Post by Pass The Towel on Sept 26, 2007 11:28:55 GMT
I was over at the Blitzers' site to congratulate them on getting GOTW, and I saw this post about the GW2 background story Darakus found on the PC Gamer site. I thought I'd repost it here. 
The Movement of the World
A Guild Wars 2 History Lesson, by Ree Soesbee
"By the Mouvelian calendar, the year when the Goddess Kormir ascended was the year 1075. From that date, we will begin our history lesson, and within that classification of dates we will show you the future—that has become our past. For two hundred and fifty years, the heroes of Tyria have struggled as the world shifted around them. Massive upheavals, cataclysms, and other global-spanning events have changed the world. The humans are in decline. Other races are rising, taking control of large portions of the world and shifting the balance of power. The world has changed."
—Decimus the Historian, Durmand Priory
The world of Tyria has known conflict, chaos, and generations of war. Rarely has there been a time of peace in these troubled lands. The years since the Ascension of Kormir and the defeat of the Great Destroyer have been no different. There have been dangers. There have been adventures. The world is no longer the Tyria it once was—and yet, so many things are the same, beneath her troubled exterior.
Sleeping monsters, aeons old, have awakened. They crawled from beneath the earth, razor claws sinking into stone and ground over a world that has not seen their like in millennia—and where they rose, they dominated the world around them, twisting it to serve their purposes. The first of these, Primordus, gathered minions to replace the Destroyers that once served its cause and began to overrun the caverns beneath the earth, gradually pressing the Asura to the surface. Gunnar's Hold fell to monsters of ice, and the Norn were driven southward into the empty territory that had once been held by the Dwarves. The Charr have a tentative friendship with the Norn, respecting their sense of power and personal strength.
To the south, the peninsula of Orr has risen from the ocean, flooding the coasts with tidal waves. Sanctum Cay, D'Alessio Seaboard, and the Battle Isles sank beneath the waves, and even Lion's Arch was so completely flooded by the cataclysmic upheaval that the great city had to be abandoned, its buildings collapsed in the flood. The corsair ships that once hid among the sunken islands of Orr capsized, and only a few ships made it out of the tidal areas. Those that did settled along the ruined northern coast, steering clear of the black-masted ships that began sailing the Orrian territories. The lost souls of Orr, commanded by a dark power from below the sea, rose to take command of the land freed from the depths of the sea.
Strange races—the Norn, the Asura and the mysterious Sylvari—took over large portions of the continent. Their civilizations pushed the humans north and west, away from their ancestral land. These races have solidified their presence in Tyria and now take an active role in the events around them.
Dragons
"Never trust the past. There has been too much forgotten, too many things hidden beneath the sand of ages. Even your own memory can lie to you..."
—Decimus the Historian
Over the last 250 years, the races of Tyria have seen a great deal of strife and war. Conflicts between the humans and the Charr, the Norn and any who might challenge them, and among other sentient races have continually threatened the peace of the continent—but these are not the only issues. Although sentient races are one threat, there are, as always, wild creatures and monsters across the countryside; dangers to be faced and troubles to be conquered. But on Tyria, there are even worse things yet to be faced.
The cataclysms that tore apart the land and flooded Lion's Arch were not caused by natural forces, no more than were the earthquakes that freed the Destroyers in the northern Shiverpeaks. These were both caused by the surfacing of ancient powers—true dragons, more dangerous than anything Tyria has ever known before. Glint and Kuunavang were but youths, lesser powers to the ancients that came before. These mystic and terrifying creatures rival the gods themselves.
Primordus was the first of the ancient dragons to awaken, calling his servants from their slumber. With his breath, he twisted earth and stone, shaping creatures and giving them life. Although the death of the Great Destroyer, his most powerful general, set back the dragon's awakening by two generations, Primordus once again rose to create ever more minions far beneath the ground. To this day, he continues to spread his power throughout the deep caverns beneath Tyria.
After Primordus, the other great dragons began to stir one by one. The rise of the dragon beneath Orr caused the entire continent to surface, sparking a tidal wave that swept the coastline and drowned thousands. In the deepest waters of the sea, another dragon breathed, twisting the waters themselves into tentacled horrors that rose from every lake and river of the land. Only a few years ago, yet another dragon erupted from the northern mountains and flew south over the Charr territory of Ascalon. 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.
