Since elves are reluctant to fight at the frontlines they have created something that does. The elvish "creation magic" is well-known, it turns a previously lifeless body into a fierce animated guardian. The ritual usually requires a living soul as a catalyst and a target to whom this creature is bound like an obedient automaton. Onqára or the "stone monks" of Yllendthyr are a bit different. It all begins with person enrolling in the Onaira system which is a mix between a religious cult, propaganda and military academy. These people undergo intense training in both spirit and body with the end result being to groom a fanatic ascetic warrior ready to serve the Empire. The novices are often also sent to guard duties to preserve public order and spread the fame of Yllendthyr. Upon the completition of their 10 years of training they are ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. Forsaking their bodies, sensations and the ability to speak they transfer to a construct body made of stone, carved by themselves. As the Ongára they sever their worldy desires and become something greater, all for their desire to maintain order. The Ongára and the Onaira organization in general has a highly esteemed reputation with most people being in awe of the monks' devotion.
Of course the reality is a bit more sinister. The soul used to animate the construct is only the catalyst, they explicitly have no free will. Stone monks upon conversion lose all their individuality and become mindless servants to the Empire. As their contract is linked to the state instead of a particular person this also manages to avoid the common issue with elvish constructs. Namely if the creator dies, all constructs lose their bindings and turn to dangerous frenzy. This is also the reason why in spite of the convoluted methods to acquire sufficient number of souls, Yllendthyr has a much larger ratio of construct soldiers than any other empire. With the illusion of this process being voluntary they also manage to avoid the public outrage. In general this is a win-win situation to them.
Onqára are stone warriors, usually made of some kind of marble or limestone equivalent. As animated stone creatures they have superior strength and are durable enough to ignore both arrows and swords. In addition they lack vitals and thus can take surprising amount of punishment. Their only weakness is the destruction of the specific part which contains the soul. Anything else destroyed means the soul is still salvageable and can be put into another body. Stone monks are a powerful asset and unlike other elvish contructs they don't need direct order from their master to be effective. So long Yllumírë stands the Onqára will serve the empire.
Nice, these construct are something to be feared.
