I must make haste, I have a funeral to attend. And then I must make my preparations for a more private honoring of the dead.
- From the journal of Thor Hessen
Assembly
In this chapter I shall explain the challenges faced by a madman who desires to construct a golem's body. I use the term "madman" expressly, for one of the most fearful aspects of a golem's construction is the creator himself. As I noted in the introduction, it seems that virtually any twisted personality can create a unique and intelligent golem in these misty lands, from a farmer to a scientist. All that seem truly necessary are an obsessive, driving need or desire and the ability to fashion the physical body.
Most golems are made of flesh. Due to the predominance of flesh golems among the Created, I will give a proportionately large amount of space to discussing the particular requirements of constructing a flesh golem's body.
It is conceivable, however, that a golem could be fashioned from almost any material. Of course, certain materials such as paper or ice would presumably be too unstable to form a lasting body. Furthermore, others such as diamonds and rubies would be difficult to acquire in large quantities, making their use in a golem unlikely. Even if one could acquire enough of such rare materials, they would be difficult to'form into bodies. Still, anything is possible given a creator with the appropriate resources and skills.
Gathering the materials required for a golem's construction can be a difficult, expensive, and even dangerous prospect for the would-be creator. It can also be time consuming, depending on the material chosen.
A flesh golem typically requires no fewer than six corpses: one for each limb, one for the head and torso, and another for the brain. (I shall present my theory on why this is so in Chapter Two.) These parts for flesh golems must be gathered rather quickly, lest the tissue reach a state of decay too advanced for use.
A colleague once wrote to me for my opinion on a rather demented little taxidermist, who had to be kept under lock and key to prevent him from gathering up the bodies of dead animals and stitching together hybrids. Apparently, the man had succeeded in creating at least a few animal golems before he was stopped. Fortunately, the taxidermist was given to long periods of catatonia. A catatonic individual stares into space for hours, even days on end, lost to the world around him. Thus, this man would gather together most of the necessary materials only to find himself, days later, sitting amongst the stench and gore of rotting, unusable corpses.
Table 1: Assembly Time and Cost
Flesh Bone Clay Glass Metal Stone Straw Wood Preparation Time 6 wks 1 mth 3 wks 3 mths 2 mths 2 mths 2 wks 1 mth Assembly Time 2 wks 1 mth 1 wk 3 mths 2 mths 1 mth 1 wk 1 mth Cost of Assembly 50,000 35,000 65,000 125,000 100,000 80,000 100 20,000 Notes
Preparation time is the period spent gathering materials and equipment. It does not include the many months or years of planning and research that some creators perform beforehand.
Time of assembly represents the actual number of hours the creator spends physically putting his creation together. (When added to preparation time, this equals the "construction time" presented in the Monstrous Manual tome.) in general, this is the minimum time required to achieve satisfactory results. When an obsessive creator is working toward perfection, additional time may be devoted to the task.
Cost of assembly includes cash expenditures for labor and incidental expenses, as well as the basic cost of materials and equipment needed - Repeated from the Monstrous Manual book, these figures should be viewed as basic guidelines for Ravenloft campaigns. As materials vary, so do costs (a stone golem, for example, would cost more if carved from granite than from sandstone). Other factors also affect cost. In general, DMs should let the story at hand determine how much a creator spends - and, if the creator is poor, determine how that person obtains those funds. Bear in mind that a golem created through obsession (as opposed to traditional magic) may cost far less than amounts shown; the creator serves as the craftsman. On the other hand, even a master craftsman might hire others for incidental or gritty tasks, so that he or she can focus on the "art." Remember too that those who are obsessed with creating life often spend everything they have to achieve their goal - be they a pauper or a prince.
Craftmanship
The table above reflects the minimum investment for an "average" golem. (Base statistics for such golems are presented in Chapters Three and Four.) A creator who invests more time and money - or less - can create goiems of varying quality, as outlined below. These variations help DMs tailor a particular golem to the needs of their campaigns. For example, a poorly constructed golem may be just the foe for an inexperienced party.
Excellent: If a creator invests twice the usual creation time and expense, the golem gains +1 to physical attributes and an additional 2d3 points to its Charisma.
