index

The Underworld

On The Tube with Dael in Dwin

Nigh tf all

By the co

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October - Iss

ue #4

This issue’s

theme:

In this issue: The Dead and Un dead Mad K ing Th orn & Hallo w een The S ylv ari Title Hun t er s: Survivor Hallo w een Art c ompe ::on And mo

And mo r e.. ..

This i ssue:

→ Mad King Thorn I am King Thorn of Kryta! I command you to entertain me on this Hallowed Eve! → Dutch's Talk with.... Mad Queen Malafide She is said to be the Queen of Halloween, find out what motivates her. → Nightfall A dark prophecy of the end of the days. → Demonic Armies

→ Demonic Armies Evil can take many forms. → Follow-up in t erview with Coli n Joha nso n Colin (Lead conte nt designer) answers some questions and tells us a bit about himself. → The Team's Opinions On... Ghosts of As cal on Read up on a spoiler-fre e review by MintyMint and the team's opinion on the book. → The Dead And Unde ad

There is more to them than meets the eye. → On The Tube with Daelin Dwin A recap of some of the most entertaining Guild Wars videos on YouTube. → Dhuum and the Underworld Find out about the existence and stories of this dangerous place. → Halloween Workshop The results are in! Check out the winning entries. → Sylvari

→ Sylva ri Background lore on the newly sprung race in GW2. → End of the line... The last tidbits and a preview of what we're planning for the next issue .

Chibi by Izar i

Dutch's Talk wit h.... Mad Que en Mal afide

The Dead and Un dea d

Ghosts of Asca lon r eviews

FOREWORD:

GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars magazine

Magazine | Page 1/35

The Hallowed eve is coming somewhere down the lane Creeping from the walls to get you in his bane. The hallowed eve is coming along with its drinks and candy Scared children hiding in their closet

Scared children hiding in their closet afraid for the ghostly dandy. The hallowed eve is coming preparing for the arrival of the never-born The signs are clear He’s coming, the Mad King Thorn. In this issue we focus on bringing you a ghostly ex

In this issue we focus on bringing you a ghostly ex- perience, we tell you about Mad King Thor n and how all that’s know about him. Whe re we tr avel ed to Cantha in our last issue , we’ll now tell you some - thing about Elona and the ir Nightfall. The n we also have an article on the Undead and ofcourse the next god that we’ll discuss, which is a fallen one ,

Dhuum. We also got an intervie w with Mad Que en Malafide and our follow-up interview with Colin Jo- hanson. Last but not le ast we got our returning ar- ticles, On The Tube and Arghore’s Jokes but also ou r own reviews on Ghosts of Ascalon. Enjoy this issue, and be sure to leave your feedback at http://www.guildmag.com

GuildMag, the unofficial Guild Wars magazine

Lore | Page 2/ 35

By Fr ee Runn er

When the moon rises high over Lion's Arch And the wind moans through the most hollow of eves Shutter your homes this holiday Steer clear of the shadows For on this night, they say, A long-addled spirit returns from the grave Pumpkin upon his head,

Pumpkin upon his head, A wicked deed within his heart A pint of witch's brew for all those who misbehave Heed these words, all ye who dare enter here: Bind your souls to the mortal realm For the regent of madness draws near. As the days of Tyria grow shorter and the nights colder, Tyrians prepare for the fated day of

As the days of Tyria grow shorter and the nights colder, Tyrians prepare for the fated day of madness that befalls Tyria every year - All Hallows Eve. Those ciazens who know of this day will tell you to get out of town while you can, or fall vicam to the overnight changes that mark the occasion. For when the moon begins to grin down on Tyria and the air is filled with the screams of the damned, it can mean only one thing - Mad King Thorn is coming. king thorn of kryta Long ago, in the days of ancient Kryta, Thorn reigned as king of the naaon making his home

Long ago, in the days of ancient Kryta, Thorn reigned as king of the naaon making his home in the city of Lion's Arch. Ciazens would bow down to K ing Thorn, not daring to look him di- rectly in the eyes as not to cause their hasty demise. In life Thorn is said to have bee n con- sidered a good king by his people, however those quick enough to trigge r his temper would say otherwise (if they lived long e nough to tell anyone that is!) as his punishme nts are not to be taken lightly, and could result in an enare village being sk inne d al ive .

