User blog:ImpSyndrome/Feet of Clay in a Sea of Sand

This is a response to a WWYD (What Would You Do?) scenario created for the Golem (click here for the original comment) by fellow user and bad-ass Carthois. It was too long of a response to leave it as another comment, and I wanted to make it easy to revise in case I decide to build upon the response at a later time. Hope you folks enjoy it!

"You are an architect, working under the gaze of your Pharaoh and her husband, exploring the large caverns below the ruined kingdom. Upon passing through the mazy hallways and corridors, you arrive into a large amphitheater with a expansive dome ceiling and white column pillars.

Walking to the center, you see many white, clay statues, many broken or chipped away, but only one remains untouched in the center to the theater. Upon closer inspection, you find the statue to not only be that of a Golem, but one of quite exquisite beauty.

Seeing the runes missing from her arms, you are struck with the reason for why she hasn't moved. Not only do you have a book to transcribe the runes of your choosing, but as you stare into her face, you see that despite her stiff and statuesque appearence, small streams of tears seem to be slowly running down the cheeks of her pearl-white face.

What would you choose to do?"

My first instinct is to rearrange the runes on her arm...but as I translate them, I can clearly read the name of my Pharaoh mistress emblazoned on one arm. I'm no thief, and I'm certainly not stupid enough to steal such a well-crafted Golem from my mistress' ownership...but my heart breaks for the tears dripping from her lifeless eyes...I carry her motionless body to my mistress and implore her to revive the Golem. My lady, however, is disinterested in the "soulless puppet", seeing that she is mostly incapable of aiding the recreation of her former domain, and intends to cast her out. Though it pains me to do so, I take the Golem's body out into the wilderness and leave her in a place where a kinder soul might easily find her...

...But just as I'm about to return to my mistress and receive my next orders, a faint, trembling voice calls to me. Startled, I look back to see the Golem struggling to raise her head and calling weakly for help, drawing on some hidden reserve of vitality. She must have saved a small amount of spiritual energy for the sake of making this desperate plea when she was finally found again. The girl begs me to take her in, to help her feel alive again after going so long without purpose...and despite my devotion to my Pharaoh, my fealty is overwhelmed by sympathy for the Golem's plight. Though I hesitate to act at first, I carefully wipe away my mistress' name on her arm and crudely inscribe my own name...