Create Golems: Any member of the council may cast the earth-based spell Create Golem within the settlements area of effect to form any number of Golems to perform directed tasks. Power and ability depend on how much mana is used in the creation process. Golems are not restricted to the settlement. Cost: Variable.
Note: To create a Golem, you must first introduce the genetic makeup (blood) of whichever form you wish your Golem to assume.
Current forms available:
* Humanoid (Blood of Glade introduced to the core) Cost: Minimum 150 mana
* Spider (Blood of an Astral Spider introduced to the core) Cost: Minimum 5 mana
“I love easy buttons,” Kedryn sighed, sagging to the ground as he watched their newly created army of spider Golems tear through the remaining astral spiders.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Glade chuckled, closing the settlement interface.
“It be ‘bout time things went our way,” Krazzik snorted as more spider Golems formed at his feet.
Bragden immediately smacked the dwarven chief upside the head.
“What have I done told ye! Never tempt the adjudicators like that! By the Mother, If’n ye jinxed us again, I’ll put me boot so far up yer backside that you’ll be tastin crushed spider guts for a week!”
“I’d like to see ye try, ye sorry excuse for a geriatric gnome,” Krazzik laughed, ducking another swipe by the older dwarf.
Glade ignored the two dwarves, carefully watching the fight playing out before them. More than three dozen small stone spiders scrambled across the floor, up walls, and into the rafters as they chased down their living counterparts. The astral spiders didn’t stand a chance.
Glade, Krazzik and Bragden had emptied their respective mana pools to create the majority of their new miniature army. Both Glade and Krazzik had opted for quantity over quality, expending the minimum mana requirement. It had worked to their advantage seeing as the astral spiders couldn’t even so much as scratch the hard as stone Golems.
Bragden, on the other hand, had elected to create seven level 4 Golems at the cost of 20 mana apiece. Not only did he have the biggest mana pool out of all of them, but he wanted to see how higher-level Golems performed. The difference between them was incredible.
Not only were the higher-level Golems larger and faster, but they could follow more complex commands. The level one Golems on the other hand could barely manage their current assignment, which focused solely on tracking down and destroying live spiders.
Glade watched as one of the larger spider Golems returned with a small astral mana shard in its mandibles, placing it in an ever-growing pile at Bragden’s feet.
“It looks like most are being pushed back to the catacomb’s entrance,” Glade said, still holding the massive book in both hands as he tracked a lone astral spider sneaking up behind Kedryn. Casually, he turned from the main conflict, held out the gift from Acumen, and dropped it on the level 3 spider, crushing it instantly. Of all the weapons available, the book was by far the best option available against the spider threat.
The sound of the large tome slamming into the ground startled everyone.
You have defeated 1 x level 3 Astral Spiders and have been awarded 16 XP ((90 XP / 23)+(90 x .13))
“Would ye stop doin that!” Bragden roared. “Ye slagging branded fool! You might not think that there tome be something special, but I can tell ye true that I’ve never read, or heard o’ anyone comin back from a rebirth clothed like ye are with a book gifted by the Adjudicator of Intelligence himself!”
Glade had to admit, Bragden’s reactions were likely something he should take note of. But frankly, he couldn’t bring himself to care. Yes, he was looking forward to reading what Acumen had gifted him. If it was even half as useful as Credos’ gift of time dilation, then it would be invaluable. But the fact of the matter was that Acumen was a pigheaded, narcissistic bully, pure and simple. Granted, the guy was practically a god, but that just made the whole thing worse. Weren’t godlike beings supposed to be someone you looked to for enlightenment and guidance?
Glade picked up the tome and brushed off the spider’s remains. There were now four smears on the cover and Bragden looked like he was about to have an aneurism.
Deciding it may be prudent to at least appear like he was treating the item with respect, more so for Bragden’s health than any real remorse from Glade, he sat the book down in one of the empty council chairs. Besides, that had been the last spider on this side of the battle line.
“Has anyone else noticed that we’re not getting any experience from the spiders killed by Golems?” Glade asked, strategically changing the subject. He didn’t say anything about how low his XP gains were now that he had joined the war party defending the hall. Krazzik had said there was a way to formalize the parties to optimize XP distribution, but no one in his clan had the skills to do so.
“I saw that as well,” Kedryn replied from the ground. He looked exhausted, having spent most the day outside and using almost his entire mana pool in pushing back the spiders. “From what I’ve read in the interface, any XP gained from the Golems we create goes straight to the Mana Core that governs their creation. The good news is the Aged Stone Guardian care can level up, which means it can evolve and grant additional abilities to the settlement. The bad news is, we can’t power level using it.”
“Bah, yer lookin at it all wrong,” Bragden huffed. “Remember, the value cores bring is they allow us to learn how to replicate the slagging spells. O’ the four o’ us, only Krazzik has an earth attunement open, which means he can learn how to cast the spell himself. Once that happens, he gets the experience from any golem he creates on his own. And, once he learns the spell, he can start teachin it to others.”
