The beings known as Guardians are not beasts, not spirits, not relics, and not myths.
They are tides shaped into intent. Memory condensed into form. Echoes of ancient covenants struck long before the oldest pier was hammered into salt-soaked mud.
Few call upon them. Fewer still survive the answer.
Domain: Deep Veil & Crownfall
Embodiment: Vigilance, memory, ebb-bound justice
Manifestation: Lantern-like crest, serpentine limbs, silent motion
Serithis is the most oft-whispered of the guardians: a towering silhouette of bone, rope-sinew, and shifting phosphor. Its lantern crest flickers in a rhythm that matches the forgotten tidal calendars of a drowned civilization.
Ritual requires relic-weight, personal resolve, and a purpose aligned with the Vein’s will.
“If Serithis tilts its lantern toward you— remain still. It is listening for truth.” — Keeper Isolde
Domain: Driftwater Expanse
Embodiment: Guidance, stubborn will, protection of the lost
Manifestation: Rusted helm, glowing eye-slit, heavy gait
A guardian bound to the fate-thread of the dredger Rurik, though its shadow has been glimpsed protecting others in drifting fogbanks.
Its form resembles a brute silhouette of welded plates and salvaged armor, each etched with tide-lines like growth rings. Inside the helm glows a low, furnace-red light.
“Some guardians protect a place. This one protects a promise.” — Keeper Arvann
Domain: Fenline Channels
Embodiment: Binding, foresight, communal memory
Manifestation: Cloaked in drifting weave, many-armed silhouette
Said to appear in the presence of the Order of Od, the widowed net-weavers whose craft can ensnare even intangible currents.
The Matron’s limbs unravel and rebraid endlessly, forming sigils that shimmer briefly before dissolving into brine and wind.
“If a woven pattern appears on your deck overnight, do not sweep it away. It is a map.” — Keeper Marrett
Domain: Silent Crown & Driftwater Faults
Embodiment: Observation, stillness, consequence
Manifestation: Tall figure of mirrored segments, blank reflection
A humanoid construct of mirrored plates, each reflecting not the viewer—but the water behind them. Its presence induces unnatural quiet, even in storm.
“Do not look into its panels. They do not show you.” — Keeper’s scratched margin
Domain: Crownfall Abyss
Embodiment: Rupture, warning, the brink of collapse
Manifestation: Multi-winged, bone-feathered, void-eyed
A colossal winged guardian whose feathers resemble pale bone-shards. It moves silently despite its size. Its appearance is always followed by seismic shifts in the Crownfall strata.
“It showed me a ruin I have never walked. Yet I knew the path.” — Keeper Halwen