Warder's Future

**Warder's Future** is the third issue in Series 2 of Paladins Chronicles.

As the developer note attached to the end of Warder's Future states, "*Paladins Chronicles are short stories meant to enrich the world of Paladins & serve as context for future events."*

This story was originally posted here on Paladins.com, and promoted here on the official @PaladinsGame Twitter.

## Story

### *A DECREE FROM WARDER’S WATCH TO INHABITANTS OF THE REALM*

I am Imani, last of the Warders, and guardian of the Realm. When the world is in the direst of circumstances, the Warders are summoned to share our knowledge and strength to protect. I myself am when Abyss and Yagorath threaten us, and I will be again. However, I am all that remains of my kind; lost to the sands of time and the strain of centuries of defense. We ushered in an age of peace to this Realm with our love for history and preservation, but it came at a deathly cost when that research had to be implemented.

To control the might of dragons is not a task that is easily maintained, as their powerful magic is as difficult to wield as it is to capture in the first place. Many Warders collapsed from efforts years into their service, the strongest continued on as long as they could. Every conflict we had to defend from, we did so easily but not without loss. As more Warders fell and Dragons wandered astray with each threat, our society edged closer and closer to oblivion.

Few Warders remained away from the duties of protecting the Watch, but I was one such. I ventured off to learn of the new magic the Realm had discovered, that of Crystals imbuing ordinary persons with incredible ability. This was not unlike that of our own with Dragons, and while some circles viewed this as a threat, I only saw opportunity. These Crystals could be the key to saving my people.

I searched and I studied, from the rubble of Seris to the cliffs of Ascension Peak, to learn as much as I could about this untapped potential. To say I was consumed by my work would be an understatement, as when the beacon was lit and I returned…I was shocked to see I was the only one left. There was no time for grief, no time for hesitation. I used this newfound knowledge of Crystals to track down & reclaim our artifacts and finally accept the burden all Warders must carry. We protect until we cannot anymore.

Now, as the Abyss and Pyre emerge to threaten all that society has built…I am not enough. I feel as each summons weighs on me, I ponder a life I’ve let go of fascinating discoveries and earned knowledge. I ignored this responsibility long ago, a price my people paid dearly. It is one I must pay now. It was in this place of morbid acceptance, this brief lapse in hope that I realized: I do not have to be the last Warder.

Every day new Champions arise from common folk, looking to make a difference in the Realm. In this age, I would be a fool to deny them a chance to harness what the Warders once shared. We took it upon ourselves alone to gain such strength back in the first of the Scourges. We built a culture, our people created whole cities that now lay abandoned. We fought and learned and enshrined our lives, but now that they all are gone, it would be washed away with my eventual fall. I am and always will be a scholar at heart, and a scholar’s purpose is not just to earn knowledge, but to then teach it. You could learn about us as I’ve learned about you all.

Henceforth, I decree: all who wish to fight to protect their Realm, all whose hearts are filled with hope and a thirst for knowledge, and all those who are willing to dedicate themselves to the burden of being one with a Dragon: Warder’s Watch is open to you. No longer will our knowledge be kept in gilded cages, no more will our might be a footnote in scrolls stowed away on Magistrate shelves. Any person who is daring enough to capture the power of draconic might in their hands, I will teach to become a Warder themselves.

Come to our Arena, carry the Relic and learn of sacrifice, those who are victorious can help me continue the legacy of my people, for now and into forever. The Dragon’s Call rings out once more.

*Imani, Scribe of the Warders*

**Directions**Anti-Abyss  •  Anti-Darkness  •  Nature Protectors  •  Neutral
**Groups** Bomb Kingdom  •  Deepwerks  •  Eternal Pyre  •  Followers of Io  •  House Aico  •  House Arturos  •  Outer Tribunal  •  Paladins (Former)  •  Red River Orcs  •  Sentinels  •  Shadow Tribunal  •  Summer Court  •  Tau-Kor Monastery  •  Thousand Hands Guild  •  Warders  •  Unknown Groups
**Noteworthy Items / Forces**Crystals  •  Magic  •  Souls  •  Warder's Key  •  Warder's Relic
**Notable Positions**Abyssal Lord  •  Border Lord  •  Grand Magister  •  Pyre Lord
**The Realm**Abyss  •  Aico Tundra  •  Crosswind Hold  •  The Eight Oceans  •  Enchanted Forest  •  Greenwood  •  Lunar Coast  •  Seris (Village)  •  Temple Isles  •  Trade Row  •  Warder's Watch
**Races**Abyssal Creature  •  Animal  •  Construct  •  Darkness  •  Dragon  •  Deities  •  Dwarf  •  Elemental  •  Elf  •  Faerie  •  Goblin  •  Human  •  Leipori  •  Orc  •  Pyre Creature  •  Ska'drin  •  Spirit  •  Stagalla  •  Tigron  •  Transformed  •  Undead  •  Vulpin  •  Wyrin
**Complete Timeline**Complete Timeline  •  Paladins Chronicles
**Story Arcs**Crystal Arc  •  Darkness Arc  •  Ska'drin Arc
**Time Periods**The Ancient Age  •  The Age of the Paladins  •  The Golden Age  •  The Age of Resistance  •  The Lost Future
**Notable Events**Dragon Scourge  •  Goblin Scourges  •  Golden Age  •  Crystal War  •  Koga's Revenge  •  Destruction of Seris  •  Battle of Ascension Peak  •  Warders Return  •  The Fight of the Shattered Desert  •  Shattered Goddess' Return  •  The Summoning of Raum  •  The Darkness Released  •  Shift of Power
**Other**NPCs  •  Updated Bios  •  Alternate Realities  •  Canon Skins  •  Statues  •  Legends  •  Misconceptions  •  Retcons  •  Character Feats  •  Alpha Lore