Artificing
To give the illusion of life to that which had no life before, that is the purview of Artificing. The creation of golems of all types has long been a controversial practice among wizards. It was made more so after the heresies committed by the ancient Clockwork Empire, where Artificers ruled with an iron fist.
Origins
Artificing is one of the schools of world magic that has seen the most controversy throughout its existence. Ignoring the philosophical and ethical questions that some of its practices evoke, the school has been used to commit numerous atrocities and wonders throughout history. Indeed, it is through the powers of Artificing that the Clockwork Empire rose to prominence. The vast majority of what Artificers are capable of performing in eras past to present are due to the breakthroughs achieved by the wizards of the Clockwork Age. Kaitos Diraegon in particular is aptly referred to as the Grand Artificer, given he was one of its most adept practitioners of all time.
Precisely who created or where this school of magic originated from is a topic that is highly debated. There are those who attribute its existence to the Mistlord Myshala. Others attribute it to Keela, Dragon Goddess of Wisdom. Yet more still attribute the creation of this school to mortals themselves as something that was developed by way of ingenuity. Regardless of its origins, Artificing remains a prominent practice among wizards.
Golem Assembly
As with all schools of world magic, the tools required to practice the craft are what make it either simple or complex. The artificers across the world each have their preferred trades and avenues of realizing their magic but below are the most common methods of applying the theories behind Artificing.
Dragonshard Foci
Common among the schools of world magic, is the dragonshard foci. Their shapes are many with some being as simple as a ring, an amulet, a wand or even a staff. It does not matter the shape of the tool in question. These tools are often inscribed with pictographs themselves in order to more accurately control and direct the energies inside them. While this is not required, it often becomes standard practice for most world mages to use more specialized tools in their work. The primary purpose of these tools is to be used as the method by which a world mage’s pictographs are awoken to the presence of aether.
The Golem
Central to the work of Artificing is the golem. It is the recipient of all the wizard’s spellwork. Whether simple or complex, the golem is built to suit the purpose for which it is being animated. They are comprised of three major parts: the Aether Well, the Core and the Body. The power and complexity of each of these pieces is dependent entirely upon the purpose of the golem in question.
Aether Well
The materials used to build most golems tend to be mundane and lacking in the grade of purity necessary to be put toward higher functionality. Which is to say, stone mined from a quarry was intended to be nothing more than an immovable rock. Wood was intended to be part of a bush or a tree with its purpose, as set forth by the gods, being to exist in nature. Artificers take these materials, build the body of a golem and often completely derail that original purpose. However, given that the inherent aether within the materials will always persist in a golem and without intervention will actively work toward returning to “normal”, this requires the wizard redirect that aether. To sustain this means that the golem must be able to take in raw, pure and unrefined aether to commit to the repurposed functions of its parts.
To achieve this, artificers create the Aether Well. An aether well essentially tricks the aether drawn into the golem into believing it is a living thing and thus the aether remains malleable. This enables it to be put toward the creative purposes the wizard requires of their golem no matter how simple or complex. There are as many types of aether wells as there are wizards who practice Artificing. Each aether well is created specific to the purposes needed by the mage. With that being said, there are two main archetypes.
The Lure
A Lure Well is a physical object inscribed with pictography across the entirety of its surface devoted to serving as a vacuum for latent aether. It is installed somewhere in or on the golem. The Lure Well is essentially a funnel. It is a focused point within or on the golem that draws in aether presented to it and redistributes it to the golem’s core where it is then put toward the requirements of the golem’s body. Dragonshards are the default whenever building Lure Wells but this is not a requirement. Mundane materials such as stone, wood, some manner of plant, etc. requires the use of blood to inscribe the pictography upon the object’s surface. The use of blood presents the illusion that the aether well is or was once a living thing enabling aether malleability.
The drawback to using a Lure Well is in the fact that it can only draw in aether for the parts of the golem that are connected to it. The more parts that are connected to the well, the more taxed it becomes. Golems with limbs are often designed in such a way as the Lure Well is installed in their joints.
The Shroud
A Shroud Well requires the use of materials that inherently possess the ability to draw in raw aether. Dragonshards are obviously the preferred material but other materials possess this property as well. The most notable of these alternative materials are the remains of the sentient races or mythical beasts. The Shroud Well is most commonly utilized in more advanced golemcraft. Whereas a Lure Well is built as a separate component, a Shroud is incorporated into the body of the golem as a part of it. Instead of it being a piece that is installed, the Shroud pictography is part of the golem’s makeup.
