The Warden Trials
How a warden is made — and how most fail. (Creative interpretation.)
Canon status: creative interpretation. The app card describes no trials.
The three trials
Every candidate for the Ward faces three trials, in order, on a single night:
- The Lantern Walk. The candidate walks the full wall circuit alone, carrying an unlit lantern, and must return with it lit — finding flame only from the wall's own braziers. It tests knowledge of the walls.
- The Underwall Hour. One hour alone in the service tunnels, unarmed, with the Murmuring for company. It tests nerve.
- The Kneeling. The candidate kneels before the sigil altar and speaks the oath aloud. The Ward listens from the dark. It tests whether the words are true — the Ward claims it can hear the difference.
The failure rate
Most candidates fail the second trial. The Ward does not shame them; the tunnels are given to few. Those who fail are welcomed at Lantern Row, where the lampwrights always need steady hands.
Nyra's trials
The Ward's chronicle records that Nyra completed all three trials in a single night of heavy fog, and that her lantern was still burning at dawn. The chronicle declines to say more, which the Ward considers the highest praise available.
Source notes
- Trials: creative interpretation. See Chronicles, the Oath.