Thorn is said to have made enemies in his mortal life, such as the tengu who caused chaos in the kingdom of Kryta, causing Thorn to carry a deep hatred of the tengu race even long after his death. Each autumn the horsemen of the Mad King make sure to send willing Tyr-ians out to carry out "jusace" on the tengu. He also had rivals, such as the undead lord Palawa Joko who Thorn wished to destroy for his disrespect. Even though a King of Kryta, Thorn is also well known in the lands of Elona. In ancient

Even though a King of Kryta, Thorn is also well known in the lands of Elona. In ancie nt ames, Thorn would often travel to Elona after falling for the royal pri ncess that dwel le d there. After trying to win her heart through many gifts, the King finally su cce eded by giv ing her a mask fashioned from mandragor carapaces... a gift that some say may have also be en aided by Thorn putting a sword to he r father's throat.

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Lore | Page 3/ 35

By Fr ee Runn er

Although successful in winning the heart of his new bride, a tragedy befell her, something which the horsemen say caused many years of war to follow. It's unknown what happened to the princess, though Thorn's horsemen are sure that the grudge the king worked up over the incident is long gone. Upon his return to the mortal world each year, Thorn visits the city of Kamadan to celebrate the nrst nme he saw his ill-fated bride. the mad kings return ”I am King Thorn of Kryta! I command you to entertain me on this Hallowed Eve!” - Mad King Thorn

- Mad King Thorn In death, Thorn is no longer just a revered King of Kryta, but a powerful ngure known in even the far corners of the Underworld where he is somenmes referred to by Grenth's Reapers as the Autumn Lunanc. However in death Thorn can only travel to the Mortal Realm during Autumn, and while his crazed disciples known as the Lunanc Court anempt to undo this seal their anempts have yet to preveil. The annual return of the Mad King is a cause for both celebranon amongst brave Tyrians

The annual return of the Mad King is a cause for both celebranon amongst brave Tyrians and fear amongst cinzens afraid of falling vicnm to his mal ici ous, magi cal pranks. Each return is marked by the screams of cinzens rushing out to the stre ets after nnding out that, in honor of the kings return, they have been turned into a random creature. Another sign is the appearance of the undead horsemen who arrive in the towns asking for trophies to dedicate to the Mad King in return for gifts worthy of the celebranon. In parncular the ar- rival of the undead horseman Bruce marks the event, with the terrined herald war ni ng of the king's impending arrival on the Hallowed Eve . Addinonally a personal guar d unit are

the king's impending arrival on the Hallowed Eve . Addinonally a personal guard unit are known to appear withi n the cines, mononless unnl the King arrives, announcing his pre s- ence in the mortal realm.

On the Hallowe d Eve, Mad King Thorn appe ars before Tyrians and Elonians al ike, towering over them with carved features glowing upon his signature pumpkin he ad. Thor n i nv ite s ev- eryone to join him in a ce lebranon of himse lf, requesnng music, dancing, cheers and re- spect from his audience with threats of death to those who disobey. He is well known for telling jok es that often mock the stature of dwarves and asura, but rather than being re- membered for the jokes themselves, he is remembered and feare d for what becomes of those who dare not laugh.