The downside to using a Shroud is that if it is damaged it renders the part it covers completely inoperable. This means that whatever piece it covers must then be rebuilt from scratch in order to repair the golem fully.
Lure vs. Shroud
There are endless debates among artificers about the merits of using a Lure versus a Shroud. Both have their benefits and drawbacks.
For example, a Lure might be a sphere of stone that is serving as a joint for the golem while also being its aether supply. Conversely, a golem with a bone skeleton might be covered in pictography designed to draw in the aether it needs to sustain itself. This is what is referred to as the Shroud. Each individual bone covered in such pictography is then an aether well and functions independently of the other pieces. Destroying a piece of it does not put a strain on any of the other parts of the golem as each piece of it is an independent well.
In this example, if the leg of the golem were crushed or destroyed, repairing it could go two ways. In order for a new leg to become functional with a Shroud would require that the artificer acquire materials inherently capable of drawing in aether, fashioning them to fit their golem properly, attaching them to the core, and then installing them. This can be a time consuming and expensive process. Using a Lure means the artificer can use any material so long as it is properly shaped to the golem’s functionality and then merely attaching it in such a way as it funnels aether to the new limb.
Lure’s distribute aether to all that they are attached to. Shrouds are self-contained. Each version has its uses. The most powerful and creative artificers have found methods of blending the two archetypes together.
The Core
Housed within the body of every golem is its core. The core is a carefully constructed object that houses every bit of programming the golem needs to function. It is, in essence, the golem’s brain. Creating the core of a golem is a time consuming process that requires an extreme attention to detail. A core can be made of any material so long as it meets the following criteria:
It has the ability to house aether. It can be inscribed with pictography.
For these reasons, dragonshards are by and large the common type of core used. The use of a dragonshard has the added benefit of bestowing upon a golem properties associated with the crystal type used to serve as its core. For the most unskilled artificer this is akin to drawing a straw from a hat. The most skilled artificers can determine what properties associated with the dragonshard they wish to bestow upon their golem. As stated before, the core is that which houses the entirety of the golem’s functionality. This is where the golem’s programming is stored. Without a core, a golem will not function. If the core is destroyed, the golem will cease to function or if it is damaged the golem will malfunction.
Teaching a Golem
Central to the work of programming a golem is what is referred to as the Circle of Minding. Drawn upon a surface of the artificer’s choosing, the Circle of Minding is created using pictography designed to harness the aether in the core of the golem before it is placed within the golem’s body. The circle is drawn in such a way as to allow the wizard to imprint lessons of various levels of complexity onto the core. It should be noted that using a core comprised of very basic materials will limit the complexity of the golem’s ability to learn.
The wizard draws two Circles of Minding that are connected via pictography. The wizard places the core in one circle while standing in the second. They then go through the process of imprinting the required knowledge relevant to the functionality of their golem. It is here that most Artificers find they must concentrate the most. For a golem to perform its function, it must be able to comprehend its function. If it is to move, it must know what movement is and then have a basis from which to draw the types of movement it must perform. If it is to perform a task, it must understand what that task is and how to do it. If it is to swing a sword it must know what a sword is and how to use it and so on and so forth. If an Artificer does not inherently possess the knowledge they require, they must find someone who does and incorporate their experiences into the core creation process.
The teaching stage of the core creation process is by far the most time consuming. Furthermore, it can often be the most frustrating. If an artificer finds that they’ve made a mistake, they must start from scratch using a new core.
The Body
By and large the most straightforward part of constructing a golem is making its body. The body should mirror the intended function of the golem being built. Whatever purpose it is programmed to follow, it must have the means of achieving that intended purpose. The single most important facet of the body is that it must have a core housing unit. This is where the core is installed enabling the golem to come to the semblance of life that each of them simulates.
Particularly complex golems are commonly built from rarer and sturdier materials. The amount of work required to build such automatons ensured that the wizards behind their manufacturing did not want them easily broken.
Life vs. Appearance of Life
The most advanced and powerful golems ever created operate to such a remarkable degree that they beg the question: are they living beings?
