Invincibles Guild

Powerful. Noble. Chivalrous. Honorable. These are the noted traits of the Invincibles Guild, second only to the Griffins Guild in notoriety and respect in Obsidian Bay.

Overview

• City: Obsidian Bay
• Country: Domain of Obsidian Bay
• Leader: Jaxom Goldstrike
• Roster: 140

Powerful. Noble. Chivalrous. Honorable. These are the noted traits of the Invincibles Guild, second only to the Griffins Guild in notoriety and respect in Obsidian Bay.

It was founded in CY 554 by a strident band of individuals dedicated to driving the chaotic forces of evil from their home city’s peninsula. Many represented the first generation born and raised in Obsidian Bay, and as such, they had grown up bearing witness to the atrocities of the humanoids. These experiences – farms burned by orcs, families slaughtered by goblins, caravans raided by ogres – fueled a profound hatred of the barbarism surrounding the city, and the noble teachings of Heironeous provided them with the strength and wisdom to challenge the evil.

The first guildmaster of the Invincibles – called "commander" by its members – was Kaldern Solari, an Oerdian-Flan paladin of Heironeous. It was he who codified much of what would become the guild’s dogma, including its noted code of conduct, and its Trials of Ascension.

The Little Wars

The Invincibles cut their teeth through a series of military campaigns designed to secure the land within 30 miles of Obsidian Bay, defending frontier settlements and meticulously waging war against any organized humanoid bands that assaulted such outposts. By CY 560, the Invincibles cavalry was right fully feared by the Pomarjian savages, and – with the aid of the Griffin’s Guild and contingents of the City Guard – the city’s immediate domain was finally secured.

This action – often called the Little Wars by its veterans – saw the Invincibles champion the creation of the Citizens Guard, an elite all-volunteer militia comprised of the city’s most combat capable citizens and dedicated to the city’s defense. It’s an organization members of the Invincibles have proudly served in – and more often than not commanded – since its founding. The Little Wars endeared the Invincibles among the common people, but they would not earn true notoriety and recognition for another decade.

Against the Slavelords

In CY 571, one of the guild’s young lieutenants, a young paladin of Heironeous named Jaxom Goldstrike, led a group of Invincibles in an investigation of recent raids against frontier towns and shipping on the seaways. These assaults didn’t end with mere piracy or thuggery – instead the victims were carried off to destinations unknown, leaving behind abandoned, burning villages and sunken ships. All the evidence led to one conclusion: slavers were operating on the Pomarj.

Goldstrike learned that yellow-sailed ships operating on the Azure Sea and in the Wooly Bay were under the command of these "Slave Lords". The Invincibles set out to stop them and soon found themselves unexpectedly captured by these scum.

They were stripped of their belongings and given little more than loincloths to wear before being taken to the Slave Lords’ secret city in the heart of the Drachensgrab Hills. Denied their weapons, they instead relied on the moral strength of their oaths to outwit and overcome their captors, eventually leading their fellow slaves to freedom and overthrowing the Slave Lords with a pyrotechnic apocalypse wrought by an exploding volcano.

The freemen fled the expanding wave of destruction, and many – even those who had been stolen from the free city of Greyhawk and points north, chose to follow the Invincibles to Obsidian Bay to restart their lives.

Goldstrike’s triumphant return to Obsidian Bay ahead a column of hundreds of freed slaves thrust the Invincibles guild to new heights of respect and admiration. Their popularity rivaled even that of the Griffins Guild, the legendary adventuring guild that had founded the city decades earlier.

Having proved himself in the hell of the Drachensgrabs, Goldstrike continued his noble quest for glory, personally leading the Invincibles on assaults on humanoid strongholds, and even disappearing into the UnderOerth to battle the horrors that lurked there.

In 576 CY, Jaxom Goldstrike was unanimously elected to the position of Commander by the Orders. With the guild’s coffers filled with treasure secured from the vaults of the Slave Lords, and with his own fortune secure, Goldstrike decided to undertake a trio of building initiatives:

• the expansion and improvement of the Invincibles’ guild hall into something more representative of the guild’s status as a leading power in the city

• the construction of a countryside citadel to serve as a forward defense for the city, a training center for the guild, and retreat for the contemplation of the good life.

• the construction of his own fortress on the Pomarjian frontier.

The Golden Future

Goldstrike was successful in all of these endeavors, but in undertaking these construction projects he unwittingly gave the guild a new focus. Those who had adventured with him were similarly enriched by their assault on the Slave Lords and – following his example – proceeded to build fortified estates in and around Obsidian Bay. The guild’s first generation, already near retirement, followed suit as well.

