Guardian

Guardians are the unwavering protectors of the Order of Arelian, skilled warriors trained to stand as shields, weapons, and anchors for their Sahar partners. Selected for their exceptional combat ability, physical endurance, and mental fortitude, Guardians undergo rigorous training to master a wide array of weapons, tactics, and anti-magic techniques.
While their primary role is to defend their Sahar and ensure their safety in battle, Guardians are far more than simple bodyguards. Through their sacred bond, Guardians lend their strength and vitality to their Sahar, empowering them to wield magic beyond normal limits while remaining grounded and protected. This symbiotic relationship transforms the Guardian into a vital conduit of resilience and strategy, enabling the pair to function as an unstoppable force.
Guardians are defined not just by their combat prowess but by their loyalty, discipline, and adaptability. Whether shielding their Sahar from harm, leading others on the battlefield, or resisting magical threats, Guardians embody the ideals of the Order: unity, strength, and sacrifice. They are the foundation upon which the Sahar’s magic thrives, ensuring that the balance of power in Tanaria remains unbroken.

Career

Qualifications

To become a Guardian in the Order of Arelian, candidates must demonstrate exceptional physical, mental, and emotional fortitude, as well as an unwavering commitment to the ideals of the Order. Unlike Sahar, Guardians are not chosen for magical potential but for their ability to stand as protectors, pillars of strength, and steadfast partners.

• Martial Prowess: Guardians must possess innate combat ability or the potential to master advanced weaponry, strategy, and close-quarters combat. Many candidates are already skilled fighters, soldiers, or warriors before entering the trials.
• Physical Endurance: Guardians endure intense physical conditioning to prepare their bodies for battle and the strain of supporting their Sahar partners. Strength, speed, and resilience are essential traits.
• Mental Strength: A Guardian must have the discipline and willpower to resist fear, pain, and external magical influences. Their mental fortitude ensures they can stand firm even in the direst of situations.
• Willingness to Serve: Like the Sahar, Guardians must dedicate their lives to the Order’s mission, embracing the role of protector and partner without hesitation.
• Tactical Intelligence: Guardians are trained in strategy, battlefield tactics, and situational awareness, allowing them to make quick decisions that can turn the tide of combat and safeguard their Sahar.
• Passing the Trials: Candidates must prove themselves in the Order’s annual trials or be vouched for by an existing member. These trials test combat ability, physical endurance, and mental resilience.

Guardians are not simply warriors—they are the shield, the sword, and the anchor that allows the Sahar to wield their magic without fear. Their combination of physical might, tactical skill, and unyielding loyalty ensures they are as vital to the bond as their magical counterparts.

Career Progression

The path to becoming a Guardian in the Order of Arelian is one of rigorous training, discipline, and sacrifice. Candidates must master advanced combat techniques, develop tactical intelligence, and gain a basic understanding of magic to support their Sahar partners effectively. The progression is designed to forge Guardians into unshakable protectors who can stand against any threat.

Initiation and Basic Training

Once selected through the Annual Trials or by vouching from an existing member, Guardian candidates begin their journey with foundational training:

• Combat Fundamentals: Mastery of core weaponry—swords, shields, polearms, and bows—ensures that candidates become versatile fighters. Physical conditioning strengthens their endurance, speed, and precision.
• Unarmed Combat: Guardians are trained to fight with their bare hands, focusing on grappling, disarming, and hand-to-hand techniques for when weapons fail.
• Mental Conditioning: Meditation and discipline exercises build mental resilience, preparing Guardians to endure pain, resist magical influence, and maintain focus in the heat of battle.
• Magic Comprehension: While Guardians are not full magic users, they learn the basics of magic theory. This knowledge allows them to recognize spells, anticipate magical attacks, and better support their Sahar partners.

Advanced Combat and Weapon Mastery

Once candidates have proven themselves in the fundamentals, they begin specialized training:

• Weapon Proficiency: Guardians are trained to master multiple weapon styles, including dual-wielding, great weapons, archery, and thrown weapons. Each candidate identifies a favored weapon but must demonstrate competency across all disciplines.
• Shield and Defense Techniques: As protectors, Guardians become specialists in defensive combat, mastering the use of shields and positioning to intercept blows and protect their Sahar in battle.
• Situational Tactics: Guardians study battlefield strategy, learning how to adapt to different environments and threats. They train in leading small groups, flanking enemies, and countering ambushes.
• Anti-Magic Defense: Guardians are taught how to recognize and mitigate magical attacks. Training includes resisting spells, disrupting enemy spellcasting, and shielding themselves and their Sahar from magical harm.

Partner Trials and Thread Assessment

At this stage, Guardians undergo practical trials to prepare for their ultimate role as partners to a Sahar.

