“The Lilus Guardian remains to this day one of the most crucial innovations for the Empire. This small device, with its capacity to neutralise most common magic without the wearer possessing the gift of weaving, has permanently shifted the dynamics of warfare. Many have forgotten the days when the balance of power between armies was measured by the strength of their mages. Many have forgotten the days when soldiers were but bodies to be thrown against each other, while the mages set about ripping each other apart until only one side remained to annihilate the hapless soldiers of the fallen mages at ease.

Despite the unprecedented value of the Lilus Guardian, the disdain for the artificers who construct these small devices persists within many circles of magi to this day. Perhaps the contempt stems from an anxiety over a perceived impending obsolescence by these devices and their makers, or perhaps it is rooted in the philosophical and fundamentalist belief that weaving magic should be reserved for the individual and not the device. It may well stem from a combination of both these factors. It is worth mentioning, however, that not all who weave magic share this sentiment, particularly within the higher echelons of mages, as the magics woven by such individuals can reach layers of complexity considered by most to be near impossible to replicate through artificing.

If not for the substantial cost and lengthy process involved in crafting a Lilus Guardian, not to mention the scarcity of talent in artificing, the expansion of the empire's industrial and military sectors would be far greater than they are today.”

~ Maello, Imperial Historian of Benemor.

The Lilus Guardian has its roots in the world of Gastor. A relic of a different age was discovered during an expedition led by Captain Rodran in the year 40AF, or 3106 of the old calendar, in the ancient ruins of Lilusimys, a mere quarter-century after the discovery of gates. When it arrived at the Empire's capital, it immediately became the subject of intense scrutiny.

During this time, Yorbin, a rather brilliant junior mage and academic, who would come to be known as the Father of Artificing and would later head the academy's research department, was cultivating a theory that suggested magic possessed a form of material essence in its purest form, and thus making it possible, in theory, to replicate its woven effects through physical means, given the correct materials.

Yorbin dedicated three years of his life to the rigorous research of the relic and succeeded in not only creating a very crude imitation of the relic and its shielding effect, but, more significantly, in unlocking the fundamental theorems of magical law. His findings ultimately formed the groundwork for magical artificing, leading to significant advancements in both the military and industrial sectors of the empire.

The first replicas, though ten times larger than the original, required the power of many accomplished mages channelling power through it in order to generate a magical shield comparable to that of a single low-rank battlemage. Within a year, numerous improvements to the design, including an integrated crystal energy source, were made to the device, which led to a substantial reduction in its size and a massive increase in its efficiency and power. Within two years, it became small enough for individual use, and shortly after that, it was introduced into the Imperial military. The Empire’s elite Pos Gurit were the only branch of the military to be equipped with the portable variant of the Lilus Guardian.

Its debut in warfare proved instrumental in achieving a swift victory at the Battle of Balamin. With the help of a charge of heavy cavalry, a Pos Gurit squad managed to cut a path to the command of the Catyllo Magistrate and rush high mage Fornus, taking him by surprise, as his magic was harmlessly negated, and before he could recover from the shock and weave a stronger spell, was impaled by four blades and died shortly after. Surviving witnesses report that the act itself was enough to cause the Magistrate, in its religious fervour, to deem that their god had forsaken them, and in his anger had stripped Formus’ magic from him in his time of need, and caused them to surrender out of despair, unaware that the small device on the soldier's sword belt had neutralised the weak magic attack.

Despite the many improvements to the manufacturing of the device, the high cost of the Lilus Guardian comes from both the skill required and the expense and rarity of the materials needed. The device demands precision, time, and complexity in order for the magic spell to be woven correctly. The minuscule complex weaves of metal inside the device must be arranged with perfect accuracy to mirror the weaves used by magic casters. A single incorrect bend or slight alteration of width in the strips of metal can result in either a non-functional device or, worse, an undesired and often fatal effect when magic is channelled through it.

Only the master artificers, such as Albraent, are skilled enough to make these devices. And even then, with a full team behind them, it takes almost a year to produce a single Lilus Guardian.