In life Thorn was said to be a military genius but not only that, he was a self proclaim ed master of the strategic game Rock-Paper-Scissors. Announcing this to all those present at the celebranon, Thorn begins to challe nge the audience to one on one duels with the winner gaining gifts and the loser being put to de ath. Some could say the maniacal

monarch games always end the same way... but others would prefer not to speak. facts of thorn Not many dare to ask the Mad King quesnons, fearing what kind of answer they would re-ceive. Therefore there are linle known facts about Thorn that are whispered amongst the horsemen. For while he may be considered a borderline insane king, Thorn was once human and snll has fears, likes, dislikes and, as mennoned, enemies. Other than the tengu, Thorn also has a vivid hatred of the skree harpies that reside in

Other than the tengu, Thorn also has a vivid hatred of the skree harpies that reside in Elona. What caused him to consider them an ancient e nemy is unknown but his horsemen are more than happy to accept limb donanons from the harpies. Addinonally while it is not known what the Kings stance was during life , other races are conside red enemi es by the horsemen due to the lack of parncipanon in the celebranons. The Stone Summit dwarves, White Mantle and the grawl of Ascalon are examples of this, being the subject of bounne s by the king's servants due to lack of acknowle dgement of his greatness. Other races are often targeted for trophies to be pre sented to the king, such as the charr, centaur tribe s

often targeted for trophies to be pre sented to the king, such as the charr, centaur tri be s and even the nre imps. It is also said in legend that after an anack on the k ing by the smar t- est Ettin of Kryta, Thorn banished them to the Fire Island Chain whe re they connnue to reside to this day.

Linle known things about Thorn are his fears and likes. For while some may consider him to be the root of all evil, even Thorn fears something - termites. His reason for this strange fear may be related to the addinon of his pumpkin head following his death... but only Thorn knows for sure. The King is known to enjoy Elonian delicacies such as Mandragor Soup and drake flesh and is also said to enjoy the customs of Elona, such as the tradinon of sacrincing iboga to ensure a good harvest, though his enjoyment probably lies more in the sacrincing part of the tradinon than the idea itself. prepare yourself!

prepare yourself! Mad King Thorn is a name that can strike fear and excitement into the hearts of Tyrians. Each year adventurers and heroes alike gather in the towns of Lions Arc h and K amadan , Jewel of Istan, to witness his return and join the celebranons. Who knows? Thorn and his devoted Lunanc Court may ke ep coming for centuries. But for now, prepare yourself. Shuner your windows and pray to yo ur go ds. .. fo r the Mad King is coming.

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Interview | Page 4/3 5

By Dut ch Su nsh in e

The Guild Wars community is awesome , it has quite a few great people making sure that you enjoy the game as much as you do. It starts with the Community Managers who do their awesome job of monitoring the community, giving feedback and responding to play- ers' questions. In addition, you also have people that enjoy entertaining the community, or even host a fansite to show their dedication to the game. I believe these people are just th e start of the Guild Wars community, you guys are what makes the community great. Every issue from now on, I'll be interviewing someone who has done a great job for the Guil d Wars community, and I'll share with you what they're up to and what they've do ne to en

Wars community, and I'll share with you what they're up to and what they've do ne to en- hance the commun ity. In this issue , I'll talk with the Queen of Hallowe en, Mad Queen Malafide. She's been an iconic player in the Guild Wars world, organizing events for Hallowe e n and W intersday. Since Hallowe en is coming up, I knew she was the perfect fit for thi s article ! Dutch Sunshine: Hey Mad Queen Malafide, how are you do in g?

Mad Queen Malafide: Marvelous Darling! I feel like I just burned my first village. It’s really already my third this morning, but I feel splendid! Dutch: Could you please introduce yourself to our readers? MQM: Of course darling. My name is Mad Queen Malafide. They also sometimes call me

MQM: Of course darling. My name is Mad Quee n Malafide. They also some times call me Queen of Halloween. I’m not sure if that title is deserved, but I’ll leave that up to the play- ers. What I do, is host a lot of community e vents in Tyria. I'm most known for the Hallow- een and Christmas events which I usually host together with Danie l Frozenwind, who a lot of your readers might be familiar with. I can often be found in Lion’ s Arch, which I consider my home away from home. I’ve bee n in Tyria since the beginning, that’s a long time to spend in one wo rld .