Although these creatures are called dragons, they are as different from Kuunavang and Glint as night to day—more powerful, older, born of different, unfathomable magic, these horrors are controlled by no god nor any other power known to the races of Tyria. What connection they have to these "younger dragons" is unknown, but they certainly do not possess the mercy or familiarity with the sentient races of the world that Kuunavang or Glint portray. The cycle of their awakening reaches back to the time of the giganticus lupicus, and even further, back into prehistory. The only thing known about these monsters is that they have no pity, no curiosity—no concern at all for the other races of the world. Their only goal seems to be to dominate, to control, and to destroy.
Guilds
The guilds of Tyria have grown and expanded, despite the destruction of the Battle Isles. Balthazar helped raise a new temple in Lion's Arch, stepping on the hearthstone of the construction and opening a gate there to the Mists, so that heroes of each world could compete in contest. But these guilds are not racially aligned as they were in the past—no longer restricted merely to humans, they accept heroes of all societies into their halls.
The Asura easily fit into the guild system, using guilds as they would any other krewe designed for a task. To the Charr, the guilds are like warbands. They do not replace the loyalty the Charr hold to their legion but instead allow them unique opportunities to display the strength of their race and increase their own personal reputations as ferocious combatants. Norn are always eager for a fight, and their loyalty to friends makes them a blessing to any combat force. Sylvari bring unique and unpredictable strengths to a guild, and are eager to enter into any danger simply for the experience of it.
Guilds are a prominent force in Tyria, taking on challenges that individual adventurers fear to face, and braving even the most dangerous opponents. It is said that if there is any hope for the races of Tyria to find peace, it will come from the guilds and their atmosphere of cooperation and unity.
Ascalon, Kryta, and Orr
For centuries, humans dominated the continent of Tyria, but over the last 250 yeras that has changed. Humanity clings by a thread, maintaining its cities only through the absolute dedication of its armies. Ascalon City fell. Rin belongs to the Charr. Lion's Arch, inundated by tidal waves, was rebuilt by the mercenary guilds, and Orr . . . rose into undeath and corruption.
The gods of the humans have been notably distant these past two centuries, withdrawing into silence even as the world beneath them shattered. Although they still answer prayers, they do not intervene—even as Tyria crumbles and the human race calls out desperately for heroes to save them from their darkening struggle.
Ascalon
Having lost their homeland to the Charr, the humans of the Ascalon kingdom have been pushed ever west and south. The Great Northern Wall fell, and Ascalon City lies in ruins. The royal line of Adelbern ended with the death of Prince Rurik. The lone remaining human fortress in Ascalon lies at the far southern tip, where the eastern Blazeridge Mountains merge with the western Shiverpeaks. This last Ascalonian fortress, known as Ebonhawke, stands alone against all the might the Charr legions have to offer.
The continuing conflict between the humans and the Charr along the borders of Ascalon forced the humans ever farther into the Shiverpeaks. Although open war has ended save on a few small fronts, the hatred between the Charr legions and the human kingdoms never abated. If anything, it is worse than ever before. Ebonhawke stands alone in defiance, supplied by an Asura gate from Krytan territories.
The Charr solidified their control over Ascalon from their original lands in the north all the way south to the merging of the two mountain ranges at the edge of the Crystal Desert. Within the main territories of Ascalon, between the broken Great Northern Wall and the fortress of Ebonhawke, the Charr rule—but not unchallenged. In the last battle of Ascalon City, Adelbern used the final power of his enchanted sword, Magdaer, a relic from the age when the True Gods walked Tyria and built the city of Arah.
The stories told by the Charr (and the few, scattered human survivors of the battle) speak of a gout of sword-shaped flame rising from the highest tower in the city. After a white, burning heat swept the city streets, the dead and defeated Ascalonian guard arose once more, their spirits animated by the power of Adelbern's sword. In the face of this spectral resistance, the Charr were forced to abandon the city.
