The Sotem, aka the “Stopper,” is a chief unit in the Bavel Macrostructure’s secret police force. Linguistically, they represent the consonantal stop.
As a golem, the Sotem’s body is like the Bavel Guf soldier’s — Bavel recovers and mutilates a soulless body before equipping it with construct technology. For unknown reasons, while Guf soldiers have cork-shaped heads, Sotem have tampon-shaped ones. Sotem appear interchangeable, except for the “anonymous” disguises they wear.
Sotem are mentally neutral and think no independent thoughts; they’re solely driven by id and the regime’s orders. They cover up the truth and shut up even the vaguest citizen conversations. They also hunt down creators of sacred writings. Their headquarters, the Storehouse, is a vault of banned documents.
The Sotem have the power to stop enemies in their tracks, then shoot, mute or obliterate them with their caulking guns. And they can shut and seal any portal, lock or door.
The Sotem’s power comes from the סתם shoresh family, which governs stopping, valves, tampons, caulking, neutrality, closing, storehouses, muting, anonymity, concealing, the id, and more.