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Post by Xentus on Jul 15, 2020 21:19:39 GMT -6
> Xentus, accompanied by...
A simple touch was all it took. And with that, the hearts of these creatures were bonded to his own, for the rest of their lives. Such a curious concept this was, he had to learn more. And so he went out and gathered himself four elemental golem seeds - one in each available element. Water, fire, earth, and wind. Forces of nature to be respected and revered. Worshiped even. They belonged to him now, in a strange, condensed, yet powerful form. Or so he was told they were grow to be, if given enough care. Each of his seeds were placed in their respective elements. Fire was placed in the fireplace. Water was placed in the pond. Earth was buried. Air was left on the counter.
Then, he waited and let them grow..
A day passed. Xentus gathered the strange, basketball sized beings from the places he stored them. Stunning how much they changed in a twenty-four hour period. The seeds were now surrounded by a hard outer shell with two little pseudopods. These things didn't look entirely powerful or anything. Quite the contrary, actually. They looked fragile. They barely even seemed alive. But the distinct wiggling of tentacles proved there was life that sparked within the shells. Xentus was fascinated, yet a little disturbed at how easy it was to grow what would eventually grow into supposedly powerful, elemental beings. Of course, what it took from here would likely be a whole lot more effort and dabbling into mastering the elements.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 16, 2020 2:47:14 GMT -6
Fire, water, and earth. These elements meant the most to him. Fire provided warmth, to be respected for its danger if left undisciplined. Water provided life, to be respected for its ability to surge and suffocate. Earth provided shelter, to be respected for it's endless might. As for wind, well.. It remained on the counter. It too had grown into a shelled creature, but it would need to wait for another day for study. These other elemental seedlings were much more interesting.
Xentus settled himself at his desk, the three large shells settled atop the wooden surface. He wished to study these things.. Their behavior, their anatomy, their magic. The journal before him was opened to the first available page amidst other scribbles and scribes. Now, where to start?
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'Regarding Elemental Golems'
These curious beings are born from what is called a 'seed'. Truthfully, this seed appears to be more like a shell-less egg, with a thin membrane covering a gel-like interior similar to albumen. There is a core to the seeds, similar to the yolk, which under no circumstance should be touched.. For what reason remains unclear, yet I am unwilling to explore this. The Golem forms an innate bond with the first living thing that might touch the membrane of their seed. I have formed this bond with the basic elements; fire, water, earth, and wind. This is study of the growth and behavior as witnessed by their bonded.
This exploration begins with the fire, water, and earth seedlings and their propagation henceforth.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 16, 2020 2:59:02 GMT -6
All specimens exhibited the same amount of growth after being immersed in their respective elements. This is to say, fire was immolated, water was submerged, and earth was buried. This stage lasted a full twenty-four hours, during which each formed a shell around their seed and core. This exterior is made of some kind of hardened substance.. The nature of which is still unknown. Perhaps it consists of keratin, but it is much too hard. Solidified element seems to be the most likely case.
Xentus pauses his script, tapping the fire seedlinging's shell. A hollow, yet solid tin reverberated back, the shell splitting open in four directions. A brow raised in surprise. What he believed to be seams where the shell grew into place (like the fusion plates of a skull) seemed to instead be complete separations - four individual pieces that can move. The writing continued.
The shell of the seedling resembles a bony skull in some ways. It features what appears to be seams. However, on closer examination, these seams are fully separated and jointed in a manner that allows the shell to open, splitting in up to four sections. On each section, there is a hole that allows vision into the interior. The seed can often be seen through these holes. What purpose this might serve is unclear as of present. My personal conclusion is these holes create a false eye.. The pupil of which is the seed itself. This eye does give a sense of expression and personality to the seedling. No matter the angle from which it is viewed, the eye is in sight.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 16, 2020 3:14:09 GMT -6
Of course, these creatures do not seem to have true eyes. How is it that they observe their environment? The current assumption is that the aforementioned core may serve as all essential organs.. Brain, heart, eyes. The core is central to these creatures, as a yolk is to an egg. Now, continuing with assessments of the shell. The structure may open, revealing the only vital organ of the Golem. Assuming that these creatures must continue to feed their seed, allowing the shell to open would create an extreme vulnerability.. It is an unavoidable vulnerability nonetheless.
He paused, eyes settling on the blue water seedling. After pondering for a moment, he left his desk for a moment, disappearing into another room. The three seedlings rattled their shells at his departure, as if to express displeasure in the only means they had. The pseudopods writhed, but seemed to be highly ineffective at providing any sort of locomotion to the creatures. At this age, there was no substance to their bodies. If what they had could even be considered a body at all.
