Lord Saladin

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Lord Saladin
Biographical information
Other name(s):	Bracus Forge (formerly) Valus Forge Valus Saladin Old Wolf (The Drifter)
Homeworld:	Earth
Species:	Human
Gender:	Male
Hair color:	Black
Eye color:	Brown
Political and military information
Affiliation:	Vanguard Iron Banner Imperial Cabal Iron War Beasts
Rank:	Iron Lord Valus Bracus (formerly)
Class:	Titan (Striker, Sunbreaker)
Notable info:	Hero of Twilight Gap Iron Banner handler One of the last members of the Iron Lords Member of Empress Caiatl's War Council

"I am the lone sentry. And my watch is eternal."

— Saladin Forge

Lord Saladin Forge is a Titan Guardian partnered with the Ghost Isirah and one of two known survivors of the original Iron Lords. He was one of the founders of the Iron Lords and helped end the Dark Age of Warlords to establish the City Age. However, most of his comrades perished in a battle to contain SIVA, causing Saladin to dedicate his life to maintaining a watch on the Plaguelands to ensure SIVA never emerged again while also fighting to protect the Last City from threats. In time, he established the Iron Banner to keep the memory of the fallen Iron Lords alive and train the new Guardians in the ways of old. When the House of Devils uncovered SIVA and unleashed it upon Old Russia, Saladin worked with The Young Wolf to end the threat of SIVA for good and begin a new generation of Iron Lords.

After sitting out of the Red War due to lacking his Light, Saladin watched for several years as the Vanguard struggled against new threats and the Arrival of the Black Fleet. When the Cabal Empress Caiatl arrived and sought to subjugate humanity, Saladin was tasked by Zavala with leading a strike force to keep her from rallying her forces. Later, following the reckless actions of the Crow during Season of the Risen, Saladin offered his life in Crow's place, becoming a Bracus in the Imperial Cabal ranks. However, Saladin's Guardian powers, combined with his great skill at combat, enabled him to rise to the rank of Valus. This occurred after his defeat of Guhrn Or'ohk, an Imperial Cabal Valus, in ritual combat, who had challenged Saladin's right to exist on an even footing with the Cabal in their Empire. He founded the Iron War Beasts faction of the Imperial Cabal and led them during the Battle of Titan.

Biography

Lord of Iron

Rise of the Iron Lords

"My Ghost woke me on the battlefields of Russia much like yours did. I quickly learned to deal death before it came for me."

— Saladin

Saladin was found and raised by his Ghost Isirah in Old Russia during the Dark Age, at which point most of humanity was scattered and lived under the ruthless rule of other Lightbearers who had become Warlords. Saladin befriended three other Risen who did not follow the Warlord's path: Radegast, Jolder, and Perun. Together under Radegast's leadership, they hid from the Warlords in isolated communities and feared other Lightbearers, and only occasionally struck against the oppressive rulers. When the mining community they were staying at was assaulted by five Warlords, Saladin and the others fought and killed them, but the civilians they sheltered with were all killed in the ensuing battle. As they buried the bodies, Saladin listened as Radegast declared they could no longer live in fear of the Warlords and must become Guardians of the people, gathering like-minded Risen to aid them. While Jolder and Perun suggested recruiting Bretomart and Deidris, Saladin told Radegast he trusted only him. Together, they declared themselves the Iron Lords and vowed to bring an end to the rule of the Warlords.

Saving Patch Run

Saladin battling the Fallen

"I make it my duty to patrol this area. I thought crushing that Fallen House every week would dissuade them. They keep returning."

— Saladin about defending Patch Run

As the Iron Lords began to recruit, Saladin left to defend the village of Patch Run from a Fallen House that frequently assaulted it. He was unexpectedly joined by Efrideet, a Lightbearer whom he did not entirely trust. As they finished off a band of Fallen on a cliffside near the town, Efrideet declared she was out of ammo, and Saladin stated that she could leave the rest to him. He dodged her question about why he did not trust her and rebuffed her interest in joining the Iron Lords by declaring that he was searching for more than just Lightbearers who could shoot. He turned towards the town and informed her that it had forty-three inhabitants, only half of whom were capable of fighting. Efrideet softly said that it was hardly even a village, but Saladin retorted that they lived a noble life. He admitted that they were under constant attack from a Fallen House in a nearby bunker that he routinely assaulted in hopes of driving them away, but so far, nothing had worked. As they spoke, a Fallen Skiff roared by and dropped a Walker into the field between the village and bunker. Without ammo, Saladin was at a loss for what to do, with the Walker being out of range of his Light powers and the time it would take to climb down surely dooming the village. However, Efrideet offered to throw him, causing Saladin to laugh until he realized she was serious and declared there was no dignity in that. She pointed out there was no dignity in letting the village die either.

