Golem

"It allowed me to forge a man of steel or stone, as flexible and clever as any soldier. As an army, they were invincible. But I told no one the cost..."

Dwarves built golems, creatures of hewn stone or sheets of metal animated with a spark of lyrium. A magical, not mechanical, process animates the golem, making it more of a living "iron/stone creature." A magical control rod can be used to gain complete command of a golem. A golem which lacks a control rod retains free will.

Golems were invented by the Paragon Caridin in -225 Ancient (940 TE), when the First Blight was threatening both the surface and the dwarven thaigs. Paragon Hirol later improved the golem design.

Creation process
Caridin built the magical Anvil of the Void specifically for the process of building golems. Because he could not create new life, he had to use dwarven volunteers and turn them into golems. The process involves dressing the volunteer in armor the size of the golem, then pouring molten lyrium through the eye holes, mouth hole, and joints of the armor. Before it cools, the armor is hammered and shaped to perfection. Enchanted control rods were used to turn the golems into perfectly obedient soldiers, at the cost of their free will.

Because the golems led to incredible victories against the darkspawn, who were steadily destroying the dwarven civilization, many dwarves gladly volunteered.

When King Valtor began forcing criminals, casteless, and political dissidents into golemhood, Caridin refused to create any more golems. By order of the King he was turned into a golem himself, but with this the knowledge of the creation process was lost.

Later experiments to create golems using an alternate source, such as fade spirits, were successful in creating uncontrollable flesh golems.

Types

 * Gate guardians
 * Harvesters
 * Inferno golems
 * Stone golems
 * Steel golems
 * Watchers
 * Sentinels
 * Slave statues
 * Fortified Golem
 * Magic-Resistant Golem
 * Regenerator Golem

Notable golems

 * Caridin
 * Inferno Golem
 * Nexus Golem
 * Runic Golem
 * Shale
 * Thaddeus Gigantus Crumbum the Third

Bugs

 * A golem's left punch, except for Shale, never connects meaning it does no damage at all-this is most noticeable when using fade shapeshifting to become a Golem an then attacking