Encyclopaedia Arcane Constructs
| Date: 19 January 2011, 07:10
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Golems wait silently in dungeon corridors, ready to annihilate unwary adventurers who dare defile their former master's sanctum. Shield guardians follow their owners faithfully, and ready to interpose themselves between the holder of their amulet and anything that would bring him harm. Homunculi fly forth, powered by their creator's lifeblood into a grotesque mockery of life. All of these are constructs, artificial life forms brought into the world by rituals long secreted away in the corners of occult libraries, in the ruins of mighty magical empires and the personal notes of spellcasters with the curiosity to explore this field of arcane lore.
Building a construct takes resources, skill, patience and, above all, dedication. The laboratory required to assemble and activate one of these beings is unique. After building his place of work, the caster must still gather the raw materials that will make up the frame. This alone is enough to deter any poor wizard from even attempting a construct without the patronage of a wealthy noble. But the sacrifices of construct craft do not end here.
The spellcaster must be willing to sequester himself for weeks or even months, working non-stop and avoiding all distractions to achieve balance between subtle magical energies and the hard material they are to be bound into. The rituals required to power constructs are long and require meticulous, undivided attention, else they may fail utterly or introduce a flaw into the construction. Even after finishing the process, the caster must still imbue his creation with his own life energy, losing a part of himself so the construct may rise.
But all the hardships pay off in the end, for the wizard or sorcerer has created life. Whereas it is a spirit-driven golem, a magic-powered automaton or a life-imitating simulacrum, he now has a powerful servant who does not need food, never questions an order and can crush almost anything that crosses its path. Although the humanoid form is the most popular for constructs, their artificial nature lends itself to exploration. Dedicated crafters can experiment with a construct's shape, building all kinds of artificial servants for purposes beyond mere guarding. A group of small simulacra make for a superior construction force, a huge automaton can defend a kingdom from giants, and legends speak of titanic golems that could face an elder wyrm and come out victorious. All the secrets of creating life are found within these pages, waiting for those armed with the patience and single-mindedness that such a demanding task requires. No sacrifice is enough, and all the means justify the end.
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