Constructs
The earliest forms of Constructs went by the name "Golem". A golem is a humanoid being created to act as a slave, guardian or messenger. Examples of these are Homunculi, Shield Guardians, Helmed Horrors and, of course, the various golems (flesh, wood, clay, iron, etc.).
These golems were, generally speaking, without intellect. Initially, they could only be programmed to performed a small number of fairly. However, a drow mage was experimenting with enhancing homunculi by instilling them with a small portion of his life-force, when it was discovered that doing so enabled the creature to develop a independant intellect. Later experiments by the notorious archmage, Savinfrow, and later by the Shadow Lord, Landryn, showed how the spirits of the recently deceased could be used to animate large numbers of these constructs and to provide them with the ability to learn far more than a few basic tasks.
In 1179 IC, the Merebian Empire started to lose the war with the forces of the General. Combined with the added threat of the Children of Orcus the Emperor Ephestus decided on a bold course of action. He was to rescind the law prohibiting the use of arcane magic and would employ the group known as the 'Cerulean Order' to mass produce an army of constructs. Using the souls of recently departed Imperial soldiers, the Order was able to create a small army of mechanical men. With the successes of the initial batch the Guild of Tinkers (a loose collection of Gnome artificers) was given the materials to create as many bodies as necessary.
Constructs were designed to be perfect soldiers, guards and labourers with few of the physical limitations of humans. As such, Constructs do not breathe or sleep. Although they have senses of touch, hearing and sight equivelent to that of a human their senses of smell and taste are very poor. A Construct can eat and drink (and apparently can derive some nourishment from these acts) but does not need to do so to survive. Constructs do not produce waste matter from material they ingest.
Just two years later the first full legion of over 5,000 "forged-men" (as they were colloquially termed) was instrumental in several key battles and the Emperor ordered this number to be increased with the intention that the Imperial Army would eventually consist entirely of artificial men,eliminating the need to risk any more Imperial citizens in war.
Shortly after, in 1182 IC, the General called a truce and a treaty was drawn up limiting the expansion of the Empire eastwards. This treaty (the "Treaty of the Eight Thrones") stands in place to this day. Soon after this though, the remaining active Constructs began to exhibit odd behaviour. Although none of them recalled their former lives in detail they slowly started to take on the names and personalities of the souls that inhabited them. Eventually, large numbers of Constructs demanded to be set free from military service and many took up the careers they had in their former lives.
In order to limit an adverse effect on the Empire by admitting that the souls of many Imperial soldiers would never reach any promised afterlife, the Constructs were given their own lands (now known as "The Forgelands"). The Guild of Tinkers were entrusted with maintaining these people and to discourage any "wandering" into human lands. Nonetheless, some Constructs have been able to leave the island and take up employment within the Empire.