Good: If a creator invests 50% more resources and time, the golem gains +1 to two of its physical statistics (DM's choice) and an additional 1d3 points of Charisma.
Average: No bonuses or penalties apply.
Poor: If the time and cost are reduced by 25%, the golem suffers a -1 penalty to ail physical attributes. Further, its Charisma drops 1d3 points.
Shoddy: If the time and cost are reduced by 50%, the golem suffers a -2 penalty to all physical attributes, and its Charisma drops 2d3 points.
Builders of flesh golems who have an ice-cold place available to store bodies and body parts have more temporal leeway than most. Deep snow, ice caverns, even large iceboxes may be used to prevent or stow decomposition. While searching for a flesh golem south of Viaki, I discovered a frozen lake with no fewer than three bodies wrapped in canvas and tied to the nearby dock - By stationing myself at the lake, I discovered the identity of the golem's creator.
Other materials can be gathered more slowly with little or no consequence, as decomposition is not an issue with metal, stone, and the like. But do not think constructing any form of golem body to be easy: far from it. Although some creators do not spend adequate time assembling their grotesque progeny and undoubtedly have poor results, most creators labor long and hard, using all resources at hand to "perfect" their dread creations.
Constructing a flesh golem presents its own challenges. As noted, no single body will do: six is the minimum number required. (Each arm, each leg, the trunk plus head, and the brain must all be taken from different corpses, though still more bodies can be harvested for smaller parts.) Furthermore, the flesh must be relatively fresh. Despite such requirements, flesh is by far the most common material used in the construction of golems.
Why are flesh golems predominant? Perhaps this is due to the natural proclivity of flesh to contain and shelter intelligent life. Unlike the other materials discussed so far, flesh is innately accommodating to the life force. Thus, for the very same reason you and I are not made from inanimate wood, glass, or metal, the animating force of the golem most readily enters a vessel grafted of once-animate flesh.Perhaps due to the very nature of flesh, far more would-be creators of flesh golems succeed at their grisly task than the would-be creators of other forms of the Created.
For the creator, flesh is also readily available, at least for those willing to rob the graves of the newly dead (or to murder the living). Flesh is soft and thus relatively easy to stitch together. The golem's patchwork of skin does not heal well when pieced together, however. The fusing of flesh in a golem serves to emphasize the bond, resulting in hideous, raised scars and conspicuous traces of stitching.
Such obvious deformities, along with the mismatched body parts, are a blessing to all who wish to hunt golems; they allow us to know the creature for what it truly is. When one hunts a vampire or werewolf, for example, it possible to be a guest in the creature's very home and fail to recognize the prey. But there is no worry of attending a gathering hosted by a golem and not realizing who - or what - that person is! No, the true nature of these hideously formed beings is always instantly recognizable.
Although the tissue mass that constitutes a flesh golem is hideous, it is amazingly functional. These golems regenerate at an extraordinary rate. In short, the flesh heals many times faster than it did while sheathing other bodies (see Chapter Three for details).
At this point in our discussion, we must ask ourselves several questions. When selecting body parts for inclusion, how much tissue deterioration and decay is acceptable before the body part becomes too decayed for use? Can pieces of any body be used? For example, can animal or monster parts be used in the assembly of the body?
Before we proceed to examine these horrible yet medically fascinating issues, I must first warn more sensitive readers that the material next covered is of necessity rather visceral. If the following material disturbs or upsets, I apologize. Still, we must not allow faint-heartedness to keep us from knowledge.
In order for a body part to be useful in the construction of a flesh golem, the ligaments, tendons, and the like must not yet have rotted to the degree that they rip and tear when manipulated. Although a flesh golem's body is extremely powerful and resilient once it is animate, during construction the opposite is true. The creator must take great care to stitch the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of one body part to the corresponding muscles, tendons, and ligaments of its partner. This work is both arduous and exacting.
Due to the stitching and great amount of manipulation the body parts must withstand, I estimate that, given average conditions, body parts must be utilized within one week of death. Beyond that period, the part may have degraded to uselessness. Note that this is a very general estimate, and conditions are rarely "average." Several factors can affect the exact speed of decay. The most important are temperature and moisture.
