Warden

The mysterious wardens serve as the night elves' special police force in Kalimdor. They are elite members of the Watchers, the jailors, and marshals of night elf society,The Warcraft Encyclopedia/Watchers and the highest rank that can be bestowed on a Watcher.A Time to Reflect Maiev Shadowsong 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.
Set apart from the militant Sentinels, wardens are usually employed as jailors, assassins, and bounty hunters.Warcraft III - Warden description 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 notably wield umbra crescents and typical glaives. They also use owls for recon.When starting Warden World Quests: 
==History==
===Third War===
In Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, 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 Vengeance.
Maiev Shadowsong, the only warden to appear in the campaign, led a group known as the Watchers.
===Cataclysm===
The wardens have a presence at the Molten Front in the Firelands as the Shadow Wardens, and went to the assistance of Malfurion Stormrage and the Guardians of Hyjal at their behest.The Shadow Wardens Their leader, Captain Saynna Stormrunner, commands Barrow Deeps Watchers that are stationed at Mount Hyjal.
===Warlords of Draenor===
A contingent of wardens, including Cordana Felsong, was sent by Maiev Shadowsong to accompany and protect Archmage Khadgar on the alternate Draenor,The Tomb of Sargeras establishing Starfall Outpost, stationing themselves at Yrel's Watch, and affiliating themselves with the other night elves and the Alliance. Cordana was, however, corrupted by and joined the Burning Legion's side.
===Legion===
The wardens have a presence on the Broken Isles as a faction. The Legion initially overran the Vault of the Wardens and killed most of Maiev's wardens.Maiev Shadowsong gossip text during demon hunter questline: "The Burning Legion has overrun the vault and most of my wardens are dead. That's why I'm setting you free. No one kills demons like you, <name>." The few remaining members searched for Maiev's whereabouts, to little avail, until her brother Jarod Shadowsong finally found and rescued her at Black Rook Hold. After Maiev was captured by the demons, Sira Moonwarden became the Wardens' leader in her absence.Deal With It Personally
Based out of the Isle of the Watchers, the vast majority of the Wardens' ranks have seemingly been decimated by the Legion,Vault of the Wardens: A Grim Matter making it necessary for them to train new recruits, and to directly ask adventurers to hunt down prisoners who have escaped from the Vault of the Wardens.Warden quests They also worked with the Illidari, their former prisoners, against the Legion,Working With the Wardens and Maiev herself cooperated with Illidan Stormrage at the Tomb of Sargeras.
The Wardens maintained several Warden Towers scattered throughout the Broken Isles. Following the creation of the Armies of Legionfall, members of the Wardens, including the now freed Maiev and several Warden Vigilants, joined the faction and participated in the Assault on Broken Shore.
===Battle for Azeroth===
Following the War of the Thorns, Maiev and Sira journeyed to Stormwind to ask Anduin Wrynn for aid against the Horde after the Burning of Teldrassil.On Whispered Winds Most of the major surviving Wardens followed Maiev and Shandris Feathermoon to Darkshore, where they defended Tyrande Whisperwind during the Night Warrior ritual alongside other kaldorei and Alliance forces at Bashal'Aran.In Darkest Night
Several night elven wardens were slain and raised into undeath by the Forsaken under the orders of Sylvanas Windrunner, despite the best efforts of Tyrande Whisperwind and Malfurion Stormrage. Embittered that Elune and the night elves had allowed such a fate to befall upon them, Dark Wardens such as Sira Moonwarden and Lyani Shadestalker joined the Forsaken in order to get vengeance.
The wardens participated in the Battle for Darkshore, where Maiev and Sira served as the commanders of the Alliance and Horde forces. Under Maiev's leadership, the Alliance ultimately claimed victory and re-took the region from the Horde, with Bashal'Aran as their new stronghold,BlizzCon 2019: Q&A panel while Sira and her forces escaped.
===Shadows Rising===
In the aftermath of the Fourth War, Sira abandoned the Horde to serve Sylvanas Windrunner, only to be captured and sent to the Stockades, where she was subsequently interrogated by Tyrande, Maiev, and Shandris.Shadows Rising It is unknown if the Horde still has wardens in their service.
==Known members==
Name 	Role 	Location 	Status
Maiev Shadowsong 	Current leader of the Wardens, fought as the Alliance commander in the Battle for Darkshore	Various 	
Marin Bladewing 	Quartermaster of the Wardens 	Bashal'Aran, Darkshore 	
Shalis Darkhunter 	Member of the Wardens 	Bashal'Aran, Darkshore 	
Mirana Starlight 	Member of the Wardens 	Bashal'Aran, Darkshore 	
Drelanim Whisperwind	Member of the Wardens 	Bashal'Aran, Darkshore 	
Malace Shade 	Member of the Wardens 	Bashal'Aran, Darkshore 	
Saynna Stormrunner 	Captain and leader of the Shadow Wardens, formerly keeper of Fandral Staghelm 	Hyjal Barrow Dens, Mount Hyjal	
Jin Featherfall 	Member of the Wardens 	Vault of the Wardens 	
Vela Steelsong 	Member of the Wardens 	Vault of the Wardens 	
*Blackhawk and Saria Nightwatcher were apparently Wardens, from which several Warden Towers in the Broken Isles were named after, but have yet to appear in-game. 