Krazzik rubbed the back of his head with his one good arm. “It might be a while till I can do that,” he said, looking sheepish. “From what I can tell, I need to be at the Compatible attunemet rank and at least an apprentice in earth magic. No one here be that far along.”
“Aye, that be true,” Bragden said. “But don’t forget the rest o’ the clan be waitin for us back at the Crag. Old Dust said he would join us once we found a home and finalized our charter. He be an expert with an earth attunement rank o’ Accordant. He’d come running once he learned ‘bout the opportunity to learn the spell to create Golems.”
“I thought Old Dust could already make Golems?” Gent, the hunter, chimed in.
“He can summon earth elementals, not create Golems,” Bragden growled. “There be a difference. Summoned creatures or elementals only stick around for a few minutes. When ye create a Golem, it lasts till ye banish the thing or it gets destroyed.”
Kedryn immediately perked up, joining the conversation. Glade decided they were at a point where he could safely review his status page. Besides, Krazzik had just tasked the dwarves to remove the corpses from the hall, to include Glade’s old body. He really wasn’t ready to face that surreal experience.
Turning around, he opened his status page.
Name: Glade (Enlightened Human)
Age 26 Level: 9
Experience: 17,836 Next Level: 18,500
Health: 170 Stamina: 200 Mana: 190
Attributes
Strength: 15 Dexterity: 15 Constitution: 17
Endurance: 20 Intelligence: 19 Wisdom: 22
Charisma: 15 (+3%) Chance: 14 Willpower: 22 (Avg:17 + 3 pts + 10%)
Brands:
Courage Perseverance Creation
Intellect Passion Meekness
Evolved Brands:
Honor (1): +10% XP for completed quests/-10% XP for failed quests
Sacrifice (1): +10% to Willpower Stat
Titles:
Sah’eld to Da'Riya Ki'Loshere
Strategist: +10% growth to martial skills and perception; +10% XP
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Royally Bonded (Bei'Kedryn Ri'Serevilir)
Languages:
Elvish (Plains Dialect) Dwarfen (Reaches Dialect) English
Skills:
Archery (Crossbows): Lvl 1: 1% stamina reduction. +1% damage/accuracy.
Astral Magic: Lvl 8: +16% mana efficiency in Astral Magic
Aura Sense: Lvl 2: Identify through use of aura reading. Cost: 5 MP.
Cartography Skill: Lvl 4: Internal mapping function; +10% chance to find interesting locations.
Cooking (Amateur): Lvl 1: +1% to enhance flavor. +2% to identify edible foods
Drawing: Lvl 1: +2% increased hand eye coordination
Labyrinth Sense: Lvl 4: Sense labyrinth within 4 miles; +8% chance finding treasure
Leadership: Lvl 3: +3% to Charisma
Mana Processing Technique (Twin Root and Branch - Unique): Lvl 8: +64% mana absorption
Meditation (Basic): Lvl 4: +2% to mana regen/+2% to attunement absorption.
Perception: Lvl 8: +16% to perception
Diplomacy (Dwarven): Lvl 1: +1% in negotiations
Reflection: Lvl 4: +1 to Wisdom. +8% skill advancement.
Tactician: Lvl 3: +6% to attack, defense, and unit cohesiveness; +3% to XP
Telepathy: Lvl 8: 1 x Target. 80 ft radius. Costs: 10 MP + 5 SP per 10 seconds
Small Blades: Lvl 1: 1% stamina reduction. +1% damage/accuracy.
Spears and Polearms: Lvl 1: 1% stamina reduction. +1% damage/accuracy.
Unarmed Combat: Lvl 4: 4% stamina reduction. +4% damage/accuracy.
Abilities:
Will (Will Points: 22/22)
Direction Sense: Always knows where North is
Specializations: None
Attunements:
Air: 0% Water: 0% Earth: 0% Fire: 8% (Spark)
Light: 0% Shadow: 0% Astral: 13%(Sympathetic) Corporeal: 0%
There were far more changes than even Glade had anticipated. It was clear the Adjudicator of Sacrifice had allocated his unspent attribute points and perks. Both his Intelligence and Endurance attributes had gone up by five points, increasing his stamina and mana pools respectively. From his previous discussions with Kedryn, it looked like he was shaping into a balanced build. He liked the idea of being balanced, but he still didn’t know if that was ideal or not.
The adjudicator had also allocated his perks. Turned out, Kedryn had been right about the 4% growth in any skill being completely random. Or as random as it could be with an adjudicator working behind the scenes.
Congratulations! You have used your perk to increase a random skill. You have learned the skill Cartography. You are now among the noble few who have been graced with the burden of leading others to exploration and adventure through the creation of maps. You have been granted an internal mapping function that is intrinsically tied to your perception, providing you with detailed maps of wherever you have been. Grants the ability Direction Sense. At the Amateur level, grants 2% chance in finding interesting locations per skill level. Can share projection of map. Grants the skill Drawing.
Congratulations! You have attained levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 in Cartography. +8% chance in finding interesting locations.
