The Avowed were the approximately six hundred original members of the Crimson Guard who swore to eradicate the Malazan Empire in the 1066th year of Burn's Sleep. Their vow meant that so long as the empire existed, they could not truly die. The vow itself had conferred upon them unnaturally long life, accelerated healing and even in death, so long as the Malazan Empire existed, they remained part of the Crimson Guard as Brethren. Spoiler warning: The following section contains significant plot details about Avowed from all of Ian Esslemont's "Novels of the Malazan Empire".