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Category: GW2 Static Pages

Published on Sunday, 15 January 2012 13:47

Written by Soulenler

"... we fight for our homes, our Gods, and our Queen. Nothing can break our Spirit!"

The humans of Tyria are an embattled race. Over the past three hundred years, they have lost much of their territory. Old enemies and new races threaten traditional human lands on all sides. Yet the human race survives, defending their remaining lands and maintaining the human spirit as they have for centuries. Their greatest city, Divinity's Reach, shines as a beacon of hope for the people of Kryta and beyond--even those dwelling deep within charr territory. The human legends are indelibly imprinted on the souls of all the races of Tyria, be they friend or foe.

This is their story.

History

The humans of Tyria originally came to this part of the world from the south. They soon spread throughout the kingdoms of Orr, Kryta, and Ascalon, displacing other peoples, including the centaurs and charr, in the process. Internal squabbles and wars weakened the human nations, so that they were in no shape to defend themselves when the charr invaded Ascalon.

Ascalon fell before the charr magic of the Searing. Rather than surrender to the charr, King Adelbern invoked the Foefire, a powerful curse that transformed his people into ever-vigilant ghosts. Orr vanished beneath the sea, only to rise years later as a kingdom of the undead ruled by the Elder Dragon Zhaitan. Lion's Arch was inundated and then reborn as a city of many races. Kryta plunged into civil war, and only survived due to the actions of its valiant heroes.

Yet through it all, humanity persevered, protecting the best qualities of its people and history. Although surrounded by challenges and confronted by threats within and without, the race survives and thrives in a world that becomes more deadly by the day.

Divinity's Reach

Humanity's greatest city is Divinity's Reach, founded in the wake of the flooding of Lion's Arch. Built upon ancient Krytan tombs and situated on a bluff, the city provides a strong bastion against a dangerous world. Survivors of the other human nations and refugees from distant lands have poured into Divinity's Reach, swearing fealty to the crown and creating a proud, beautiful city.

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Category: GW2 Static Pages

Published on Sunday, 15 January 2012 13:42

Written by Soulenler

"Brain, not brawn, will change the world!

The diminutive asura are the smartest people in Tyria. Just ask them; they will tell you. Once, they were the undisputed masters of a powerful underground civilization, but were driven to the surface by the Great Destroyer, the herald of the Elder Dragon Primordus.

Since their arrival on the surface, however, this long-eared race has prospered. Initially squatting among the ruins along the Tarnished Coast, their mastery of arcane forces has allowed them to regroup, rebuild, and tame this new, savage world. Now their mystic technology is found across the continent, and other races view the asura with a respect they feel they deserve. Yet even as they succeed, their accomplishments are threatened by internal conflicts, personal pride, and individual greed.

History

The asura were originally a subterranean race, adapted for their cavernous homes deep beneath the surface. They had evolved excellent senses—their long ears and wide, luminous eyes missed nothing—and sharp teeth for an omnivorous diet. They were uniformly brilliant as a people, analyzing, solving, and utilizing the intricate nature of magic itself. Using this power, they spread throughout the Depths of Tyria, linking distant locations with their asura gates and building great underground citadels on places of incredible arcane power.

To their horrified surprise, one of those spots proved to be the home of an Elder Dragon champion. The Great Destroyer, a legendary figure among the dwarves, stirred. Using the very portals the asura had built over its lair, it spread its minions throughout the underground, destroying the bulk of asuran civilization and forcing the survivors into the dangerous and unknown surface world.

The asura were nothing if not resourceful. Armed with what knowledge they had salvaged, and blessed with a surplus of inventive geniuses, they soon dominated the region of the Tarnished Coast. Their golems pushed back the jungles. Their levitation spells set their towns above the dangerous surroundings. And their reconfigured gates allowed them to cross a new world filled with dangerous and alien races. Ingenuity and organization gave them the advantage necessary to prevail.

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Category: GW2 Static Pages

Published on Sunday, 15 January 2012 13:31

Written by Soulenler

"With the roar of engines and with the thunder of guns, we rip each day from the life's teeth"

The feline charr of Tyria are a victorious race challenged by their own success. They have survived defeat, oppression, and civil war. They have returned, reconquered, and rebuilt their original homes. Their mighty fortress, the Black Citadel, dominates the surrounding ruins of the human city of Rin, and their non-magical technology is the mightiest in the land. Yet despite their success, they are challenged by divisions among their people, the power of the Elder Dragons, and the ghosts of their own victories.

This, then, is their story.

History

The charr made the open lands east of the Shiverpeaks their home for many long years before the arrival of the humans. After they were driven from Ascalon, they engaged for centuries in a war with the humans, only to have their efforts stymied by the power of the human gods and technology. However, they rallied and eventually invaded the human nations. Distant Kryta resisted their incursions, but both Orr and Ascalon ultimately chose self-destruction over defeat by the charr.

