> [!infobox]+ Golden Scales > > <div class="infobox-coat-of-arms"> > <div style="text-align: center; padding: 5px;"> > <div class="character-name-container"><div class="character-main-name">Golden Scales</div></div> > </div> > </div> > <div style="text-align: center; padding: 0.2em;"> > <img src="goldenScalesCOA.svg" alt="Golden Scales" style="max-width: 250px; height: auto;" class="internal-image"> > </div> > <table class="infobox-table"> > <tr><td class="infobox-label">Founded</td><td class="infobox-data"><a href="Dawn-War.md" class="internal-link">Dawn-War</a> 500-400 BD</td></tr> > <tr><td class="infobox-label">Founder</td><td class="infobox-data"><a href="Zhavrin.md" class="internal-link">Zhavrin</a></td></tr> > <tr><td class="infobox-label">Headquarters</td><td class="infobox-data"><a href="Castle Zhavrin.md" class="internal-link">Castle Zhavrin</a>, <a href="Zhavrin's Gate.md" class="internal-link">Zhavrin's Gate</a></td></tr> > <tr><td class="infobox-label">Allegiance</td><td class="infobox-data"><a href="Aekacira (Country).md" class="internal-link">Aekacira</a></td></tr> > <tr><td class="infobox-label">Orders</td><td class="infobox-data">• Quartermasters<br>• Guards<br>• Scouts</td></tr> > <tr><td class="infobox-label">Current Leader</td><td class="infobox-data"><a href="Steffan Redhayn.md" class="internal-link">Steffan Redhayn</a></td></tr> > <tr><td class="infobox-label">Size</td><td class="infobox-data">~400 Active Members</td></tr> > </table> ### About The Golden Scales are the frontier order stationed at [[Zhavrin's Gate]], the last bastion between [[Aekacira (Country)|Aekacira]] and the cursed lands of [[Vangrallag]]. Originally founded by [[Zhavrin]], the fifth son of [[Bahamut]] in the mid 400 BDs, the order has endured for millennia. The Scales are not a holy or knightly sect - they are pragmatic soldiers, scouts, and labourers united by a single purpose: to guard the Gate, guide travellers through Vangrallag, and maintain the fragile lifeline between civilization and ruin. The city of [[Zhavrin's Gate]] itself is built around their keep, embedded in the [[Diskarn Wall]] - a semi-circular fortress enclosing the ancient Gate and surrounded by a thriving civilian district. Families of the Scales, merchants, and craftsmen live under the shadow of the walls, sustained by the order's steady trade and protection. ### Organisation #### Structure The Golden Scales number around four hundred members, divided into three main occupations: Quartermasters, Guardsmen, and Scouts. Each serves a vital role in maintaining the [[Zhavrin's Gate|Gate]] and the safety of the frontier. Every member signs a year-long contract at the start of the new year, binding them to service under the Commander of the Scales. Before assignment, all recruits undergo basic combat training, ensuring every Scale can defend the walls in times of crisis. The Golden Scales are divided into three main divisions: Quartermasters, Guardsmen, and Scouts. Each member of the order wears a distinctive golden cloak fastened with a brooch that identifies both their duty and their seniority. The brooches are shaped as scales of polished gold. The symbol engraved upon them denotes the wearer's role within the order, while the metal of the border marks their rank. Seniority follows the value of the surrounding metal: - Copper border – Used for the entry ranks of the Guards and the Quartermaster Stewards. - Silver border – Used for the entry ranks of the Quartermaster Craftsmen as well as the Quartermaster Senior Stewards. - Electrum border - Used for the Quartermaster Senior Craftsmen, the Guard Lieutenants and the entry rank of the Scouts. - Gold border – Used for ranks that report directly to the Commander of the Golden Scales. The Head Quartermaster, Captain of the Guards and the Scout Sergeants. This system allows anyone within Zhavrin's Gate to immediately recognise a Scale's position, authority, and trade at a glance. The orders themselves function as follows: - Quartermasters The Quartermasters make up nearly half the order and are split into two distinct sub-orders. - Stewards, who handle unskilled but essential labour such as cleaning, preparing rooms, washing, cooking, carrying goods, tending fires, and managing daily upkeep. They are marked by the Key brooch. - Craftsmen, who provide skilled labour including smithing, tailoring, carpentry, leatherwork, stable care, and maintenance of equipment. They are marked by the Hammer brooch. - Guards The guards form the defensive arm of the Scales and are marked by brooches showing crossed spears. They are responsible for patrolling the [[Diskarn Wall]] and guarding the city of [[Zhavrin's Gate]]. They are sometimes called upon to serve as additional guards in large caravans passing through [[Vangrallag]]. The guards make up roughly thirty percent of the Golden Scales. - Scouts The elite fighting force of the Golden