Golden Guardians

The Golden Guardians are a group of adventurers who traveled across Safalia from 130 to 132 AHD. During this period they had a major impact on the continent, leading up to them ultimately fighting and killing Ephesius. They managed to kill a god like Ephesius by using the golden Thunder Armor. The gold color of this armor is where the group gets its name. The five major members of the Golden Guardians are Captain Nines Maraudis, Osborne McEdithin, Flavin Heladrin, King Aramanara II and Adriel. Other members include Ren, Hepheastus, Boulder, and Fives.

## History

### Sessions 1-3

The group was first recruited by Hylia in early 130 AHD. At the time, Hylia claimed that the goal of their mission was to defeat and kill Ephesius. In reality, Hylia just wanted the group to retrieve the Thunder Armor so that she could kill any god that opposed her. The only guardians in the group at the time were Adriel, Aramanara, Osborne, and Flavin. The group started in the coastal fishing town of Laurelin, and headed north through Hylia's domain and into Presius's. After a brief skirmish with a gargoyle, the group asked Presius to help them. Little did Hylia or the guardians know, Presius was sick of Hylia's lies and ready for a change: he wanted to betray her. The guardians, surprisingly, were perfectly willing to do this. All the group had to do to show that they weren't loyal to Hylia was attack an outpost of Hylia on the outskirts of her territory. The guardians, still new to fighting and more than a bit unprepared to face professional soldiers, were easily defeated and captured by Hylia's forces.

Hylia's forces took the group south, to a prison in the city of Slagos. There both Hylia and Presius met to decide the group's fate, with Presius only pretending to still be loyal to Hylia. Unfortunately for the gods, three of the guardians managed to escape into the city, leaving only Aramanara to answer to them. Once Aramanara began speaking with the gods, he revealed that Presius had betrayed Hylia. Hylia knew Aramanara was telling the truth, and thus fighting broke out between the god's forces. During the chaos, Aramanara managed to escape the prison. After meeting up with each other, the group then had to decide where to go next. They heard there was some great treasure in a small temple to Hylia in Slagos and decided to investigate. When they entered the temple, they were ambushed by two hellhounds and a mimic. After almost dying, the group defeated the demons, only to hear Ephesius's voice. Why were Ephesius's demons protecting Hylia's temple? It wouldn't be long before the group found out. The guardians did manage to take the treasure from the temple: the thunder helm. This was a piece of the Thunder Armor, which made it an extremely powerful artifact.

After resting at an inn, the guardians had a discussion and realized that they still wanted to kill Ephesius, regardless of whether Hylia or Presius were on their side. Having allies would be extremely helpful though, so they decided to travel East and meet with the water goddess Kona. However, as the group passed through Laurelin, they heard a piece of bad news: Ephesius had declared war on Kona. Hordes of undead and demons would soon be entering Kona's realm, in far greater numbers than Kona herself could handle. Undeterred, the guardians continued East until they arrived at the mainland capital of Kona's realm: Sacia. There, the group saw large walls being constructed around the city, with tritons and drakes leading the construction. The four explored the city for a bit, eventually meeting a elven cleric named Ren. Ren yearned for adventure, and begged the group to take her with them, offering to get them an audience with Kona. The guardians reluctantly agreed, and Ren led them to the docks of Sacia. There, after drinking water breathing potions, the group swam until they reached the underwater capital of Sicilia. True to her word, Ren led the group to Kona. Kona was intrigued by the group, and especially Flavin, who she recognized as her son. After revealing that she was his mother, Kona asked the group for assistance against Ephesius. The group could do this by recruiting the snow elves, a race rebellious to Ephesius, to their side, but Adriel had other plans.