• Combat Simulations: Guardians are tested in high-stakes combat scenarios where they must protect an assigned Sahar trainee, showcasing their ability to adapt and defend under pressure.
• Thread Assessment: The priests of Velmorra evaluate the Guardian’s “threads of fate” to identify compatible Sahar partners. This phase can take weeks, months, or even years, as the Order will not force an artificial bond.

Unpaired Guardians continue honing their skills while awaiting their destined partner. Many take on support roles, serving as sparring partners, instructors, or field agents for the Order.

Pre-Bond Training

Once a Guardian is paired with a Sahar, they spend weeks training alongside their partner. During this period, Guardians learn to synchronize with their Sahar:

• Team Combat: Guardians practice shielding, positioning, and combat maneuvers that complement their Sahar’s spellcasting.
• Energy Support: Guardians learn how to lend their strength to the Sahar without overextending themselves, creating the foundation for their shared power under The Law of Consumption.
• Trust-Building Exercises: Guardians and Sahar train to read each other’s movements, anticipate needs, and build the trust required for an unbreakable bond.

The Bonding Ceremony and Final Training

The Bonding Ceremony marks the beginning of their sacred partnership, leaving permanent physical marks as a testament to their connection. Following the ritual, the pair undergoes their final training:

• Bond Manipulation: Guardians learn how to channel their energy into their Sahar efficiently, amplifying their partner’s power without compromising their own stamina.
• Live Missions: Pairs are sent on supervised field missions to test their ability to function as a seamless unit in real-world situations.
• Final Assessment: Before being formally recognized as a Guardian, candidates must prove their readiness to protect their Sahar and uphold the Order’s ideals in a final trial.

Payment & Reimbursement

While the Order of Arelian does not operate like a mercenary organization, its Sahar and Guardians are highly respected and appropriately rewarded for their service. As a world-renowned institution, the Order ensures that its members are well-supported, both materially and socially, while also maintaining their status as paragons of unity and strength.

• Honor and Prestige: Simply being a Sahar or Guardian of the Order is a mark of immense prestige. Those who wear the Order’s sigil are revered across Tanaria and treated with respect by rulers, nobles, and common folk alike.


• Material Rewards: When pairs are appointed to serve nations or resolve conflicts, compensation is negotiated directly with the requesting party. This can include gold, land, or valuable resources, with the Order managing and distributing the rewards. Sahar and Guardians themselves receive generous allowances, ensuring they never lack for equipment, provisions, or personal comfort.


• Housing and Equipment: Members of the Order are provided with accommodations within the Order's strongholds, outfitted with enchanted gear, armor, and weapons tailored to their roles. Pairs assigned to nations or warfronts are often given estates, secure residences, or lodgings appropriate to their status and needs.


• Lifetime Support: Upon retirement, Sahar and Guardians are honored with pensions, continued access to the Order’s resources, and sanctuary in its strongholds. Many retired pairs serve as advisors, teachers, or emissaries, ensuring their wisdom benefits future generations.


• Social Standing: The Order’s influence elevates its members to positions of authority. Nation leaders often treat bonded pairs as trusted advisors, granting them privileges and titles that reflect their importance. It is not uncommon for pairs to be gifted with ceremonial honors, estates, or seats at royal courts.

While Sahar and Guardians do not seek material rewards, their unparalleled skills and reputation ensure they are well-compensated and held in the highest regard throughout Tanaria. Their work, whether protecting leaders or resolving conflicts, cements their status as indispensable protectors of balance and peace.

Perception

Purpose

Guardians are the shields of civilization and champions of order, fulfilling a vital role in both peace and war. Their unmatched combat skill, discipline, and ability to shield their Sahar partners make them invaluable protectors, not just of individuals but of entire kingdoms. Guardians are often appointed to serve as the bodyguards of rulers, commanders in military campaigns, or peacekeepers during periods of unrest.
Where Sahar bring magic, wisdom, and balance, Guardians represent strength, stability, and unyielding resolve. To the societies they serve, Guardians embody the ideals of loyalty and sacrifice, earning respect as warriors willing to place themselves between their allies and any threat. For the common folk, Guardians are seen as paragons of bravery and honor, symbols of the physical strength that ensures peace and safety.

Demographics

Guardians are slightly more common but still represent an elite group, making up approximately 0.2% of the population. While Guardians do not require magical affinity, their path demands extraordinary physical skill, mental resilience, and unwavering dedication. Many come from backgrounds as soldiers, mercenaries, or warriors, but only a fraction prove capable of meeting the Order's exacting standards. This slightly higher percentage reflects the broader pool of candidates, though the role remains prestigious and rare.
Together, Sahar and Guardians represent less than 0.3% of the population, underscoring the exclusivity and reverence afforded to members of the Order of Arelian. Their scarcity ensures that they remain symbols of hope, balance, and power wherever they are seen.

