Temple guard is one of the kingdom's ordinary folk, sworn to guard and to heal. Training takes longer than for a common soldier, and the Barracks charge geld, mana and people for each. Its upkeep is mostly geld. Unpaid, it deserts; unneeded, it can be sent home.
It fights hand to hand behind a great shield, throws light from a distance and mends the wounds of those beside it.
Its affinity is Lumen, and its duty is protection. Lumen cultivators tell of the temple guards of Ysme of Lumen. Her relic, Greenmother's Ox, drank from her kingdom until her own wards grew thin. When Flint D. Rook broke his word and struck at those thin places, they say her guards stood where the wards had failed. They held for a while. They were too few.
Temple guards today are said to learn that story first: a ward is only as strong as whatever feeds it, and when it fails, someone must stand in the gap.
Player-visible facts
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack | 400 |
| Counter attack (defensive strike) | 75 |
| Hit points | 375 |
| Recruitment cost per unit | 230 geld, 0.75 mana, 2 population |
| Ordinary upkeep per unit per spent turn | 8 geld, 0.08 mana, 0 population |
| Can be dismissed | Yes |
These are base unit values. Battle reports show effective attack and hit points after current effects. Defence uses resistance; no single defence score is exposed.