Golems

The Captain of the guard is notified of the advancing 'snowmen', but Westmark quickly learns that something much more sinister lurks behind and controls the odd golems.

33.

Golems

 

 

“Snowmen?   You pulled me away from dinner to show me snowmen?”   Captain Pectros glared at Lorren and Al as they stood pointing.

“MOVING snowmen, sir!  Look for yourself.”   Lorren continued to point, and Pectros glanced in that direction, doing a double-take when he beheld the sight.

 

A line of snowmen; made just as children would make them, about 6 feet tall and round, except these had short, stubby legs, and were walking across the open terrain leading to the southern gate.   There seemed to be hundreds of them, and on the Knight’s Keep, the paladin recruits stood staring as well.  

 

“What’s going on?”   King Haroldris asked as he came through the trapdoor leading down into the Keep.

 

“We’re not sure, Your Majesty, but there are some sort of enchanted beings moving toward the south gate.”   Pectros pointed and the King stared long and hard.

 

“Made of snow.”  He said after a few moments.   “At least that is what they seem to be made of.  Some sort of constructed and animated creature.   A snow golem, maybe?”

 

Pectros shrugged, “I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

“Neither have I, but obviously they are very real.   Have you sounded the alarm?”

“Yes, Your Highness, we have about 20 men at the south gate and more on the way.   We’ve called for Matron Zeatt to join us, as she might have magic that we can use to find out what they are.   The Paladins are suiting up and Sir Aeric will lead them against any threat.”

 

“Excuse me, sirs, but they’ve reached the south wall.”  Al informed them and everyone on the parapet glanced down and across to Westmark’s southern entrance.

 

As they watched, the first line of snow golems walked right up to the twenty foot tall wall and crashed into it, dissolving into piles of snow.   Those behind them did the same thing, as did those following in the next rank; each wave of snow golems walking on top of the crumbled remains of those before them and climbing ever higher on each wave.

 

“They’re making a ramp out of the bodies of those that dissolve when they hit the wall.”  Pectros told the King, who nodded.

 

“They’ll gain the top of that parapet wall soon.” Haroldris replied, as the guards on that wall began firing arrows and throwing burning torches and flasks of oil down on the creatures.

The missiles thumped into the snowy mass of the golems without doing any damage.   The oil and torches fizzed and blazed briefly against their forms, but then went out.   Still they came up the ever growing pile of snow as the missiles kept sailing into them.  

 

As guards and Paladins took up a defensive stance, the animated snow beings reached the parapet wall and simply walked over the top.   Immediately the guards and Paladins moved against them with swords, maces, spears and axes.  

 

The golems swung their trunk-like, handless, arms at the defenders, knocking several of them down.   The cutting and slashing weapons seemed to have little effect on the golems.   Several swords became stuck in their snowy forms and were pulled out of their wielder’s grasp.   

 

“We’ve got to go over there and help them.”   King Haroldris said, already starting toward the trap door.