Special issue of PC Gamer described the events after the defeat of the Great Destroyer and the settings of Guild Wars 2. This is a concise summary of the article.
Chronology
– Kormir’s ascension: 1075. GW2 starts 250 years later.
Orr
– An undead dragon that awakened beneath Orr caused it to rise from the ocean
– Orr has risen from the ocean and flooded the coastal areas (Sanctum Cay, D’Alessio Seaboard, Battle Isles, and even Lion’s Arch). Parts of Elona turned green for a time due to flooding
– Lost souls of Orr, commanded by the dark power from below the sea, rule the land
– Twisted, perverted beings roam this land
– Arah, once a city of True Gods, is now the undead dragon’s home.
– Ships that used to belong to corsairs now have black sails and patrol along the Strait of Malchor, west of Orr. These ships surround Fire Islands manned by the minions of the dragon that fear neither fire nor sea.
Dragons
– The rise of the Orr, earthquakes, and floods were caused by the ancient dragons
– Glint and Kuunavang have much less power compared to those dragons
– Primordius was the first of the dragons to awaken. He can create live creatures from earth and stone and still dwells in the deep caverns beneath Tyria.
– Desert dragon occupies northern desert. Ascalonian warriors are twisted servants of the desert dragon.
– Undead dragon, more horrible and more powerful than any other being in Tyria, resides in Orr
– Elder dragon of ice and snow is the Drakkar Lake dragon. Awakened in the northern mountains, few over the Charr territory of Ascalon, and the land directly below the path of the dragon’s flight was corrupted, becoming a crater of horror. The ground blackened from the dragon’s presence and any creatures caught within the wind of its breath twisted and changed.
– Water dragon breathed, twisting the waters themselves into tentacled horrors that rose from every lake and river of the land.
– Glint’s Baby (not mentioned in the article)
Cantha
– 1127 AE, Emperor Usoku, successor of Kisu, conquered Luxons and Kurzicks and unified Cantha under his tirranical regime. He began to drive all non-humans out of Cantha.
– Cantha became isolated due to black ships in the Strait of Malchor that sink any travelers. Communication was completely lost between Cantha and Tyria. It is not known who is the current emperor of Cantha.
Elona
– Palawa Joko gathered a huge undead army in 60 years after the defeat of Abaddon
– He dammed and diverted river Eblon, causing drought and famine
– Crystal Desert turned into green area where he established his new kingdom that controls all Elona
– He gathered descendants of Ossa and made them his soldiers
– Sunspears were annihilated and forgotten. Those Sunspears who betrayed their ranks became Mordant Crescent knights under Palawa and gained power over death
– Order of Whispers spread their members across Tyria, but still maintain their contact with Elona. They were the first ones to discover the awakenings of the dragons. They rescued records from the Lion Arch library and placed them in the hidden monastery protected by the monks in the Shiverpeaks.
Tyria
– After the flood, LA turned into a pirate stronghold. It is a neutral town open to all races now.
– Battle Isles were flooded and Balthazar opened a new portal to the Mists in LA. Lion Arch became a central point for the guilds – Guild Home and the conduit to the Hero’s Hall.
– Divinity’s Reach is the new main city in Kryta ruled by a queen with senators
– White Mantle still fight for their unseen Gods
– Centaurs, displaced form their home, fight for each scrap of land
Dwarves
– Dwarves are extinct, except those few who are now composed of stone
Asura
– Live on surface because Primordius and his minions has overrun the cavern beneath the earth
– They became the foremost crafters of Tyria
– No organized government, they follow the most experienced leader for each individual task
– Asura think they are destined to rule other less intelligent races
– They have good relations to other races, but remain neutral. They established gates to travel between major cities, yet they live far from others and conduct magic experiments.
Norn
– Norn easily defended their homes from the Charr warbands. This resulted in almost 200 years of tentative peace between Norn and Charr.
– Gunnar Hold fell to monsters of ice (minions of the elder dragon of ice and snow) and Norn went south to the former Dwarf area
– They fight with Dredge over the control of the Shiverpeaks
– Norn do not trust Krytan queen because they have been betrayed by some human allies
Sylvari
– They were born from a singe seed planed in the south Maguuma Jungle
– Human soldier names Ronan discovered a cavern filled with strange seed-pods and protected by scary plant creatures. He took one seed to show his daughter, but he found his village completely destroyed by Mursaat and his family murdered. He planted a seen on their graves and swore never to return to battle.
– Ronan became a good friend of a centaur Ventari that believed in ways of peace and harmony and carved his believes on a tablet that he placed under the tree. Ventari died in the year 1165 AE under the tree that Ronan planted. The tree continued to grow over 100 years and developed cocoons that gave a birth to a new race.
– They are born fully grown as if awakened from a dream
– Sylvari venerate Ventari Tablet as their most sacred artifact and testament
– They have no children, no families, and show no signs of aging
– Special connection between them is Dream of Dreams. In this dream they commune with the inner mind of the race and learn about the world. That is why when they are born, they already know many things. However, Dream of Dreams also has nightmares, hidden whispers…
Charr History
– Charr children are called cubs and female children are sometimes called kits
– Khan-Ur was the first leader that unified Charr
– The Forgotten used to be Charr’s main threat, then humans followed
– The area that is now Ascalon used be Charr land originally
– Khan-Ur was assassinated right before Charr planned a counterstrike against humans and with him the Charr unity vanished.
– Humans build a Great Northern Wall and continued to push Charr to the north
– 200 years before Searing a warband of the Flame legion found gods for the Charr in the lands around Hrangmer volcano (Jaws of Oblivion). This gave rise to Shamans who convinced people to worship the Titans.
– Bathea Havocbringer, a brave heroine and a leader of the Blood Legion, fought against Shamans, but was killed and sacrificed to the new gods.
– Shamans used a magic item called Cauldron of Cataclysm to call upon Titan magic and conducted the Ritual of Searing.
– The siege of Ascalon lasted two years, but humans defeated the Titans and weakened Charr morale. For over 30 years the battles continues around the Ascalon city, but Charr prevailed. However, when they entered the Ascalon City king Adelbern used powerful magic and a sword shaped flame descended upon the city and engulfed everything in flame. Moreover, the spirits of the defeated Ascalonian soldiers rose wielding ghostly weapons. Charr had to flee the city. Ascalon city never has never been retaken again.
– Pyre Fierceshot became a hero of the Charr and a leader of the movement against Shamans. His grandcub, Kalla Scorchrazon, lead a rebellion against Shamans that overthrew Flame Legion domination in the final battle on the Plains of Golghein. The key to Kalla’s success was inclusion of women who secretly trained as warriors despite Shamans laws.
Charr in GW2
– Shamans go down and military warbands go up in the Charr society. Charr reject all gods and any who serve them.
– No centralized control, only legions: Ash (stalkers and assassins), Blood (face-to-face warriors), Gold (magic), and Iron Legion (mechanic creations and siege weapons).
– Iron Citadel, one of the strongest Charr fortresses, stands on the ruins of the Rin city
– Have tentative peace with Norn
PC Gamer published one of the articles in that issue on its website.
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