Since that time, the spectral soldiers have guarded the ruins of Ascalon City and the eastern frontier. They resist the Charr, but do not communicate with living soldiers from Ebonhawke. Their spirits are only memories, the lingering presence of a past that cannot let go of the present. Some believe that one day, when the rightful king of Ascalon returns with one of the two flaming swords—either Adelbern’s Magdaer or his son's, named Sohothin—the legion will abandon the city and sink at last into peaceful death. Until then, everyone is the enemy.
Kryta
Kryta, too, has known its share of conflict and heartache. Once noble Lion's Arch fell to the plundering sea, its coast devastated by storms, rising water, and tidal waves. And yet, the nation of Kryta is the last bastion of humanity—and in that, their last hope. Under siege from other races for centuries, beset by bad luck and misfortune, and perhaps even forgotten by the gods themselves—human civilization is on the verge of collapse. Only Kryta's crown has survived to this modern age.
Although various factions restored the Krytan throne to its rightful ruler, a descendant of Queen Salma, there is no peace in the Talmark Wilderness. The lands of Kryta have known significant upheaval—both in war and internal conflicts. As the sole remaining human kingdom on the continent of Tyria, Ascalonians flocked there in droves with no king and no real leadership. The few humans who claim Orrian descent never proclaim their heritage publicly; being connected to those dark lands is dangerous in these times. Refugees from Elona and Cantha, discovering themselves trapped by the rising wasters of Orr, struggled to maintain a native culture while integrating into Krytan society. This melting pot of humanity provides the one thing they all seek: a home.
Through faith in the gods and the nobility of the Krytan spirit, the queen solidified her hold over Kryta and her people, and did not devolve into tyrannical rule. From the beginning, they were willing to accept Ascalonian refugees. And, as cataclysms across the world displaced other humans, and Canthans and Elonians joined the wave of humanity fleeing to the new city of Divinity's Reach, they found a welcome home in the high bastion created to replace Lion's Arch when the floodwaters of Orr claimed it. Divinity's Reach, a breathtaking monument of white parapets and high, pale towers, was built on the edge of the Divinity coast, far from the rising waters of the southern bays.
In Divinity's Reach, the new queen of Kryta established a system of government designed to give all people—not just native Krytans—a voice. Senators design law, proposing their measures to the queen, who authorizes or rejects their placement into society. These senators come from all human races, representing many voices working in tandem with the queen's will. Initially, this system was designed as a temporary government for the refugee camps, but in the 150 years since the flood of Lion's Arch, it has become a stable system, a respected government, and a cornerstone of Krytan culture.
However, Kryta is not un-assailed—secret agents of the White Mantle still fight for their unseen gods, and the Centaurs, displaced across the continent, are flooding into human territory, fighting over every scrap of land. Kryta is a war zone with a few safe-havens, a land where humans must fight for their security—and their future.
Orr
Risen from the ocean by the will of a powerful undead dragon, Orr no longer stands under human control. The beings roaming those lands are twisted, perverted remnants of Orr's once-magnificent culture. Drowned by magic and then raised into service by the will of a monster so terrible there are only whispers of its nature, they now serve a dragon more horrible and more powerful than any other being in Tyria.
The elder dragon of Orr rules this re-emerged continent with an indomitable will, claiming the peninsula for its own. The city of Arah, where once the True Gods walked, rose to the surface to become the creature's home. Its arrival heralded a time of cataclysm and change for the world. Though Arah lies in ruins, conquered by the dragon and its minions, those who venture onto Orrian soil say they have seen her spired towers, bedecked with rotted banners and guarded by twisted, draconian troops.
When the dragon awoke and the peninsula breached the waves, once-ruined buildings and shattered coastal highways rose above the sea as well. In addition to drowning the coastlands of Kryta and flooding Lion's Arch, this cataclysmic event even turned parts of northern Elona green again—for a time. The changes were truly cataclysmic across all of Tyria. Only the greatest of heroes dare venture within the ruined cities of Orr; to adventure there is to face the dragon and its minions directly, and that creature's power is not to be underestimated.
Many of the corsairs who inhabited the island chain before the peninsula rose again were subsumed by the dragon's power, twisted by its breath, and enslaved to its will. Ships with black sails, built from seized corsair vessels, sail along the Strait of Malchor, west of Orr. These vessels surround the Fire Islands, manned by undead minions of the dragon that fear neither fire nor sea.
