Guardians

Dotted across the fringes of Yrdde are garden islands, lush and beautiful spots that have been built into perfect self-sustaining ecosystems. While the occasional visitor to these islands is tolerated, any attempt to exploit these resources or damage the fragile balance of life is met with an overwhelming response from the strange gardeners who protect them.    

Appearance

Guardians stand imposingly, averaging eight feet in height. Their bodies are sculpted from an unknown metal, impervious to rust, wear, and even the most potent magitech weapons.   Runes and symbols, unrecognizable to modern scholars, are etched deeply into their metal plating. Some of these symbols have been spotted in old-world ruins, but none have been translated, and no clear link between those ruins and these beings has ever been found.   Their most striking feature is their eyes— luminescent orbs, resembling polished gemstones, that shift in hue based on their emotional state. A calm azure signifies contentment as they tend to their gardens; a flashing amber warns of their displeasure when their duties are interrupted; and a chilling, pulsating red emerges in moments of conflict.  

Behavior

Their existence seems dedicated to the meticulous care of their island environments. They plant gardens overflowing with exotic flora, cultivate groves of trees, guide streams into intricate irrigation systems, and protect the island’s unique fauna with unwavering vigilance, driving away predators or repairing damage caused by storms with an unending efficiency.   Visitors to their islands are viewed with suspicion. Short stays and respectful observation are usually tolerated, but those who display greed, attempt to exploit the island’s resources, or, most importantly, try to kill or capture the Guardians themselves will face a swift and terrifying response. Their bodies become instruments of devastating precision – metal fists shattering bones and armor with ease.    

(Entry Date: Undisclosed)   "My recent expedition to the island designated ███████=███████, home to the metallic entity referred to as a "Guardian", has ended in catastrophe – the loss of my escort team and a realization that the secrets of the Old-World may be far more complex and perilous than we've ever dared to imagine.   I'd received authorization by Imperial decree to study the Guardian, assess their potential as a source of raw materials, and, if possible, determine the source of their apparent invulnerability to our weaponry.   Our initial approach was met with silent observation. The strange being, a magnificent specimen towering eight feet tall, its body a polished silver-grey metal, watched as my team established a temporary encampment on the island's edge. It continued its work - tending to its gardens, guiding a stream of fresh water into intricate channels, collecting the fallen branches of a tree. More meticulous than any jeweler, and seemingly without any need to rest or recover energy.   Days turned into weeks, our studies hampered by the entity’s apparent aversion to any direct interaction or invasive attempts to obtain samples. Frustration grew within my ranks. Their methods, blunt and intrusive, only intensified the Guardian's hostility.   The turning point came when one man attempted to restrain the Guardian, using a combination of magitech shackles and thick ropes. Its metallic eyes flared with a horrible red light. Then, it moved – with a speed that defied the bulk of its form, its fists a blur of metal, its touch as deadly as it had been careful mere moments ago.   My escort, those arrogant men so confident in their magitech superiority, were decimated. Metal buckled, shields shattered, bones turned to dust by those impossible blows. I barely escaped, my attempts to reason with the entity met with a silence more chilling than any war cry.   I do not know the source of the Guardian's power, their origin, or their purpose. But of this, I am certain - they are not simple creations, waiting to be salvaged or controlled." - Private Journal of Engineer ████ ███████, Imperial Aetherium Research Division