Warden Wardens serve as a kind of law enforcement for several races in Azeroth . They keep members of their race in line , or are employed as guards , assassins , and bounty hunters . The most famous wardens are the wardens among the night elves ; the Warcraft III unit and RPG prestige class . Night elf wardens . Night elf wardens are elite members of the Watchers , the jailors and marshals of night elf society . Maiev was first to be given the rank of warden , which she later awarded to a select few who had proven their exceptional fighting abilities , tracking skills , and tenacity . The wardens are the most feared arm of the night elves ' wrath . These mystical assassins mete out justice , capture fugitives and carry out covert executions . Trained in martial arts , wardens command a fearsome and formidable range of abilities . Using a combination of cunning , stealth and tactical planning , a warden can shake even a large fighting force to its core . The mysterious wardens serve as the night elves ' special police force in Kalimdor . Set apart from the militant Sentinels , wardens are usually employed as jailors , assassins , and bounty hunters . When loosed upon escaped criminals , wardens employ a number of supernatural powers that enable them to recapture their prey and mete out the night elves ' justice . Wardens have a line of sight teleport ability called " blink , " which they can use to outmaneuver even the quickest of foes . They are stealthy and mystical individuals , using their shadowy abilities in ways much different than the Sentinels . They are adept at entering and exiting combat quickly and have a number of attacks that can quickly disable their opponents . Many wardens are women , though not all of them . Wardens dress in dark colors and favor cloaks , which move about them like shadows to further hide their presence . Wardens are deadly melee combatants , able to bring their opponents to their knees with a few quick attacks , then teleport to safety . Wardens are members of night elf culture and society . Many wardens are night elves and are members of the Alliance . They have been valuable additions to the night elves ' military for millennia . Theirs is an ancient tradition , focused on justice . In addition to some of their other roles , wardens ensure that law is kept in night elf lands . In modern times , they focus their skills on furthering night elf interests in the larger world , and keeping peace in northern Kalimdor . Historically , wardens are the most feared jailers and bounty hunters in night elf society . They keep watch on the most dangerous prisoners . If a prisoner escapes , wardens set out to retrieve him / her / it . The most famous warden is Maiev Shadowsong , the woman responsible for keeping the most dangerous prisoner in night elf history — Illidan Stormrage . Maiev failed in her duties , by allowing Tyrande Whisperwind to free Illidan , and because of this , she hunted Illidan across Azeroth and Outland to retrieve him . Her hunt and failure embittered her , and when Illidan bested her in Outland , Maiev was thought to have died alone and hollow on the alien , red world . Rather , she was captured by Illidan and jailed in Shadowmoon Valley . Maiev was freed from her prison through the aid of Akama , and from there , helped in the slaying of Illidan atop Black Temple . Illidan ' s last few words , " The huntress is nothing with out the hunt - you are nothing without me . " , haunted Maiev , and to this day , her whereabouts are unknown . Despite Maiev ' s failure , many young wardens see her as the epitome of dedication . Though her charge escaped , she pursued him across the worlds , giving up only when " death " prevented her from continuing her chase . Other wardens view Maiev with ambivalence , seeing her single - minded focus as responsible for her failure . Wardens traditionally remain in the night elf homeland , protecting their race ' s interests . Other wardens , usually young ones who learned their skills since the Third War , head out into the larger world as adventurers . They still seek to further night elf interests , perhaps by destroying demons and other traditional enemies . Others are on missions to capture certain individuals or groups of individuals . They may be charged with returning these creatures to Darnassus , or they may leave to slay them . They are night elf only , but it is conceivable that a night elf could teach the skills of a warden to a member of another race , but so far as anyone knows , this has never been done . All current wardens are members of the Alliance , though it is possible that a warden might break from the Alliance after learning her abilities . Night elves certainly don ' t train wardens who are not loyal to them . As the night elves special police force , they are tasked with maintaining the laws of their people and with pursuing and capturing their fugitives . Though staunch members of the Alliance , wardens are rarely seen outside night elf lands unless sent on a specific mission . When pursuing fugitives , however , they may work with other Alliance forces and can prove invaluable when navigating night elf territories . More than one Alliance commander has felt some disquiet upon meeting these fiercely independent , accomplished , focused women , but that discomfort often changes to admiration and even appreciation upon seeing the warden at work . Wardens often target key enemy figures who have attacked the night elves before , and their presence near a battlefield often means the upcoming elimination of a significant threat . Sometimes a warden allies with an Alliance force , staying with them and eliminating each major opponent the Alliance commander indicates . This usually occurs around night elf lands , where any invading force is a threat to their society . The warden ' s magic is drawn from conviction and belief in justice for the night elves . One of the deadliest abilities of the warden is her power to imbue a weapon with the wrath and justice of the night elves , upon a slashing or throwing weapon that she holds . The ultimate expression of the warden ' s spirit of justice and wrath is the summoning of a night elf spirit of vengeance . A warden can unleash an arsenal of blades and knives upon the unsuspecting . The warden can magically split a thrown knife to let loose a cascade of cutting terror upon her quarry . In Warcraft III . In " " , the Warden is a playable hero unit . The Warden can cast Blink , Fan of Knives ( point - blank Area of Effect ) , Shadow Strike , and can summon an Avatar of Vengeance that can resurrect dead units as Spirits of Vengeace . Warden ' s Moon Sword . Specially chosen wardens wield these circular slashing blades . The serrated , hoop - shaped moon sword is a deadly weapon for both subduing and executing the warden ' s quarry . Warden ' s Cloak . Specially constructed for the night elves ' wardens , these green velvet cloaks bear a fringe of deadly , razor - sharp blades along the hem , resembling the wings of an owl . Wardens learn to shift and swing the cloak dramatically , presenting the blade fringes to anyone who might get too close . The cloak is both a defensive measure against sneak attacks and a potent weapon for the warden when surrounded by enemies . It also provides numerous knife blades for the warden to use with her slicing torrent ability . Others . Alsa Iron - cell , The Iron Raven , Marin Bladewing , Shalis Darkhunter , Sira Moonwarden , Saithis , Malace Shade , Kiri Starstalker , Anaya Felgrove , Mirana Starlight , Felhala Starmoon , Nalmeena Darkfollow Gnoll wardens . See : Gnoll warden .