Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 466 Soul-Possessed Golem
There has never been a claim that any arcane mage could ascend to the pinnacle of arcane arts with the help of a deity. Regardless of whether such a mage would become a shadow mage or a legendary shadow priest, they would certainly not be a grand arcane mage, as the latter's characteristics would not allow such a thing to happen.

It is rumored that even divine blessings are difficult for a great archmage to apply to himself, let alone those who rely on the help of the gods.

Even though several of the ghost princes of the Tanshur family joined the Night Lady's ranks, the best they achieved was only legendary priests.

That being said, since they've all fallen to the Shadow Dimension, it's not shameful to fall at Shar's feet. There are connections involved. Those without a strong background or lacking talent wouldn't even be able to kneel down.

Having risen to the rank of a high-ranking arcane mage and touched the Nine Rings of the Magic Net, Drezan was certainly not without value. However, born into a family of spellcasters, and having listened to his parents recount their past glories since childhood, he, like many other first-generation Netherian spellcasters, still possessed his own kind of persistence and pride.

But the legendary level is really, really, really difficult!

If one doesn't become a legend, then one is ultimately just a mortal, and mortals are destined to die. No matter how powerful one is in life, after death one is nothing more than a handful of dust...

Oh wait, a human mage can also switch careers and become a lich.

However, not everyone can bring themselves to transform into an undead being. The very existence of a lich means embracing death completely, throwing oneself into darkness, and experiencing a twisted and altered soul after death.
This transformation of the soul is almost inevitable; the undead, trapped in a cage called immortality, will observe and experience the world in a completely new way.

All the beautiful things cherished in life will be like faded black and white silent films, leaving only traces on the silent memories of the deceased. The decaying body and soul can no longer feel any warmth or joy.

No matter what noble qualities one possesses in life, they will inevitably be stripped away in the long, cold silence of death, leaving only a lasting obsession and jealousy and hatred towards the living.

A white horse is not a horse, a salted fish is not a fish. If a living spellcaster could understand his inner state after becoming a lich, he might not necessarily think that this is a continuation of his life, and vice versa.

However, aside from the lich transformation approach, the other options are not ideal either.

Before reaching legendary status, the Iolum longevity technique is out of the question. Transforming into a shadow creature would allow it to live indefinitely, but what difference would that ghostly appearance make from a lich?
Drezan, who used several life-extending spells to postpone his own death for nearly a hundred years, finally gave up. Having lived two lifetimes as an ordinary person, he never managed to reach the coveted state of a Grand Archmage. As his life drew to a close, he became more accepting of his fate.

However, the old arcanist did not simply close his eyes and await death; he chose to conduct an experiment.

An experiment that uses oneself as raw material, a desperate gamble.

Drezan, who is skilled in the Transmutation school, is quite obsessed with expensive things like constructs and golems. His family background as a spellcaster has given him a great deal of knowledge in the field. However, even the most skilled cook cannot make a meal without ingredients.

Even during the height of the Nether Empire's power, or even in the waning years of a dynasty already showing signs of decline, he, as a member of an arcane family, would not have needed to worry about mere funding and raw materials.

Now relegated to the Shadow Plane, the arcanists of the Shadow City, having lost the support of their former vast kingdoms, have discovered that even the most expansive sky needs the earth to support it. The well-established city lords and Shadow Princes are relatively well-off, but mid-level families like the Ananok simply don't have the resources to support Drezan's collection of such large figurines. It's not a matter of money; without the replenishment of their territories, the floating city is so resource-scarce that it has to implement rationing. Even the wealthiest families are running out of resources.

The situation only improved after the City of Shadows began to explore colonies in the Shadow Realm and made some gains from its local resources.

At that time, Drezan, who had just advanced to the rank of High-Rank Arcane Mage, also threw himself into this vigorous pioneering movement, and the place where his group was now was obviously one of the results of the other party's efforts.

Towards the end of his life, Drezan set aside his reservations and began working on his final experimental project, one that was neither particularly insane nor taboo, its only minor flaw being that it required the caster to sacrifice their own life.

Soul Golems are extremely special constructs that do not belong to the regular construct sequence. Instead, they are the last choice for certain spellcasters and are regarded as, no, simply the continuation of their lives.

Rather than confining their existence to a soul box and walking the world as undead creatures, some spellcasters would rather go to extremes, not caring about fresh flesh, let alone a body of rotting flesh and withered bones.
The flesh and blood are weak and the machine soars!

The spellcasters of Faerûn may not have heard of this saying, but the clockwork cogs of the Machine Realm will certainly take it as a maxim. In any case, the method of using golems as soul carriers does exist, and it has developed its own path.

Generally speaking, the intelligence of a golem originates from the soul bound within it or an elemental core, and it is manipulated by its creator through a magical contract. But what would happen if the soul attached to the golem were not bound?
The answer is madness, the self-destruction of the soul.

While the existence of a soul-binding contract certainly imprisons the soul, it can also be seen as a form of protection from another perspective.

The soul trapped within the steel body loses all the senses of the physical body, yet still possesses the freedom of thought. However, this final freedom is perhaps more of an eternal torture and cruel torment.

Visible to the eye but imperceptible to the touch, even the most beautiful world can only be touched through its steel shell.

The Soul-Binding Spell suppresses the self-awareness of the target soul while also putting the soul into a semi-dormant state. After losing complex thinking abilities, it is naturally no longer troubled by time and perception.

However, the Soul Golem, also known as the Spirit Pivot Construct or Soul Box Golem, as the host body of the spellcaster, cannot suppress its own soul like an ordinary construct and enter into so-called immortality in a daze. Since the program software cannot be reduced, the only option is to upgrade the hardware to ensure compatibility.

Activated metal is an essential material. Although it cannot match the real touch of flesh and blood, the magical metal activated by magic can simulate some of the biological senses and feedback to the residing soul core.

Moreover, the self-repairing ability and inherent defensive power of activated magical metals far surpass those of the caster's own flesh and blood.

Ideally, one would create a golem made of mithril or star gold, which would not only be incredibly sturdy and highly active, but also possess excellent magical abilities that would allow the caster's spirit to unleash its own magical powers, making it a truly perfect creation.

The issue is.
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(End of this chapter)