--- **Overview** The Blood Crown Guard are the twelve immortal sentinels who serve as the personal protectors of Queen [[Callidora]] Von Constantine, sovereign of [[Hexa Landing]]. Each is a legendary vampire knight, elevated through blood rites, eldritch magic, and centuries of brutal refinement. Clad in veined crimson plate and bearing weapons forged from cursed iron and queen’s blood, they are more than bodyguards — they are a symbol of dominion, death, and divine right. Feared across the continent, the mere rumor of a Blood Crown Guard appearing at a negotiation or trial sends nobles into silence. They do not speak unless commanded. They do not bleed unless shattered. They do not fall unless the Queen herself allows it. --- **Origins** The Blood Crown Guard were forged in the earliest days of Queen [[Callidora]]’s reign. Each member was hand-selected from among the deadliest warriors of the old world — vampires, revenants, or mortal champions broken and remade. Through ancient rituals and offerings of pure royal vitae, they were bound to her essence. The Queen’s blood marks them. Their immortality is tied directly to her continued rule. Should she die, their souls are forfeit — scattered into the Void or returned to the torments that first birthed them. --- **Structure and Doctrine** - **Number:** Always twelve. When one falls, a replacement is chosen through ritual combat, sacrifice, or decree. - **Leader:** _[[The Red Bastion]]_, a singular CR 26 bodyguard who commands the others and embodies the full might of [[Hexa Landing]]’s martial legacy. - **Discipline:** Absolute. The Blood Crown Guard are forbidden from personal ambition, political involvement, or emotional attachment. They exist only to protect the Queen. - **Communication:** Most do not speak publicly. Instead, they use a private battle language — gestures, stillness, and bloodsigils — understood only by others in the Guard. --- **Combat Style** - **Formation Combat:** The Guard operate in flawless unison, shielding each other, flanking effortlessly, and exploiting timing gaps with practiced precision. - **Anti-Magic Countermeasures:** Several members specialize in magic disruption, counterspell, and blood-pulse wards that resist divine and arcane influence. - **Synergy with Queen:** When within 60 ft. of Queen [[Callidora]], they gain: - Immunity to radiant damage - Legendary resistance once per round - The ability to teleport to her side as a reaction --- **Reputation and Fear** The Blood Crown Guard are not commonly seen. Their presence is reserved for trials, executions, high-level diplomacy, and assassinations. When one walks into a room, all other voices fall silent. Among vampires, they are revered as holy warriors. Among mortals, they are whispered as legends — the silent crimson knights who feed only in war, and whose eyes burn with the Queen’s will. --- **Player Interaction Notes** - PCs encountering a member of the Blood Crown Guard should treat them as near-unkillable unless mythic-level play. - A mission involving the Guard likely centers around evasion, negotiation, or surviving an encounter — not defeating them directly. - However, players may uncover the secret of how one was made, track a lost former member, or even witness a selection trial. --- **Known Members** - **[[The Red Bastion]]** – Commanding officer, wielder of the Queen’s Writblade. A CR 26 monster of mythic might. - **Serthiel the Hollow** – Silent executioner, once a monk who flayed his own emotions. - **Mireborn Cassavax** – Swamp-born knight who drinks venom instead of blood, resistant to toxins and radiant flame. - **Vhalor of the Thorn Flame** – Pyreblade duelist, marked with burned-in crimson runes. Others are unnamed, hidden, or presumed deceased — yet the number never drops below twelve for long. --- **Quote** > “They don’t guard the Queen. They _are_ the cost of touching her.” > — Whispered in a brothel two hours before the entire building was burned.