Shield: Usurper, Warmonger, Failure

Shield: Usurper, Warmonger, Failure is a god and the endgame boss of the Castle in In Celebration of Violence.

Appearence
Shield appears exactly as the many statues of him throughout the world depict him. He is a heavily armored knight, slightly larger than the player, and wielding a great hammer.

Behavior
Shield will begin attacking once the player approaches.Like with captain of the guard, if the player has killed any civilians from the previous stages, soldiers will spawn in the room with him. He has a handful of different attacks which while predictable, will do severe damage if they connect.
 * Hammer swing: Shield's basic melee strike. Behaves similar to how a player would swing the hammer.
 * Charging swing: Shield launches forward and swings his hammer in one fell swoop. This attack does heavy damage, and can easily one shot the player if they aren't careful.
 * Butt slam: Shield will bounce up and down several times in quick succession. Each landing will produce a shockwave similar to the ones used by Memories of a forgotten kingdom.
 * Berserker mode: Telegraphed by Shield screaming and turning red. His speed and damage will increase for several seconds.

Strategies
Shield possesses an impressive amount of armor and health and will not fall easily. Weapons that deal bleed damage(such as the scythe) are recommended as the bleed out will bypass armor, which can make the fight easier. In spite of his dashing, Shield is not very fast, and regular swings of his hammer take several seconds, leaving him quite vulnerable at times. It is also important to be weary of the pillars in the room as Shield can, and will, destroy them with his attacks.

Upon defeat, Shield will drop the Empty Tankard.

Trivia

 * Shield's appearance, weapon of choice, ability to destroy the pillars in the throne room, and the layout of the room itself all appear to be references to Executioner Smough from Dark Souls.