Defenders of the Dawn

Founded in 124 AP by Varrick Rush, the **Defenders of the Dawn** is a group of champions selected to safeguard the Material Plane from harm. Only those who are considered selfless and pure of heart are considered for positions within the group. The Defenders of the Dawn are considered Xesteria's most elite fighting force.

The organization was limited to six members for many years, a change that Varrick Rush made in 157 AP after he found that having only four members was insufficient. During 274 AP, and even though the world is at relative peace, the current commander of the organization, **Silas Hearthfire**, was said to be considering expanding the group's size to seven members to allow a greater degree of global presence in preparation for any potential calamities that may ever occur.

During the season of Talos in 274 AP, the Defenders of the Dawn began the process to expand to eight members by screening desired individuals. Invitations to join were sent to **Delilah Vayne** and **Zargon Ragnaroth**. Both individuals agreed, and their inductions were announced to the kingdoms on Chemosh 1, 275 AP.

# Roster

## Founding Members

* **Mateas Duskweaver**: Lifelong friend of Varrick Rush who believed it to be Ehlonna's will that they form the Defenders of the Dawn to protect the world. Mateas finally stepped down from his position in the Defenders of the Dawn in 275 AP.

* **Varrick Rush**: Human barbarian/fighter. Prince of Nordland who shunned the throne to pursue fighting for peace worldwide. Passed away in 183 AP from natural causes.

* **Teris Volash**: Human paladin, descendant of the great Nordish hero **Artan Volash**. Stepped down in 190 AP due to feeling too old to fight anymore, and to focus on her work with the Church of Talos. After receiving an invitation from Baranos to visit Hestavar in 191 AP, Teris accepted. She never returned from the city, leading many to speculate as to what her fate was.

* **Kasius Zavethril:** Drow Elf rogue who turned his back on his people after coming to resent their dark practices. He ventured to the Underdark in 230 AP to seek an audience with Tylandra Zaurahel, but he never returned. **Garam Giantsbane** was appointed to the Defenders of the Dawn as his replacement.

## Current Members

The following individuals are the current members of the Defenders of the Dawn.

* **Silas Hearthfire**: Commander of the Defenders of the Dawn. Human fighter.
* **Verise Alogreth**: Tiefling cleric/rogue.
* **Rasgan Kloldrekaar**: Dragonborn sorcerer.
* **Etain Kraigbreaker**: Dwarven fighter/paladin.
* **Cassandra Whitemane**: Human paladin.
* **Delilah Vayne**: Human sorcerer.
* **Zargon Ragnaroth**: Dragonborn cleric.

## Former Members

The following are notable members who served with the Defenders of the Dawn in the past.

* **Atticus Daranouve**: Human paladin. Died of old age. Cassandra Whitemane and **Jupiter Rush** were each named as his possible successor until Cassandra was ultimately chosen.

* **Garam Giantsbane**: Human barbarian. Died of old age. **Imperius Decima**, Etain Kraigbreaker, **Vanessa Penstone**, and **Zargon Ragnaroth** were all in the running to replace him until Silas Hearthfire called upon Etain to take on the position.

* **Sarendil Autumnwind**: High Elven druid who served as the group's leader for seventy six years after original founder Varrick Rush passed away. Killed in a freak accident involving a roc. Verise Alogreth, **Saradin Archedes**, **Astrid Sommerfal**, and **Delilah Vayne** were all considered to replace her. Saradin Archedes was selected, but the Defenders of the Dawn fell upon their second choice, Verise, when Saradin refused the position.

* **Kaimi Ramzi**: Human fighter/rogue. Went missing in the Southern Seas, presumed to have been eaten by Kraken. Verise Alogreth, Rasgan Kloldrekaar, and **Aelandra Nightshine** were considered as possible replacements. Eventually, three years after Kaimi's disappearance, Rasgan Kloldrekaar was chosen to replace her.

## Membership by Year

The following table shows the membership of the Defenders of the Dawn throughout the years. Members are shown in bold italics in the the individual years that they joined.

Names with an asterisk (\*) indicates that the individual was the leader of the Defenders of the Dawn at the time.

## Leadership Terms

**Varrick Rush:** 124 AP to 183 AP

**Teris Volash:** 183 AP to 190 AP

**Sarendil Autumnwind:** 190 AP to 264 AP

**Atticus Daranouve:** 264 AP to 270 AP

**Silas Hearthfire:** 270 AP to *Ongoing*

# Future Considerations

The Defenders of the Dawn have a backlog of candidates that they have ready to consider for any future openings within their group, or in the event that the group is expanded to include a seventh member which has been rumoured for several years now with the most talked about candidates being Cathryn Allerian, Kara Hisdani, Jupiter Rush. The following individuals top the current list of the Defenders' candidates:

Cathryn AllerianImperius DecimaRayburn EvendaneLiantor FirewindKara HisdaniAstrid LebelAelandra NightshineDaria MontclaireCoralyn PembletonVanessa PenstoneJupiter RushBenedict RyderBalgrim ShatterlightDevonna ValkorianOrland Horvat
# Rejected Individuals

The following individuals are not under any consideration to be invited to join the Defenders of the Dawn for specific reasons.

* **Saradin Archedes**: Once asked to join, Saradin has said that he will never leave the Arcanists Guild, or even Baranos, for any reason. The Defenders of the Dawn no longer consider him a potential candidate.

* **Serogos Athonos**: As a champion of the Church of Paladine, Serogos has refused to even be taken under consideration by the Defenders of the Dawn due his belief that they interfere with his god's decree that balance must be maintained.

* **Idunn de Vries**: The nomadic follower of Talos has proven to be powerful, but her extreme levels of overzealous faith border on fanaticism and has caused the Defenders to disregard her as a potential recruit entirely.

* **Torsten Dhumed**: While being a highly skilled fighter, the fact that he is an Albonian soldier who openly supported the Albion slave trade has blacklisted him from consideration.

* **Estevan Morres**: The Defenders of the Dawn acknowledge his might, but his cold and unfriendly attitude clash with the public image of the Defenders.

* **Balder Pridewind**: Before he became King of Artalia, Balder Pridewind was viewed as a potential candidate a few times. However, when the Defenders realized that Balder possessed insecurity and trust issues, they decided that he would not be a good fit.

* **Eshka Revanoire**: Despite being a highly skilled magician, Eshka has refused any notion that she ever join the Defenders of the Dawn, as she only cares about her home kingdom of Artalia.

 Associates