Before long, the blue horned leopard returned, a glass of water in his clutches. He sat down and dipped his fingers into the cool liquid. Then, he allowed drops to flow down his claws and onto the central seam of the water elemental. It opened, allowing the water to fall upon its core. The liquid was immediately absorbed. Curiously, he took a sip from his glass, hoping to incite a reaction from the being. And well, he was thirsty.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 16, 2020 3:32:27 GMT -6
Half of the glass was gone in a matter of seconds. His blue eyes stared at the blue egg-like creature, hoping for some sort of response somehow. He wasn't sure what kind of response his action would even trigger. In their current state, the seedlings seemed to be incapible of anything aside from opening and writhing their little tentacles. As he expected, there was no reaction taken by the water elemental. A light chuckle escaped his throat, a smile curling upon his lip. He was secretly hoping the thing might start flailing in a fit of jealousy. Curiosity temporarily satisfied, he continued writing.
At this current stage, the seedling spends its time not much more active than it was as a mere seed. It continues to absorb its element, allowing said element into its shell to feed. The only observation that qualify it as more alive than being a simple seed is that it may respond to simple stimulus.. That being an event such as water dropped upon a water Golem's exterior, causing the shell to split open and allow the water to instead fall upon its seed. In regard to mobility.. There is also the pair of pseudopods that extends from the seedling to be considered.
Again, a pause in writing. Xentus glanced between the fire and earth seedling, before settling his attention on the dull, grey-brown creature. He leaned in over his desk, tilting his head so that his left eye was level with an opening in the golem's shell.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 16, 2020 3:40:22 GMT -6
The yellow seed within seemed to ungulate within the carapace, settling itself close to the hole in the shell as if it were looking back at him. He shuffled to another open pore, curious. It was hard to tell, but it really did seem like the seed within was tracking his movements, opting to float closer to whichever opening he was near. Xentus made a mental note of this. It wasn't what he was trying to assess, however. Carefully, he extended a clawed finger towards the base of the seedling, near the pair of pseudopods. One of the tentacles reached out to meet his touch, gently caressing the thin fur on the digit.
He allowed it to writhe against his finger for a moment, trying to get an understanding of the qualities he was feeling. The touch was gentle and exploratory, as if it were researching him as much as he was it. The appendage was cool in temperature.. But that might've been exclusive to the earth elemental. He moved his hand over to the water elemental. The grasp of the earth faded in exchange for the caress of the water. It explored his finger in a similar manner. It too was cool to the touch, but that was what he expected. Now, on to the fire seedling. He was hesitant.. But he moved his finger within reach of the fire golem's pseudopods. It reached out, carefully touching him as the others did. And much to his surprise, its touch didnt burn.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 16, 2020 3:54:01 GMT -6
It was in fact, warmer than the previous two. By no means was it hot, however. An intrigued 'huh' escaped the leopard's lips. In the care of the previous iteration of elemental golems, caution and certain equipment was certainly needed to handle some specimens. He personally owned a plasma elemental - a creature so uncontrollably violent in the nature of its element that it needed to be contained within a glass prison for the safety of everyone around. It was a being that he wasn't sure how to handle, much less tame or train. Though apparently such a feat was, in fact, possible. Perhaps one day he would attempt to control the creature. But until then, handling calm elemental golems such as these seedlings were much more interesting.. And much less life threatening.
Xentus decided to return his finger to the earth seedling, turning his attention away from the fire golem. He watched as the pseudopod reached out for his hand, as if craving his touch. It was... Oddly cute, in a way. The top of the limb split itself into two 'fingers', resembling a forked tongue. It wrapped around the nearest finger, then crept along the digit to touch another. The mammalian let his attention drift to the other two golems, curious to see if this would now spark any jealousy.. Not that he would be able to tell what a jealous elemental golem seedling would look like. In fact, he wasn't even quite sure the range of emotions these beings could feel.. If they had any, that is.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 16, 2020 4:06:17 GMT -6
From what he knew of these creatures, the bond they shared with their master might allow them to feel some emotions - specifically those which emanate from their master. Somehow, this trait was less of an empathetic link and more of a 'sixth sense'. It only desires to please its master. If happiness is something that pleases its master, it might behave in a manner that would emulate happiness.. Like the demeanor of an excited puppy. But the creature itself does not experience the emotions of an excited puppy - it only mimics it in an attempt to satisfy the desire of its master. At least, that's how he figured these beings worked. The information he'd gathered seemed to express that much, though it was vaguely written. He inferred his own conclusions.