This undead armada has cut off all human contact with Cantha, and the dragon’s undead army wages war even now along the northern Elonian border, preventing all in Tyria from departing for other lands . . . for now.
The Movement of the World
A Guild Wars 2 History Lesson, by Ree Soesbee
"By the Mouvelian calendar, the year when the Goddess Kormir ascended was the year 1075. From that date, we will begin our history lesson, and within that classification of dates we will show you the future—that has become our past. For two hundred and fifty years, the heroes of Tyria have struggled as the world shifted around them. Massive upheavals, cataclysms, and other global-spanning events have changed the world. The humans are in decline. Other races are rising, taking control of large portions of the world and shifting the balance of power. The world has changed."
—Decimus the Historian, Durmand Priory
The world of Tyria has known conflict, chaos, and generations of war. Rarely has there been a time of peace in these troubled lands. The years since the Ascension of Kormir and the defeat of the Great Destroyer have been no different. There have been dangers. There have been adventures. The world is no longer the Tyria it once was—and yet, so many things are the same, beneath her troubled exterior.
Sleeping monsters, aeons old, have awakened. They crawled from beneath the earth, razor claws sinking into stone and ground over a world that has not seen their like in millennia—and where they rose, they dominated the world around them, twisting it to serve their purposes. The first of these, Primordus, gathered minions to replace the Destroyers that once served its cause and began to overrun the caverns beneath the earth, gradually pressing the Asura to the surface. Gunnar's Hold fell to monsters of ice, and the Norn were driven southward into the empty territory that had once been held by the Dwarves. The Charr have a tentative friendship with the Norn, respecting their sense of power and personal strength.
To the south, the peninsula of Orr has risen from the ocean, flooding the coasts with tidal waves. Sanctum Cay, D'Alessio Seaboard, and the Battle Isles sank beneath the waves, and even Lion's Arch was so completely flooded by the cataclysmic upheaval that the great city had to be abandoned, its buildings collapsed in the flood. The corsair ships that once hid among the sunken islands of Orr capsized, and only a few ships made it out of the tidal areas. Those that did settled along the ruined northern coast, steering clear of the black-masted ships that began sailing the Orrian territories. The lost souls of Orr, commanded by a dark power from below the sea, rose to take command of the land freed from the depths of the sea.
Strange races—the Norn, the Asura and the mysterious Sylvari—took over large portions of the continent. Their civilizations pushed the humans north and west, away from their ancestral land. These races have solidified their presence in Tyria and now take an active role in the events around them.
Dragons
"Never trust the past. There has been too much forgotten, too many things hidden beneath the sand of ages. Even your own memory can lie to you..."
—Decimus the Historian
Over the last 250 years, the races of Tyria have seen a great deal of strife and war. Conflicts between the humans and the Charr, the Norn and any who might challenge them, and among other sentient races have continually threatened the peace of the continent—but these are not the only issues. Although sentient races are one threat, there are, as always, wild creatures and monsters across the countryside; dangers to be faced and troubles to be conquered. But on Tyria, there are even worse things yet to be faced.
The cataclysms that tore apart the land and flooded Lion's Arch were not caused by natural forces, no more than were the earthquakes that freed the Destroyers in the northern Shiverpeaks. These were both caused by the surfacing of ancient powers—true dragons, more dangerous than anything Tyria has ever known before. Glint and Kuunavang were but youths, lesser powers to the ancients that came before. These mystic and terrifying creatures rival the gods themselves.
Primordus was the first of the ancient dragons to awaken, calling his servants from their slumber. With his breath, he twisted earth and stone, shaping creatures and giving them life. Although the death of the Great Destroyer, his most powerful general, set back the dragon's awakening by two generations, Primordus once again rose to create ever more minions far beneath the ground. To this day, he continues to spread his power throughout the deep caverns beneath Tyria.
After Primordus, the other great dragons began to stir one by one. The rise of the dragon beneath Orr caused the entire continent to surface, sparking a tidal wave that swept the coastline and drowned thousands. In the deepest waters of the sea, another dragon breathed, twisting the waters themselves into tentacled horrors that rose from every lake and river of the land. Only a few years ago, yet another dragon erupted from the northern mountains and flew south over the Charr territory of Ascalon. 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.
