Lionsguard Galatea

‘Roar without fear. Pounce without hesitation. Protect without bias. Live without doubt.’ – Galatea, on what it means to be a Lionsguard There is an island, known as Theosomi, where Humans who aspire to join the Aetherials go to train, study, and worship. The luminaries of the Aetherials, who select mortal champions to be their servants, keep a close eye on the aspirants of Theosomi to see who excels there and which of these candidates align closest with their values. The trainees of Theosomi are not of one single cohort, but rather ascribe to one of numerous informal ‘schools’ with different philosophies on how best to exemplify different Aetherial ways. One is the Lionsguard: proud, fierce fighters whose members have an excellent track record of becoming Aetherials, and who are often sent abroad at the behest of their Aetherial masters to serve as temple guardians and holy warriors. The Lionsguard espouse a mystical philosophy inspired by their namesake beasts, theological metaphysics, and the norms of sex and gender. Their teachings emphasize the dualistic nature of Teleria and the gods: besides the primal division of Darkness and Light, they identify male and female as the second-order manifestation of these elements. Siroth, the god, embodies Darkness and the masculine principle, while the goddess Lumaya embodies Light and femininity. Just as the two deities blended their essence in the Dances of Creation to make the harmony of Teleria real, Lionsguard devotees strive to synthesize Light and Darkness along with the male and female. Acolytes spend many years unlearning whatever roles and stereotypes they were conditioned by society to accept, in order to fully understand the strengths of both perspectives and synthesize them into a more powerful whole. The combination of male and female is visible on every Lionsguard on their regalia: female Lionsguard bear emblems of male lions on their wargear, proud manes flowing. Esoteric philosophy is only part of the Lionsguard identity; they live up to the name with their ferocity and solidarity. Galatea is an exemplar of her kind in this regard. To prove herself, Galatea accepted fearsome challenges that other aspirants of Theosomi shrank from in terror. She battled a swarm of Undead that marched ashore from the depths, sodden and rotting. Leaping into the fray with deafening roars and no trace of fear, she slashed apart the stinking revenants with her weighty curved blade and deflected their blows with her stout lion—head shield. When a sudden storm thrashed the island, she coordinated her fellow aspirants to divert floodwaters, construct fortifications, and shepherd the vulnerable to higher ground. Thanks to long study and contemplation on the Human condition, as well as the roles people play in society, Galatea has given much welcome advice to those unsure of their place in the world.