Lionguard

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Disambig icon.png This article is about the organization. For other uses, see Lionguard (disambiguation).
Render of the banner used by the Lionguard

The Lionguard is a military group that once acted as the defenders of Kryta. Since pirates founded the new Lion's Arch as a free city on top of the submerged original city in the aftermath of the Great Tsunami, the Lionguard has been acting at the behest of the Captain's Council to keep peace in the free city as well as the countryside around the Lion Road used by traveling merchants. The Lionguard is presently led by Captain Magnus the Bloody-Handed.

History[edit]

Protectors of the Kingdom[edit]

The Lionguard were originally founded as the armed forces of the human Kingdom of Kryta, dedicating themselves to the royal family who lived in the capital city of Lion's Arch. However, the White Mantle cult gained popularity among the masses when they saved Kryta from the invading charr in the aftermath of King Jadon's mysterious disappearance from the capital. As the Mantle filled the power void left by the vanished king and established themselves as regents in all but name, they usurped the Lionguard's power as well and began protecting Kryta from inner and outer threats.

The Shining Blade group of royalists loyal to the missing king opposed the White Mantle's iron grip and eventually exposed the cult's abuse of power and crimes to the masses. Aggression on both sides led to a civil war when the Shining Blade and several Lionguard sided with Jadon's daughter Salma to reclaim the royal family's throne from the usurpers. After the White Mantle had been defeated in the climactic Battle for Lion's Arch in 1079 AE and Queen Salma had been crowned, the newly formed Seraph mostly replaced the Lionguard as the armed forces of Kryta.

Protectors of the Free City[edit]

Small banner near a haven.

Old Lion's Arch and the coastline around the Sea of Sorrows was flooded in the Great Tsunami in 1219 AE, which forced the citizens of Lion's Arch and the royal family to relocate north to establish Divinity's Reach as the new capital of Kryta. As pirates settled in the flooded remnants of the abandoned port city and built a new Lion's Arch on top of the ruins, the eventual Ship's Council representing the different crews of mixed races established a new version of Lionguard to protect the pirates' interests.

Following the Great Krytan Blockade in 1256 AE, political tensions between the Kingdom of Kryta and the Free City of Lion's Arch lessened as Kryta officially recognized the city's independence due to the pirates heroically stopping an invasion from the Elder Dragon Zhaitan's Risen forces. An agreement was made: Lion's Arch and its Lionguard would establish Claw Island as a fortress and watch over the Sea of Sorrows as a vanguard against any future Risen assaults.

Ever since then, the Lionguard has continued acting as protectors to the people of Lion's Arch, and to a lesser extent, Central Tyria. They have defended the merchants of Lion's Arch, and are a major authority in the pirate-riddled city under the Lionguard's current head, Captain Magnus the Bloody-Handed. The Lionguard has also established a string of safe havens in Kryta, Ascalon, the Shiverpeak Mountains, and the Tarnished Coast along the Lion Road in order to protect inter-regional trade from local threats such as the Inquest and Separatists.

After the Ship's Council signed a treaty with Queen Jennah, the Lionguard has been collaborating with her Seraph forces to keep peace around the havens in the Krytan countryside up north. They have also been navigating a complex political landscape with the centaur alliance, who Lion's Arch has also signed a treaty with, while trying to keep centaurs from attacking Krytan towns and caravans and investigating any breaches of the treaty. Ever since Admiral Taidha Covington left the Ship's Council and began raiding the Sea of Sorrows and the Tarnished Coast, the Lionguard has been protecting Bloodtide Coast from her pirate alliance.

Lionguard Havens/Outposts[edit]

Map of the Lion Road with the havens marked.
Ascalon
Kryta
Maguuma Jungle
Shiverpeak Mountains

Members[edit]

See also: Category:Lionguard

Gallery[edit]

Notes[edit]

Gwwlogo.png The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on Lionguard.

See also[edit]

Associated items