Although these creatures are called dragons, they are as different from Kuunavang and Glint as night to day—more powerful, older, born of different, unfathomable magic, these horrors are controlled by no god nor any other power known to the races of Tyria. What connection they have to these "younger dragons" is unknown, but they certainly do not possess the mercy or familiarity with the sentient races of the world that Kuunavang or Glint portray. The cycle of their awakening reaches back to the time of the giganticus lupicus, and even further, back into prehistory. The only thing known about these monsters is that they have no pity, no curiosity—no concern at all for the other races of the world. Their only goal seems to be to dominate, to control, and to destroy.
Guilds
The guilds of Tyria have grown and expanded, despite the destruction of the Battle Isles. Balthazar helped raise a new temple in Lion's Arch, stepping on the hearthstone of the construction and opening a gate there to the Mists, so that heroes of each world could compete in contest. But these guilds are not racially aligned as they were in the past—no longer restricted merely to humans, they accept heroes of all societies into their halls.
The Asura easily fit into the guild system, using guilds as they would any other krewe designed for a task. To the Charr, the guilds are like warbands. They do not replace the loyalty the Charr hold to their legion but instead allow them unique opportunities to display the strength of their race and increase their own personal reputations as ferocious combatants. Norn are always eager for a fight, and their loyalty to friends makes them a blessing to any combat force. Sylvari bring unique and unpredictable strengths to a guild, and are eager to enter into any danger simply for the experience of it.
Guilds are a prominent force in Tyria, taking on challenges that individual adventurers fear to face, and braving even the most dangerous opponents. It is said that if there is any hope for the races of Tyria to find peace, it will come from the guilds and their atmosphere of cooperation and unity.
Ascalon, Kryta, and Orr
For centuries, humans dominated the continent of Tyria, but over the last 250 yeras that has changed. Humanity clings by a thread, maintaining its cities only through the absolute dedication of its armies. Ascalon City fell. Rin belongs to the Charr. Lion's Arch, inundated by tidal waves, was rebuilt by the mercenary guilds, and Orr . . . rose into undeath and corruption.
The gods of the humans have been notably distant these past two centuries, withdrawing into silence even as the world beneath them shattered. Although they still answer prayers, they do not intervene—even as Tyria crumbles and the human race calls out desperately for heroes to save them from their darkening struggle.
Ascalon
Having lost their homeland to the Charr, the humans of the Ascalon kingdom have been pushed ever west and south. The Great Northern Wall fell, and Ascalon City lies in ruins. The royal line of Adelbern ended with the death of Prince Rurik. The lone remaining human fortress in Ascalon lies at the far southern tip, where the eastern Blazeridge Mountains merge with the western Shiverpeaks. This last Ascalonian fortress, known as Ebonhawke, stands alone against all the might the Charr legions have to offer.
The continuing conflict between the humans and the Charr along the borders of Ascalon forced the humans ever farther into the Shiverpeaks. Although open war has ended save on a few small fronts, the hatred between the Charr legions and the human kingdoms never abated. If anything, it is worse than ever before. Ebonhawke stands alone in defiance, supplied by an Asura gate from Krytan territories.
The Charr solidified their control over Ascalon from their original lands in the north all the way south to the merging of the two mountain ranges at the edge of the Crystal Desert. Within the main territories of Ascalon, between the broken Great Northern Wall and the fortress of Ebonhawke, the Charr rule—but not unchallenged. In the last battle of Ascalon City, Adelbern used the final power of his enchanted sword, Magdaer, a relic from the age when the True Gods walked Tyria and built the city of Arah.
The stories told by the Charr (and the few, scattered human survivors of the battle) speak of a gout of sword-shaped flame rising from the highest tower in the city. After a white, burning heat swept the city streets, the dead and defeated Ascalonian guard arose once more, their spirits animated by the power of Adelbern's sword. In the face of this spectral resistance, the Charr were forced to abandon the city.
Since that time, the spectral soldiers have guarded the ruins of Ascalon City and the eastern frontier. They resist the Charr, but do not communicate with living soldiers from Ebonhawke. Their spirits are only memories, the lingering presence of a past that cannot let go of the present. Some believe that one day, when the rightful king of Ascalon returns with one of the two flaming swords—either Adelbern’s Magdaer or his son's, named Sohothin—the legion will abandon the city and sink at last into peaceful death. Until then, everyone is the enemy.