Saladin agreed to Efrideet's plan and began to warn her not to miss as he gathered Arc energy around himself. He was cut off when she suddenly hoisted him over her head, gathering her Light for the throw. Their combined Arc Light caused the mountain to begin rumbling as she charged forward and launched Saladin through the air, and he tore across the sky and through the clouds as an Arc missile. Efrideet's aim proved true and Saladin destroyed the Walker, saving Patch Run. He was revived by his Ghost as Efrideet arrived at the field and mocked him for thinking she might miss. Admitting he had never seen her miss a shot before as he wondered what had taken her so long to reach him, Efrideet revealed that a few Fallen had survived the Arc strike. Alarmed, he asked where they were now, but she reassured him none had made it to the village. With newfound respect for Efrideet, Saladin admitted that someone with her skills and moral compass would be welcome in the Iron Lords. However, she only agreed to join if he promised she could throw him again if they ran out of ammo once more. He told Efrideet to meet them at Dwindler's Ridge and when she questioned how many of them there were he smirked and answered "a few".

Dragons and Warlords

"Why in the Traveler's crack did you wish to fight an actual DRAGON, old man?"
"We are knights, Lady Efrideet. Do you not want to be a dragon slayer?"

— Efrideet and Saladin after encountering an Ahamkara

Sometime after Saladin recruited Efrideet into the Iron Lords, they encountered an Ahamkara, which could grant wishes. Saladin wished to fight a dragon, which transformed the creature into a giant dragon that breathed fire. While Efrideet stayed back and fired on the creature with her rifle, Saladin closed in with his Iron Battle Axe to fight the dragon like a knight of old. He wounded the creature several times while dodging its flames, but his axe soon began to melt from the heat, although he judged it still had enough edge to cut the beast. Efrideet tried to get him to reconsider his strategy and questioned why he wished to fight a dragon. Grinning under his helmet, he shouted back that they were knights and he wanted to be a dragon slayer. Leaping at the roaring creature once more, Saladin yelled to his companion that they were what they survived.

With their recruits gathered, Saladin and his comrades began their campaign against the Warlords. They quickly developed a reputation as defenders of humanity, and several Warlords joined their cause, including Felwinter, who donated his stronghold on Felwinter Peak to be their headquarters. Saladin was amongst the most honored of the lords and frequently joined his comrades in combating the warlords by defending towns under their control. Alongside Radegast and Perun, he travelled to a village ruled by Warlord Segoth. They confronted him when Segoth arrived at the village to punish the citizens for sheltering the Iron Lords, holding higher ground as Segoth and eight of his followers arrived on Pikes in a narrow pass that only allowed three to approach at a time. Segoth derided them as "Iron Wolves", causing Saladin to shout at him to cease his insults, although Perun admitted she liked the moniker. Unamused, the Warlord ordered them to leave and declared the people there his, but they refused to abandon the civilians to his rule. As Segoth smiled and shrugged at their response, Saladin raised his shield at Perun's command alongside his two comrades as the hostile Lightbearers opened fire. Although the heavy fire pushed them back, their shields protected them, and the Iron Lords returned fire, quickly cutting down the trapped enemy. As Segoth revived, one of his bullets struck Radegast in the head, and Saladin provided covering fire for Perun to help his Ghost revive the Iron Lords leader. Each of the Iron Lords fell several times, but their shield wall never broke, and Segoth eventually retreated, vowing to kill them and all who aided them as the town cheered Saladin and his comrades.

Amongst the Risen who joined the ranks of the Iron Lords was Silimar, an old friend of Saladin. Saladin and the rest of the Iron Lords were confused by Silimar's constant building of a tower that he rebuilt every time it was assaulted by the Fallen and Warlords. After the eleventh time the tower was destroyed, Saladin met with Silimar in its ruins and, upon his friend's revival by his Ghost, questioned him about why he kept rebuilding and calling the tower doomed. Silimar rejected that term, deciding fated fit better, but Saladin suggested indefensible also worked. He declared only a fool would continue to rebuild a tower that kept being destroyed. However, Silimar declared that it was like them, being reborn every time they fell and that one day it would not fall and they would know the time was right. Saladin asked what they would know, and Silimar declared that it would mean it was safe to build a city to the sky.

Six Fronts

Saladin, Zavala and Shaxx defending the city.

"The Fallen's southern approach has broken. The City holds."

