Golems are seen by most of the world as strange, dangerous creatures. People call them monsters. Over the years, many different kinds of golems have been found in many different places. Each one seems tied to a certain element or material. There are stone golems that blend with the mountains. Water golems are found near lakes or rivers. Some are made of ice, others of sand or wood. No matter where they are, they always seem to belong to the land that gave them form.
No one fully understands where golems come from. Some are made by powerful mages or witches who shape them with magic to serve as guards or tools. Others seem to come from the world itself, as if nature creates them to protect something important. What is clear is that golems don't think the way people do. They have no emotions, no dreams or hopes. But still, they act with purpose. A water golem will stay close to a reservoir, always watching over it. A rock golem will be found in the mountains, unmoving like the cliffs around it. It's as if they are born with a single goal: to guard.
No one knows why they do this. It is one of the mysteries of the world. Many adventurers choose not to fight golems if they can avoid it. Golems are hard to defeat. They are strong, their bodies made of stone, metal, or other hard materials. And worst of all, they take a long time to wear down. To fight a golem means spending hours, maybe even days, slowly breaking it apart. Most adventurers decide it's better to leave golems alone.
And usually, golems are not found alone. They tend to stay in groups, guarding the same place together. But this time, it was different. This golem was alone.
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Long ago, before he became a golem, Thirak was a young blacksmith. He loved his work. He took pride in shaping metal, in crafting blades that were both strong and beautiful. The forge was his world. He spent his days shaping swords, axes, and armor, learning new techniques, trying to master his craft. To Thirak, nothing was more important than his work at the forge. It was what gave his life meaning.
Then came the Great Wars. The Kingdom was at war for many years. Battles were fought across the land, and the demand for weapons never stopped. The Kingdom built a huge forge, where the best smiths from all over came together to make the weapons needed for the war. Thirak was one of these smiths. He worked long hours, day after day, to provide swords, spears, and shields for the soldiers. He was proud to serve, even if no one outside the forge knew his name.
But as the war dragged on, the Kingdom's situation grew worse. Enemy forces pushed closer. The forge became a target. If the forge fell, the army would lose its supply of weapons. But the Kingdom could not spare soldiers to defend it. They were needed at the front lines. The leaders had to find another way.
That's when they decided to create a golem. A golem could guard the forge without needing rest, without fear, without doubt. But creating a golem that strong would need a great sacrifice — a living soul to give it life and purpose.
It was Thirak who stepped forward. He offered himself. He had already given his skill and strength to the forge. Now he would give his life too. The smiths used the best materials they had — iron, bronze, obsidian, stormsteel, and more — to build the golem's body. Thirak's spirit was placed inside it. His body was gone, but his soul remained, bound to the metal form. He became the forge's protector.
And as Thirak the golem, he stood guard. No enemy ever breached the forge while he watched over it. His strength and tireless watch kept the weapons flowing to the army, and the Kingdom held on.
But after the war ended, things changed. The forge was no longer needed. One by one, the blacksmiths left. The fires of the forge grew cold. The Kingdom, eager to rebuild, decided to tear down the forge and use the land for homes and shops. They told Thirak to leave. His duty was done.
Thirak obeyed. But outside the forge, he found no welcome. The people saw only a giant golem, not the man who had given up everything to protect them. They saw a monster. Adventurers tried to hunt him, thinking he was a danger. Thirak never wanted to harm anyone. He only wanted peace. So he left, walking far from any town or village, hiding himself where no one could find him. There, he fell into a long sleep.
Over time, being a golem for so long changed him. His memories faded. His feelings, too. The man he once was became harder and harder to remember. In the end, only a faint trace of his old self remained, a deep need to protect, even if he no longer knew why.
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Many years passed. Thirak slept, forgotten by the world.
Until one day, someone found him. That person was Varnex.
Varnex had heard Thirak's story, though few still knew it. The blacksmiths who had built him were gone. Only a handful of people still remembered the golem who had saved the forge. But somehow, Varnex learned the truth.
When Varnex was creating his dungeon, he knew he needed strong defenders. He went to find Thirak. Thirak, though dulled by years of sleep, fought Varnex for days. His will to guard, though buried, was still there. In the end, Varnex won. But instead of destroying Thirak, he brought him to his dungeon. He built a forge there, knowing it would call to the golem's last memory of purpose.
When Thirak saw the forge, something stirred in him. He didn't know why, but he felt it was where he belonged. Varnex made him one of his commanders, though Thirak didn't care about that. All he wanted was to protect the forge once more. And Varnex let him do just that.
Now, in the present, Thirak's rest was over. In the Ironhall Core, when Doran, Junith, and Nira entered, they saw what looked like a giant iron heart, cracked and still. But as they stepped closer, it began to shake. Thirak, the slumbering sentinel, was waking once again. His duty called him, and he would answer.