Scroll Gholem

History:

Master Gatriuh. . .

Yes Steph? Have you finished your studies early again? I must try to give you work suited for your level apparently.

No Master, er yes master I am finished but I have strange news for you. I was returning some of my books to the lower library when I noticed a trail of torn paper coming from one of the alchemy rooms. When I entered I noticed a scorch mark in the wall where all the scrolls were kept, and the scrolls were gone.

What!?! Are you sure Steph? No one has been down there since that rock headed Bromhern who claimed he was a master transmografier or whatever he called himself, went missing. Fool.

Yes Master I am sure. I also heard rustling of parchment down the tunnels but I could not find it.

Then let us go look and hope all is well.

-Master Gatriuh, of the 5th Archive, Teacher and Scholar.

The Library City of Tasgall has always been a place of higher learning and study for everything magical. Conocha from all walks filtered to the city more than once in their lifetimes, studying what others had worked so hard for or researching their own methods and new items of power.

One such man by the name of Bromhern who titled himself a master of transformations, had been in the city for a few weeks and had alienated many of the current masters residing in the city for his arrogant attitude and seemingly limited knowledge when dealing with the mystic arts.

One such experiment that Bromhern had been working on, which concluded to be his last, was transferring a spell from a scroll onto a small item. His multiple attempts failed, along with expending a number of scrolls uselessly. His temper flared and in the process knocked a few items to the floor. It is not know if the process is deliberate or by shear accident, but in his ranting and careless spell throwing he bound an essence into a group of scrolls. This essence, gaining intelligence on its creation, realized its vulnerability quickly and did the only thing it could physically do. It began drawing every magical scroll, parchment, and tome within its reach into its forming body.

When Bromhern realized what was happening it was too late as the body now loomed a few feet over his head. At first it was a misshapen thing. More like a clutter of crumpled papers and parchments than an actual form. Then it began to take shape looking more humanoid like with every scroll is drew into its body. Bromhern was happy, ecstatic in fact at his new creation. No one he knew or read about had ever created such a creature, even as odd as it was. He finally had some backing to his boasts. It, however, didn’t feel the same about him. When he approached it, it lashed out with burst of crackling energy that hit Bromhern like a hammer. He was thrown into the far wall with a bone cracking hit. A puff of smoke and burned parchment lifted from the creatures shoulder and it winced in pain.

Bromhern, as incompetent as he was, was still a learned magician and launched an attack of his own. A ball of flame shot from his palm and careened toward the creature. A puff of ash and smoke was his only knowledge that something the creature did stopped the ball of flame from hitting it. But when the flame neared the creature it hit a shimmering wall of blue and the flame dissipated into nothing. The creature thrust its forming arm at the prone magician and portal of multi-colored hue opened at the magician’s feet and he fell into the open doorway. A bright flame erupted from the creatures shoulder and a large amount of ash and smoke puffed into the air. It roared in pain and sought out more of what it only thought of as continued life. Magic scrolls. It left in a scraping shamble into the tunnels and was only seen fleetingly before the city was destroyed in the war of the gods. Whether it is still there to this day no one knows. But rumors of a few more of these to have popped up over the years have filtered to magicians everywhere and they are looked for and hunted down before they can do more damage.

Description
The creature will average to be around five feet tall. But stories of them being much larger, around sixteen feet, have been penned down in the history books. It looks nothing less than a humanoid creature covered in a mass of books and papers. Only closer inspection the scrolls and tomes are covered in runes and other mystic writings.

They have no culture, no desire to do anything but add to its existence by drawing in magical scrolls and tomes. Every time one is drawn in it gets a little stronger and bigger. It has a very defensive nature and will attack at the slightest form of aggression, or what it sees as aggression. It will also attack anything carrying a magical scroll or tome. The more powerful the item the more ferocious it will attack.

It has no real physical attacks, being made from paper and books it is rather frail and brittle. But what it does have is more powerful than any sword or axe it could wield. Every magical scroll and tome within its body is its weapons. It has the ability to draw on these whenever it chooses. It can cast the spells written within as easily as a fighter swings a mace. Doing so hurts it of its life and power, but if the risk is worth it, it will take it. Each spell it uses causes the scroll or page in the book it was penned on to burn and be lost forever. This causes pain to the creature on a scale of how powerful the spell was. The more it casts the more it hurts itself and depletes its energy.

Properties
After research and study has gone into these scroll gholems, it is thought they are created by a series of spells being combined with a wish scroll. The wish scroll acts like the heart for the creature and it will continue to function if the wish scroll is intact. If it were to be damaged or destroyed the creature would crumble into a pile of scrolls and books and forever be gone. It will unleash every spell it has before that happens though if given a chance. These creatures should be studies at a great distance and left alone if possible. Especially if carrying a scroll or magic tome.

They seem to be able to sense these magic items from great distances and can pinpoint the exact type within two hundred feet. It only needs to be within ten feet to draw in an item. It I touches one such item however it instantly is drawn into its form, only able to be returned to its owner if it is vanquished.

This is a Hewdamia submission before magic was changed, but can be used in any magical setting.