Scales and wear brooches bearing a sword. Responsible for escorting travellers through [[Vangrallag]] to the [[Wild Lands]], partaking in expeditions further into [[Vangrallag]] and investigating disturbances around the Dead Lands. The Scouts make up around twenty percent of the Golden Scales. #### Rank Brooch Visualisation ![[goldenScalesRanks.png]] #### Leadership The order is commanded by a [[Lordship|Lord]] Commander. They are a the [[Lordship|Lord]] of both [[Castle Zhavrin]] and [[Zhavrin's Gate]] itself, though have little to do with the running of the city, leaving that to the council. They are in charge of planning larger expeditions and maintaining diplomatic relations with outside kingdoms. The commander also acts as the head of the Order of Scouts. Beneath the Commander sits the heads of the orders. The Captain of the Guard and Quartermaster who sits as chair on the council of [[Zhavrin's Gate]]. As well as these, the Scout Sergeants report directly to the Commander. The Golden Scales operate in [[Regania]], and though [[Zhavrin's Gate]] is officially a vassal of [[Regania]], they are given near total freedom, acting as an autonomous state. There were times in the past where the [[Monarchy|King]] or [[Monarchy|Queen]] of [[Regania]] or even the [[Monarchy|High Monarch]] of [[Aekacira (Country)|Aekacira]] have ordered those stationed at Zhavrin's gate as if they were common soldiers. Every time this happened, that ruler would receive a visit from [[Zhavrin]] in his true form, to remind them that they have a greater purpose than the petty wars of kingdoms. ### Customs #### Duties - Stewards Stewards form one half of the Quartermaster division and are responsible for every task that keeps daily life at [[Zhavrin's Gate]] functioning. Their work is broad, physical, and constant. Stewards clean the barracks, halls, and armouries; they prepare rooms for travellers and dignitaries; they manage washing, laundry, and the baths; and they operate the kitchen that feed the [[Castle Zhavrin|castle's]] garrison. They carry firewood, maintain hearths, empty refuse, and ensure the [[Castle Zhavrin|keep]] runs smoothly even in the dead of winter or under siege. When large convoys pass through the Gate, stewards organise supplies, prepare meals, unload wagons, and arrange temporary lodgings. In times of crisis, stewards form organised support crews, helping evacuate civilians, carrying water to fight fires, and acting as medical assistants under the direction of healers. Their brooch is the Key, symbolising access, care, and the essential running of the keep. Stewards begin at copper rank and may rise to silver through experience, reliability, and leadership. - Craftsmen Craftsmen make up the skilled half of the Quartermasters and are the makers and maintainers of the Gate. They include smiths, armourers, leatherworkers, fletchers, tailors, carpenters, masons, stablemasters, and cartwrights. Their work ensures the Scales are armed, clothed, housed, and supplied. Smiths forge spears, repair swords, and produce the brooches worn by every member. Tailors mend cloaks, stitch uniforms, and prepare weather-resistant gear for the Scouts. Stablehands and masters care for mounts used in patrols. Carpenters repair wagons, reinforce buildings, and maintain the walkways along the walls. Craftsmen are also responsible for maintaining emergency stores, siege tools, and the complex mechanisms of the Gate itself. Their brooch bears the Hammer, marking them as the backbone of all skilled labour. Craftsmen enter service at silver rank, acknowledging their prior training, and progress to electrum when they oversee workshops or apprentices. - Guards Guardsmen form the defensive line of the Golden Scales. They patrol the walls, man the towers, and maintain a constant watch over the horizon of [[Vangrallag]]. Their days follow a rigid pattern of watch rotations, drills, formation practice, and maintenance of arms and armour. They operate the Gate during passages, organise convoys, and escort travellers through the initial stretches of the Dead Lands when required. Guardsmen also act as peacekeepers within the city, settling disputes, patrolling markets, and enforcing curfew during dangerous times. During storms of corruption, undead migrations, or threats from deeper within Vangrallag, Guardsmen take up defensive positions along the battlements and towers, maintaining readiness until the danger subsides. Their brooch bears crossed spears. Guardsmen enter at copper and may rise to gold, at which point they command patrols, towers, or entire wall sections. - Scouts Scouts are the elite vanguard of the Golden Scales. They guide travellers through the hazardous routes of [[Vangrallag]], escort historians and scholars to ruins, and chart paths through the Dead Lands that shift with corruption and weather. Each scout is trained to survive alone for long periods, tracking