Golems

Golems are animated wooden constructs made by Duncan, whose ability to enlarge his carvings gives him a potent role in the battle against Venus’s forces. Their appearance reveals the scale of his power—and why Venus might regard him as a threat—even though Duncan had stepped down rather than sought to defeat her for control of the Coterie.

Nature and Creation

Duncan makes Golems from his wooden carvings. He can fling the small carvings into the air, where they expand and unfold before reaching the ground as life-size beings. Ava had previously seen him bring carvings to life, but had not known he could enlarge them; the new scale of the ability makes its possibilities suddenly more formidable.

The battle displays more than one form. A wooden bear knocks down a man attacking Ava and roars into his face; close up, Ava recognizes the swirl and grain of wood in its body. Elsewhere, a wooden lumberjack strides through the fighting, cleaving chunks out of people with its axe. The change from small carving to life-size combatant makes Duncan’s craft a direct physical force on the battlefield.

Use in Battle

Duncan deploys the Golems amid the fight against Venus’s lackeys. The bear intervenes against an attacker approaching Ava, while the lumberjack brings an axe into the melee. Their actions show how the creations can engage opponents directly, rather than serving merely as decorative or symbolic figures.

The scale of the constructs also suggests further possibilities. Ava considers that Duncan might create something capable of firing large wooden stakes, against which the available wards would offer no protection. That is a potential application, not one shown in the battle, but it makes clear why the demonstrated ability changes her understanding of his power.

Strategic Significance

Ava interprets the Golems as part of the reason Venus was drawn to Firebugs: their abilities could help protect Venus from an opponent like Duncan. The danger is sharpened by the absence of a ward suited to stopping a wooden projectile such as a stake. Duncan’s creations therefore expose a vulnerability in the protections and assumptions surrounding Venus’s rule.

Their appearance also reframes Duncan’s place in the Coterie’s struggle. Venus had taken over in his stead, and Ava suspects she had dreaded facing him without recognizing that he had chosen to step down, rather than being overcome. The Golems make that distinction visible: relinquishing leadership did not mean Duncan lacked the power to challenge her.