Daern

Daern, the Lady of Fortresses

"A warrior stands, no matter what comes against them."

Daern is a **Hero-Deity of Defense, Fortifications, and Siegecraft**. Once a legendary general, she rose to near-divine status through sheer indomitable will, tactical brilliance, and unmatched mastery of defensive warfare. To this day, her name is invoked by soldiers reinforcing a wall, by masons constructing keeps, and by rulers who hope their strongholds will never fall.

Symbol

Daern’s symbol is a **stone tower with an unbroken shield before it**, representing her unyielding defense. Some variations depict crossed hammers beneath the tower, signifying her ties to fortress-building and engineering.

Domains

While not a full deity, Daern is revered by warriors, engineers, and rulers alike. Those who follow her example—whether soldiers holding the line or architects designing unbreakable citadels—often call upon her name for guidance and fortitude.

Daern is associated with the domains of:

• War
• Protection
• Forge
• Strategy

Legends and Feats

The House That Could Not Fall

"The first stone matters more than the last. Lay it right, and no force in the world will shake it."

One of Daern’s most famous feats was the creation of a **fortress so strong that no siege could breach its walls**. When a besieged queen begged her for aid, Daern arrived with only a hammer and a single stone. She set the stone down and declared, "Now watch."

Over the next three days, an impenetrable fortress **rose from the ground**, strong as the mountains, immune to fire, and unbreakable by any force. The invading army attacked again and again, but the walls did not crack, the gates did not yield, and the defenders inside stood tall. After three days, the enemy fled in despair.

Some say that fortress still stands, though few can find it. Those who claim to have seen it speak of its **seamless stone walls, unaged by time, and its towers standing unshaken against every storm.**

The Siege of Stonehold

"They thought they had us surrounded. I pitied them."

Daern was not only a master of defense—she knew that a good fortress was not just a wall but a weapon. When an enemy force trapped her inside **Stonehold Keep**, cutting off supplies and waiting for starvation to take its toll, Daern did the unthinkable:

Instead of waiting, she **turned the fortress into a weapon.** She **dug secret tunnels beneath the enemy’s camps**, allowing her soldiers to strike and vanish before the invaders knew what had happened. She **stockpiled alchemical weapons** and used the very walls of the keep as ammunition, launching stone from hidden catapults. The enemy thought they had cornered her—until they realized they were the ones being picked apart.

By the time the gates finally opened, there was no one left to oppose her. **The siege had ended before it even truly began.**

Legacy

Daern was last seen venturing into the western mountains, seeking the legendary **Adamant Vault**, a keep said to be impervious to time itself. She never returned, but **her name is still invoked whenever a fortress is built, whenever a warrior makes a last stand, and whenever the weak shelter behind strong walls.**

Many legendary citadels claim to have been built with her techniques, and in times of war, her name is still whispered by those who hope to hold the line.

"A great wall is not made of stone. It is made of those willing to stand atop it."