Constructs

List of Constructs

Constructs

These wondrous constructs serve as both helpers and guardians to the institute’s scholars. Rather than walking, they hover above the ground and glide forward and backward with controlled precision, sustained by multiple enchantments, and—depending on their design—are capable of attacking with both magic and conventional weapons. 

Golems are designed to work within a strict hierarchy: MiNi Golems operate under the supervision of a Guardian Golem, a larger construct that coordinates the actions and deployments of the smaller Golems. When Champion Rho’don opened Helix for trade at the beginning of this reign, the resulting trade agreements between Kurestal and Helix led to Aldor’s Golems being commissioned to patrol the sandy streets and alleyways of the Helix Grand Bazaar.

Aldor Golems

Over centuries of rigorous study, Aldor scholars achieved incremental breakthroughs in understanding the Crystal of Vitality. The subsequent advances in magic led to the creation of autonomous Golems—constructs intended to reduce Kurestian soldier casualties on the front lines. 

Under the guidance of Head Scholar Cato and his team, the first Golem prototypes were successfully activated. Each Golem is powered by a central processing rune known as the Quadrune. Variations in design granted Golems the flexibility to either wield magic or engage in direct combat with manmade weapons. Despite these successes, Cato pressed on, seeking further enhancements to expand the limits of Golem design.

In 1836 AA, Cato and his team welcomed Golem Chippy into the fold. Chippy was the first MiNi Golem, a smaller worker construct designed for manual labour and high maneuverability, capable of navigating tight spaces and performing tasks ill-suited to the larger, more combat-oriented Golems. Cato also bestowed Chippy with a distinct personality, a result of enhancements inscribed onto its Quadrune. New materials were introduced in the crafting of its body, resulting in a more resilient exterior. 

The base Quadrune itself underwent several rounds of refinement, with upgrades tailored to specific Golem types: those that went into MiNi Golems were called Golem Runes, while those that went into the newly designed, larger, and more advanced Golems were called Guardian Runes. This latest iteration of the Quadrune was a collaborative effort between Scholar Cato and blacksmith Asteria. Cato devised the schematics, while Asteria developed the blueprint for forging the rune and integrating it into the Golem’s core. Following Chippy’s creation, additional MiNi and Guardian Golems were produced, though with simpler, less advanced personalities inscribed onto their Quadrunes.

That same year, a Guardian Golem at the dedicated Golem Research Outpost in Aldor went rogue after a corrupted Quadrune was inserted, causing the Golems under its control to turn on the scholars. With the aid of a determined Summoner and an intrepid Postknight, the rogue Guardian Golem was taken down, allowing Cato to replace the Guardian Rune and restore the Guardian Golem’s control over the other Golems.

Origins

In 1533, Princess Vega—who would one day wear the crown of Queen of the Aegles—and her lover, the Human Mage Altair, discovered that by combining their magic, they could achieve something unprecedented in either of their nations.

Vega possessed rare weaves in wind magic and the even rarer ability to extend those weaves to affect the mind. Altair could wield both yin and yang magic, achieving a delicate balance between the two, and he could also consistently tap into a narrow band of Aethal with almost surgical precision—together, these two masteries allowed him to access a highly specific application of spatial magic. By merging their powers, Vega and Altair discovered they could copy an individual’s memories into a portable form, which they would later call a Mind Hive.

Limitations

There is a limit to how many memories a single Mind Hive can contain; attempting to store additional memories—or even a single longer memory—requires multiple Mind Hives. 

These clusters of thought-fragments require regular upkeep by a skilled mage; without it, the stored memories gradually become unstable, fragmenting and suffering irreversible corruption. Severe degradation can cause a Mind Hive to go rogue. The thought-fragments of rogue Mind Hives are highly agitated, hurling themselves at intruders, their impact carrying the force of compressed thought and distorted emotions.  

Mind Hives are normally housed within the Great Library of Quivtol, but those that degrade and turn rogue may escape the confines of the Library’s walls. Any Mind Hives encountered outside the Library are certainly rogue and are often found in groups, moving and acting as a single collective. When defeated, they leave behind Mindhusks—physical remnants containing Aegle memories. However, depending on the extent of degradation and corruption, these memories may be irretrievably lost.

A Sad Ending

In 1535, two years after their discovery, Altair was banished from Regalle for harbouring a secret relationship with Princess Vega. He returned to Kurestal. Although he and Vega began exchanging letters—with the help of one Deneb Whitebeard, who carried the letters between Kurestal and Quivtol—Altair’s correspondence eventually stopped for reasons unknown, leaving Vega heartbroken.

In 1735, more than a century after his disappearance, a still-grieving Vega—now Queen of the Aegles—had accepted that Altair was truly gone. Determined to move on and focus on ruling her people, Vega stored her memories of Altair into Mind Hives and ordered Captain Reinhilde to destroy them.