Guardians of Sunfist

The Guardians of Sunfist was the newest society brought to Elanthia in response to the Grimswarm invaders. Their main headquarters was located in Zul Logoth where everyone joining was required to be inducted. However, one could also get invited to join by a recruiter or the Superintendent of any of the outposts. According to GS4-COASE, outposts were located at:

• Wehnimer's Landing - (Lower Dragonsclaw)
• Icemule Trace - (due south from outside the East Gate)
• Solhaven - (the Outlands)
• River's Rest - (Grassland Path)
• Ta'Illistim - (Sylvarraend, Foehn Var)
• Ta'Vaalor - (Fearling Pass)
• Teras Isle - (Basalt Flats)

The Landing's outpost can be found via the following directions: From outside the west gate: go north, west, southwest, southwest, south, west, west, up, southwest, northwest, go trail, up, search, go cleft, up, go bridge, west, go building, southwest.

Further information regarding the Guardians will be explored upon further player experience.

Joining the Guardians of Sunfist

After being invited to join the Guardians of Sunfist by an NPC recruiter, the player must travel to Zul Logoth and visit the Grandmaster. After a brief history, the player will be asked to recite an oath to "oppose the Grimswarm and their allies at every opportunity."

The headquarters can be found in Zul Logoth via the following directions: From outside the Bank of Zul Logoth: southeast, southeast, east, south, south, east, northeast, northeast, northeast, northwest, go arch, north, northwest, west, northeast, north, go portcullis. Once inside, to find the Grandmaster, take the western side of the loop to the third door.

Gaining Ranks and Obtaining Sigils

Advancement in ranks, when earned, may be obtained at any outpost. Once you have earned promotion, visit the local Superintendent.

Earning ranks is done by acquiring a sufficient number of recognition points. Your current number of recognition points, as well as the number required to gain the next rank, can be viewed using the SOCIETY command.

(Exception: No points are required for rank 1.)

The most common method for acquiring recognition points is by killing Grimswarm creatures. When each such creature is killed, you will be informed of any recognition points earned from it. Killing other hated enemies gains recognition points as well. Hated enemies outside the Grimswarm include all trolls, orcs, and giants, and some others listed at gsguide.net[1].

Recognition points (along with experience) are also awarded by the local outpost's Taskmaster upon completion of a task.

Once mastering the society, recognition points are still awarded for tasks and kills. GM Coase has said that this feature was supposed to be removed prior to release. Post-mastering recognition points do not serve a purpose besides bragging rights, but the names of the Masters with the top points will be listed in the local halls.

Guardians of Sunfist Benefits

Members of the Guardians of Sunfist have access to sigils, which are similar to spells, except that they cost a combination of mana and stamina.

The sigils are as follows. To view the mana and stamina costs associated with a sigil, or any other details about a sigil, check the particular sigils' page.

• Rank 01. Sigil of Recognition. Detects friends and foes of the Guardians of Sunfist, when in the same room.
• Rank 02. Sigil of Location. Detects foes of the Guardians of Sunfist, that are nearby.
• Rank 03. Sigil of Contact. Activates the ESP network.
• Rank 04. Sigil of Resolve. Increases Climbing, Swimming, and Survival skills.
• Rank 05. Sigil of Minor Bane. Grants weighting equal to that of heavy damage weighting.
• Rank 06. Sigil of Bandages. Allows an individual to attack without breaking any applied banadages.
• Rank 07. Sigil of Defense. Increases +1 DS per rank.
• Rank 08. Sigil of Offense. Increases +1 AS per rank.
• Rank 09. Sigil of Distraction. Decreases a foes ability to evade, parry, and block.
• Rank 10. Sigil of Minor Protection. Grants protection equal to that of heavily damage padded armor.
• Rank 11. Sigil of Focus. Increases +1 TD per rank.
• Rank 12. Sigil of Intimidation. Decrease the physical strength and defense of a foe.
• Rank 13. Sigil of Mending. Increases HP recovery.
• Rank 14. Sigil of Concentration. Increases mana regeneration.
• Rank 15. Sigil of Major Bane. Grants the strength of wielding a heavily weighted weapon.
• Rank 16. Sigil of Determination. Ignores penalties while performing tasks when a character has minor injuries.
• Rank 17. Sigil of Health. Instantly recover a minimum of 15 HP or half of your lost HP (whichever is greater.)
• Rank 18. Sigil of Power. Transfers physical energy into magical energy.
• Rank 19. Sigil of Major Protection. Grants protection equal to that of heavily padded armor against critical blows.
• Rank 20. Sigil of Escape. Teleports you to a safe location.

History

This is the history of the Guardians of Sunfist as told by the taskmasters.

