Prologue
The power of the Runic Empire had come from its unparalleled rune scholarship and golem technology. Their golems came in three types, the basic worker was just a carving with some basic runes and some magic infused water thrown on, they were good for some basic laborious tasks.
The second type of golem could have basic thoughts and could accomplish more complex tasks, a variety of meaning runes would be carved into its surface. Once "awakened" these runes would expand their influence across the surface of the golem, form a network of meaning or what the scholars called a "runic mind". Assembling a runic mind was a fine art, the runes often had complex meanings that were difficult to translate into the common tongue making designing a mind more like writing a poem. The first rule every novice knew was to avoid contradiction, a simple runic mind with an overt contradiction would kill itself shortly after awakening. As more complex minds were made it was harder to avoid minor contradictions but the wiser golems could often find a compromise to continue to function, although these were often unpredictable.
The third type of golem were regarded as wonders of the world, they could only be awakened with highly refined magic infused water, they would have both ability and meaning runes granting them both mind and magic and would gain the appearance of human skin. The common man would be unable to tell them from a human but scholars would probably notice their hyper-literal behaviour or crude movements. But in this age making one would be a pipe dream, there was simply no way to refined that much magic any more. The few that were made had long since shutdown from magic exhaustion. Still runic scholarship had continued regardless and the imperial library was full of runes supposed to put the old ones to shame. Theoretically these runes could make golems power weapons of destruction, but without the refined magic they were just mark in old dusty academic parchment.
Chapter 1
The young Emperor Psi the third franticly roamed the halls of the imperial palace searching for his older sister. He kept tripping over his long Emperor's robes designed to resemble runic scholars yet far grander. Like everything in the empire now they were pointless trappings for the sake of tradition, after just turning 18 years last month his education has finished and he knew nothing about the real world. The constitution which hadn't been changed in a thousand years declared all members of the imperial family must be educated as master golem makers, yet with the almost complete absence of refined magic they spent their childhood learning a useless skill! While the council forced him through this educational program, they never mentioned anything about the current political situation, he could write five different essays on the meanings of a single rune but couldn't tell you the political situation in the occupied territories.
Well that wasn't true any more, he could tell you the political situation, it was organised rebellion. Armies were marching to the imperial city to demand independence, or worse, kill him. They were but days away. His court, who had been keeping all this from him while he slept with his concubines and worked on his final thesis, a master golem. What a complete waste of time, since he had "known" he would never be able to animate it he just carved a fantasy concubine, tits the size of water melons with every single pleasure rune and feminine submissiveness rune carved into it with unparalleled skill, a masterpiece. The look on his tutor's face would have been worth all the times he had called him a smug brat. But all completely useless, not only because he was going to get killed but his examiner had fled the city with the rest of "his" court. He realised now the council had been content to let him fuck his life away while they ran the show. All the rituals and constitutional education was just to keep the trappings of legitimacy. After all, the emperor's position was all formally declared and the basis of their power.
"Tau!" Psi shouted as he approached the gardens. His sister was often here flirting with the sons of the courtiers.
He found his sister alone on a bench. "Where is everyone?" Tau asked.
"They've fled with their parents"
"Fled what?"
"There's an insurrection a few days away. Look, did you finish your thesis yet?"
"No, why? And more to the point why are you asking, we should be getting out of here! How dare they leave us like this!"
"Good, maybe we can salvage the work. Bring your golem to my lab"
"Shut up about the damn golem, we have to get the servants and flee to Dyadia"
"No, the insurrection is coming from Dyadia. Get your golem now! I have something that will change everything."
***
"What the hell is THAT thing? Oh of course, can't say I'm surprised" said Tau as she spotted Psi's thesis as she wheeled in her sculpture into the emperor's private study. "Still... very good work on the arse". "Now, why do you need my thesis when you clearly have one already".
"I'm going to make a General to lead my armies and... holy shit", Psi had only just noticed the size of Tau's thesis. It must have been seven feet tall, it was male... thank goodness, had huge muscles that made it look like it had plate armour under its skin. "This is perfect" he said as he started to examine it more closely. "hmm many runes have been carved in yet".
"I'm getting around to it goddammit" snapped Tau,
"No that's good, I need a fresh one, I already carved the runes on mine and I don't have time to start a new form from scratch. Besides, you can't have a General with tits that big, it will distract the troops". The runes on Tau's sculpture seemed to located around hefty mass at his crotch, as he read them aloud it became clear the intended purpose of this golem pleasure enhancer, pleasure enhancer, masculine arrogance/confidence. He glanced at his blushing sister.
