Iron Lords: Lady Jolder

> 8Jolder took a small pot of black liquid and a thin brush out of the chest, then stood in front of the shield and began lining her left eye with kohl. "Who’re they sending?"*

> *"Melig."*

> *"Do you know that, or do you just know?"*

 > *"Just know," Perun said. "Rience will figure we send you. So, how to respond? He thinks bigger is better. So, Melig."*

> *Jolder smiled. "Tell Rience he can send two. Otherwise—" Jolder finished the line of kohl with a flick of her wrist, leaving a sharp black wing at the corner of her eye. "My battle-paint will be for nothing."*

> *Perun chuckled drily, without smiling. "Not the best tactical move."*

> *"But it'd be more fun."*

> Excerpt from *Lady Jolder*

The heart of the Iron Lords, Lady Jolder was a human female Striker Titan, and another of the founding members of the Iron Lords. She and Saladin were extremely close, though the exact nature of their relationship is largely speculation.

Surprisingly, even with her prominent position amongst the Iron Lords, very little is actually known about Lady Jolder's deeds. Personal suspicion leads me to think that perhaps speaking of Jolder is too painful for Lord Saladin, thus he has shared less of that part of his story. What we do know, however, paints a pretty clear picture who she was as a person.

Jolder was a beacon of light, both literally and metaphorically. A Titan of incredible strength, she was the Iron Lords' chosen champion when the [Warlord Rience](https://www.ishtar-collective.net/cards/lady-jolder#lady-jolder) requested single combat as the challenge for his territory. In this case she even went as far as to demand two opponents so she wouldn't be wasting her battle-paint. On another occasion she was the first point of contact in an ambush on Fallen forces, the Iron Lords' plan described her attack as ["[splitting] 'em in half"](https://www.ishtar-collective.net/cards/lady-skorri#lady-jolder). She even earned a verse in Lady Skorri's Iron Song.

But more than her prowess in battle, Jolder was a source of inspiration to her friends and allies. When Saladin reflects on the memories of his fallen brothers and sisters, he remembers them for who they were, for their persistence, reasoning or strength. Jolder, however, he remembers for her smile.

[In her own words](https://www.ishtar-collective.net/items/memory-of-jolder):

> "If I am to die, let it be in battle, with weapons in my hands and laughter in my heart."

In the Iron Lords' fateful assault on the SIVA replication complex, Jolder was one of the 9 Iron Lords who survived until the final chambers. Lady Jolder tore through the flood of SIVA mightily, wielding her mighty Hammer, the fabled machine gun she carried. But with their doom imminent, Jolder sealed the chamber and detonated it, sealing herself and seven other of the remaining Iron lords inside, all but Saladin. Jolder's sacrifice sealed away the threat of SIVA, but Saladin was nearly broken by her loss.

Sadly, Jolder's end did not come as she wished. Held within the chambers her body was infected and consumed by SIVA, corrupting her form into a twisted construct. There she remained, until she was destroyed by the Guardian 400 years later, finally left to rest.

Now her helmet rests in the Iron Temple, placed reverently before her statue by Lord Saladin, who has finally come to peace with her loss. Though he would never show it, I suspect that in recent times, Jolder's smile has briefly flickered once more on the face of the tired keeper of the Iron Temple.

---

[Part 1: Lord Felwinter](https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/98050g/in_honor_of_the_last_iron_banner_of_year_1_im/)

[Part 2: Lord Saladin](https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/986w6y/continuing_my_series_on_the_lore_of_the_iron/)