The mysterious and ancient Wardens guard the areas of Cantha hit hardest by Shiro’s legacy. Protectors of the Echovald that was, they now guard the petrified forest it has become. They may once have been human, perhaps powerful druids or holy men, but they long ago merged with the spirit they served to become something altogether different.
Now they stand as the ultimate protectors of the Echovald that is. The clan claims the right of vengeance for what Shiro Tagachi wrought, and blames all humans for the Jade Wind that stripped the woods and sea of life, but inexplicably left the Wardens unharmed. Driven nearly mad, enraged at their failure to fulfill their only purpose, they work in their own mysterious ways to reverse the effects of Shiro’s death, but until they succeed, they will threaten any humans they encounter.
Wardens do not take names as such, but take their monikers from their rank in the clan’s natural hierarchy. The lowest ranked, least powerful Wardens are associated with the smallest forms and shapes of nature—leaves, moss, seashells, and so on. Higher up are those Wardens who take their name from particular trees or larger forms of sea life, while those protectors that lead the clans take the names of the seasons.
Where the Wardens came from was never properly explained; just that they resemble sentient plants and serve a specific spirit, which is obviously Urgoz, a once-benevolent ‘forest spirit’ that protected Echovald, and was twisted into an angry, vengeful demon bent on exacting revenge against humans in general and Shiro Tagachi specifically for what he did to his forest.
[img]http://wiki.guildwars.com/images/4/44/%22Warden%22_concept_art_1.jpg[/img]
This is the original concept art of the Wardens, and the in-game models of Guild Wars 1 look fairly similar. In essence, they look like large, hulking versions of the Sylvari; sentient plants with a bulkier frame and a slightly more evil appearance, even if they weren’t originally evil.
The Guild Wars dungeon “Urgoz’s Warren” takes place inside the petrified forest, and leads into a large tree. Inside this large tree is an angry spirit connected to the tree itself that doesn’t move, commands the Wardens (sentient plants), and has a power of Divination apparently connected to dreams. That sounds awfully familiar, doesn’t it?
Maybe this was all unintentional, or maybe the Wardens were just use as loose inspiration for the Sylvari. But I couldn’t help but notice the similarities. After all, it has been confirmed that the current Pale Tree wasn’t the first, and maybe Shiro’s Jade Wind was just basically a Nightmare on steroids.
