The Unbroken Line, The Shield of the Small
"A narrow place and a stout heart can halt any tide."
The Gorge-Wardens were born from the legendary Battle of the Frozen Gorge (722 AH). In the aftermath of that improbable victory, the one-eyed giant Einar One-Eye stood amidst the rubble and the fallen. He had seen three hundred Frost-Fang warriors break against a defense of seven Lítillfólk and one disgraced giant. He understood then that true strength was not in the height of a wall, but in the wisdom of its placement and the unity of those who defended it. He took the axe he had used to hold the choke-point and drove it into the stone of the gorge, declaring, "This place witnessed a miracle. Let it now become a promise. I will be the first of a new line. I will be a Gorge-Warden."
The Gorge-Wardens are an order of giant warriors, but their doctrine is uniquely blended with the tactics of their Lítillfólk allies.
The Choke-Point Creed: They believe that strategy and terrain are greater weapons than raw numbers. They are masters of defensive warfare, specializing in finding, fortifying, and holding narrow passes, bridges, and gateways where a single, determined giant can block an army.
The Sworn Shield: Each Warden takes a sacred oath to protect the communities of the small folk. They see themselves not as rulers, but as guardians. A Warden's honor is measured not by the giants they kill, but by the Lítillfólk who sleep safely behind their line.
Unity of Scale: A core tenet of their order is the integration of Lítillfólk scouts, trap-setters, and engineers—often Swarmkeeper Rangers or descendants of The Seven Bows—into their defensive plans. They fight as a combined force, each scale playing to its strength.
The Ceremony of the Axe: Initiation into the order involves a vigil at the original "First Axe" still embedded in the Frozen Gorge. The initiate must recount the tale of the battle and add their own oath to the legacy before being given their own axe, forged from the same canyon stone.
The Ward-Mark: Gorge-Wardens do not build permanent fortresses. Instead, they travel the remote frontiers. When they secure a location—a bridge, a mountain pass, a valley entrance—they carve their sigil, a vertical line breaking a horizontal tide, into the stone. This mark signals to all that this place is under their protection.
The Debt of the Gorge: They are funded not by a single nation, but by the "Gorge-Debt," a tithe of gratitude from the settlements and trade routes they protect. This ensures their political and financial independence from the great powers.
Nearly 150 years after their founding, the Gorge-Wardens remain a small but revered independent order. They are a stabilizing force on the frontiers of Niflheimar.
They are respected by the Stone-Shield Commonwealth for their discipline, though viewed as overly idealistic.
The Frost-Fang Clans see them as the most honorable and frustrating of their enemies, for the Wardens refuse to meet them in open battle, forever forcing them into costly assaults on fortified positions.
For the Free-Soul Collective, the Wardens are kindred spirits, and the two often share intelligence and resources.
To the Lítillfólk of the borderlands, the sight of a Gorge-Warden's sigil is a symbol of hope, and the giant who carves it is a walking legend.
They are the keepers of Einar's promise, a living wall that remembers the lesson of the Frozen Gorge: that in the right place, with the right heart, a few can indeed stand against the many.