Thus, the guild’s emphasis slowly shifted from battles on the far frontier to defensive actions closer to home, as they sought to protect their followers and lands. Within a few years, the leadership of the guild became more interested in the role of landed lords than that of forthright adventurers. While there were still epic battles to be had, especially during humanoid or monster attacks, and while they still gained considerable respect for their loyal service in the Citizens Guard and defending the city, it was never again quite so high as it was after the defeat of the Slave Lords.

As the years rolled on, Goldstrike became increasingly strident about enforcing the guild’s Code of Conduct and wielded his considerable influence to keep those who were not strict adherents of the lawful path to righteousness out of the guild. At the same time, plagued by nightmares of young men whom had died under his command over the years, he favored increasingly difficult requirements for admitting individuals to the guild, to the point that by CY 583, most new recruits were of at least the 4th level of ability.

The guild’s roster did not suffer under this policy – it had a full contingent of 200 members – but many of these members were growing long in the tooth, if not in body, then certainly in mind.

The War of Exile

When war broke out on the Pomarj with Turrosh Mak’s full-scale offensive against the free peoples of Greyhawk, Obsidian Bay and Principality of Ulek, the Invincibles were there on the front lines, battling back the invading scourge. Nearly 50 members of the guild died during the "Greyhawk Wars" and the guild was slow to replace them. Four years later, when the Scarlet Brotherhood worked with the nefarious "Dark Circle" thieves to overthrow the city’s rightful rulers, the Invincibles were there to fight the Scarlet One’s sahaughin and human forces.

As it became clear that the city was going to fall, and while other, less noble guilds were fleeing for their lives, the Invincibles fought a crucial delaying action that allowed the city’s citizens to escape into the countryside. Almost all of the Invincibles who remained in the city – 42 – died in the fighting. The rest had been dispatched into the field alongside Lady General Illandra Mooresend to challenge an advancing humanoid army that Obsidian Bay’s leaders had been the true threat to the city.

The surviving Invincibles guarded the Obsidian Bay refuges as they fled to Blue, and most took up the task of guarding that city from persistent humanoid raids. A few though, decided to take a page from the guild’s past and take the fight to the enemy.

Josef Warrick, a member of the Order of Swords and the son of General Stephan Warrick, the military governor of Obsidian Bay, led 40 Invincibles in an offensive that devastated band after band of humanoid. He used non-traditional tactics to spring or reverse humanoid traps and used any number of diversions to draw out the enemy onto the field of battle. His approach inspired grumbling among the veterans, who accused him of turning his back on tradition.

It also earned him admiration among certain factions of the guild. By the time of the Liberation of Obsidian Bay in CY 589, Warrick’s popularity had grown to the point where he was voted into the Order of Lances.

Warrick’s hopes for the Invincibles did not end with new battle tactics. Five years of fighting had seen 78 of the guild’s honored members killed or maimed, but the guild’s leadership – adhering to Commander Goldstrike’s exceptional standards and preference for experienced combatants – had only admitted 19 new recruits into the guild. Prior to his election to the Order of the Lance, Warrick had made no secret of his frustration with the guild’s slow recruitment.

A Rising Star

Since Warrick election he has made repeated arguments for the recruitment of competent – but less experienced – recruits. He’s also urged the recruitment of others like himself, who swear the guild’s oaths, serve the side of good … but who show respect –not slavish devotion – to the rule of law. He backs up his arguments by citing the guild’s founding charter, and its early history of righteous battles against evil, and has made significant headway against the undecided members of the guild.

For his part, Jaxom Goldstrike sees little wrong with the Invincibles. While the current roster is incomplete, he feels it is only a matter of time before proper recruits can be found. A rush to bring new individuals into the guild – flying in the face of so many years of tradition – can only lead to disaster. Rather than propose new initiatives, he points to the guild’s distinguished past, to its long series of victories defending all that is good and righteous in Obsidian Bay. He evokes the glories of days gone by … and much of the guild is content to revel in them.

The Invincibles Divided?

Now, at the dawn of CY 591, a war of wills is now being fought between the New Guard – represented by Warrick – and the Old Guard, as led by the venerable Jaxom Goldstrike. The two men would never do anything so barbaric as come to blows, but each is attempting to gather more support for his plans in the guild and each is sure that theirs is the proper path to victory.

People

• Jaxom Goldstrike, Commander of the Invincibles Guild: The noble leader of the Invincibles Guild.
• Erik St. Clarion: A guild field commander and veteran of its expedition to the Planes of Chaos during the War of Exile.
• Josef Warrick: A young upstart in the Invincibles who challenges its strict orthodoxy.

Sites

• Invincibles Guildhall: The high, guilded halls of the Invincibles Guild evoke their many victories on the battlefield, including their mid 570s-triumph over the vile Slave Lords of the Pomarj.

Statblocks

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