Shield Archon
Creature 10Shield archons defend the fortresses of Heaven against fiendish incursions. They wield their spears and shields in massive formations capable of withstanding any onslaught. Beneath their armor, they are sheathed in skin of steel. Given their tremendous strength and imposing stature, shield archons are ideal guardians of the meek and are sometimes summoned to the Material Plane to ward off the attacks of great numbers of evildoers.
Archons are guardians of Heaven and enemies of chaos and evil. They openly fight back the spread of fiends but also quietly nurture the seeds of virtue within mortals, teaching the denizens of the Material Plane how to act with honor and integrity, enact just laws, and cast off sin and temptation.
Archons live in the immense seven-tiered mountain of Heaven. They manifest in the Garden at the mountain's peak from mortal souls who answer a mysterious voice. There they swear to forever serve the cause of justice and transform into their new archon forms. Intensely orderly in their metamorphosis, new archons begin as lantern archons or other lesser forms, transforming into ever-greater archons as their virtue and achievements grow. Each archon represents a particular virtue, such as hope, charity, justice, or courage, and they gain strength in the presence of mortals who exemplify this virtue. Due to their extremely lawful nature, archons sometimes find themselves at odds with azatas.