The colder the temperature at which a body is kept, the longer the process of decay is kept at bay. Obviously, the reverse is also true; the warmer the temperature, the swifter the decay. Moisture in the air, or humidity, also affects the rate of decomposition. The higher the humidity, the more rapid the rotting. However, humidity levels are secondary in importance to temperature.
In an environment well below freezing, it is possible for a corpse to remain in virtually pristine condition for an indefinite period of time, untouched by even the slightest hint of decay. This is why a body found during a spring thaw at a northerly lake often appears to have died only recently, when in fact the victim has been frozen for months. Of course, the process of decay can never be reversed, and any decay that occurred before the body was frozen will still be in evidence. Further, once the body part is exposed to warmer temperatures, decay continues.
What if the temperature is cool but not below freezing? In this case, or when the air is very dry, body parts can remain intact for quite some time, They do continue to decay, but the process is slowed. Cinder such conditions, it would seem reasonable that body parts would remain usable for perhaps as long as two weeks, although such parts would surely undergo some degradation.
When the air is warm but not hot- that is, in temperatures humans find most comfortable-flesh decays steadily. I venture to say that a body part would become useless after a period of perhaps nine days in such a temperate environment. If, however, conditions were particularly moist but not excessively hot (or vice versa), decay would set in at a faster rate than under so-called "average" conditions. In such climates, flesh might become unusable in perhaps as few as five or six days (This explains why the villagers living near the Great Falls wait no more than one day before burying their dead. Through experience, these villagers know that warm, moist air cause bodies to decompose quite rapidly, just as meat becomes rancid far more rapidly in the summer than in the winter).
I had been called io a small village in my homeland of Darken. The local residents were terrified that a plague of vampires ivas about to be called down upon them. Quaking with fear, the village leaders brought me to the hamlet's tiny graveyard. Along with the gray light, twisted trees, and chipped stone markers, freshly turned earth greeted my eyes. A trio of graves had been disturbed, with the ground hastily heaped back into place.
"You see, good doctor?" the milage elder cried. He was a stooped and slender man some ninety-odd years old, and his voice cracked with fear and age. "We laid these three young men in the ground only days ago, but they do not rest. How can we protect ourselves?"
Informing him that I must Investigate further before drawing any conclusions, ! asked my companions, Gildred and Haualand-the famed Strickmund brothers-to aid me in searching the gravesites. It seemed odd to me that such a small village (of no more than fifty individuals) would suffer so many deaths at once.
Listening to the sodden shoveling sounds and grunts of effort of the brothers Strickmund laboring at the graves, I determined to delve further into the circumstances surrounding the three deaths.
"Did these young men die of some sudden disease, perhaps a wasting sickness or an illness of the blood?" ! inquired of the elders present. The victims of a vampire's foul ministrations often appear to die in such a manner, before rising as minions of evil but a few nights later.
"No, Dr. Van Richten," the village leader replied, his aged hands shaking with sorrow and fear. "That is why we took no precautions with the lads' bodies. It was simply an accident that caused their deaths, just a terrible accident."
"I have found that accidents are not always what they first appear to be," I responded, as gently as possible. "Please tell me more about the circumstances...."
- From the journal of Dr. Van Richten
Under the most extreme conditions of damp heat, such as a jungle environment, decay sets in with amazing speed. If you ever visit the jungles of Sri Raji for example, note the rich loam of the earth, the quickly rotting logs, the amazing variety and number of insects. All are signs of both the speed and thoroughness with which death brings decay in such a clime. It would seem difficult in the extreme to construct a flesh golem under such conditions, but would-be creators are fantastically resourceful. At best, I would imagine the creator to have only two or three days' leeway before the flesh so degrades as to become nonviable.
There is an interesting side note on humidity and its effects on decomposition. When exposed to an extremely raw, arid climate, a corpse may not decompose in the normal manner. I observed this effect myself while journeying across a desert. My fellows and I, riding sturdy mules, were attempting to reach the lair of a lich whose sanctuary was supposedly hidden beneath the dust and sand. The wind was particularly fierce one day, forcing us to stop and make camp early. That night, I feared both my tent and my person would be ripped to shreds by the driving storm, or at the least that I would be permanently deafened by the wind's titanic roar!