===Former members===
Name 	Role 	Location 	Status
Lyani Shadestalker	Dark Warden raised by the Val'kyr to serve Sylvanas, fought the Alliance in the Underhold 	Underhold, Orgrimmar	
Sira Moonwarden 	Dark Warden raised by the Val'kyr to serve Sylvanas, fought in the Battle for Darkshore; captured and sent to the Stockades after the Fourth War	Stormwind Stockades 	
Cordana Felsong 	Former Warden of the Watchers and Khadgar's bodyguard, corrupted by Gul'dan into a agent of the Burning Legion 	Various 	
===Others===
Alsa Iron-cell, The Iron Raven, Saithis, Kiri Starstalker, Anaya Felgrove, Felhala Starmoon, Nalmeena Darkfollow
==In the RPG==
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.Magic & Mayhem, pg. 53
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 (in)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, as all know, and hunted Illidan across Azeroth and Outland to retrieve him. Her hunt and failure embittered her, and when Illidan bested her in Outland, Maiev died alone and hollow on an alien, red world, or so it was believed. In fact, she was actually captured by Illidan however she breaks free with aid from Akama and aids a group of adventurers slay Illidan. After which her fate is unknown as she admits that without him she is nothing.
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.Alliance Player's Guide, pg. 68
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.Alliance Player's Guide, pg. 190-191
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.Magic & Mayhem, pg. 53-54
===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. In World of Warcraft, those blades have slightly-shining green aura.Magic & Mayhem, pg. 129
===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.Magic & Mayhem, pg. 154
==Trivia==
*All around the Broken Isles are six towers named after wardens: Cordana's Apex, Blackhawk's Bulwark, Whisperwind's Citadel, Starstalker's Point, Darkfollow's Spire and Nightwatcher's Perch. They are PvP objectives.
*The player can transform into a Warden using Sira's Extra Cloak, a very rare item from Warden's Supply Kit.
==Speculation==
===Watchers and The Wardens===
==Gallery==
;World of Warcraft
File:Original Warden model.jpg|Original model from The Burning Crusade
File:Barrow Deeps Watcher.jpg|Alternate model from Cataclysm
File:Maiev Shadowsong legion model.jpg|Updated model from Legion 
File:Malace Shade Legion.jpg|Alternate, new model from Legion
File:CordanaC.jpg|The fel-corrupted Cordana Felsong
File:Sira Moonwarden Dark Warden.jpg|Undead Dark Warden Sira Moonwarden
File:Cataclysm Outland loading screen.jpg|Outland loading screen from Cataclysm
File:Vault of the Wardens loading screen.jpg|Vault of the Wardens loading screen
;Warcraft III
File:Brothers in Blood - Watcher torture room.jpg|Warden in Brothers in Blood in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.
File:WaWC3.gif|Warden hero unit in Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.
File:Reforged - Warden concept.jpg|Reforged concept art of a warden.
File:Warcraft III Reforged - Maiev concept art.jpeg|Reforged concept art of Maiev Shadowsong.
File:Reforged - Maiev concept.jpg|Reforged concept art of Maiev Shadowsong.
File:Reforged credits art 15.png|Maiev in Reforged.
File:Wcr warden assassin.jpg|Campaign units in Reforged.
;Heroes of the Storm
File:Maiev HotS.jpg| in Heroes of the Storm
File:Maiev HotS Art.jpg|Maiev's art in Heroes of the Storm
File:Lunara HotS Warden.jpg|Lunara warden skin in Heroes of the Storm
File:Tyrande HotS Warden.jpg|Tyrande warden skin in Heroes of the Storm
;Other
File:Blackhawk.JPG|Blackhawk in the RPG
File:Warden Starcraft II editor.jpg|Unique Starcraft II editor remodeled asset from Warcraft III.
File:Maiev HS.jpg| art from Hearthstone
File:Statue Maiev Pose.png|Maiev in Warcraft Arclight Rumble.
;Fan art
File:Warden Matthew McKeown Personal Art.jpg|Personal art of a warden by Blizzard artist Matthew McKeown
File:The Return by KoniArt.jpg|"The Return" by KoniArt, featuring Maiev
==See also==
*Warden's Lantern
*Ceremonial Warden Glaive
==References==
 
Category:Night elves
Category:NPC occupations