— Saladin after the battle

The efforts of the Iron Lords allowed the creation of the Last City under the protection of the Traveler. As thousands of survivors and Lightbearers flocked to the growing city, it became a target for the Fallen. Alongside his fellow Iron Lords, Saladin travelled to defend the Last City alongside its Guardians. Saladin commanded the city's southern walls during the Fallen assault, which nearly overwhelmed the Guardians' defences several times. However, the defenders eventually drove the Fallen armies into retreat. As communications were reestablished, Saladin heard Osiris, Saint-14, and Shaxx declare that each of their sectors was secure. As Shaxx announced he would march to reinforce the southern walls, Saladin informed them that he had broken the Fallen's assault and that the City was saved. As the defenders contemplated their victory, Shaxx joyously mocked the Fallen for believing they would simply wipe out the City, and Saladin joined the others in laughing. Osiris reported all fireteams were accounted for, and Saint credited the Titan Elriq for helping him save eight Guardians during dozens of charges against the Fallen. Saladin was impressed by the young Titan and asked how many times he had died in the fight, but Saint revealed that he and Elriq had both survived the battle without falling.

Fall of the Iron Lords

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"A battle was won. Heroes died. And our mistakes stayed here."

— Saladin Forge

Eventually, Saladin and his comrades discovered SIVA, a self-replicating nanotechnology created during the Golden Age. They believed it could be used to aid them in protecting humanity, but it turned against them. Unable to destroy the techno-virus, the Iron Lords sealed it beneath the earth. However, the virus claimed the Iron Lords, and Saladin was one of the only two to survive.

Encounter with Fera

"Thirty eight lives to spare one."

— Saladin Forge

Sometime after the fall of the Iron Lords, Saladin was tracking the origin point of a broadcast signal. Along the way, he got into a battle with risen thugs that ended in a draw. After getting revived by Isirah, Saladin was approached by a local man named Kepre, who begged Saladin to help his village, which was plagued by thieves. Saladin agreed and followed Kepre to his village. While searching for a pig that was stolen from the village, Saladin reached an antenna base that was used to spy on the villagers, where he found the stolen pig as well as its thief; a young, fearless girl named Fera. Saladin empathized with Fera's difficult situation and decided not to punish her. Saladin gave Fera a wolf talisman and asked her to protect the villagers and others she found. After letting Fera go, Saladin stormed the local warlord's encampment and brutally killed him and his soldiers.

Fifty years later, Saladin visited Kepre's village again. However, in place of the village, Saladin found only graves followed by rock piles and ground mounds until he reached a pit full of burnt corpses. In the scene, Saladin spotted a wolflike sigil, which filled him with rage. Saladin walked to the antenna base, where he discovered that someone had built a house next to it. Saladin entered the building and found Fera, now a grown woman and a packmaster. Sat on her throne while flanked by her men, Saladin confronted Fera about the massacre and was disgusted to discover that she became the area's warlord and had bled the village dry. Saladin realized that he had made the wrong choice and started killing Fera's men. A fight ensued, and Saladin killed both Fera and all of her men. Saladin decided that he would never give mercy to an enemy if that mercy came at the cost of mercy for their victim.

Battle of the Twilight Gap

"This battlefield is not your stage, Shaxx! This is not about glory!"

— Saladin to Shaxx as he disobeyed orders during the Battle of the Twilight Gap

When Andal received a report from Cayde-6 that the Kell of Kings was on the move, Lord Saladin questioned if he trusted Cayde, to which he replied that he trusted him with his life.

When an alliance of the Fallen Houses threatened the safety of the Last City, Saladin was selected to lead the City's defence during the upcoming battle alongside his students Lord Shaxx and Commander Zavala. The Fallen concentrated their assault on Twilight Gap, throwing wave after wave of soldiers towards humanity's last stronghold. As the battle turned against the Vanguard, Saladin ordered all fireteams to retreat to the Ridgeback District and to halt all advances, believing that the City was lost. However, Shaxx did not acknowledge the fallback order and instead advanced with his fireteams. Saladin angrily demanded that Shaxx fall back with the rest of the fireteams and told him that the battlefield was not his stage to win glory upon, but his student cut off their comms feed. Shaxx and his fireteam were able to hold their position on the Wall at Twilight Gap long enough for Saladin and Zavala to regroup the rest of their forces for a counterattack that drove the Fallen back and saved the Last City. Despite the City being saved, Saladin remained furious with Shaxx for disobeying his orders during the middle of battle. Their relationship became strained, although Saladin continued to remain on good terms with Zavala.

