"The empire has legions of soldiers. I do not need soldiers. I need legends." -Podrus
Identity[]
Era: Second
First: Podrus
Fealty: Empire of Bael Turath
Distinctions: Mithrendain steel weapons
History[]
After serving as Emperor Aethax Pelaios' general for twenty years, Podrus recognized the need for an elite fellowship of warriors who answered only to the call of the emperor himself. Resigning his post in 49,985 BC, Podrus was given Soldier's Peak, a castle high up in the Zagraz Mountains, in a gesture of thanks by Thax. Podrus went about recruiting the greatest warriors he knew from the legion. He began with Mogogol Shogun, a peerless swordsman from Yunith. Next, he recruited Aukan, the most celebrated scout and ranger from Zaron. Finally, he approached Iriestine, the undefeated pirate duelist in Bree's navy. Together, the four of them journeyed to Soldier's Peak.
The castle at Soldier's Peak was built late in the First Era, several centuries before the War of Nerath. Before then, the Zagraz Mountains were considered inhospitable. The human warlord Asturian desired a fortified headquarters high up on the peaks of the mountain range to halt the passage of minotaur warbands. He planned that Soldier's Peak would be a city unto itself, complete with hidden passages and alcoves, and a secret ritual chamber. Soldier's Peak was fully completed within ten years, and until the end of the era, it stood as the highest fortress in the Mortal Realm.
Podrus led the Steel Vanguard against enemies of the empire in a series of victories that would define the early Second Era. From the Ghoulcallers of Moil to the Poison Crown, and from the Butcher of Fallcrest to the Traitors Cove, Podrus and his Steel Vanguard defended the empire from threats that never reached the ears of Vor Rukoth. For tens of thousands of years, the legends of the Steel Vanguard defended the Empire of Bael Turath.