Congratulations! You have been granted the Ability Direction Sense. No matter where you are, you will always know which way is North.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Drawing. The gift and curse of all artists is being able to transfer what one sees in their mind onto the canvas, now you can be a little less horrible at rendering artistic visions. +2% increased hand eye coordination per skill level.
Congratulations! You have learned the skill Labyrinth Sense. Labyrinths are places of communion and trial for those who seek out Adjudicator’s assistance in personal advancement. However, you must find them first. This skill is intrinsically tied to your perception and grants the ability to sense any labyrinth within 1 mile per skill level. +2% chance in finding hidden treasure while in a labyrinth per skill level.
Congratulations! You have attained levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 in Labyrinth Sense. You can now sense labyrinths within 4 miles; +8% chance in finding hidden treasure while in a labyrinth.
The information on how to use both his mapping function and sensing labyrinths had been downloaded into Glade’s mind. Sensing labyrinths was exactly what it sounded like. He could now sense the location of a labyrinth when he passed within 4 miles of one. While it was likely going to be helpful in the future, it didn’t provide any immediate benefits to their current situation.
On the flip side, the mapping function was absolutely incredible. Glade opened his map within his status page. What showed was a detailed layout of every location he traveled through while on Veil. Granted, most of the maps were of underground tunnels and caves, but the map provided distances, could be zoomed in for careful review of the area, and had little notes of things he had taken particular notice of. What was even more interesting, the map linked with his telepathy skill. Every mind Glade sensed appeared on his map, each moving in real time.
As he watched, their Golems finally pushed the astral spiders back into the catacombs. He couldn’t wait to surprise everyone with the projection ability. Of course, he needed to plan that out to get the best response.
Glade moved on to his other prompts.
You have defeated 43 x level 1 Astral Spiders, 28 x level 2 Astral Spiders, 10 x level 3 Astral Spiders, 4 level 4 Astral Spiders, and 1 Level 5 Astral Spider by allowing the Unknown Egg to channel the spell, Ember Stream, through you. You have been awarded 3,008 XP (15,041 XP x .2).
Note: As the medium, you only performed a small amount of the actual work and have been awarded only 20% of the actual experience earned. Your tactician skill nor your strategist title bonuses do not apply. Experience awarded has been adjusted to reflect such.
And with that last bit of experience, he was almost to level 10. Closing his prompts, Glade turned around and rejoined the ongoing conversation.
“…have to be an astral mage before you can be a summoner?” Kedryn asked.
“Aye,” Bragden responded. “Summoners be a specialized field o’ magic. While they are not exactly rare, ye need to have at least two attunements, one o’ which has to be at least a Sympathetic rank in Astral magic. The other attunement can be as low as a Spark rank, but that doesn’t mean they can just start summoning. Ye need to know what ye be summoning. Ye can’t just up and call anything from across the planes without knowing the spell or the names o’ the things ye be tryin to call.”
“And you can open my Astral channels?” Kedryn asked, leaning forward with that manic grin of his.
“Depends on how many o’ these astral shards we gather,” Bragden said, scooping up the small pile of shards that had been dropped by the larger Golems. He then placed them into a small pouch. “But we can discuss it later when we’re done here.”
Glade eyed where the old dwarf put the pouch of shards. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Bragden. He did. But the reality of the situation was, the old dwarf still hadn’t given Glade back his pouch of shards or his knife. Which ultimately led Glade to the realization that he, in fact, did not trust the wily old dwarf.
Just as he was about to ask for his things back, five minds flared into existence on the edge of Glade’s telepathic radius coming from the catacombs. They were similar in makeup as the astral spiders, but brighter. Much, much brighter.
“We have incoming,” Glade warned, opening his map to track the movements of what he assumed to be higher level spiders. “Five more coming from the tunnels. These seem… bigger than the other spiders.”
The entire group of dwarves, all 21, plus Kedryn and Glade, moved toward the entrance. There were still plenty of the smaller spiders around, but their spider Golems had done a good job in pushing them back beyond the catacomb entrance.
Glade placed all those with melee weapons in a staggered line up front, with the useless Golem a few feet in front of them as bait. If that didn’t work, they could use it as an obstacle.
Both Glade and Kedryn stood in the front line as well. The Corporal was their best weapon against the spiders aside from their smaller Golems and Glade could help direct the Kid’s firepower toward any threats he sensed.
“How far out are they?” Krazzik asked, holding a club in his one good hand.
“Still a ways back…” Glade began, but stopped talking as he watched four of the five minds rocket forward. “Oh crap, here they come!”
Everyone braced themselves. Seconds ticked by as Glade watched the four mental signatures move faster than a grown man sprinting.
A blue glow began to emanate from the tunnel, and then they were there. No sooner had the group acknowledged the light than a crystalline astral spider the size of a pitbull launched itself from the catacombs entrance, tackling their humanoid Golem. Two foot long mandibles dug through the stone Golem’s chest, pinning it to the ground.
“By the Mother,” Krazzik breathed at the same time Bragden yelled, “I knew it! Krazzik, ye loud mouthed idiot, ye jinxed us!”