Kryta
Kryta, too, has known its share of conflict and heartache. Once noble Lion's Arch fell to the plundering sea, its coast devastated by storms, rising water, and tidal waves. And yet, the nation of Kryta is the last bastion of humanity—and in that, their last hope. Under siege from other races for centuries, beset by bad luck and misfortune, and perhaps even forgotten by the gods themselves—human civilization is on the verge of collapse. Only Kryta's crown has survived to this modern age.
Although various factions restored the Krytan throne to its rightful ruler, a descendant of Queen Salma, there is no peace in the Talmark Wilderness. The lands of Kryta have known significant upheaval—both in war and internal conflicts. As the sole remaining human kingdom on the continent of Tyria, Ascalonians flocked there in droves with no king and no real leadership. The few humans who claim Orrian descent never proclaim their heritage publicly; being connected to those dark lands is dangerous in these times. Refugees from Elona and Cantha, discovering themselves trapped by the rising wasters of Orr, struggled to maintain a native culture while integrating into Krytan society. This melting pot of humanity provides the one thing they all seek: a home.
Through faith in the gods and the nobility of the Krytan spirit, the queen solidified her hold over Kryta and her people, and did not devolve into tyrannical rule. From the beginning, they were willing to accept Ascalonian refugees. And, as cataclysms across the world displaced other humans, and Canthans and Elonians joined the wave of humanity fleeing to the new city of Divinity's Reach, they found a welcome home in the high bastion created to replace Lion's Arch when the floodwaters of Orr claimed it. Divinity's Reach, a breathtaking monument of white parapets and high, pale towers, was built on the edge of the Divinity coast, far from the rising waters of the southern bays.
In Divinity's Reach, the new queen of Kryta established a system of government designed to give all people—not just native Krytans—a voice. Senators design law, proposing their measures to the queen, who authorizes or rejects their placement into society. These senators come from all human races, representing many voices working in tandem with the queen's will. Initially, this system was designed as a temporary government for the refugee camps, but in the 150 years since the flood of Lion's Arch, it has become a stable system, a respected government, and a cornerstone of Krytan culture.
However, Kryta is not un-assailed—secret agents of the White Mantle still fight for their unseen gods, and the Centaurs, displaced across the continent, are flooding into human territory, fighting over every scrap of land. Kryta is a war zone with a few safe-havens, a land where humans must fight for their security—and their future.
Orr
Risen from the ocean by the will of a powerful undead dragon, Orr no longer stands under human control. The beings roaming those lands are twisted, perverted remnants of Orr's once-magnificent culture. Drowned by magic and then raised into service by the will of a monster so terrible there are only whispers of its nature, they now serve a dragon more horrible and more powerful than any other being in Tyria.
The elder dragon of Orr rules this re-emerged continent with an indomitable will, claiming the peninsula for its own. The city of Arah, where once the True Gods walked, rose to the surface to become the creature's home. Its arrival heralded a time of cataclysm and change for the world. Though Arah lies in ruins, conquered by the dragon and its minions, those who venture onto Orrian soil say they have seen her spired towers, bedecked with rotted banners and guarded by twisted, draconian troops.
When the dragon awoke and the peninsula breached the waves, once-ruined buildings and shattered coastal highways rose above the sea as well. In addition to drowning the coastlands of Kryta and flooding Lion's Arch, this cataclysmic event even turned parts of northern Elona green again—for a time. The changes were truly cataclysmic across all of Tyria. Only the greatest of heroes dare venture within the ruined cities of Orr; to adventure there is to face the dragon and its minions directly, and that creature's power is not to be underestimated.
Many of the corsairs who inhabited the island chain before the peninsula rose again were subsumed by the dragon's power, twisted by its breath, and enslaved to its will. Ships with black sails, built from seized corsair vessels, sail along the Strait of Malchor, west of Orr. These vessels surround the Fire Islands, manned by undead minions of the dragon that fear neither fire nor sea.
This undead armada has cut off all human contact with Cantha, and the dragon’s undead army wages war even now along the northern Elonian border, preventing all in Tyria from departing for other lands . . . for now.