Dutch: You must be very old… err, young then? MQM: Now, now, a gentleman never asks a lady for her age. It’s hard to tell my true age from just my looks. As you may or may not know, I am cursed with immortality. I may look like most Tyrians. But I’m not human. Dutch: Okay, so you were there during the giganticus lupicus? MQM: Oh no, not at all. I came here shortly before the Searing. I am originally from the

MQM: Oh no, not at all. I came here shortly be fore the Searing. I am originally from the world Ashynnt. Ashynnt is a world that is not unlike Tyria, but it lacks Charr, Dwarves and Asura. It also lacks Me smers. Yes, some worlds are better than others.

Dutch: How do you mean, some worlds are better than others, what’s up with the mes-mers? MQM: Oh how can I put this delicately… necromancy is an art that requires years of study, and dedication to a great god. But mesmers… not really a profession, is it? Doesn’t take much study, and their goddess isn’t much of a goddess, and they wear masks… what’s with the masks? Dutch: I’ve recently spoken to a fortune teller who told me necromancers will wear masks

Dutch: I’ve recently spoken to a fortune teller who told me necromancers will wear mask s in the f uture too . MQM: Nonsense! It will never happen. We necromancers are far too p ro ud of ou r beautifu l looks to hide them behind a mask. No, let’s leave the masks to the people who have some- thing to be ashamed of… like pe ople who work in a the ater.

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Interview | Page 5/35

By Dut ch Sunsh in e

Dutch: We’ll see, speaking of which, let’s do another classic, where do you see yourself be- tween now and 250 years later? MQM: Well… I’m not quite sure how to answer that… I was hoping to be back in Ashynnt eventually. That does not me an I’ll ne ver return to Tyria, 250 years is a long time. I’m sure I’ll drop back in once things settle. Right now though, I really want to get back home. I’m sure Miya feels the same way. Miya is my monk companion, for those who do not k now her.

Dutch: So you’ll be leaving us shortly ? MQM: I didn’t say that! Oh… I may have said too much already, lets say there are plans. But it’s not easy. Traveling through the mists, as many experts can tell you, is not an e asy affair. It is very dangerous, there are many risks. So this Quee n will make sure she does her home- work well before she attempts something of that scale. But I ce rtainly have thought about it.

Dutch: Hmm, interesting, you know, Halloween is coming up quite quickly, any plans so far on how you’ll spend the night? MQM: Well, we have a sensational event coming up of course! The King and Queen’s Hor-rorween is now a yearly tradition. On the day Mad Monarch arrives, Daniel Frozenwind and I shall be hosting yet another Horrorween. We have a lot of things planned. There will be some returning activities, but also plenty of new ones, and of course there will be plenty of great prizes! Dutch: That sounds cool, I bet a lot of our readers will want to attend that one! Coming

MQM: Well, it all started with very small Hallowe en eve nts. Most of those wer e funde d with anything I could acquire myself. I’ ve always been willing to he lp other players by hand- ing out items that might be useful to them. I think it really started with the role - pl aying, i ni- tially it was just me and Miya in Lion’ s Arch, acting out these funny scenes between an evil necromancer and a cute monk girl. A lot of playe rs seemed entertained, and even wanted to join in. That basically created the platform for hosting an eve nt. Dutch: But you ended up with someone who I think is your opposite? Danie l Frozenwind?

