Shield (Zodiac)
The Shield is the fourth sign in the Avarian zodiac. It is the birth sign for the month of Jirguz.
| Month | Jirguz |
| Ruling Element | Earth |
| Ruling Planet | Sun |
| Modality | Consonant |
| Ruling Trait | Endurance |
| Keywords | Protective, principled, defensive, stubborn, justice, conviction |
Description
The Shield is the great guardian of the zodiac, steadfast in its defense of both people and principles. Shields have powerful ideals and despise anything that hints of injustice, and they are ready and willing to stand up strongly for whatever they believe in. Injury to their own person, property, or reputation is of little matter to them compared to shielding others from harm.
Shields are highly motivated to protect those they care for, as well as those whom they perceive as being oppressed or unfortunate in life. Shields can stand their ground against great odds but also will proactively fight for their ideals, taking the battle into the field rather than simply waiting for the fight to come to them. They make devoted friends and partners, who stand by their loved ones through thick and thin. More negatively, they can be distinctly possessive and jealous, overly defensive when challenged, and do not change their minds readily. Sometimes stubborn beyond reason, they may destroy themselves for a lost cause if they feel it is the right thing to do.
Shields are not quick thinkers, but they can consider things carefully if they feel the need and have the opportunity to do so. If pressed to act before they have had time to think things through, they can come across as reckless, but this is simply because a Shield cannot stand to remain inactive if the things it cares for seem to be imperiled. Although a Shield will risk itself for others without a qualm, they can in fact be careful to protect themselves as well, knowing that if they come to harm they will no longer be able to stand as a bulwark in defense of others. Younger Shields tend to be more reckless than older ones, with their swift protective impulses not yet tempered by experience.
The Consonant Shield
Shields are blessed with great conviction as well as the energy and determination to see those convictions through. Secure in their sense of righteousness, Shields will battle through immense odds to achieve the outcome they believe is right. They can however be dogmatic and inflexible, and it can be very difficult to make them change their mind or perceive that they might even be wrong in the first place.
The Shield Constellation
The Shield is a collection of six stars arranged in a rough circle, with the brighter reddish star Dirgaub in its center. None too bright as a whole, the constellation is most easily found by sighting down the arched back of its neighboring constellation the Porpoise. It is best seen in the spring, reaching its zenith in the eleventh month of Nimrus.