Guardians
Overview
Year Founded: 2016
Status: Disbanded
The Guardians were a collection of like-minded individuals working together to promote goodness and respect for their fellow man and the world around them. When they weren’t defending their community camps or fighting the good fight against the Cult of Papa, they could be found harvesting a garden, fishing near a pond, helping create a community camp, or providing guidance to travellers in the north eastern part of South Zagoria.
Alignment
The Guardians considered themselves Neutral Good. They acted as guides, helped grow food for others, hunted animals with respect, and defended those doing good here in Chernarus. Many of its members came from different backgrounds and areas but they were united in their efforts to recreate a good world.
Appearance
The Guardians did not strictly enforce a universal uniform requirement. However, most members of the Guardians typically wore earth tones including brown, green, and occasionally black. Almost all members wore our dyed teal/green armbands. Most members of the Guardians also did not wear anything that covers their faces including gas masks, face masks, and bandanas unless necessary.
Origins
The Guardians were originally started by a man named Jari, who gathered survivors that helped out at St. Joseph’s community camp. He would then form a group where they would help others and create other aid camps in the north. Camps were made all along the northern road from Sinistok to Svelojarsk, but eventually Jari decided to focus his efforts in the northeast, where locations could be attended to and protected regularly.
Territory
The Guardians were very prominent in the northeast, and due to the number of camps and interests they had there they could be found in many of the villages that dot this area of South Zagoria.
St. Joseph’s - The most important camp the Guardians maintained and defended was St. Joseph’s, which was a camp started by a different survivor named Friar Joseph before the Guardians were around.
Chernaya Polana - St. Joseph’s being in this village meant the Guardians were often wandering the streets of Chernaya Polana and guiding survivors who stumbled into town to the community camp.
Svetlojarsk - Being that this is the large coastal city in the northeast, the Guardians would regularly visit this town greeting survivors and checking for bandits. Toronto, originally a member of another group called the Saviors of Svetlojarsk, could be found in the city making sure it was safe for people passing through. Other community camps nearby included Camp Sunrise behind the cliffs north of the city, which was used as a Guardian getaway and for community events
Black Lake - Black Lake is a popular destination for survivors moving north to Svetlojarsk, and the lake was regularly used by Guardians for gatherings and summits with other survivor groups like the Brotherhood. This is also where Jari was buried after being killed on the church steps in Svetlojarsk, before being partially unearthed and exhumed by the Cult of Papa.
Goals
The overall goal of the Guardians was to help fellow survivors left in South Zagoria. To help achieve this goal, they wished to eventually work towards rebuilding the communities around the Northeast that were currently barren. Guardians wanted to provide the good men and women of South Zagoria a place that is safe and secure for them to begin helping in the rebuilding of society. Later goals also included bringing security to the northeast, which meant stopping groups like the Cult of Papa, Dark as Midnight, and the Gilligan Gang from attacking people there and destroying camps.
Values
Each member of the Guardians follows a set of values fit for themselves, but among them include set Guardian values. These included promoting independent survival through experience and education, respect for survivors and wildlife, and defense of those most vulnerable left in the world.
History
The Guardians started under Jari as a collective of survivors wanting to help others. They originally made community camps across the map, but eventually kept to the northeast and focused their efforts there. Due to their kind nature and willingness to help others, bandit groups and those who would bring them harm saw the group as an easy target. From the get-go, groups like Dark as Midnight would stop by St. Joseph’s and areas of the northeast to terrorize the locals. This led to the Guardians making alliances with other like-minded groups such as the Brotherhood of Fire (later known as the Fire Keepers), the Bridgeburners, and the Polana Trade Union in order to maintain a fragile peace up north.
In their journey to help rebuild the world, the Guardians also took on the creation of South Zagoria’s first full library. Despite several attacks and robberies by bandits, the library lasted many months and included participation from over a dozen different survivor groups, with even the cannibals and psychopaths of Dark as Midnight making donations. During this time and under relative peace, the Guardians briefly united with the Fire Keepers and Bridgeburners to form the Alliance of Three Fires - with the Fire Keepers remaining the Guardian’s closest ally despite the alliance’s short life, especially while its leader Joseph “Tex” Kirche was in charge.
The Gilligan Gang, led by the infamous Dr. Dirty Dan, would soon bring war to the Guardians in the northeast with their continued attacks on St. Joseph’s, even resulting in its temporary abandonment by the Guardians to regroup and plan. Heavy losses were suffered on both sides, and the war fundamentally caused Jari to become more paranoid and concerned with security in the area. This paranoia and desire to face conflicts with more direct force resulted in his assassination on the steps of the Svetlojarsk church by an old ally and friend of Toronto named Michael.