History

The roles of Sahar and Guardian are as old as the Order of Arelian itself, founded by the godly brothers Aurelian and Leohara during an era of great turmoil. Initially established to combat the rise of dark forces threatening to plunge Tanaria into chaos, the Order became a beacon of hope and unity by combining magic and martial strength through the sacred bonds of fate.

• Early Years: Natural bonds formed instinctively, and Sahar and Guardians operated as legendary heroes guided by Aurelian and Leohara.
• Age of Rituals: The Ritual Bond was introduced, formalizing pairings and creating structured training through the Order’s trials and education system.
• War Years: Demand for bonded pairs soared as they became essential forces in major conflicts, leading to specialized training for large-scale battles.
• Modern Era: The Order maintains global influence and neutrality, adapting Sahar and Guardian roles for diplomacy, complex warfare, and magical threats while preserving the sanctity of the bond.

Operations

Provided Services

The Order of Arelian provides a wide range of services through its bonded Sahar and Guardians, whose unique abilities make them invaluable assets to kingdoms, leaders, and individuals seeking balance, protection, or resolution. These services are carefully managed to uphold the Order's principles of neutrality and unity.
1. Protection of Leaders and Nobles Bonded pairs are often appointed as personal protectors to monarchs, diplomats, and high-ranking nobles. Their combined magic and combat expertise make them unparalleled bodyguards.

• Sahar: Detect and counter magical threats, such as curses, enchantments, or assassins wielding magic.
• Guardians: Serve as physical shields, neutralizing immediate physical threats and fortifying defenses.

2. Conflict Resolution and Mediation In times of political tension or disputes between factions, the Order can assign bonded pairs to act as mediators or peacekeepers.

• Sahar use their wisdom, diplomacy, and arcane insight to de-escalate conflicts and uncover hidden truths.
• Guardians provide an authoritative presence, ensuring physical security during negotiations.

3. Battlefield Deployment In war, bonded pairs are unmatched forces capable of turning the tide of battle. Nations often petition the Order to deploy pairs for critical military operations.

• Sahar: Unleash devastating spells, provide magical support, and maintain morale on the battlefield.
• Guardians: Lead troops, engage in front-line combat, and protect the Sahar to ensure their spells can be cast safely.

4. Purging Dark Forces The Order's original purpose was to combat dark magic and corrupted forces, and this remains one of their most critical services. Bonded pairs are dispatched to confront threats such as:

• Necromancers and blood mages who violate the Law of Consumption.
• Cursed artifacts, locations, or beings that disrupt the balance of magic.
• Corrupted creatures or dark spirits preying on the innocent.

5. Magical Investigation and Consultation The Order lends its bonded pairs to assist in magical crises, arcane mysteries, or disturbances involving fate threads and magical imbalances.

• Sahar analyze magical anomalies, identify the source of disturbances, and resolve arcane corruption.
• Guardians protect the Sahar during investigations and provide critical tactical support.

6. Artifact Retrieval and Safeguarding Bonded pairs are often tasked with recovering ancient artifacts imbued with dangerous magic or sacred significance. Their ability to withstand curses and magical traps makes them ideal for these high-risk missions.

• Sahar neutralize enchantments, contain magic, or study the artifact's properties.
• Guardians secure the area, defend against hostile forces, and assist in artifact transport.

7. Training and Mentorship Experienced pairs serve as mentors to new generations of Sahar and Guardians, ensuring the Order’s legacy endures. They also offer guidance to rulers, nobles, and military leaders on balancing magic, strategy, and governance.

Dangers & Hazards

Guardians shoulder immense physical and emotional risks, placing themselves in harm’s way to protect their Sahar at all costs. Their role demands relentless combat, which exposes them to mortal wounds, magical attacks, and the harsh realities of constant battle. While Guardians are trained to resist magical influences, they are not immune to curses, mind-control, or corrupting forces that prey on their resilience. Furthermore, the bond with their Sahar ties their fates together—any significant harm to the Sahar inflicts a toll on the Guardian as well. If their Sahar falls, Guardians often suffer profound grief and a weakening of their own vitality, as the bond’s severing leaves an unhealable void; many guardian do not survive the loss of their partner.

Alternative Names

Threadforged

Type

Athlete

Demand

The role of Sahar and Guardian is in exceptionally high demand, as the Order of Arelian’s reputation makes their expertise invaluable for protecting leaders, resolving conflicts, and combating dark forces.

Famous in the Field

• Tenzin the Valiant

Related Locations

• Kha'Zadun

Ranks & Titles

• The First Blade