The Black Warden's Oath
The words that make the Warden. (Creative interpretation — the app card gives no oath text.)
Canon status: creative interpretation. The app card mentions no oath. This page imagines the oath a Black Warden would swear, in the spirit of the title.
The oath, as the Ward remembers it
I am the wall between the city and the dark. I keep the lanterns. I hold the gate. I answer the night. Violet is the color of my oath; black is the color of its cost. While Veyrhold stands, I stand. When I fall, let another kneel here. This I swear by moonlight, and the moonlight is witness enough.
What the oath means
The oath is not a prayer — it is a contract with the city. Wardens swear it kneeling, alone, before the sigil altar, and the Ward treats the moment as the true beginning of a warden's service. Three clauses carry the weight:
- "I keep the lanterns." The ward-lanterns are the city's nervous system; keeping them lit is keeping the city awake to danger.
- "Black is the color of its cost." The Warden's black armor is mourning dress — every warden knows the office is likely to kill them.
- "The moonlight is witness enough." No priest, no magistrate. The oath is sworn to the night itself, which is why wardens trust moonlight more than people.
Breaking it
There is exactly one unforgivable crime in Veyrhold: oathbreaking. See Oathbreakers.
Source notes
- Oath text: original creative interpretation written for this site (2026-09-26), in the Warden's voice.
- Canon policy: Methodology. Image: AI-generated dramatization art.