Most dhampir who are raised and trained to be guardians are very serious and committed to their task of protecting their Moroi charges and destroying Strigoi. As a result, some devoted Dhampir women who fall in love or have children choose to stay with their charge instead of staying with their lovers or children.
Most female dhampir, however, choose to abandon their charge and stay with their family, and sometimes even choose to be a sort of breeder who continues to have sexual affairs with Moroi to have more dhampir children. In rare cases, men dhampirs also run away with their lovers, resulting in the dwindling number of guardians.
Dhampir who still kill Strigoi without completing training and therefore have no promise mark are deemed "unpromised". They do not answer to anyone and are usually hired as freelance bodyguards or vigilante Strigoi hunters.
Guardians who have killed Strigoi receive tattoos to commemorate how many they have successfully killed. They have a Molnija mark, placed below their promise mark, for every Strigoi they have killed, and a Zvezda mark, next to the Molnija marks, when they have killed too many Strigoi to count.
Beginning as novices, they are trained at academies like St. Vladimir's Academy. Dhampirs mingled with Moroi as a part of the guardian system. Along with their shared classes with Moroi, they have their own exclusive classes for their fighting techniques and strength training.
In their junior year, novice guardians are required to pass their Qualifiers—an exam, like an interview, administered by "high-up guardians" who visit the Academy to assess the novice guardians character and dedication. Some dhampirs are deemed unfit to continue down the guardian path. In Rose Hathaway's case, her Qualifier took place in her senior year because she was not present for her junior year and she had to go off-campus to meet her evaluator.
In their senior year, novices get six weeks of field-experience training where they are assigned to a Moroi student whom they are required to protect twenty-four hours a day, six days a week. During that time, they are no longer obligated to take classes and are instead regularly "attacked" by adult guardians to test what they've learned while at the Academy.
Upon graduation, dhampirs receive their promise mark, a tattoo placed on the base of their necks in the form of a twisting line, "sort of like a snake." This tattoo upholds their promise to their guardianship of the Moroi and their most sacred saying: "They Come First."
Each novice, during their training, goes through what is called "Moon Patterns". There are four training levels: One-Quarter, One Half, New Moon, and Full Moon. The Four Guardian grades are; White Moon, Blue Moon, Red Moon, and Black Moon. Once a Guardian has reached the Black Moon (Full Moon), they then begin their training levels for Blast Master sequences. The highest level of all training and levels is Blood Master Level 7. Dimitri Belikov currently holds Blood Master Level 7.
White Moon (One-Quarter/ One-Half/ New Moon/ Full Moon)
Blue Moon (One-Quarter/ One Half/ New Moon/ Full Moon)
Red Moon (One-Quarter/ One-Half/ New Moon/ Full Moon)
Black Moon (One-Quarter/ One Half/ New Moon/ Full Moon)
Blast Master (Levels 1-7)
Blood Master (Levels 1-7)