The Torchwarden were founded in Emblem near the beginning of the Common Unification, established as a collective peacekeeping force to serve the capital above the rivalries of individual nations. Each member nation of the Common League was obligated to supply a percentage number of recruits, ensuring that every state contributed equal to the body; however, this did give an outsized "power" within the force to larger nations.
From the outset, their role was threefold: to police the vast and growing population of Emblem, to restrain the ambitions of the member nations when their disputes threatened stability, and to guard the Court of the Torch itself. As guardians of the Torch, they were assigned to protect the Council of Commonlight, and the Epochal Artifacts contained within the Court. In this way, the Torchwarden stood as both enforcers and symbols of the fragile unity that defined the new order.
The success of the Torchwarden was closely tied to their signature tool, the Torchwarden Staff. These mass-produced magical weapons, nicknamed “matchsticks,” allowed even an untrained conscript to wield a level of power that commanded attention. A single matchstick could conjure wards, dispel hostile Spellcraft, or turn a riot back on itself, giving the Warden a decisive edge in the crowded and often unruly streets of Emblem. While these staves made the force effective, they also carried a risk: many who carried them came to rely too heavily on their borrowed strength, and some overstepped their duties. The matchstick gave authority not only the force of law, but also a dangerous excess of confidence.
This dual reputation became a defining feature of the Torchwarden, as corruption became rife in Emblem due the power that an individual warden was given. To the Court and the law-abiding citizens, they were protectors of the capital’s order and the living embodiment of unity across Commona. To others, they inspired resentment and fear, particularly among criminals, dissidents, and those who suffered under heavy-handed enforcement.
In the underworld of Emblem, the Torchwarden were referred to as “Snuffers”; the derisive nickname was a reference both to their habit of extinguishing uprisings before they grew, and to the way they were seen as snuffing out the spark of freedom within the city.