Three water guardians inhabit in the earth. They are unique creatures, only one of each kind exist, that must remain submerged in water. As the ending of the 6th Age drew near and the Atharim ever gained more and more power, they captured the trident that belonged to Triton, king of the sea. As the gods sensed their reign was near its end, Poseidon, god of the sea recognized he might share the impossible fate of his son, to be killed and his own weapon destroyed. Therefore, he used his powers to tether three mighty sea monsters to the split pieces of his trident and banished the pieces and their guardians to the farthest corners of the world to keep it from falling into the hands of his enemies.
As the guardians were bound to protect the shards, forever, they are are sensitive to channelers, and when one channels in their presence, they will arise to defend the shard by viciously defending their domain.
The guardians were sent to remain in the three types of the world’s waters: the standing waters of an isolated lake, the flowing waters of river systems, and the massive domain of the salty sea.
The 1st Guardian of Roopkund Lake
The first such guardian was seen in In Due Course. It was found and killed by Sören and Declan at Roopkund Lake, also known as “Skeleton Lake”, located in the Himalayan mountains of northern India.
Sören found a temple beneath the lake holding all manner of artifacts and treasures with everything bearing some kind of sea motif. The power of the shard called to him, and he immediately took it for himself. Unfortunately, Declan did not survive the defensive traps of the temple, and died of poisonous gas.
“The creature canted its head like a charmed snake. Despite Declan’s assault, its attention was focused on Sören. No, he abruptly realised; on the runes he wove. ”
— Sören, In Due Course
“Something like an altar – empty of crowning glory – thrust from the ground. Stylised waves worshipped its base, tenderly carved sea creatures arching out from the waters. Sören’s hand groped the cool marble. Searching. Until the brush of his touch met something that made the rune sing.”
— Sören, In Due Course
The 2nd Guardian of the Volga River and Caspian Sea
The second guardian is tied to the fresh waters of the Caspian Sea and wanders the many rivers that shed into it. In the First Age, it was found asleep in the Moscow River (a branch of the Volga) and only a shadow of it was seen beneath the frozen ice, darting with incredible speed. Rumor say it is a shark that swam upstream from the Baltic or Caspian Sea. However, locals call the creature a Rusalka, the spirit of the river guardian with a bloodlust that must be satiated with sacrifice.
It was chased by Elias, Tony and his crew in A New Life and was not seen again, until recent events in Paradise of Pleasure, when it rose to attack Rowan, Valeriya and Armande. It had swam across the continent to emerge again at Baikal Lake. It seems this one reacts instead to female channelers. Since then, Sören has deduced that it reacts to the presence of a woman using the power, and has worked with Kemala to lure it to the surface in an attempt to claim its property.
— Tony, A New Life
“The water turned black before something flashed before his eyes. Ice erupted in his face and pain lanced through his right hand. ”
Pain shot through her leg. Rowan’s hands shot down to her thigh and they came back bloodied. She found herself frantically looking from side to side. More splashing. Rowan felt the urge to move. Without thinking, she spun on the ground, off to the left. A long, imposing spear was standing point down at the exact spot Rowan had just moved from. Wet, hot blood trickled down to her toes.
She whipped her head towards the lake and saw the water roiling. The torso of – what appeared to be – a woman rose from shimmering surface. Her skin was green and covered in harsh lines of red and black. A crown of spikes all but erupted from the thing’s skull, and innumerable tentacles flared out behind the spikes. A clawed, spindly hand rose from the water, clutching another one of those thick shafted spears.
— Rowan, Paradise of Pleasure
The 3rd Guardian of the Southern Ocean
The third guardian killed a boat full of research scientists, including Elias‘ uncle, investigating thermal vents in the sea south of New Zealand, close to Antarctica.
According to Elias’ investigation, and an insane scientist that has been locked in asylum at The Guardian for fifty years, the creature was released from its underwater chamber after an earthquake and has been feeding on giant squid ever since, the carcasses of which have been washing up on shore recently.
While in the area, a shipping vessel known as “The Rage” received a distress call from a ship being attacked by a monstrous creature in The Voyage. The Rage, under the leadership of Captain SynJyn Quick and thanks to the valiant effort of his crew was able to escape by cloaking themselves from the Guardian, although unbeknownst to them, the real reason they escaped harm was because the original channeler that it sensed was now dead, and with the threat alleviated, it slunk back underwater. This story has since been released on the news of the Scroll.
“The Monster rose 100-150 feet out of the water, no idea what was below the ocean. It’s two arms ended in hands, to finger and then to claws, there was a hint of several tentacles splashing around the creature. The head seem to flatten near is top, slopping back into a point, it was made to swim under water.”
SynJyn, The Voyage
For a good minute that drew out into infinity, the Monster nor the crew moved, SynJyn was sure no one breathed.”
— SynJyn, The Voyage
“Time froze on “The Rage”, as the lump in the monsters throat, that once was living human beings, was swallowed whole, lower and lower until disappearing into the beast’s stomach.”
SynJyn, The Voyage
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