Iron Lords

Iron Lords
Overview
Domain(s):	The Last City Cosmodrome/Plaguelands Felwinter Peak
Type:	Military, Special forces
Functions:	Protect the Last City, Iron Temple, and citizens from harm.
Other name(s):	Lords of Iron
Engagements:	Warlord Conflict Six Fronts SIVA Crisis
Leadership:	Lord Radegast (deceased) Lady Perun (field commander; deceased) Lord Saladin Forge
Notable information:	One of the first groups of Risen to band together to maintain peace and equality.

"In the years after the Collapse, the world had no Guardians. It had only Iron Lords."

— Lord Saladin

The Iron Lords are a group of Guardians who are honored during the Iron Banner monthly Crucible event.

History

"Some know the legend. But no one truly knows how the Iron Lords died their final deaths. That was something you had to be there for. To witness. To remember. To know even heroes can die. And survival is not always a victory."

— Lord Saladin

In the time immediately following the Collapse, before the rise of the Vanguard and the Last City, some Risen chose not to protect humanity, but subjugate it. They became Warlords who ruled over vast swathes of Earth. Injustice reigned as the remnants of humankind struggled to survive under their tyranny. Eventually, Lightbearers with integrity chose to stand up to their cruel brethren and form the Iron Lords: the first Risen that could be called Guardians. As they triumphed over notorious Warlords, word of them spread. Noble Guardians continued to join the Iron Lords until they were an army, hundreds strong.

The Warlords could not match their strength and were deposed. To ensure their despotism was ended permanently, many Iron Lords inflicted final deaths by destroying their foes' Ghosts. Yet not every Warlord was slain. One former Warlord, Lord Felwinter, was swayed by the Iron Lords' message and decided to join their cause.

Following the Warlord conflict, the Iron Lords dedicated themselves to safeguarding survivors of the Collapse and restoring civilization. They helped raise the walls of the Last City and defended them in the massive Battle of Six Fronts, holding out against six Fallen approaches. Not a single front faltered. During this conflict, the Iron Lords were renowned for their combat prowess, cementing their legend.

Seeking a way to rebuild what was lost during the Collapse, they eventually found SIVA. Hoping it would be able to build ships and colonies, the Iron Lords pushed through the Cosmodrome despite Rasputin's desperate attempts to sway them and suffered the loss of hundreds of Lords to a combination of aerial strikes, a Frame army, and SIVA constructs. Ultimately, the venture would result in the loss of all save for Saladin Forge and Efrideet, who had disappeared to live in the wilds beyond the City. The eight Iron Lords who made it to SIVA's Replication Chamber, save for Lord Saladin, sacrificed themselves to contain the biomechanical plague by sealing themselves in the chamber before it had time to escape. The sacrifices of the most well-known Lords are honored at the Iron Temple atop Felwinter Peak, and celebrated in the Iron Banner tournament. The names of their signature weapons are lent to various Iron Banner equipment, such as the Felwinter's Lie Shotgun and the Jolder's Hammer Machine Gun.

Iron Wolves

"In our darkest hour, nine Iron Wolves emerged from the ruins."

— Wolfswood Cloak description.

The Iron Wolves were the second generation of the Iron Lords. They existed alongside the Lords and, like their senior counterparts, they were felled in what would become The Plaguelands in the quest to claim SIVA.

The Iron Banner is held in honor of both the Iron Lords and the Iron Wolves.

The New Age of Iron lords

After the horrific losses inflicted by SIVA, Saladin Forge knighted The Guardian and named them the first of the new generation of Iron Lords. They would once again serve as a beacon of hope for the Last City.

The Iron Lords

Living Lords

• Hunters
  • Efrideet
• Titans
  • Saladin Forge
• Other
  • The Guardian

Deceased Lords

• Hunters
  • Gheleon
  • Perun
• Titans
  • Jolder
  • Radegast
  • Silimar
• Warlocks
  • Skorri
  • Felwinter
  • Timur
• Other
  • Dryden
  • Orimund
  • Crimil
  • Frostmire
  • Jorum
  • Gunnora
  • Orewing

The Iron Wolves

Deceased Wolves

• Hunters
  • Deidris
  • Haakon
  • Weyloran
• Titans
  • Bretomart
  • Finnala
  • Tormod
• Warlocks
  • Ashraven
  • Colovance
  • Nirwen

Trivia

• The Iron Lords' classes were mostly speculated from the items of the Iron Banner, although new information from the Rise of Iron DLC confirmed them all.
• Radegast is the name of the slavic god of hospitality, but is better known as one of the five wizards from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
• Perun is the slavic god of thunder and lightning.
• Timur, also known as Tamerlane, was a 14th century Turkic-Mongol conqueror.
• There are several artifacts in Destiny named after the Iron Wolves that are available as random drops or as rewards from the monthly Iron Banner tournament. Unlike the artifacts for the Iron Lords, however, they give little to no information on the Wolves' classes.
• Saladin's namesake was the first Sultan of Egypt and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty.
• "Iron wolves", or simply "wolves", was originally a derogatory term used by Warlords when referring the Iron Lords. Why the Iron Wolves adopted the term is unknown, but they gave it a positive meaning.

Gallery

• 

  Titan Iron Lord

• 

  Warlock Iron Lord

• 

  Hunter Iron Lord

• 

  Titan Iron Lord with ornaments

List of appearances

• Destiny (First appearance)
• Destiny 2
• Destiny: Fall of Osiris