Fortunately my fears proved groundless. The tents held, as did my ears. In the morning we emerged, ready to set off once again. As I sipped cool water in a vain attempt to wash the gritty tang from my mouth, our guide, Atrawn, ran up to me. He dragged me over the facing dune, nearly causing to me to spill my water skin with his urgency.
He pointed to a small group of bodies, which had been invisible previously. Knowing the storm must have uncovered the corpses, I began an examination. It was as if all the moisture in the bodies had been drawn out. The dark skin was still wrapped firmly about the bones, but it was extremely thin and wrinkled. Along the necks, legs, and arms I could easily make out tendons, jutting stiffly outward from the shrunken forms. There was no odor of death or decay about the bodies, only the clean, warm smell of the desert.
By this point in my examination, my companions had gathered around as well. Torenor the dwarf carefully plucked a trinket from one of the bodies, wondering aloud if it was valuable. Glancing at the silver and onyx earring, I was startled to see it was a durasha, an item used by a certain nomadic tribe as a ward against evil spirits. However, the tribe had died off years ago, killed by rivals.
From both the condition of the corpses and the presence of the durasha, I estimated the bodies to have been at least a century dead. Apparently, the sere climate caused the moisture to disappear so quickly from the tissue that no true decay could set in. It would follow that similarly desiccated parts could be used in the construction of a golem. Despite this possibility, I have never heard of such a creature.
I'd like to close this section with a cautionary note. Do not make the mistake of assuming that because you are in a hot and humid region, the would-be creator will be unable to finish his work. Climatic limitations can be circumvented; as always, the truly obsessed will find a way if any chance of success exists, no matter how remote.
A colleague of mine once reported stumbling across a strange room located deep beneath the earth. Within the chamber, a gold miner had begun collecting and storing body parts in preparation for construction of a golem. The miner's story was one of loneliness and rejection, and the man apparently longed for someone who wouldn't mock or shun him. It was fortunate for the man that my colleague discovered his chamber, for the rejection he would have ultimately faced from his golem would have been far worse than any he could possibly have conceived.
The chamber was reachable only by arduously crawling through a network of small caves that followed a tiny underground stream. Although the outside temperatures averaged over 100 degrees and the humidity was always high, the chamber itself was extremely cool due to its depth and stone insulation. Thus, the collected body parts remained quite fresh even though the first of the limbs' "donors" was almost a week dead.
...Clearly my inquiry about the three youths' deaths caused my hosts great discomfort. The elders shook their heads in sorrow and confusion. An old woman stood among them, pulling her heauy woolen shawl closer about her frail shoulders, it was she who gaoe the only uerbal response, "They were working on the new barn when it collapsed on top of them. We all worked fast as we could to get them out of there... but there was naught we could do for the lads, poor things."
Clucking her tongue in sorrow, the woman, one Nelly by name, turned to stare at the ruined building just oisibie through the trees while Haualand and Gildred completed their excavation. The villagers had been too terrified to search, the graves themselves, so they were quite shocked to see the mangled forms lying uncouered within the newly re-opened graces. All three of the men had been young and powerfullg built. Now though, each of the bodies was missing one limb.
Asking as delicately as I could under the circumstances, I confirmed that each man had been whole when buried...
- From the journal of Dr. Van Richten
I do not wish to imply that a week-old body part and one that is but hours dead are of equal value. The fresher part would be much more valuable from a creator's perspective. While a piece of flesh may be usable, it does not follow that it reflects "peak condition." When partially decayed materials are used in the construction of a golem, the creature's structural integrity is diminished. Further, if too many parts have degraded sufficiently, the creature as a whole may not be viable, no matter what the creator attempts.
Another possibility is that a member of the Created whose body contains partially decayed body parts is not as clever or powerful as a golem constructed solely with fresher parts.
Presumably, any lessening of skills would be those relative to the defective body part or parts (a slightly rotted brain might create a less intelligent creature, for example).