The Guardians went under multiple changes following Jari’s death - most notably, a move to a more isolated identity and protector of their territory under their new leader Kyle Peyton. Spats between rivals like the Forsaken Motorcycle Club, old allies like the Brotherhood and Shield, and old enemies like the Cult of Papa meant for tougher living, and several of its prominent members leaving (namely, leader Kyle after the birth of his son). Guardian member Tony took the helm and would reform the Guardians briefly into the Wardens, uniting with the Fire Keepers after their leader Tex Rockwolf died.
Under Tony’s leadership, the now-Wardens saw renewed strength and a continued security presence between Svetlojarsk and Severograd with the Fire Keepers. But with this came new challenges - including some not seen by the former Guardians. Their loyalty to the Fire Keepers was tested several times, as the Warden’s ally started being regularly hunted, attacked and questioned by members of Serdtse Volka and Shield over the death of a survivor named John Stalvern. Bandit groups like Rangers Chernarus also caused havoc, with near-daily attacks in the northeast testing the survivors and leading to hardship they had not seen since the days of the Gilligans.
In the end, the security of the northeast proved too much for the Guardians, and the group as a whole dissolved. Remnants of the group after their disbandment still remained, with individual members like Toronto telling stories of the Guardians until his untimely death. And of course, St. Joseph’s continues to thrive in the northeast as a testament to the survivors and good people in that region of South Zagoria - guardians of that sanctuary that remain if not Guardians in name.
Notable Members
Jari - Jari was the founder of the Guardians and creator of the first DUG library. He set the foundation for the group as one oriented in helping others and looking to rebuild a new, great world in South Zagoria. He also had close relationships with members of the Fire Keepers, especially Tex and Dixie.
Ryan - One of the founding members of the Guardians; he briefly served as leader after Jari’s death but his whereabouts have for long been a mystery.
Toronto - As a member of the Saviors of Svetlojarsk and later a Guardian, Toronto tended to the northeast for years after Jari’s death in honor of his friend and wanting to do good in the world.
Kyle Peyton - led the Guardian’s following Jari’s death. Kyle was able to expand the territory of the Guardians and build a closer relationship with the Fire Keepers.
Tony - Final leader of the Guardians after Kyle left South Zagoria. Tony continued to build upon the success of the Guardians and build additional allies and relationships with other survivor groups in the area. After the death of Tex Rockwolf, he briefly united the Guardians and Fire Keepers into a group called the Wardens.
Ferox - member of the Guardians who was best known for his prowess in battle and his hand to hand combat - skills often not attributed to most Guardians.
Leeroy Mickelson - Leeroy was a strange survivor who was most famous for his fish fries and telling people about his theories on the world, philosophy, and how the apocalypse came about. He was considered an emissary of the Guardians and talked about the group in his travels.
Relationships
The Fire Keepers - The Guardians had always had a strong, friendly relationship with Tex Rockwolf and the Fire Keepers. There were times when Jari, Kyle, or Tony didn’t agree with Tex’s strategy, but they were able to put aside these differences to protect the north.
The Black Sheep - Whether it was due to the nature of their groups, or their mutual love for camps, the Black Sheep and Guardians always “understood” each other if not the closest of relationships. Many varieties of crops were exchanged between the two groups, and in turn, friendly relations.
The Brotherhood - The Guardian relationship with the Brotherhood was always one mired with disagreements on strategy. Although there was a strong respect for each other and what they did, they were also both at odds due to the forceful, direct approach to handling cannibalism by the Brotherhood.
The Cult of Papa - The Guardians symbolized everything the Cult of Papa despised, and therefore were strong enemies of each other. Guardians often pursued Cultists to their death, and Cultists in return would attack places like St. Joseph’s.
Dark as Midnight - DAMN’s desire to make people do Hex the Immortal’s bidding did not sit well with Jari, and as a result DAMN was regularly paying the northeast a visit. Pumpkins harvested at St. Joseph’s were especially despised by the members of Dark as Midnight.
The Gilligan Gang - The Gilligan Gang brought a bloody war to the northeast that lasted for many weeks and resulted in several dozen survivors dead on both sides.
Black Paw & Serdtse Volka - Although their relationship had been a neutral or even friendly one for years, towards the end of the Guardian’s time in South Zagoria their relationship soured as Guardian’s hid information on the whereabouts of Fire Keeper Andi, who had killed John Stalvern.