The Iron Banner

Saladin hosting the Iron Banner

Saladin eventually began to host Iron Banner events in the Last City's Crucible as a memorial to the sacrifices of the Iron Lords and to remind Guardians of their legacy. He was forced to cooperate with Shaxx at the behest of the Consensus to coordinate these events because his former pupil had become the head of the Crucible in the aftermath of the Twilight Gap. However, Saladin handled most of the logistics on his own and stayed far away from Shaxx. Others in the Tower tried to get Saladin, Shaxx, and Zavala to sit down and talk about the events of Twilight Gap to repair their friendship, but none of those efforts worked due to their stubbornness.

SIVA Crisis

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Saladin confronting the Devil Splicers

One year after the events of the Taken War, a technological mite was unearthed in Freehold, and began to infect Guardians. Saladin saw similarities to SIVA, and demanded Cayde-6 and Zavala to tell him everything the new about the mites.

Soon after, Fallen and the House of Devils managed to unearth SIVA, and their Splicers tried to harness the technology. Unable to defeat the mutant Devils on his own, Saladin began seeking out Guardians to help him form a new generation of the Iron Lords to end the threat of SIVA once and for all.

After guiding the Guardian into the Plaguelands and deep into Site 6 to shut down SIVA, remnants of the Iron Lords twisted by the technovirus attack in defence of the SIVA production chamber. After destroying the remnants and the chamber, the Guardian returns to Felwinter Peak, where Saladin gifts them a newly forged sword and names them the first of a new generation of Iron Lords.

Return to the Last City

"You and Zavala both know better. Is the City so desperate for allies that you've forgotten the Light? Forgotten what I have taught you? Look upon the Traveler. It is the only ally you will ever need."

— Lord Saladin, to the Young Wolf after they began using Stasis

After the Red War, Lord Saladin would return to the new Tower to once again host the Iron Banner tournament, having previously tasked Efrideet to do so during the SIVA Crisis. Saladin recently also displays distaste for Osiris due to his infamous exile of the Last City, and also further explains that it was Ikora Rey who reformed the Warlock order, not Osiris. After Rasputin was awakened on Mars and declared itself the guardian of humanity and the solar system, Saladin expressed deep concern for the situation. He told the Young Wolf that if it were up to him, the Vanguard would destroy the warmind.

After the arrival of the Black Fleet, some Guardians embraced the use of the Darkness infused powers of Stasis. Confronting the Guardian, Saladin criticized them for being among those using Stasis and Zavala for not punishing those who did. He insisted that the Light and the Traveler were the only allies they needed. Let his anger and frustration slip out, Saladin noted that the Drifter claimed that nothing could kill a Guardian quicker than another Guardian, a fact he agreed with and noted with disgust how the Last City had tried to rely on Rasputin before it failed against the Black Fleet and they meekly watched as the Darkness took four planets away from them. Leaning forward, Saladin issued a warning to the Guardian to ensure that they did not fall prey to their hubris while using Stasis, or it would not be the Darkness that came for them.

Clash of the Chosen

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Disrupting the Rites

Following the arrival of the Imperial Cabal, led by Empress Caiatl, in the Sol System, Saladin was asked by Commander Zavala to be the field commander of a task force dedicated to keeping the Cabal from reorganizing and starting a new war against humanity. Saladin eagerly agreed, regretting not having participated in the Red War, and was determined to wipe out the Cabal once and for all to prevent them from ever harming humanity again. Joining him on this task force was Vanguard Advisor Osiris, now Lightless since the loss of his Ghost Sagira, a new Hunter known as The Crow for reconnaissance, and Amanda Holliday to fly mission support.

Contacting the Guardian at the H.E.L.M., Saladin briefed them on their first mission. He complimented them on their first victory over Caiatl's forces on Nessus and noted that Osiris had informed him that they had interrupted a Cabal ritual known as the Rite of Proving, which Osiris had compared to the Crucible, although Saladin did not see the similarities. He noted that the remnants of the Red Legion sought to earn Caiatl's favour through the Rite and that that would exploit that by challenging every contender for the Empress's War Council and prevent any seats from being filled, preventing the Cabal from reorganizing and starting another full-scale war. Thanks to a report from Crow, Saladin had their next target lined up: Basilius the Golem, who was seeking Golden Age relics on Europa to offer to Caiatl in hopes of augmenting Cabal forces with cybernetic and Exo tech. Saladin ordered the Young Wolf to stop this plot and prevent the Cabal from creating an army of Exo-Legionaries. After Basilius's elimination, Saladin sent a message to the Guardian complimenting them on their efforts, but expressed frustration at Zavala's determination not to enter into total war against the Cabal. They would thus continue targeting other commanders vying for a seat on the Council and deal a death of a thousand cuts to the Cabal.