Beast, Purple, Multi-Eyed Feline-Like Demon
Guardian is a purple, multi-eyed, feline-like demon tethered to a Glowing Tree. It holds a Blessed Branch in its mouth, believed to be one of the Blessed Branch sought to save settlements from encroaching darkness. The Guardian displays unnatural intellect, behaving with calculated hostility towards intruders, suggesting it is a corrupted or summoned being. The creature is known for its unique physiology, producing a gray, extremely cold viscous fluid, and features a Guardian's collar with a broken chain, indicating a prior connection to a Sacred Tree. Its intelligence allows it to reposition itself during tactical planning, complicating opponents' strategies, and its grappling ability enables it to ensnare targets from unexpected distances, presenting a significant threat in combat.
During an ambush against goblins, Draz executed a plan using highly Flammable Ooze from an ogre corpse, igniting it with a flaming arrow to create a large explosion that decimated several goblins. Following the ambush, Draz and his companions decided to split their routes for stealth. While scouting ahead on the upper path, Draz observed goblin mechanics below and avoided detection.
As the party advanced, they encountered a massive stone creature and engaged in combat with stonewraiths. Draz found that conventional weapons were ineffective against the stonewraiths. After several battles, the party discovered the Guardian at the Glowing Tree. Draz used Nature’s Tongue to communicate, but the Guardian responded with hostility, revealing its intelligent and malevolent nature. This interaction confirmed the Guardian's role as a protector of the tree, leading to negotiations with a Goblin Envoy proposing an alliance against it.
In an encounter, the Guardian advanced toward a group as they executed a plan involving Explosive Barrels. After sustaining severe injuries from a series of explosive detonations and subsequent attacks, the beast was ultimately defeated. Jamal delivered powerful blows with his warhammer, while Heyou decapitated the creature with daggers. Following its death, the party discovered the burnt and regrown Sacred Tree that the beast had protected, leading to inquiries about the tree's nature and the forces that had bound the Guardian to it.