Indeed, I suspect that certain body parts - especially those upon which skills are based - might be more vulnerable to decay and damage than others. Eyes, brains, hearts, and other organs should become unusable at a faster rate due to their delicacy. Other, less delicate body parts - limbs, for example - would no doubt withstand greater abuse before they are rendered worthless.
A scientist with whom I am acquainted has suggested that the level of decay is not truly pertinent, save that a part must have enough structural integrity to hold together during the actual physical construction. I tend to dispute this idea; it makes little sense, given what we know of physiology. However, it is unwise to entirely rule out any possibility when dealing with the Created. Take this information, your own observations, and any other sources you can find and come to your own conclusions. It is your life at risk.
It is indeed possible for body parts from corpses of different races, and even different species, to be used in the creation of one golem. I myself was involved in the destruction of a particularly grotesque golem who appeared to have been constructed from no fewer than three different species. Its head and torso were human, but one of its arms was that of a brown bear, while its legs appeared to have been ogre limbs. It was a terribly disfigured monster, ali out of proportion with itself, like a child's fanciful drawing come horribly to life.
What, if any, mental and emotional effect would this sort of merging have? That is a question which I shall explore later in this work. However, all my hypotheses and psychological postulations are as nothing to staring into the face of such a wretched being.
I speculate that only certain natural barriers would keep a creator from being able to cobble together a golem made from many different creatures. One obvious barrier is size. If the difference between two connecting body parts is too great, the creator cannot successfully stitch the parts together. Even if the stitching could be accomplished, a golem with, say, the body of a halfling and the arm of an ogre would have difficulty effectively using the outsized limb. In general, the supporting frame must be of sufficient size and strength to utilize its limbs. Some leeway may be assumed, however, due to the additional strength musculature appears to gain when reanimated as part of a golem construct. I shall delve further into the subject of odd parts-and the resulting physical attributes-in Chapter Three, "Constructions of Flesh."
Here it is probably wise to mention the tragic creatures known as broken ones. Educated readers may believe these sad beings to be almost identical in nature to golems. While they do have certain similarities, this is not at all the case.
Broken ones are the tragic survivors of both scientific and magical experiments. Humans once, their humanity has been inextricably mingled with the life force of animals. The shock of this transformation forever alters the wretched creatures. But there is an extremely important distinction between these beings and golems. Broken ones are alive. They do not die in the experiments, and thus the scientists and mages do not create new life in creating broken ones. Although terrible violation of the spirit occurs, no death is involved. This is a critical difference between golems and broken ones.
...At this point in the investigation I realized no vampire was at work here. Someone, perhaps even one of the elders standing before me, was attempting to construct a flesh golem. Far from easing my mind, this discovery only caused my heart to race. For once a golem becomes functional, it can be even more difficult to destroy than the dreaded vampire!
Fortunately, in this instance me were able to stop the creator before he completed his dread child. That very evening, I and my two stolid companions stationed ourselves around the tiny graveyard. We caught the grave robber attempting to exhume yet another corpse. The man himself was crazed with desperation and need - what had brought him to such a state we will never know. When it became obvious he would be unable to make good his escape, the man drank from a small vial in his possession. Moments later he collapsed, a victim of the powerful poison contained therein, and the obsessions of his own warped mind.
As a doctor, I use all my humble skills and knowledge to fight death. Yet, standing in the bitter cold of that bleak cemetery, I knew this man's death was probably for the best. Had be completed his work - and I knew it would have been impossible to dissuade him - then he surely would have faced a more horrid demise at the hands of his own creation.
- From the journal of Dr. Van Richten
Body Parts and Decay
Van Richten has introduced the subject of decay and its effect on a flesh golem. This topic is covered in greater detail below. Such information can be useful in creating a history for a flesh golem, as well as in "customizing" a particular monster by giving it limbs that have decayed almost to the point of uselessness. This mechanism is particularly useful to DMs who wish to create a weaker golem for low-level parties.
Stages of Decay
The condition of the specific parts used in the creation of a golem can affect the monster's base statistics (see Chapter Three for a list of these statistics). For purposes of determining decay, there are two categories of body parts: organs and limbs. Organs are delicate and more vulnerable to such deterioration.
