The force animating golems is magical in nature. The exact process that creates these hulking constructs is not fully understood, but according to multiple first-hand account witnesses, a cloud of purple-colored miasma coalesces around or into large piles of abandoned material being left in one place, which then animates and reshapes this material into the form of a golem, then continues animating it until it is destroyed. Goleme are hostile and seek to attack any living creatures they see, and there is absolutely no reasoning, taming, pacifying or capturing them - they will not stop attacking, ever, until destroyed. Upon destruction, what remains of the golem briefly shimmers purple as the miasma dissipates, suggesting that the miasma can no longer control something that has been sufficiently destroyed.
Iron golems are, as the name suggests, constructs formed out of iron. They typically have a greyish, shiny appearance, but older individuals that have survived for a longer period of time may be less shiny, darker in color, and show traces of surface rust. They typically form in refuse piles containing mostly metallic objects, particularly if the iron or steel content of these piles is high. The same refuse piles may be are also the point of origin of [[steel golem|steel golems]] as well, though they seem to be rarer then iron golems in general.
Iron golems possess one unique trait differentiating them from most other golem: one of their 'hands' is a long spike instead of a ball. This allows them to perform either the typical ''golem punch'', or use that spike to perform the simply named ''golem spike'' attack, which they use to stab and impale opponents. This makes iron golems significantly more of a threat than their [[wood golem|wooden]] or [[gold golem|golden]] cousins. As iron is harder than gold, they can also take more damage before they are destroyed.