloud Temple and delivered the names to a person whom I adore and trust endlessly, and because of which I will not list her name publically here. As expected, the Harbingers deduced my trickery almost immediately when the information became public. I was thrown into a bag and taken to the champers of a foul armored creature, where between curses and shouts of defiance, my mind became fueled by the will of someone else.

            I have no true recollection of what occurred at my stay behind the ice wall, save for brief images that still permeate through my meditations. Having your mind purged of corruption can be compared to waking up from a nightmare, I suppose. Your senses are flaring for danger when there is none around, and with time the memories within the dream begin to fade. One moment I was being corrupted, and the next I was being dug from a pit in Leumalin by the wizard Blundermore, a man to whom I owe my eternal friendship.

            “But what does this have to do with golems?” You might be asking. The answer comes not from what I remember, but from what I found after I had recuperated from my corruption. Within my cloak I discovered scrolls detailing a highly practical means of capturing a golemsmith, and then forcing him to create golems from the souls of Setherien’s enemies – all penned by my telekinetic hand. After I read them, I burned them in the fireplace of the local tavern, and prayed to whatever gods available that the plans had not been shown to the Harbingers.

            Thankfully, they had not, and the mortals went on to win the war against the horrid creature in a spectacular counter-invasion of his own realm. Meanwhile Blundermore introduced me to the Ascended, with whom I joined on the premise of preventing such a terrible fate from ever coming to fruition – and here I still reside.

 In our modern era the dwarves, in their engineering magnificence, have already made great strides toward improving the realm and distancing themselves from the old soulbinding methods of golemsmithing. The newest breakthrough came as a reminder to me of what happened all those years ago, however. Thanic golems are, of course, built from thanium which many may recall was in enormous abundance under the hidden fortress of the Black Scourge. Had things worked out a bit differently, we would possibly be living in a very, very different world today.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    - Delaselva “Heial” Vientos

                                                                                                                                                                         Special thanks to Hamil, who gives me the means to carry on from day to day.

 

Edited October 21, 2015 by Heial The Ender Pearl

[GodEmperorFlam 3447]

[Rig 17581]

The Lord of Torment smirks, setting the script onto his bookshelf.

[Elad™ 560]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.