Guardian's pets

The Guardian's "pets" were four creatures attached to the Guardian by cords of flesh in the spell of the Shadow Lord. The monsters were named Pride, Envy, Hate and Greed. Though each of the pets were named after the four sins mentioned, and though each had one of the sins, none had the sin after which it was named. Instead each one of the pets acted out the sin of its counterpart.

History
Many years ago, a wealthy man named Fardeep owned an inn in the city of Rithmere. He operated it for many years, amassing a great deal of wealth and respect in the territory of the Mere through the Inn, which was famous for its games. He did not know about the Shadow Lord or his plans to take over Deltora. Neither did he know when the Shadow Lord took possession of the land. He did not care for what was ahead either. Many years before King Endon took the throne, Fardeep's family was killed by bandits that invaded Rithmere on the Shadow Lord's orders. Fardeep had been a quite, peace-loving man. He and his family had been more than content with their life in Rithmere. This all changed when Fardeep's family was killed. It was because of the wickedness and envy of the Shadow Lord that Fardeep lost everything and was driven from his inn. No one would raise a hand to help him. He was left all alone, despised by everyone and had no hope for the future.

Driven from his home and embittered by the loss of his family, Fardeep fled to a valley in the Jalis territory. Here he sought refuge and peace. However the Shadow Lord had sensed his anger and misery, and he sought out Fardeep. He used these negative feelings to corrupt and manipulate Fardeep. The Shadow Lord whispered to him. Fardeep thought he was going mad but the Shadow Lord reminded him of how unfair he had been treated. How he had been betrayed. The Shadow Lord offered Fardeep a palace and immense powers, ultimately entrusting Fardeep, now reborn as "the Guardian," with the great Diamond, stolen from the Belt of Deltora. As gifts were showered upon the Guardian, the past did not seem to matter to him anymore. Pride, envy, hatred and greed grew in him and eventually manifested themselves in the form of the four monsters he liked to call his pets, though they were a part of himself, in flesh and personality. Fardeep had always been fond of games and humour. As a joke he named the pets after the four faults mentioned, but though each had one of the faults, none had the fault after which it was named.

The Valley of the Lost
Lief, Barda, Jasmine and Neridah encountered the Guardian in the Valley of the Lost while searching for the Diamond. The Guardian introduced his visitors to his pets and talked about the valley and himself. He dined with the companions and invited them to play his game. Neridah refused to play but of course Lief, Barda and Jasmine accepted for the prize was the Diamond of the Belt of Deltora. During the game they had to guess the sin of one of the monsters namely Pride. They considered facing the beast while the Guardian slept but eventually this was not necessary because they remembered the clues the Guardian had told them. After guessing the name, the companions wanted to claim the Diamond but the Guardian realised who they were. He tried to take the belt from Lief but when he touched the belt the spell was broken. His pets turned on him and Lief cut the cords to release the Guardian. After that the monsters died.

Anatomy
The Guardian's pets were grotesque monsters. Their faces were bloated and their mouths were large and gaping, filled with large teeth. Their bodies were hairless, gross and misshapen, and covered in sores and boils. Their twisted arms almost hung to the ground. The pets were bound by long rubbery cords, thick as ropes and made of their own greyish-red flesh. These cords were held by the Guardian. The cords were coiled from puffy red centres in the backs of their necks. Though it seemed like the Guardian only held the cords in his hands, they were in fact a part of himself too, coming out of his own stomach. His Pride, Envy, Hate and Greed had grown to a size where the faults turned into creatures. Monsters that had separated from the Guardian himself with a mind of their own. The Guardian ran the cords through the wide sleeves of his wizard's robe, concealing their true nature.

Behaviour
The Guardian's pets mainly obeyed the commands of their master. This is not surprising because they were part of the Guardian. They protected the guardian and kept him company. The creatures were able to sense how strong the four sins were in other people.

Pride
Pride's sin was envy. It was afraid of Greed but it would fight Greed if it had to.

Envy
Envy's sin was pride. Like Pride, Envy was afraid of Greed but it would fight if necessary. After all, none of them could escape its fellow creatures, being so closely linked. Envy once came very close to killing Hate while fighting over some dinner scraps. Hate probably wanted the food for itself because he was greedy while Envy was too proud to give up fighting.

Hate
Hate's sin was greed. Envy and Hate had a fight in the past that almost led to the demise of Hate himself. Hate was fighting Envy over some scraps and wanted the food for itself. Its sin was greed, after all. Hate had never hated in its life.

Greed
Greed's sin was hate. It was full of hatred and this was most likely why Pride and Envy were afraid of it.

Diet
It is unknown what the Guardian's pets mainly ate, or if they had to eat anything at all as they were part of the Guardian's own body. However, in The Valley of the Lost they were described as fighting savagely over a few scraps of food that the Guardian had thrown to them during his meal with Lief, Barda, Jasmine and Neridah.

Trivia

 * Though each of the pets are named after a fault, and though each has one of the sins, none has the sin after which it is named. Instead one of each pair of pets acts out the sin of its counterpart.
 * The four pets are the manifestations of the Guardian's own darker traits. They were also part of his own body.