MQM: Well, the characters might be opposites, but we host events with the same passion. It was him who approached me, asking if we could team up for once. So we decided to host “one” event together, and it was huge! I think we were both a bit surprised by how big that was. After that, more events followed. Dutch: Seems like you guys were a huge success then. MQM: I think it’s important to stress that we never intended to gain fame with these

MQM: I think it’s important to stress that we never intended to gain fame with these events. We did it for the community, we always have, and it’s purely to entertain a l ot of players. That mission state ment has not changed in all those years. There have sometimes been players accusing us of being desperate for attention, but I think they simpl y miss the point. That is not at all what the se events are about. There have even been a few players attempting to copy our events, but not with the same goal or heart. Fortunately, players can tell the difference, they feel instantly if someone is hosting an e vent for his own glory, or for the fun of others. The Guild Wars community really is great. There are a lot of great

or for the fun of others. The Guild Wars community really is great. There are a lot of great yearly events now. Like Pinkday in LA, the Mursaat Rally (now called: Mantlecon) and the Royal Ascalon Family Masquerade Ball. We support all the se events, and I’m sorry if I left a lot of events ou t.

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Interview | Page 6/3 5

By Dut ch Su nsh in e

MQM: Well, I wouldn’t put it like that. It’s not like we are responsible for these great initia-tives. But I do believe the community spirit is very much alive in Guild Wars, even now. I think I’d like to thank ArenaNet for their support of the community events. They really care a lot about their community, and last year’s Halloween was amazing. They did such a good job. So I’m highly looking forward to this year’s Halloween. It will be a blast, or so help me Grenth, I’ll strangle this random Xunlai Agent. Dutch: Yeah, they’re pretty much community centered I guess. MQM: People sometimes take that for granted I think. Not all companies are like that.

MQM: People sometimes take that for granted I think. Not all companies are like that. Dutch: Now for something more personal, how is it, playing a character with world fame? MQM: Well, my celebrity status is limited to Tyria only, so I try not to let it get too much to

MQM: Well, my celebrity status is limite d to Tyria only, so I try not to let it get too much to my head. Tempting as it may. But I do get occasional marriage prop osals at least o nce a month. That’s certainly flattering… in a creepy way. Being recognized in towns and ou tposts is always a great starter for conversations with players who have not been to any of the events yet. Though sometimes people react very surprised when I either appear in their party… or people in the district are chanting my name. It sometimes surprises me as well how fast people spot me as I enter a district. I e njoy it though, people are very kind. There are also the occasional re ally nasty messages you receive, but I try not to think too much

are also the occasional re ally nasty messages you receive, but I try not to think too much about those. Dutch: So before we close off, anything else you’d lik e to tell to our r eade rs? MQM: First of all, everyone is invited to the Horrorween of course, even mesmers, just keep it to yourse lf. Also, study hard to be an evil sorcerer and/ or necromancer. Always aim high. It’s okay to have world domination as a goal . Dutch: Thanks for you r ti me!

MQM: No problem, darling.

A few shots about the preparations for this year’s Horrorwee n! (For a little more info, go to the ne xt article)

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Event | Page 7/35

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Lore | Page 8 /35

By Thalad or Doo mspeak er

Once there were not :ve gods, but six. The sixth was Abaddon, imprisoned by his siblings in the Realm of Torment. - Kormir A thousand of years ago, Tyria knew six gods: Lyssa, Melandru, Grenth, Dwayna, Balthazar

A thousand of years ago, Tyria knew six gods: Lyssa, Melandru, Grenth, Dwayna, Balthazar and Abaddon. The gods walked among their mortal followers; they helped them in th eir wars and their advancement. They governed the ir domains and tried to upkeep the balan ce on the planet as much as possible. Until one day around 1 BE, when Abaddon, God of Se- crets and Water, gave out the gift of magic too freely. The result was an enormous, ap oca- lyptic war between the races which could have led to total annihilation. To pre vent this from happening, the gods trapped the knowledge of magic within a tall stone . Then, they broke it into four equal, but opposing parts (each re presenting a different type of magic)

broke it into four equal, but opposing parts (each re presenting a different type of magic) and one keystone – without the key, the other fo ur cou ld never be reassembled.

The chains, that were forged by Bal thazar himself, kept the God of Secrets shackled for more than 1,000 year s.

Ancient inscriptions we re found near the Jokanur excavation site. Scholars specu lated that this one was prophecizing Nightf all.