One of the more fascinating things described about these golems was that their master, at any time, could will that the creature destroys itself, leaving nothing but its seed. This idea seemed oddly cruel, yet immensely fascinating. To destroy life to create life.. He didn't want to try it yet with his seedlings, but he knew there would be a day when he'd order these to destroy itself to give birth to a new elemental hybrid.. But that came much later.
Xentus snapped back to reality, unaware of becoming dazed in his thoughts. He had almost forgotten why his hand was being groped by the earth one. The seedlings before him didn't seem concerned though. Not that it was possible to assess such an emotion on the stony shells.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 16, 2020 4:19:14 GMT -6
Xentus looked over the rest of the seedlings, trying to assess if they might have any reaction to his attempt to harm one of their own kind. Unfortunately for him, there wasn't much to tell from the featureless shells. The other sets of pseudopods wiggled toward his hand, but it seemed locomotion was rather limited. These things weren't going very far very fast. It was almost funny how useless the limbs were. His focus returned to the earth golem as he tried to be mindful of the sensation the pseudopod gave to his hand. It was a gentle, wriggling touch that felt almost like gel moving with a plastic membrane. It gave the feel that the pseudopod was pliable and flexible. He positioned the tentacle between his forefinger and thumb, then pinched.
Immediately beneath his touch, the surface of the limb solidified. At the same time, the portion that was free from his grasp continued to writhe, still touching his skin with a gentle familiarity. It didn't flinch or recoil. Was his pinch painful? Did it even have the capacity to feel pain? He strengthened his pinch, pressing harder into the flesh.. Yet despite his effort, it did not give way. It was a texture unlike any he'd experienced before. How could something soft and pliable also become hardened under pressure in such a manner? It didn't seem to be flexing and sort of muscle - only the portion being pinched was firm. The pinching hand of the leopard loosened and withdrew, returning to the pen to continue writing.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 16, 2020 4:33:35 GMT -6
The apparent appendages of the seedling might constitute as its body in its present state. If the shell is its head, the tentacles would serve as the body and limbs. They have a great range of motion and flexibility, capable of providing a gentle touch to whatever surface that it might come in contact with. They are soft and pliable, and yet also possess the intriguing ability to harden under pressure. Like the hardened shell, the substance of the pseudopods is unknown as of present. The most likely case is that they are a projection of the seedling's element. This is admittedly an abstract concept.. But such an abstract concept is befitting to such an abstract creature.
Again, a pause in the writing. Xentus took a moment to think about what he had just written, trying to wrap his head around the idea of a projected element. He likened it to light. Light was always projected. Intangible, yet able to touch surfaces. Light wasn't hard or soft. It could withstand compression, for it felt none. It still wasn't a comparison that he understood well, but it was the best explanation he had at the moment.
Next, he wanted to explore the limited locomotion of these creatures. They had limbs, how far would they be taken? And, what would they seek more, him or their element? His eyes perused the three seedlings on his desk. Water was the easiest to tease, he supposed as he glanced at the cup of water, half full.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 17, 2020 11:53:14 GMT -6
So far, it seemed that the limbs of the seedling stage of these golems served little purpose. Perhaps, like a snail, it could eventually make its way towards a target location. To test this, he dipped his fingers into the glass of water, then dragged a wet trail from the cup to the water golem. He stopped just shy of its wriggling pseudopods. It was unclear how, in the wild, some of these creatures would typically reach their element. Water, wind, and earth were fairly easy, of course. But in the case of fire.. How exactly would it become immersed in flame long enough to feed and progress?
Blue eyes glanced over to the mostly inert red seedling. He felt as if its inner seed, which hovered near pores towards him, had been staring at him this whole time. Actually, all of the seedlings had their internal seed drawn rather close to the open holes that allowed light to shine through. Staring intently at their master. It wasn't an uncomfortable feeling, but rather one that sparked further curiosity. If given the choice, would these beings prefer closeness to their bonded over seeking their element? This would be something he'd need to explore once the golems were more... Mobile.
In the case of the water seedling, its pseudopods were feeling about the liquid trail that was left just moments ago. They took on a flattened shape in an attempt to gain more traction on the wooden desk so that it could haul its heavy shell. Xentus observed it curiously.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 17, 2020 12:09:27 GMT -6
Slowly, the small pseudopods were dragging the much heftier carapace along the water tail. It was like watching an octopus on land in slow motion, tentacles extending and contracting in a crude form of locomotion. Truth be told, it wasn't the most fascinating thing to watch.. But it did give him insight on how these things might cope with natural events in the wild. He picked up the pen and continued writing.
