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Golden Colossus — Description

The civil war within the Church of Divine Wealth was already a major blow to its empire, and it only got worse once other factions jumped into the chaos. After all, how could they pass up such an opportunity? The greatest power that has ruled these lands for centuries is now at its weakest, and to the victor would go the throne. That isn't even mentioning the countless treasures and resources held within, the golden wonders of the holy city and the forbidden contents of Carceratum. Thus, many faiths and factions with strength have joined the fighting, all eyeing this great prize. But what many would unfortunately realize is that this would be no easy victory. There are many wrestling for top position, and enemies of the Church wind up battling each other for the spoils. And even when they keep their focus on the golden faith, they do not find a broken enemy. Because even with the Church having one pillar rebel and two others claim neutrality, it is still a powerful faction. There are many under its command and centuries worth of building and enforcing that still lets them stand tall. They are indeed at their lowest, but this is still stronger than many others' highest. These usurpers may dream and boast about the defeat of the Church, but such courage is nowhere to be found when they suddenly spy a Golden Colossus upon the horizon.
The Church of Divine Wealth has many powers and weapons to its name, and the Golden Colossus is easily one of their greatest. A towering bone-bile construct that is heavily fortified by golden bone, its internals fueled by some of the best fluids around. They are one of the many children created in the age of plenty, when the Church and its followers bathed in the riches of the land. And what better way to show off your might than to forge such massive gleaming guardians? They envisioned a pair of titans that would flank the main gates of the holy city, welcoming pilgrims and destroying invaders. A master bileforger was called to head this great task, and entire mining operations were devoted to fueling the construction. It was said that while digging up bone and fluid deep below that the master bileforger saw the form of a dead god. Its remains had been intact enough to get a decent glimpse at its visage, and the forger was inspired by it. From there the design of the Golden Colossus would come, their form built to resemble that of a god. Some claim that their resulting size was partly to blame on the bileforger's muse, as they were determined to capture the majesty, strength and sheer awe of a god, and thus kept demanding them be bigger and bigger. The construction of these automaton would take many moons and resources, but it all paid off when the first rumbled to life. To witness its size and power was truly humbling, and faithful for miles around flocked to gaze upon them. It was then that the Church looked upon their new guardians, and then to the forges that made them, and came to the conclusion that they needed more. So much effort had already been put into developing the process to make these two, so why stop there?
Over the course of years, dozens of Golden Colossi would be forged, each one a mighty addition to the power of the Church. They would be stationed at major cities and fortresses of the golden faith, their sheer presence enough to scare away nearby bandit camps and heretics. Towering, heavily armed and armored, they were masterpieces in the art of bileforging, but they weren't made to simply stand around and look pretty. Woe to the detractors who loudly wondered if these expensive hulks were nothing more than fancy statues, as their words quickly fell silent when the titan's shadow fell over them. To test, and flaunt, the capabilities of the Golden Colossi, a few would be sicced upon forts of opposing faith. The carnage and destruction that resulted proved without a doubt that these automatons were the real deal. And now whenever one of these giants lumbers onto the battlefield, the enemies of the Church fall into panic.
The obvious advantages of the Golden Colossi are their sheer size and strength. They wade through the battlefield, their mere movements lethal as they crush enemies beneath their pillar-like feet. A swing of a single arm sends men flying, and they pick up siege weapons with ease. Their thunderous footsteps alone send fear into the hearts of nonbelievers, and their presence make even the proudest generals worry about their odds for victory. Yet, brute strength is not all they have. Their insides are fueled by Yellow Bile and Ichor, giving them flame in their veins. Ports in the palm of their hands can fire streams of the stuff, and their chest can vent waves of incinerating yellow. Their head that sits up high on their sinuous neck can also channel energeiai from their stores of Ichor. Blinding shafts of light shine down from above, a terrible gaze seeking out victims. Their five eyes call upon the Godly Fluid to fire off golden beams that obliterate foes, like a smiting from the heavens. Barricades and walls struggle to ward away their attack, the long necks peering over obstacles to rain down divine justice. The image of a towering titan looking down upon you with its golden eyes is one that certainly shows the might of the Church.
To add to their sheer arsenal are massive weapons crafted for their hands; blades and polearms to make them even more intimidating. A variety of tools have been made for them, like huge bows or golden cleavers, but their strange halberds remain the most iconic. It is a weapon some consider overkill, as a Golden Colossus swinging around a big stick would still be enough to slaughter dozens. But guardians deserve arms to defend the faithful! This halberd possesses a mighty golden blade for cleaving, though its cuts are meant more for bigger foes and siege weapons. A hefty club-like bottom is good for pounding soldiers to a paste at their feet, but it is at the top where the real strength of this tool is found. A bizarre spearing tip, its length made up of multiple blades. Their design has many sharp points stacked on top of one another, allowing one to break off without rendering the weapon harmless, as another takes its place. What makes this dangerous is the fact each spear tip is filled with Yellow Bile, giving them explosive properties. A Golden Colossus can jab the spear into a foe or structure and snap off the end, which shortly detonates to rip them apart. They can even channel their energeiai to fire off one of these blades as a projectile, simply pointing at a target and letting the missile fly. And yet, no matter how many they use, they never run out, as the weapon is designed to replenish its stock. At the base of this blade is a mass similar to a Fletcher's Organ, able to take nutrients and materials to generate more ammo. The ports in the palm of the colossus's hand moves these resources from the main body to the weapon, making sure it isn't left wanting. Of course, that may make one wonder if it is possible to deplete the internal resources of a Golden Colossus. The answer is probably its most horrifying trait.
