Decentralized militia protecting their own turfs and coming together to defend The City
The Wardens is a militia made up of members of the city who vary from trained soldiers to normal citizens. During normal times they act as a city watch, demanding tribute from the areas that they protect in order to equip and pay their members.
The Warden's are quite militant and focused on utilitarian decisions so as to best strengthen their numbers and capabilities, but are also quite decentralized. Each unit of the Wardens are their own little suborganization, with their own rules and behaviors, though they technically obey their high command: a small council of 10 members (the Marshall, the Speaker and the 8 commanders) who have their headquarters in the Crownwall district.
Under normal circumstances, the leadership doesn't have much control of the majority of the membership. They do have direct control of a not insignificant number of elite units, which they use to exert their will when necessary.
And in times of crisis the entire Warden membership do come together to defend The City, obeying their oaths without fault.