The Eternal Wardens hail from the Alabaster City, a bustling metropolis which stands in stark contrast to the ashen wasteland that makes up the rest of their realm. The city is a host to countless Voidgates that allow the Wardens to travel to countless Planes, including Tyria and many more beyond it. The largest Voidgate in the Alabaster City lies in its very heart, sealed by the Warden God who has dedicated his entire being to keeping the gate shut, stopping what lies beyond it from venturing in.
There is no one alive who still knows the full truth of what lies beyond the gate, except for fragments of legend and speculation. All that is known for certain is that their God has dedicated his entire purpose to ensuring that the Voidgate remains shut. This task has slowly drained the Warden God’s power over the centuries, however, and the people of the city have long watched their God’s strength slowly fail.
In order to preserve the Warden God, his followers sacrifice thousands of souls each day to lend him strength. His most devoted and skilled followers are inducted into the order of Eternal Wardens and imbued with a portion of their God’s power. The Wardens venture out into several Planes to find worthy sacrifices, and either bring them to the Alabaster city alive, or capture their souls in lanterns to feed to their God.
During their travels, the Wardens discovered that a Havoc Daemon’s soul contains a portion of their god’s divine energy, and serves as a uniquely potent sacrifice for their own god. The Wardens started hunting Havoc Daemons through several Planes, eventually following the Havoc Gods to Tyria, arriving early in the Havoc Wars whilst pursuing the Havoc Gods. In Tyria, they helped win many battles, fighting alongside Tyrians and capturing many Daemons. When the Havoc Gods were sealed, the Eternal Wardens disappeared as suddenly as they came.
Now that the Great Rift has opened, and the Havoc Gods have been freed, the Wardens have returned to Tyria, viewing it as a hunting ground for capturing Daemons. However, they are now more careful fighting Daemons, not wishing them to be as badly defeated as they were, so as not to lose their source of souls. When necessary, they will even fight with other Tyrian factions, just to make sure that the Havoc Daemons are not driven to extinction.
How will you keep the gate sealed?
History
Ancient Devastation
Eternal Wardens do not come from Tyria, but a different Plane. Most of their Plane is barren and seems to have been utterly devastated. The only notable place on this Plane is the Alabaster City, which the Wardens call home.
The Warden God
Voidgate being held shut by the Warden God in the heart of the Alabaster City. No one knows what lies beyond the gate, only that the god has dedicated himself entirely to keeping it shut.
Sacrifice
A great deal of power is required to keep this Voidgate shut, and it is slowly draining the Warden God’s power. His followers must sacrifice thousands of souls each day in order to preserve their god.
Initiation
The Eternal Wardens choose new initiates from the most devoted and capable followers in the city. Those initiated into the Eternal Wardens are imbued with divine power through a series of rituals.
Hunters of Havoc
The Eternal Wardens are capturing souls, either living or trapped in lanterns, for their god. Because a Havoc Daemon’s soul contains an aspect of the Havoc Gods, they are valued far above mortal souls. The Wardens have hunted Havoc Daemons through several Planes, eventually following the Havoc Gods to Tyria.
Havoc Wars
The Eternal Wardens arrived in Tyria early in the Havoc Wars, as they followed the Havoc Gods. In Tyria, they helped win many battles, fighting alongside Northerners and the Great Alliance in order to capture Rift Daemons. When the Havoc Gods were sealed, the Eternal Wardens disappeared as suddenly as they came.
Intrigue
After the Havoc Gods were trapped, it became far more difficult for the Wardens to hunt, and they required far more sacrifices than before.
The Great Rift
When the Rift opened, the Wardens returned to Tyria. The Wardens viewed Tyria as a hunting ground, capturing Havoc Daemons. They are more careful fighting Daemons now, not wishing them to be as badly defeated as they were. They will even fight with other Tyrian factions to make sure that the Havoc Daemons are not driven to extinction.
