Champion of the Gilded Host
(colossus, mythic)
The Champion of the Gilded Host is a gold colossus created by the Vudran kingdom of Praramdav as a superweapon against Tarrasque.1
History
In -632 AR, Tarrasque emerged from the Pit of Gormuz in central Casmaron and laid waste to Ninshabur. The rajah of Praramdav feared that a Spawn of Rovagug might visit the same cataclysm upon his kingdom, and summoned hundreds of sages to his capital. The sages concluded that only a comparably large guardian could repel a Spawn's attack, and, pointing to Rovagug's destructive power, proclaimed that it must be made of gold, the purest, most infallible and incorruptible material.1
With study and divination revealing no weakness in Tarrasque, the rajah invaded many of his neighbours in order to fund the construction of this golden colossus. Within five years, the form of the colossus was complete, a dozen kingdoms were conquered, and a great army stood ready. However, further divination revealed that the Champion of the Gilded Host was still weaker than a Spawn of Rovagug, and the rajah, unwilling to abandon such an expensive weapon, continued to pour money into its improvement. Tarrasque never came.1
Without a great victory to justify the rajah's spending and aggression, Praramdav was unable to hold onto its new territory and collapsed into bankruptcy. Its successor kingdoms tried to melt down the Champion of the Gilded Host but only managed to split it into five nearly indestructible parts, each of which was claimed by each kingdom.1
Nearly a millennium later, the Spawn of Rovagug Kothogaz attacked Vudra. Three of the pieces were reunited, but Kothogaz scattered them in its rampage, and it was later defeated not by the colossus but by an army of priests. The head now resides in one of the maharajah's palaces in Vudra, though this component seems lifeless.1
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 . “Lost Treasures” in Lost Treasures, 23. Paizo Inc., 2014