Body parts undergo four stages as they decay: fresh, good, usable, and decayed. Brief descriptions of possible game effects for each stage are given below. These are guidelines for DMs, who may use them to "flesh out" physical details for a particular golem.
Fresh: Fresh body parts come from corpses that have been dead for only a brief period of time. No significant decay has occurred.
Good: Body parts in this group have begun the process of decay, especially soft organs. However, their general condition is still good, and game effects are minimal. For example, a golem with a tongue in "good" shape prior to its animation might exhibit slightly slurred speech, but no other impairment- The most prominent effect involves the brain. If a brain has deteriorated from fresh to good condition, the golem's Intelligence score is decreased by 1 point.
Usable: Body parts in "usable" condition have truly begun to decay, and they will weaken the golem in some small way. This is particularly true if organs are involved. Some examples of the effect of using such parts during creation of the golem are as follows:
Eyes: Vision reduced to 50%
Limb: -1 to Dexterity, -1 to Strength
Brain: -3 to intelligence
Feet: Movement reduced to 75%
Decayed: This flesh is in an advanced state of decay. Organs and other delicate tissues in this state cannot be used to construct a viable golem. It is sometimes possible to use other body parts in this state, but they produce an inferior golem. Examples of the effect of using such body parts during the creation of the golem are as follows:
Limb: -2 to Dexterity, -2 to Strength
Feet: Movement at 50%
Once body parts pass this final stage, they are far too putrid for use in a flesh golem, although a zombie golem or bone golem might be constructed successfully. Anyone viewing such a golem should immediately make a horror check due to the hideous appearance of the monster (DM's option).
Climate and Decay
A body part's rate of decay varies by climate. The following table defines six different "climates" by their heat and humidity levels: arctic, cool, temperate, moist, torrid, and desert. The effects of each climate on decay are outlined below.
Of course, not every body part is exposed to the elements. Some may be stored in a cool cellar or even frozen to stow or stop decay. Would-be creators of golems usually attempt to preserve body parts in the best condition possible.
Table 2: Climatic Effect on Decay
Temperature Sere
0%-10%Arid
11%-40%Average
41%-60%Humid
61%-80%Very Humid
81%-100%Freezing
(< 32 deg F)Arctic Arctic Arctic Arctic Arctic Chill
(33-60 deg F)Cool Cool Cool Temperate Moist Average
(61-80 deg F)Cool Temperate Temperate Moist Torrid Hot
(> 81 deg F)Desert Temperate Moist Torrid Torrid Arctic: Body parts kept below freezing will not decay further. If a fresh body part is frozen, it will still be fresh when it thaws. Likewise, if a body part was in usable condition when frozen, it will be in the same state when thawed. Decay will continue as soon as the part is exposed to temperatures above freezing.
Cool: Body parts that are stored in a cool environment decay at the following rate:
Fresh - Days 1-2
Good - Days 3-5
Usable - Days 6-10
Decayed - Days 11-14
Unusable - After Day 14
Temperate: The decay rate for flesh stored in a temperate environment is as follows:
Fresh - Day 1
Good - Days 2-4
Usable - Days 5-7
Decayed - Days 8-10
Unusable - After Day 10
Moist: Body parts exposed to a moist environment decay at the following rate:
Fresh - Day 1
Good - Day 2
Usable - Days 3-4
Decayed - Days 5-7
Unusable - After Day 7
Torrid: Body parts subjected to such conditions decay at the following rate:
Fresh - First 12 Hours
Good - 13-36 Hours
Usable - 36-72 Hours
Decayed - Day 3-Day 5
Unusable - After Day 5
Desert: When conditions are extremely dry and hot, bodies can become desiccated very rapidly. As Dr. Van Richten observed, the moisture is drawn out of the body so quickly it becomes mummified. In such cases, limbs and other visible parts are preserved indefinitely, and it is possible to use them in the creation of a golem. Such body parts are considered fresh. Note that this does not include organs, which are considered to be in a torrid environment for purposes of judging decay (see above).
