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Description
[UPDATE: I decided I wanted to update Paladin's portrait, and here we are! You can still see the original down below for comparison.]

Introducing...

The Luminous Paragon...

The Golden Wonder...

The Light Guardian...

The Hyperion-Lion...

The guy who giggles every time somebody calls him "Tighty Whitey"....

PALADIN.

Striker is the Batman of my series. Glimmer is the Wonder Woman. Paladin here is the Superman. He is Diamond City's very first superhero, appearing 22 years before the start of my story. The very first act of superheroism the lion committed was to save the life of a one-year-old German Shepherd, and he has saved countless lives ever since. Paladin is by far the most respected of the Guardians (a team of superheroes he founded and became the leader of), and he is also the most mysterious... even to himself.

The lion has no memory of the first 20 years of his life. He has no idea who his parents were, if he has any family or friends, or what his name used to be. All he remembers, is that he woke up one day to find himself in the modest temple of The Four Masters (a dragon, a qilin, a phoenix and a kitsune who're world famous as "superhero trainers"). They told him that they had been caring for his comatose body for the past 20 years, and that during that time, he had not aged.

The Four Masters wondered if the young lion was immortal like they were (they're all at least 1000 years old, give or take), but after close observation, realized that now he was awake, the lion (whom they gave the name "Richard Heart") was beginning to age... but at half the rate of a normal person.

For the next 10 years, the Four Masters took on the role of Richard's mentors... and to some extent, his fathers, as they studied, developed and refined all the powers he was soon able to exhibit.

Richard could fly. He was super strong. Super fast. Could take a lot of damage and heal quickly. And if that weren't enough, he had "light powers." He could shoot golden light from his hands or eyes, golden light that would only cause damage to anyone or anything that he intended. Meaning that he could never harm anyone by accident.

At the end of this decade of training, the Four Masters decided that Richard should leave their care and make a new life for himself. They figured he should try Diamond City, a sprawling metropolis on the West Coast of America. It was a *huge* city, filled with all kinds of business opportunities... both legit and criminal. It was becoming a hotbed for villainous activity, and was begging for a superhero to come help keep things from getting out of control.

At first, Richard didn't know if the superhero life was right for him. Sure, he had the powers, he had the training, but that didn't necessarily mean he was a superhero, or even a regular hero, deep down...

...until he witnessed the kidnapping and ransom of that one-year-old German Shepherd I mentioned earlier.

The lion stepped in, rescued the baby and turned the kidnappers over to justice. And that's when he knew... he wasn't the type to stand idly by while wrong was being committed. He had to take up the mantle of a superhero and help however, wherever and whenever he could.

Somewhere along the way, he put together a costume and gained a new name: Paladin. He was the first Guardian of Diamond City, and certainly not the last!

Paladin (c)

Description
[UPDATE: I decided I wanted to update Paladin's portrait, and here we are! You can still see the original down below for comparison.]

Introducing...

The Luminous Paragon...

The Golden Wonder...

The Light Guardian...

The Hyperion-Lion...

The guy who giggles every time somebody calls him "Tighty Whitey"....

PALADIN.

Striker is the Batman of my series. Glimmer is the Wonder Woman. Paladin here is the Superman. He is Diamond City's very first superhero, appearing 22 years before the start of my story. The very first act of superheroism the lion committed was to save the life of a one-year-old German Shepherd, and he has saved countless lives ever since. Paladin is by far the most respected of the Guardians (a team of superheroes he founded and became the leader of), and he is also the most mysterious... even to himself.

The lion has no memory of the first 20 years of his life. He has no idea who his parents were, if he has any family or friends, or what his name used to be. All he remembers, is that he woke up one day to find himself in the modest temple of The Four Masters (a dragon, a qilin, a phoenix and a kitsune who're world famous as "superhero trainers"). They told him that they had been caring for his comatose body for the past 20 years, and that during that time, he had not aged.

The Four Masters wondered if the young lion was immortal like they were (they're all at least 1000 years old, give or take), but after close observation, realized that now he was awake, the lion (whom they gave the name "Richard Heart") was beginning to age... but at half the rate of a normal person.

For the next 10 years, the Four Masters took on the role of Richard's mentors... and to some extent, his fathers, as they studied, developed and refined all the powers he was soon able to exhibit.

Richard could fly. He was super strong. Super fast. Could take a lot of damage and heal quickly. And if that weren't enough, he had "light powers." He could shoot golden light from his hands or eyes, golden light that would only cause damage to anyone or anything that he intended. Meaning that he could never harm anyone by accident.

At the end of this decade of training, the Four Masters decided that Richard should leave their care and make a new life for himself. They figured he should try Diamond City, a sprawling metropolis on the West Coast of America. It was a *huge* city, filled with all kinds of business opportunities... both legit and criminal. It was becoming a hotbed for villainous activity, and was begging for a superhero to come help keep things from getting out of control.

At first, Richard didn't know if the superhero life was right for him. Sure, he had the powers, he had the training, but that didn't necessarily mean he was a superhero, or even a regular hero, deep down...

...until he witnessed the kidnapping and ransom of that one-year-old German Shepherd I mentioned earlier.

The lion stepped in, rescued the baby and turned the kidnappers over to justice. And that's when he knew... he wasn't the type to stand idly by while wrong was being committed. He had to take up the mantle of a superhero and help however, wherever and whenever he could.

Somewhere along the way, he put together a costume and gained a new name: Paladin. He was the first Guardian of Diamond City, and certainly not the last!

Paladin (c)