threats, observing enemy movements, and maintaining the hidden waystations scattered across the frontier. They act as hunters of corrupted beasts, trackers of undead activity, and first responders to any breach or anomaly along the border. Scouts often work in small teams, moving quickly and quietly, relying on keen senses, experience, and a deep knowledge of the landscape. Their brooch bears the Sword, marking their status as the order's blade. Scouts enter directly at electrum rank, reflecting the high standards required to join their division, and may rise to gold as sergeants, reporting directly to the Commander. #### Recruitment Recruitment opens at the close of each year. All applicants undertake two weeks of basic training in physical fitness, combat, discipline, and survival techniques. At the end of training, each division selects recruits according to its needs and the candidate's aptitude. Many people apply as Stewards or Craftsmen in order to receive good pay and steady room and board. For this reason, they are often chosen first, when they have demonstrated they have a basic grasp of combat. Skilled labourers are a lot more likely to receive an offer. Those who pass their combat trials and wish to apply for a position as a Guard or Scout will then be tested further on combat and strategy. The most skilled among them are chosen as Scouts and the others as guards. The Guards aim to hire around 100-200 people, but often fall short of this. The Scouts will take as many people as possible, as long as they meet the standards, but often take between 50 and 100 people each year. Those selected attend the New Dawn Feast and receive their first cloak and brooch. At year's end, Scouts undergo assessment for continuation, while Stewards, Craftsmen, and Guardsmen must reapply and complete refresher training for new contracts. #### Equipment Every member provides their own basic arms and attire, but each division receives standardised gear suited to their duties. Guardsmen are issued chain hauberks and short spears, Scouts receive a reversible gold and black cloak for stealth missions, and Quartermasters carry simple defensive tools and equipment relevant to their trade. The brooch each Scale wears is both a practical cloak clasp and an emblem of identity. Cast in gold and bordered with their rank metal, it marks their place within the order and is worn at all times while on duty. ### History The Golden Scales were founded in the mid 400 BDs by [[Zhavrin]], the fifth son of [[Bahamut]]. Created by the Platinum Dragon during the final centuries of the [[Dawn-War]], Zhavrin took on the charge of safeguarding the human realms of [[Aekacira (Country)|Aekacira]] from the armies and corruption of the [[Betrayer Gods]]. At the edge of the [[Vangrallag|Dead Lands]] he raised a vast fortification shaped through divine breath and mortal labour. This structure became [[Zhavrin's Gate]], the first and greatest barrier between civilisation and the wastes of [[Vangrallag]]. The warriors who gathered beneath his wings during these early campaigns became the first Golden Scales, named both for their founder's draconic heritage and for the balance they sought to preserve between life and corruption. During the final years of the [[Dawn-War]], the Golden Scales reached their greatest strength. Records state that the order numbered nearly three thousand soldiers, craftsmen, stewards, and scouts. Entire battalions guarded the frontier, securing the passes, the wall systems, and the ancient roads that once crossed [[Vangrallag]]. In those days the Scales were not merely gatekeepers, but a standing army holding back the remnants of the [[Betrayer Gods|Betrayers']] forces. As the centuries passed and the threat of open war diminished, the need for such a vast host waned. Major strongholds were abandoned, outposts fell into ruin, and the long quiet of the frontier slowly reduced the order's size. Today the Scales rarely number more than four hundred active members, a shadow of their former might. Despite their reduced force, their responsibility has only grown, as the dangers of [[Vangrallag]] remain unpredictable and often misunderstood by the outer world. [[Zhavrin]] himself continued to lead the Golden Scales for over two millennia, guiding the order through war, peace, and the long vigilance between. His leadership ended in 1927 PD during the Siege of the Gate, when an orcish and goblinoid horde led by a champion of [[Gruumsh]] known as the Blood King marched upon the Gate, while followers of [[Gruumsh]] in [[Zur-Irqaz]] summoned a demon horde that tore across the frontier at its back. The demons broke through the [[Diskarn Wall]], massacring soldiers and civilians alike. [[Zhavrin]] revealed his true draconic form and fought above the burning city, but even his power could not halt the swarm. He was slain in the skies, falling in defence of the