Zarak says, "We have been fighting the trolls and orcs of the mountains for as long as our people can remember. The dwarven clans here are quite capable of defending their caverns against the scattered tribes of the Grimswarm that remain in the DragonSpine, as they have done since time immemorial. With our aid, we believe that they would even be able to repel mass migration of trolls through their territory, should that ever again be attempted."

Zarak says, "As such, our main purpose here is supervising the training and coordination of efforts between our now numerous outposts in the human and elven lands. We do provide favors to the local defenders by occasionally raiding the nearby Grutik tribes and culling some of the undead or non-sentient beasts that inhabit the nearby caverns, but that is mostly just to keep our trainees occupied."

Zarak concludes, "The real war against the Grimswarm is now being fought outside of our borders, Member. It is now our honor-bound duty to aid all the civilized races of Elanthia in their struggles against our ancient foes. It is a duty that we take most seriously."

Faylanna says, "Ta'Illistim is city of learning, with many scholars and other learned folk amongst its population. While it does count many great magicians and artificers among its populace, it is perhaps least martial of all the nations of the Elves. Unfortunately, its location at the base of the DragonSpine means that it has borne most of the brunt of the Grimswarm's offensive. While it does possess an adequate enough army for defending its walls, most of the surrounding countryside is in the Grimswarm's possession."

Faylanna snorts and says, "Even so, recruitment has been a slow and difficult process here. Elven attitudes to us 'lesser' races being what they are means that we are often looked down upon, even as we give our lives to defend their territory. Morale among those that we do manage to recruit is often low, and we suffer a relatively high rate of attrition simply from resignations or transfers to more appreciative areas. Among the government officials, I often get the impression that our presence is barely tolerated here. If one our squads gets into trouble during a mission, I don't count on the local guards to lift one finger to help."

Faylanna continues, "That being said, there is a relatively large foreign adventuring population here in Ta'Illistim. Many use this city as their base to plunder the ruins of Old Ta'Faendryl, and they quite skilled and powerful combatants indeed. Many of these individuals are quite capable of destroying an entire Grimswarm warcamp all on their own. It is mostly by the graces of these adventurers that our entire operation here does not fall completely apart, as we are beset by trolls, orcs, and giants from all directions."

Faylanna concludes, "In all, we face great difficulties from both the Grimswarm and our local 'allies'. If we had not sworn an oath to protect these elves, I would almost certainly recommend that we leave them to their own devices against the Grimswarm. Still, an oath is an oath, and I would sooner die than break mine. Our struggle against the Grimswarm will be long and hard here, and will be largely determined by the efforts of those who have no real stake in whether the elves live or die."

Draelox says, "On the surface, Ta'Vaalor would seem like the worst place in the world for our society to have an outpost. The elves here are well known across Elanthia for their utter intolerance of the 'lesser' races and their belief that they are superior even to their elven brethren. While this is certainly true, they are also soldiers of the highest discipline and ability."

Draelox continues, "They respect strength and duty, and the fact that we have sworn ourselves to eternal battle with the Grimswarm has not gone unnoticed. They expect much of us, and we have delivered much to them. In the heat of battle, a Vaalor elf by my side is as worthy an ally as any dwarf or giantman that I have had the pleasure of fighting alongside. I believe that we have proven our worth to them many times over and that, while they would never admit it, they value our presence here."

Draelox concludes, "There is certainly much to be done here. While giants are uncommon this far south, orcs and trolls regularly raid the surrounding countryside. Recruitment is brisk and our volunteers are of the highest quality. With the ungrudging aid of the Vaalor army, I have no doubt that we shall eventually knock out the footholds that the Grimswarm has established here."

>ask Marl about Grimswarm Marl says, "Wehnimer's Landing has always had trouble with all sorts of savages, what with being a frontier town and all. The advent of the Grimswarm has increased the problem somewhat, but the people here are used to the hardship of constant raiding and outright invasion. They're tough, hardy, and have plenty of adventure seekers around to help keep the problem in check."

Marl continues, "My main concern is the sheer opportunism of many of my recruits. Adventurers are brave and often useful, but I often get the feeling that once they've learned all they can from me, they'll abandon or ignore their duties to us. Such is the mentality of those who fight for their own gain, rather than to preserve their homes and way of life."

Marl sighs and continues, "Wehnimer's Landing has the perfect mix of terrain and climate that all the main races of the Grimswarm find attractive. As such, we have a fairly even distribution of trolls, orcs, and giants. The Grimswarm also finds many allies among the native savages: minotaurs, kiramon, ogres, creatures of earth and stone are all present here. Fortunately, years of raids by adventurers have left many of the native humanoid tribes relatively weak, though the more elemental creatures still tend be quite powerful."