“The Lilus Guardian remains to this day one of the most crucial innovations for the Empire. This small device, with its capacity to neutralise most common magic without the wearer possessing the gift of weaving, has permanently shifted the dynamics of warfare. Many have forgotten the days when the balance of power between armies was measured by the strength of their mages. Many have forgotten the days when soldiers were but bodies to be thrown against each other, while the mages set about ripping each other apart until only one side remained to annihilate the hapless soldiers of the fallen mages at ease.

Despite the unprecedented value of the Lilus Guardian, the disdain for the artificers who construct these small devices persists within many circles of magi to this day. Perhaps the contempt stems from an anxiety over a perceived impending obsolescence by these devices and their makers, or perhaps it is rooted in the philosophical and fundamentalist belief that weaving magic should be reserved for the individual and not the device. It may well stem from a combination of both these factors. It is worth mentioning, however, that not all who weave magic share this sentiment, particularly within the higher echelons of mages, as the magics woven by such individuals can reach layers of complexity considered by most to be near impossible to replicate through artificing.

If not for the substantial cost and lengthy process involved in crafting a Lilus Guardian, not to mention the scarcity of talent in artificing, the expansion of the empire's industrial and military sectors would be far greater than they are today.”

~ Maello, Imperial Historian of Benemor.

The Lilus Guardian has its roots in the world of Gastor. A relic of a different age was discovered during an expedition led by Captain Rodran in the year 40AF, or 3106 of the old calendar, in the ancient ruins of Lilusimys, a mere quarter-century after the discovery of gates. When it arrived at the Empire's capital, it immediately became the subject of intense scrutiny.

During this time, Yorbin, a rather brilliant junior mage and academic, who would come to be known as the Father of Artificing and would later head the academy's research department, was cultivating a theory that suggested magic possessed a form of material essence in its purest form, and thus making it possible, in theory, to replicate its woven effects through physical means, given the correct materials.

Yorbin dedicated three years of his life to the rigorous research of the relic and succeeded in not only creating a very crude imitation of the relic and its shielding effect, but, more significantly, in unlocking the fundamental theorems of magical law. His findings ultimately formed the groundwork for magical artificing, leading to significant advancements in both the military and industrial sectors of the empire.

The first replicas, though ten times larger than the original, required the power of many accomplished mages channelling power through it in order to generate a magical shield comparable to that of a single low-rank battlemage. Within a year, numerous improvements to the design, including an integrated crystal energy source, were made to the device, which led to a substantial reduction in its size and a massive increase in its efficiency and power. Within two years, it became small enough for individual use, and shortly after that, it was introduced into the Imperial military. The Empire’s elite Pos Gurit were the only branch of the military to be equipped with the portable variant of the Lilus Guardian.

Its debut in warfare proved instrumental in achieving a swift victory at the Battle of Balamin. With the help of a charge of heavy cavalry, a Pos Gurit squad managed to cut a path to the command of the Catyllo Magistrate and rush high mage Fornus, taking him by surprise, as his magic was harmlessly negated, and before he could recover from the shock and weave a stronger spell, was impaled by four blades and died shortly after. Surviving witnesses report that the act itself was enough to cause the Magistrate, in its religious fervour, to deem that their god had forsaken them, and in his anger had stripped Formus’ magic from him in his time of need, and caused them to surrender out of despair, unaware that the small device on the soldier's sword belt had neutralised the weak magic attack.

Despite the many improvements to the manufacturing of the device, the high cost of the Lilus Guardian comes from both the skill required and the expense and rarity of the materials needed. The device demands precision, time, and complexity in order for the magic spell to be woven correctly. The minuscule complex weaves of metal inside the device must be arranged with perfect accuracy to mirror the weaves used by magic casters. A single incorrect bend or slight alteration of width in the strips of metal can result in either a non-functional device or, worse, an undesired and often fatal effect when magic is channelled through it.

Only the master artificers, such as Albraent, are skilled enough to make these devices. And even then, with a full team behind them, it takes almost a year to produce a single Lilus Guardian.