lands he had sworn to protect. The siege was broken only when the armies of [[Goldsgrove]] and [[Regania]], led by their kings, and the Paragons of [[Pelor's Swords]] came to the aid of the Scales, though the toll was heavy, and King Yohnn Fenrick III of [[Regania]] and the First Sword of [[Pelor]], Brannoc Deepmantle, fell in the battle alongside him. In the aftermath of his death, the Golden Scales established a new tradition to ensure unity and stability. When a Commander dies or retires, the entire order nominates candidates from any rank or division, and the Scales vote to choose their next leader. The elected Commander receives a unique brooch set with a scale taken from [[Zhavrin|Zhavrin's]] fallen form, recovered after the battle. This relic serves as both symbol and reminder of the order's origin, linking every Commander to the founder's final sacrifice. Today the Golden Scales carry on [[Zhavrin|Zhavrin's]] legacy with far fewer hands than in ages past, yet with the same vigilance and purpose that defined the order at its birth. They maintain the Gate, protect the frontier, and ensure that the shadows of [[Vangrallag]] never again spill freely into the realms beyond. ### Current Members (As of 3069 PD) ##### Lord Commander: - Commander [[Steffan Redhayn]] - Second born son of [[Monarchy|High King]] Gwayne Redhayn, younger brother of [[Monarchy|High King]] Erryk Redhayn and older brother of King [[Leywald Redhayn]] of [[Goldsgrove]]. ##### Quartermasters: ###### Head Quartermaster: - [[Berralynn Orethane]] - [[Dwarves|Dwarvern]] woman also head of the infirmary of [[Castle Zhavrin]]. ###### Senior Craftsmen: - [[Eagle Smoke]] - [[Centaurs|Centaur]] head of the stables. - [[Johnny Smith]] - [[Half-Elves|Half-Grey Drow]] head of smithing. ###### Craftsmen: - Harvey Farrier - Apprentice to [[Eagle Smoke]] in the stables, nicknamed 'Pigeon Puff' as a less senior version of the [[Centaurs|Centaur]]. ###### Senior Stewards: - Agnes - Halfling in charge of housekeeping in [[Castle Zhavrin]]. - Gruz - Head chef of [[Castle Zhavrin]]. - Layla - [[Gnomes|Forest Gnome]] in charge of the [[Castle Zhavrin]] store room. ###### Stewards: - Marge Chopper - Student at [[Strixhaven University]], out for a year in industry. Working as a cleaner at [[Castle Zhavrin]]. - Rupert Fiddlestick - Student at [[Strixhaven University]], out for a year in industry. Working as a chef at [[Castle Zhavrin]]. ##### Guards: ###### Captain of the Guards: - Frederick - A human leading the guards in [[Zhavrin's Gate]]. ###### Guard Lieutenant: ###### Guard Sergeant: - Gavin - Roommate of [[Zrük Donnervan]]. ###### Guard: - Diego Shuttlecock - Student at [[Strixhaven University]], out for a year in industry. - Jerry Chopper - Low rank member of the [[Rexsall Adventurer's Guild]], out for a year of experience. - [[Zrük Donnervan]] - Occasional member of the [[Golden Scales]] and roommate of Gavin. ##### Scouts: ###### Scout Sergeant: - [[Kwinale Umbantuk]] - Human [[Sanguine Orders|Blood Hunter]] and sergeant for the [[Golden Eyes]]. - Vrograg - [[Half-Orcs|Half-Orc]] de-facto head Scout Sergeant. ###### Scout: - Alan - Bald [[Halflings|Halfling]] Scout, previously a Steward working in housekeeping until his promotion in 3069. - [[Joseph Sylvaris]] - [[Elves|Elven]] third born child of Lady Aline Sylvaris. - [[Lewis Hound]] - Human Squire of [[Pelor's Swords]] and Paladin of [[Pelor]]. - [[Ülf Oaksplitter]] - Cloud [[Goliaths|Goliath]], barred from the Ching-Wong Palace in [[Zhavrin's Gate]]. - [[Violet Rose]] - Human first born daughter of Queen Scarlett Rose, heir to the short lived separatist kingdom of Roselia. - [[Vitalia van Velder]] - Half-revived [[Humans|Human]] born in the [[Age of Arcanum]], Cleric of Ioun. ### Historical and Former Members ##### Lord Commander: - [[Zhavrin]] † - Fifth son of [[Bahamut]] and founder of the [[Golden Scales]]. ##### Quartermasters: ###### Head Quartermaster: ###### Senior Craftsmen: ###### Craftsmen: ###### Senior Stewards: ###### Stewards: ##### Guards: ###### Captain of the Guards: - [[Father Hubert]] - Retired Captain of the Guards, currently a priest of [[Pelor]] in [[Zhavrin's Gate]]. ###### Guard Lieutenant: ###### Guard Sergeant: ###### Guard: - Tomas † - Guard slain by [[Goblins]] on the road between [[Briarhearth]] and [[Zhavrin's Gate]] in Dusk 3068. ##### Scouts: ###### Scout Sergeant: - [[Caelan Liraesol]] - Missing in action in [[Vangrallag]], former mentor of [[Joseph Sylvaris]]. - First Sword [[Lyonel Goldenmead]] of Justice, the Radiant Scales - Former Scout Sergeant, current Paragon of Justice and First Sword of [[Pelor]]. ###### Scout: - [[Herbert of Dipular]] - Part of the experimental Scout unit nicknamed the '[[Golden Eyes]]', killed in [[Vangrallag]] in Dusk 3068. - Josiah Trent - Killed by a werewolf in [[Pinecross]] when escorting a group of apprentices from [[South Harbour]] to [[Zhavrin's Gate]].