Marl concludes, "Overall, we face a very diverse range of threats but also possess a similarly diverse pool of recruits in which to face those threats. That being said, the commitment of those recruits is open to question and we lack the fallback position of having a strong central government, should our recruits desert us in a time of need. We are currently doing fine, but that could change very rapidly indeed."

Vindar says, "I am continually amazed by what these halflings can accomplish. They have built a strong and prosperous town under conditions that even a dwarf might find too harsh. I have no shortage of local volunteers who seek to defend their town purely out of a strong sense of duty to their community and to their friends. It is really quite commendable and somewhat inspiring."

Vindar continues, "Giants predominate amongst the tribes of the Grimswarm that have claimed lands and settled in the local area. There are some orc and troll tribes in the area, but they tend to stick to the more southerly areas. The giants range freely across the entire length of our patrol area, from the glacier in the south right up to the Top of the World."

Vindar continues, "This is a dangerous area to patrol, and we lose as many men to the weather as we do to the Grimswarm. In fact, we've had to dramatically scale back regular patrols to the Sleeping Lady Mountains and beyond. We were simply suffering too many fruitless casualties to continue with them."

Vindar concludes, "As a result, we fear that the giants will be able to join easily with their native brethren to the north, fortify their already strong natural defenses, and thus be able to raid the town with impunity. We are in for a long and tough struggle, though I do believe that the halflings and their allies will be able to triumph in the end."

Taryn says, "As part of the Turamzzyrian Empire, Vornavis can call on powerful aid, should the Grimswarm ever try to overrun the city again. It is only through the power of their mysterious shrouding magic that the local tribes of the Grimswarm have not been utterly destroyed by the imperial army. Many of my recruits are local farmers and merchants who have seen their livelihoods destroyed by the savage raiders of the Grimswarm. They may not have the most experience in combat, but they come to defend what they have left and take revenge for what they have lost. It will take much training to turn them into an effective combat force, but I believe that it can be done."

Taryn continues, "The area surrounding this town is often marshy and humid, which most giants dislike and avoid whenever possible. As a result, we rarely encounter them in our patrols and believe that no tribes of them have settled upon our lands. Orcs and trolls are less discerning however, and we encounter them often."

Taryn continues, "Prior to the Grimswarm's arrival, the armies of the competing imperial barons generally kept the native savage tribes well in line and under control. As a result, the Grimswarm has relatively few native allies of note, beyond a small tribe of cyclops to the west of here. Unfortunately, it also means that there are wide open areas on which the Grimswarm can settle with little resistance beyond what we can muster."

Taryn concludes, "In all, I think our position is impregnable but our ability to project force is lacking. The imperial forces that protect Vornavis have been hardened in their long wars with Jantalar and are able to repulse any attack upon the city itself. However, our task in rooting out the enemy from our lands is hindered by my lack of experienced recruits. I have no doubt that they will eventually make a fine army, but that will take many years. During that period, the Grimswarm will have plenty of time to entrench themselves and grow strong in their own right."

Meaha says, "Though technically part of the Turamzzyrian Empire, River's Rest has generally been ignored by the imperial government and left to its own devices. It is far away from the borderlands and the cities of the important baronies, and is mostly home to smugglers and other shady characters. Recruits are few and far between here, with many losing interest in joining us once they learn that there is no pay. Generally speaking however, the local populace tends to leave the Grimswarm alone, and the Grimswarm tends to do the same."

Meaha continues, "In fact, the krolvin pirates that frequent the area don't take much of a liking to the Grimswarm edging onto their turf. There are frequent battles between the two groups. Some of the locals even think that with the krolvin and the Grimswarm at each other's throats, life here has even gotten a little bit easier. One of these days though, one side will finally triumph and make up for lost time in making the rest of the local inhabitants suffer."

Meaha continues, "Jungle and marshland dominate the surrounding areas, in which trolls are as common as rats. While there are some orcs, giants rarely venture this far south. We have actually never encountered a settled tribe of them in the area that we patrol. The number of trolls we encounter more than make up for them, however. I definitely wouldn't suggest venturing into the surrounding areas without a fire-flaring weapon or fire magic."

Meaha concludes, "Overall, we are in a precarious situation here. The conflict between the krolvin and the Grimswarm has kept the town relatively untouched by the Grimswarm. There are raids now and then, but things are generally as they were before the Grimswarm arrived. I believe that this has lulled the locals into potentially disastrous false sense of security. For when the victor is eventually decided amongst the krolvin and the Grimswarm, the town will be woefully unprepared for what will inevitably follow."