Lord Saladin Forge is a Titan Guardian and one of two known survivors of the original Iron Lords. He was one of the founders of the Iron Lords and helped end the Dark Age of Risen Warlords to establish the City Age. However, most of his comrades perished in a battle to contain SIVA, causing Saladin to dedicate his life to maintaining a watch on the Plaguelands to ensure SIVA never emerged again while also fighting to protect The Last City from threats. In time, he established the Iron Banner to keep the memory of the fallen Iron Lords alive and train the new Guardians in the ways of old. 

After sitting out of the Red War due to lacking his Light, Saladin watched for several years as the Vanguard struggled against new threats and the Arrival of the Black Fleet. When the Cabal Empress Caiatl arrived and sought to subjugate humanity, Saladin was tasked by Zavala with leading a strike force to keep her from rallying her forces.