Cardians  

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Cardians: Animated Soliders of Windurst Origins of the Cardians

Cardians: Animated Soliders of Windurst

The Cardians are automated, cloth-and-straw soldiers built to reinforce the security and military power of the Federation of Windurst. In the present day, they patrol the streets of Windurst and stand guard at gates and residential areas. Rogue factions of Cardians, believed to have gone awry during the Crystal War, roam the depths of the Horutoto Ruins.

Cardians are built in the Manustery in Windurst Woods under the direction of the tarutaru Apururu. Adventurers are often recruited to furnish Windurst with supplies needed to build Cardians. The Cardians are animated by rare, mana-infused orbs that can only be recharged in the Horutoto Ruins of East Sarutabaruta.

Origins of the Cardians

The year was 855 of the Crystal Era when word of the Shadow Lord reached the Federation of Windurst. The nations of Vana'diel reacted by assembling troops and consolidating power in Jeuno. However, the Shadow Lord was building an army too. And in 859 CE, the Shadow Lord won the allegiance of the Yagudo Theocracy -- the sworn and nearby enemy of the Federation of Windurst. Two years later, the Crystal War began.

Early in the war during a Windurstian Parliament meeting, the Warlock Warlord raised concern about a lack of front-line troops in the Federation's army. The tarutaru Zonpa-Zippa, director of the Manustery, took the Warlock Warlord's concerns to heart.

Zonpa-Zippa was educated in the magic of "life seal," which is the art of bringing inanimate objects to life. He was determined to use this knowledge to create magically powered soldiers. His first attempts resulted in oddly shaped (and arguably deformed) creations. The legendary taru Karaha-Baruha recommended that the creations be simplified. That's what Zonpa-Zippa did; and thus the Cardian was invented.

The Cardians were a crucial component of the Federation's military during the heat of the Crystal War. Although second in might to the Federation's Warlock Warlords, the Cardians proved to be valuable ground reinforcements that helped save the nation from the Shadow Lord's massive armies.

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