The Five Guardians of Berin

Legend has it that the head god of the Berini pantheon and the god of the rivers Potamorex heard the prayers of the people of Berin when they were besieged and summoned 3 protectors to protect Berin in it's time of need: The first king Tullus I, the god of war, rage and fertility Tullus the White and the great king Cornelius I who defeated many kings and chieftains and strengthened the kingdom. These guardians then led a coalition of the kings of the East Berino kingdoms (the Kingdom of Berin was the western one at the time), the Marhi kingdom and a Salerni kingdom against the besieging force of Ravnari, Catani and rebel West Berinos. The three guardians attacked the besiegers in the dead of night and littered the fields with myriads of dead soldiers who were then pursued by the coalition who finished them off. From that point on everybody knew that Berin was a city guarded by the gods and that if you dared to try to destroy it you will suffer the wrath of the guardians. The reason why Mario I Berinus didn't suffer their wrath was because the kings lost the divine favor and the guardians handed him the city.

During a time in the 2nd century B.B when a weak king sat on the throne, the neigboring Ravnari and Catani tribes pushed through a major revolt in the powerful kingdom and raised an army that was 102,450 strong and they marched half of their massive allied army to the capital to crown a king of their choice. 3 months into the siege and the kingdom's allies; the East Berino, Salerni and Marhi kingdoms sent a massive army that numbered over 120,000 soldiers came to relieve the city to keep the power monopoly of the Alliance in the region. The vanguard of chariots and light hinny cavalry attacked the besiegers during the night and drove them away. The next morning the fleeing disorganized and exhausted besieging army was crushed by the relief force's main army. More than 30,000 Ravnari allies perished in the battle while the rest either fled west or were captured by the Triple Alliance and either sold into slavery or exiled downriver where they were cut down by the lower kingdoms like the Umbrini and Oscili who thought that they were being invaded.

the legend was spread as propaganda by the Berinus dynasty and became well known throughout the empire. Regions that broke free from imperial control wound up having similar legends and myths.

The legend originated in the 2nd century B.B and originally had 3 guardians in it: Tullus I, Tullus the White and Cornelius I. When Mario I Berinus ascended to the throne as emperor, he served as a protector of the people (or so he convincingly portrayed himself) and was inserted into the legend by the high priesthood of the god of the river, the golden crocodile Potamorex who was the main god of their pantheon. When Luwi I died after reigning for just a year and a half, it was believed that he was taken by Tullus the White who chose him to be the fifth guardian as he was one of the finest military figures of his time who was greatly loved by his people. Another variation is that Cornelius i is often switched out for other kings, depending on the region to which the legend spread. In the late 1st century A.B the legend developed a version where it wasn't just Berin, but the whole empire when it was under a serious threat.