Society
The Eternal Wardens are a caste of powerful, armour-clad warriors hailing from another Plane. They serve a being known as the Warden God, a deity who has been holding this door shut from time immemorial. They first appeared during the Havoc Wars and were instrumental in defeating the Havoc Gods, as they are relentless Daemon hunters. However, their god’s demands are unceasing and they will do anything to feed him, which has led them to attack other factions, tarnishing their reputation in Tyria. The Plane that the Eternal Wardens hail from is an immense, barren desert. In the middle of that desert stands a fortified city of white stone, nicknamed the Alabaster City. It is home to a vast population of servants and zealots, ruled over with absolute authority by the Eternal Wardens. All the city’s glimmering towers and wide avenues form a circle around the gigantic body of a god, silent and immobile, holding a trap door shut.
Chosen Champions
The Eternal Wardens are skilled warriors hand-picked from the City’s populace to serve their god. They are tight-lipped about what lies beyond the door, but they say that it is a grave danger to all of the Planes. When Wardens are initiated, they undergo a ritual that binds their spirit to that of their god and imbues them with a fraction of his power. Eternal Wardens are completely dedicated to their God and their mission, which is to feed him souls so that he can keep holding the door.
Alabaster City
Eternal Wardens are powerful beyond human limits, and some of them are larger than any man. They wear heavy armour, designed to strike fear in the hearts of mortals. Their weapons are imbued with an arcane energy that severs the soul from the body and sends it to their God. They tend to speak very little, having no patience for distractions. They form the ruling class of the Alabaster City, a cadre of warrior monks superior to all. When not out hunting or handling city matters, they spend their time training and meditating at the feet of the Warden God. They are not known for their humour. While the Alabaster City is home to many people, they all serve the Eternal Wardens. They are a people with a deep faith in their God’s mission. There is no official church, as the Wardens are literally the voice of their God and scoff at meaningless rituals. However, many cults have sprang and rooted themselves into popular culture, claiming to be able to interpret the will of the God based on small clues in his appearance, collecting anything the Wardens touched and keeping it as holy relics, and holding frenzied prayer sessions. The Eternal Wardens stride among this devout rabble, indifferent to them as long as they obey orders.
Seekers of Souls
The Warden God needs an inordinate amount of souls to be fed to him. He does not speak, but the Wardens can sense his needs and will stop at nothing to fulfil them. Daemon souls, being fragments of the Havoc Gods, are the Warden God’s preferred nourishment. This is why the Wardens arrived in Tyria during the Havoc Wars, as they chase the Havoc Gods across the Planes. However, when the Havoc Gods were trapped in the Orbs, the Wardens were left without their favourite prey and had to resort to taking the souls of other species. Ever since the Rift opened, they have resumed their Daemon hunting but are taking a more moderate approach, not wanting to risk driving the Daemons into hiding once more.
Monasteries
Eternal Wardens are sent out across the world to carry out specific missions. They often build fortified monasteries that evolve over time with their own specific heraldry and culture. Some of them have been there for centuries, their mission still not accomplished.
Valued Friends
When the Eternal Wardens arrived in Tyria during the last phase of the Havoc Wars, they were praised as heroes. Many Tyrians viewed them as saviours for helping to turn the tide against the Daemons. But, as the Havoc War ended, the Wardens found themselves deprived of Daemon souls. They requested recruits from Tyria, none of whom ever returned. Some were certain that the recruits were merely sent to aid others in distant Planes, but others were more suspicious. Rumours spread of them launching seemingly random attacks against those whom they had once saved.
The Wardens have regained some of their popularity with the appearance of Rift Daemons; but many Tyrians are wary of them, knowing that their souls may be demanded next. The Wardens are seen as a force of nature, hard to predict or resist, that can be useful or destructive.
The Wardens believe their actions are justified by necessity; if they fail to sustain their God, they claim that existence itself may be destroyed. This is a core precept that few of them ever put into question: being chosen by the Warden God is an honour, a reason to rejoice.
Fearsome Foes
Eternal Wardens have allied with many of the factions in Tyria at one point or another, appearing on the field of battle to aid them when it served their purposes. Beyond Daemons, the Warden God frequently demands souls with specific qualities, or even those of specific individuals. Sometimes they can be powerful beings, kings and wizards, and sometimes just from a particular species or location.
While the Wardens make powerful allies, one must be wary as the appetite of their God is ever changing.