The appendages can flex and transform their shape, with limited capacity. A Golem might flatten its tentacles to gain better traction on a smooth surface. It might also split its tentacle to explore a texture, such as when exploring the grasp of their bonded. In terms of use of the pseudopods for locomotion at the seedling stage, it is a rather crude and ineffective form of travel.. However, these beings are certainly capable of moving their large shells towards a target. Presumably, in most cases the target would be its corresponding element. This might prove useful in certain cases, like to aid a water Golem crawl back to water should it be stranded on shore by the tide. Until the Golem becomes stronger, the seedling state is one of the more vulnerable stages of life for these creatures.
A clink distracted the leopard from further writing. He looked up, glancing about the collection of seedlings before him and noticed the blue one had finally reached its target. Its pseudopods writhed about the surface of the glass, searching for its element.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 17, 2020 12:21:35 GMT -6
Admittedly, he was impressed that it didn't take nearly as long as he thought. Or he was a slower writer than he thought he was. So far, the pen wrote what was more like a train of thought than an actual assertion of the behavior and biology of the golems. He didn't expect anyone to read this, after all. No, these were his own notes to reference, record, and rewrite for the purpose of understanding these odd creatures more thoroughly. They were fascinating, yet he wasn't sure if anyone had really spent much time with one. They weren't nearly as attractive as their predecessors, who were literally elements in a tangible form. They were more like... Elements in a devoted form. Give devotion to it, and it will return said devotion in scaling power as it grows. Living element versus element given life. The seedlings before him needed to be nurtured and cared for. The plasma element he owned? It was raw, untamed, and untapped power that was quite dangerous to behold.
On that thought, there was a curious difference between the two kinds of golems. Xentus flipped to another page, scrawling down a new note. Just briefly, before he lost the thought.
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'Assessing the difference between Old type and New type Elemental Golems'
As the name 'Elemental Golem' would imply, both Old type and New type Golems are based on the ideal of capturing a natural, raw, elemental source and containing it within a life form. However, a shared name and elemental affinity are likely the only relation these two species share in common.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 17, 2020 12:34:11 GMT -6
Old type Golems, known more officially as 'Elemental Golems version 1', are a curious creation - they are literally living elements. Presumable, through the use of magic, water was given limited will, a body, motion, and emotion. It grows, unlike its element, but it does swell, leak, and evaporate all the same. It is indifferent to interaction - one might feel better talking to the ocean for at least the crashing of waves would constitute as a response. Unfortunately, these dull creatures are extremely powerful. Just as the ocean can unleash its might in the form of a tsunami, the water elemental may deluge as it needs, despite its apparent serenity. Because of this, Old type Golems are sought after solely for the powers they might offer, rather than their capacity for companionship.
He paused. What he had just written was something he himself was guilty of. The plasma elemental in his care was an untapped power that he had hoped to use one day. It was an awfully frightening prospect that one, with enough patience and will to risk their lives, could tame such a power and use it as they pleased. Was it much different in the case of the seedlings before him? He looked between the three, pausing on the water golem. It didn't know what to do with the glass that contained its element. It was almost funny how pathetic it was, flailing about the surface with no clue on how to reach the liquid inside. A toothy grin formed on the leopard's mouth as he chuckled.
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Post by Xentus on Jul 17, 2020 13:13:51 GMT -6
What a pathetic creature. But it was pathetic enough that he felt a mix between pity and responsibility for it. He took the glass from the grasping pseudopods and poured the contents over the center of the shell. The plates that made up the exterior separated, allowing the liquid to fall onto the seed hiding within. A pulsing glow emanated from the core as the water was absorbed. Curiously, not a drip or splatter formed as a result of the pouring. Every last drop became one with the creature. Xentus raised a brow at the curious happening unfolding before his eyes. How much could it absorb exactly? Sure, half a glass of water wasn't much.. But considering this is how the creature feeds, it might need quite the large supply of its element to grow. His grin turned to a grimace upon realizing just how much these things might end up needing, eyes hovering over the fire and earth seedlings. But, this did lead his mind into what he wanted to write next.
New type Golems are radically different. It is not a living element by nature, it is instead life given an element. Of course, there is some innate element locked within the initial seed state but this is more akin to an affinity for an element, rather than a living element. One of the first major differences between the Old and New type Golems is that New type Golems may form an innate bond with the first living thing to touch their seed..
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