As a construct of such impressive size, it no doubt takes a lot to make it work. Fluids to keep it running, materials to generate its weapons. There would certainly be the threat of it running out during a long battle, or a march towards its next destination. The bileforgers fixed this weakness by giving the Golden Colossi the the ability to refuel themselves. And not just by visiting a Church outpost for a refill, but by also devouring the land around it. The segments on its neck and chest are capable of opening up, revealing a terrible maw of shredding blades and teeth. Behind it all, the glow of its internal furnace, eager for food. The Golden Colossus simply grabs resources around it and feeds it into this whirling mouth, pulverizing it all into raw materials that are given to the flame. That way these sentinels can march on and on without worry, keeping their energeiai up by consuming environment and even foes. Nothing sends heretics running for their lives like watching their allies be snared by a claw and dropped into that razor maw, their bodies fuel for its fire. The colossi have gained a horrifying reputation by foes of the Church, as ravenous titans that will crush entire villages and devour its occupants.
The Golden Colossi are striking automatons for both friend and foe, one finding them a symbol of their faith's strength and the other seeing them as an embodiment of the golden empire's brutality. The faithful find safety in their presence, knowing their cities are protected by such giants. And such a job they do well, as many major Church cities remain off limits to the enemy armies. Their strength combined with the other fortifications and fighters make any siege suicidal. And for the likes of the holy city and the prison fortress Carceratum, the many factions continue to even fathom how they would ever breach such defenses. Especially after witnessing the Betrayal of the Dragons, and how even these primordial beasts were beaten back. The spears and bows of the Golden Colossi claimed many dragon lives that day, and even more when several titans were sent upon the hunts. Those explosive tips are cruelly efficient at bringing down these reptiles, as you simple drive them through scale and deep into the flesh, where the detonation will rip them apart from the inside. Seeing these giants tear down an ancient dragon certainly made an impression in many minds. The Academy would learn this same fear when they joined the war.
The Academy of Veritas Mundus is a powerful force, the one true rival to the Church. Thus, when the Church began to fracture in the civil war, they saw their chance and the Archons declared war. However, some of their forces had grown cocky in their own strength and the Church's failings. The Academy had made incredible weapons and defenses, powerful tools that allowed their smaller numbers to face the Church's masses. With the golden faith in pieces, some would think easy pickings, despite the warnings of the Archons. The Archon Stratnous would do much to fortify the research halls and outposts of the Academy, and demand major precautions be taken to ensure their organization survived this war. But some felt superior to the superstitious Church, a foolish faith that remained stubbornly in the past. The inventions and might of the Academy would prevail! Such thoughts led to a golden force assaulting a Antiquary hall, where dracomatons were produced. The people within felt confident that their verdigris drones would repel the attack, especially with a Guardian dracomaton at their gates. But the arrival of a Golden Colossus changed their tune, especially when they watched it wrench the dragon's head from its shoulders. Turns out an impenetrable shield is not secure when a long neck can bend over it and rain down golden fire. But to the Academy's credit, they are a bunch who learn from their mistakes, and the destruction of this facility called for major changes and new dracomaton programming. Now when these two titans duel, the battlefield is more level, as the Guardian dracomaton now have counters to the tactics that once felled them.
The war has given the Golden Colossi much action, either defending their homes or marching with the faithful armies. They are a powerful tool in the Church's arsenal, and a very expensive loss whenever one falls. To those who still hold onto the golden faith, they give confidence that the Church can survive this war. However, as the war rages on, there are many others who have grown more fearful of the colossi. For they see their visages on the horizon and know the madness has come to their lands. They watch as people and homes are crushed underfoot, and many devoured to fuel their march. And with paranoia all around, and enemies in every shadow, their terrible strength is unleashed upon more and more people. Settlements that have not sworn themselves to the Church or have harbored enemies in their midst can be given the death sentence when the golden forces arrive. Those of other faith know this fate well, as there are plenty still haunted by a violent encounter in the past with these enforcers. Nights of terror as their people ran for their lives. Houses torn open and occupants pulled upward to a hungering maw. The swinging of blazing weapons that reduced decades of work and community to rubble. And the paralyzing fear of that glowing eye, slicing through the night like a lighthouse, searching for the fleeing and turning them to ash in its gaze. The Golden Colossi are indeed the watchful eye of the Church, which some find comfort in, but many find dread and death in it...
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This has been stuck in my head for a long time, and now it is at last free!