The charr paid for their success dearly; the old High Legions (Ash, Blood, and Iron) were put under the yoke of the Flame Legion, who researched forbidden magics and worshipped dark, false gods. The Flame Legion also subordinated the charr females, who had previously been equals to the males. As the war lengthened, each success was attributed to the inherent rightness of the Flame Legion's crusade, while each failure was used as an excuse for others to sacrifice for the good of the Flame Legion shamans.

In the end, the charr did take Ascalon, but its maddened human king chose to invoke his own dark magic, the Foefire, which stripped the souls of his people from their bodies and left them to eternally guard their land as ghosts. The Flame Legion won the battle, but their victory condemned the charr to an eternal insurrection.

The charr females defied the rule of the Flame Legion, gathering with them rebellious factions from the other charr legions. The Iron, Blood, and Ash Legions joined the uprising after the insurgents' leader, Kalla Scorchrazor, won the support of the Iron Legion Imperator. Together, they cast down the Flame Legion shamans and regained control of the fate of the charr race. The Iron Legion, for its part, took control of Ascalon.

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Category: GW2 Static Pages

Published on Sunday, 15 January 2012 13:26

Written by Soulenler

"If you're bold enough, your legend will live forever"

The norn are a race of valiant, shape-changing barbarians. Boisterous, strong-willed, and passionate, the norn are an independent people that swear fealty to no single being. They thrive in their mountain stronghold by the sharpness of their senses, the quickness of their wits, and the strength of their massive forearms. They are guided in this world by their Spirits of the Wild, who embody the virtues of the mightiest beasts. As a people, they are quick to anger, even quicker to smile, and treat each new day as a personal challenge. They drink and feast and hunt with equal gusto, and fear few things. They are steadfast allies and implacable foes.

History

The norn hail from the frozen mountains of the Far Shiverpeaks, leagues to the north of the human kingdoms. Their history is one of heroes, spirits, and impossible deeds. A norn warrior remains immortal only as long as she is remembered by descendents and only as long as her songs are sung by skaalds around the lodge fires. So it has been for times uncounted.

This changed with the arrival of Jormag, the Elder Ice Dragon. Stirring from its frozen sleep, the dragon erupted into the living world. The norn first fought it in the manner that they had always fought--as valiant heroes seeking to defeat the beast in single combat. Hundreds were slain, and the norn themselves forced from their homelands.

The Spirits of the Wild aided the norn in their flight. Some died protecting them; some remained behind to fight Jormag and were lost. Others, the greatest of their spirits--Wolf, Bear, Raven, and Snow Leopard--guided the norn to safety in lands once belonging to the dwarves.

Hoelbrak

The norn are not a people of cities--they prefer simple steadings carved out of the wilderness, where survival depends upon one's own power and ability. Yet Hoelbrak acts as a focal point of norn civilization, for it is here that the Spirits of the Wild led the great hero Aesgir and the fleeing norn to safety. In the years since its founding, norn from all over the Shiverpeaks have come here to trade, to meet, to brag, and to drink, but only a few have made it their year-round home.

Details

Category: GW2 Static Pages

Published on Sunday, 15 January 2012 13:08

Written by Soulenler

Evil threatens Tyria, but our Dream will guide us through darkness ... to Dawn"

The sylvari are an enigma. Humanoid in form, plantlike in nature, they are recent arrivals in Tyria and have roamed the world for only twenty-five years. They are all born of a single parent—the mighty Pale Tree that dominates the Tarnished Coast. They are bound together with a common origin and a shared dream. No one knows why they have suddenly appeared in Tyria, least of all the sylvari themselves, and they seek to discover their purpose in the world. Of all the races, they have the greatest appreciation of the danger posed by the Elder Dragons; the sylvari battle the undead minions of Zhaitan on a regular basis.

This, then, is their story.

History

"There was a time that I cursed this world for taking away everything that I had. But living here, I have come to understand that these memories, even those that are painful, are seeds of our identity. They shape our growth." —Ronan, Human, formerly of the Shining Blade.

The story of the sylvari begins with a human and a centaur. The human was Ronan, a warrior with the Shining Blade. Separated from his patrol, he discovered a cavern filled with strange seeds and guarded by powerful plant creatures. He took one of those seeds and brought it home to his family, only to discover that his entire village had been slaughtered by the White Mantle and their powerful would-be gods, the Mursaat. Grieving, he planted the seed on their graves and swore to never take up the sword again.

Ronan was joined by Ventari, an aged centaur who also tired of continual conflict. Together they formed a small community, a refuge for those seeking peace in a violent world. The tree that grew of the strange seed came up tall and proud, and beneath its boughs, man and centaur lived at peace. Ronan passed on in time, and aged Ventari passed as well. But before leaving this life, the centaur carved his lessons on a marble tablet and set it among the roots of the Pale Tree. Then he too passed on, the eldest and wisest of the centaurs.