Prior to the Sundering, this question was debated endlessly by wizards and philosophers the world over. With the advent of the Awoken some of those questions have been answered but more have arisen in the wake of their appearance. Exceptionally powerful golems possess self-awareness. The most advanced of their kind are fully capable of wielding magic. The distinction between what made them living beings as opposed to merely automatons was the persistence of memory and a soul.
If the core of a golem is destroyed, everything that golem was, is or ever could have been, is destroyed with them. Repairing the golem’s body and installing a new core would be the same as building a brand new golem. Everything the previous golem had learned would be lost.
In the most advanced golems however, it has been noted that there are instances where even when a new core is created either because the old one was damaged or destroyed, the reawakened golem could remember in part or in whole its previous experiences. Whether these things surfaced immediately or over time varied wildly depending on the golem in question. This phenomenon however, has remained a point of contention among wizarding ethics for centuries leading some circles of wizards banning the creation of exceptionally advanced golems in favor of the simpler versions. History has proven that a golem that is self-aware will in time, gain the power to choose. They will either obey the will of their creator or become independent. Most wizards are not at all willing to court the idea of rebellion from their own creations and so actively avoid building such advanced golems in the first place.
The Overbody
Achievable only by more practiced artificers, the overbody is an astral body pieced together through creative use of pictography linking the segments of the golem’s physical body. Regardless of how the golem draws in its aether, the aether brought into the golem is hardly what one could consider refined. It is raw and merely put toward enabling the golem to perform its intended function. Smoothing out this rawness and allowing the aether to flow together seamlessly across the body of the golem requires the construction of the overbody.
In essence, the artificer uses their pictography to weave a pattern across the physical body of the golem which in turn stitches together the aether flow of the golem’s astral body. This creates the overbody. Most golems do not need an overbody. However, if the golem is intended to be more advanced, capable of critical thinking and problem solving, and even wielding magic it will require the completion of its overbody.
Tier Progression
Novice (1-24)
Just beginning in their study of the ways of Artificing, the novice typically works in the laboratory of a much more senior practitioner. The focus of the novice’s studies is to perfect their Circle of Minding, to grasp the fundamentals of building simple Core’s and to understand the key differences in the types of Aether Wells they wish to form. The majority of their education is spent learning how to design the Body of a golem and the various materials that go into constructing functional golems. Golems, if they make them at all, created by an apprentice of Artificing are rudimentary at the best of times. Capable of only completing the utter most simplest of tasks no matter how complex the body of the golem in question.
Apprentice (25-49)
With a grasp on the fundamentals of the basics of Artificing, the apprentice still typically works in the laboratory of a more esteemed master. The focus of their progression is in refining their ability to program concepts into the Core of a golem. At this stage more complex concepts such as the ability to comprehend basic language becomes viable. Imbuing rudimentary intelligence into a golem becomes viable but is limited to more instinctual concepts and straightforward emotions. More nuanced or refined comprehension is still beyond the ability of an apprentice to impart.
Journeyman (50-74)
At this stage, most artificers can begin to step out onto their own. With a solid understanding of what it takes to build a finished golem, a journeyman can begin to imprint more nuanced concepts into their creations. A movable suit of armor, while clunky, could be made to function as a guard. Additionally, golems made by a journeyman can be made to grasp higher forms of communication and can even emulate emotions. The journeyman artificer can begin to experiment with the Overbody.
Expert (75-99)
The creations of an expert artificer are marvels to behold. If they so desired, an expert artificer could fashion a golem that is capable of critical thinking, problem solving, and engaging in fully realized conversations with learned scholars. Most artificers at this level have begun to experiment with more rare and powerful materials in order to create more unique golems that suit their interests. Furthermore, when using dragonshards, an expert artificer can engineer specific properties from the crystals to be woven into the design of their golems as opposed to simply observing what properties might take shape in the golem after the fact. The successful completion of an overbody by an expert artificer will enable the golem to be able to receive a Cardinal Rune of Magic but they are limited in that the furthest they could progress is to that of a Journeyman.
Master (100)
The distinction between a golem made by a master versus an expert is not always clear. However, it comes down to the details and the ability to enable their golems to wield magic to its fullest extent if they so desire. The master can program their golems to be as basic or nuanced as they themselves have the ability to understand.
