Celeste, Golem of Protection | Skin Contest

The city of Arlia had been overtaken by the plague. The city still stood, of course, but all access to hit had long since been cut off. The gates had been sealed. Now it was only a matter of time before the entire city was infected. To the outside world, it was a price worth paying to help stop the spread of the plague.

---

Mages, when nearing death, have long been known to let out an incomprehensible burst of power, channeling everything they could still feel into their spell. With their dying breaths, all of their rage and sorrow went into one last, powerful spell, more powerful than any other they had cast before. Doing so sapped the last reserves of life out of them, leaving them to drop dead almost instantly, but the effects were wondrous. Terrible and beautiful. Entire battles had been won and lost through such, and, because of this, arcane suppression fields grew in popularity with warring nations. 

Rarely, if ever, would a mage have much time to think about what to do in this situation, however. They rarely died slowly. It was from a stray arrow. A powerful strike. A bite to the throat. That sort of thing.

If they did have time to think over this, however... Time to come to terms with it, and focus everything they had left into one last, powerful, complex spell... 

---

It was almost done. She had gone through so much to finish this. The fever was setting in. There were only a few tasks left before the golem would be completed. She tightly clutched her gently glowing runestone, hands shaking, now pale white. Didn't have much longer. Had to carve the runes.

Empathy.

Compassion.

Mercy.

Protection.

She still had to fill the core. Generally, they were filled with little or no emotion, given the difficulty of infusing one with it.
The air began to crackle audibly. A warm red glow emerged from both of her hands. She raised them, channeling the beam into the golem, and with every second the spell seemed to grow stronger.

Soon enough, the entire house began to rumble. Books fell off of their shelves. Earthenware fell and shattered distantly.

She pressed on.

It was almost done. Just had to hang on a few more seconds.

Had to focus. Focus on what mattered.

Her daughter.

I love you, my child.

There was a flash of light, and she dropped to the floor, limp.

And yet, the golem slowly began to crackle to life.

This was far more than an ordinary golem.




The last thing a dying mage felt went into it's core. Nothing else. Just one, pure, incorruptible thing.




Love. Undying, boundless love.
---
And so began the story.

Of a little girl and a golem, the only survivors of a city turned to a graveyard.

Of a strange traveller only seen in an odd mask like a skeletal beak, and her stranger yet companion, whose undying love for all life became a shield for all that she encountered.

Of the Doctor who found the Cure, and of the Golem whose love could stop Death itself.
---

Body

Celeste's body is made of clay, a very common material for golems due to it's abundance and the ease of molding it. Generally, however, the clay is hardened through magic to be stronger than stone, but Celeste was left with unhardened, natural clay. Her Core keeps the clay where it is, and, as such, none of it drips anywhere, and physical violence cannot damage her easily. However, physical violence can take a severe toll on her core.

Additionally, being a golem, she has no real gender, but is feminine in both appearance and voice, and does not particularly care what she is referred to as.

Head

Her head has no hair like a human's, but on three sides of it, a rune is carved. The rune on the forehead, despite it's small size, is the most powerful of all of them, a Rune of Protection, which gives her a strange but powerful aura of protection which grows with time. On the right side of the head is a Rune of Compassion, which gives her an intense care for all living beings. On the right side of her head, there is a Rune of Mercy, which, for better or for worst, allows her to see the best in people, and causes her to almost always assume no ill intent and help, even when the possibility for the reverse exists. On her left arm is a Rune of Empathy, which helps her understand the feelings of living beings, to an impressive degree.

Core

The core of the golem is akin to the brain of a human. It makes up their being, and without it, their body is little more than an empty shell, though, perhaps with a few runes. Celeste's core is filled with love and nothing more. She is barely capable of feeling anger, fear, or other such emotions, making her a rather uplifting companion. Her core is located in the middle of her chest, and glows a soft red.

As she experiences more and more of the world, her core grows stronger and stronger, amplifying the abilities of her runes and her core significantly.

Outfit  

She wears a hooded robe left behind by her creator. It was formed of Runic Linen, a rare material only obtainable through complex forms of conjuring. It is light and posesses no defensive capabilities, but adapts to different temperatures to keep the wearer comfortable. This has no effect on her, being a golem, of course.

Strapped around her is a satchel. It is not filled with any sort of supplies, but rather, letters. From a mother to her daughter. Each has a date at which it is to be opened. There is one single letter left behind in case of an absolute emergency, of which death is almost certain.

She wears a bracelet on her right arm given to her by a victim of the plague. It has sentimental value to her, but nothing more. Probably.