King Doric beseeching his gods to regulate Abaddon's "gift."

We don’t know the full extent of the truth about the reason for the war, ho wever, man y speculate that the regulation of magic infuriated Abaddon so much that he began acting on his own agenda. In orde r to accomplish some thing big, he "blessed" the people who wor- shipped and loved him the most: a seafaring tribe of humans called Margonites. The "bless- ing" transformed them into demonic beings. The n, he marshaled his forces to besiege the Heavens.

The response of the other five gods was a quick one. They rallied their own followers and led them to the shore of the Crystal Sea, where their maddened sibli ng was staging his forces. Even though Abaddon and his army could e asily take on two gods and defeat them, the combined might of the five was enough to quell his insurrection. The five victors b an- ished Abaddon to a realm of torment, along with his followers. The y imprisoned Abaddon in the heart of his re alm, with chains forged by Balthazar hi mself. Unable to escape from the tormenting anguish and loneline ss, the fallen god became more and more maddened over the years. He vowed to avenge his defeat, punish his brothers and sisters, and corrupt

abaddon’s machinatio ns: Abaddon has worked for centuries to free himse lf. - The Sunspear hero

The dark god did not spend the next 1,000 years lamenting over his defeat and imprison- ment. He started a slow but steady spread over the realm, claiming more land from the Forgotten prisoners, gaining ne w allies, and spawning more de mons. We don’t know if

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Lore | Page 9 /35

By Thalad or Doo mspeak er

Abaddon had sent agents to Tyria before the first documented emissaries arrived, but 800 years later he began the prepara:ons for Nigh:all. In 872 AE, Abaddon scored two major goals. His :tan legions became the "gods" of the charr – which led to the Searing and the Cataclysm 200 years later – and tricked Shiro Tagachi, bodyguard to Emperor Angsiyan of Cantha, with a demon in human form into murdering his maste r in the middle of the Har- vest Ceremony. The following, violent death of Shiro the Betrayer caused the Jade Wind... ju st as Abadd on had planned.

In 1071 AE, he celebrated the Sinking of Orr and the de struc:on of Arah, the City of the Gods (a fitting revenge against his former associate s). He also gained a powerful ally in the form of an undead lich, Vizier Khilbron, who ini:ated the Cataclysm due to another de cep- :on by one of the fallen god’s agents. However, his first invasion of Tyria failed when young Ascalonian he roes closed the Door of Komalie (that le ads to the Realm of Torment) and decimated his :tan forces.

Abaddon made his in:uence felt during the crisis of the Tomb of Primeval Kings. His tentacles tore apart the wonderful golden arches of the tomb.

In the same year, Shiro, who was sentenced to become an Envoy and shepherd the n ewly dead, made another betrayal. He turned on his employer, the Oracle of the Mists, and his Envoy comrades by taking control of the spirits of the de ad and turning them into his per- sonal army. His desires were more than just becoming :esh and blood again and conquer- ing Cantha. According to one of Suun’s, the Oracle of the Mists, mysterious speeches, more was at stake than the safety of Can tha. Scho lars of Durmand speculate that S hiro was making prepara:ons for, or trying to bring closer Abaddon’s return. Than ks to Can than heroes, this plot was thw arte d as well .

heroes, this plot was thwarte d as w ell .

In the mean:me, Abaddon made pacts with the previous God of Death, Dhuum, and Balthazar’s half-brother, Menzies, the Lord of Shadows and Destruc:on. Dhuum’s minions, led by Menzies' Darkness demons, par:ally took control of the Underworld, stormed the Hall of Heroes and devoured some heroic spirits of the past. They also tried to gain more power for their masters by stealing the Celes:al Charges during the Dragon Fes:val of 1072 AE. Menzies’ shadow army led an offensive against Balthazar’s eternals in the Fissure of Woe, but was eventually defeated just like the Ender of All’s forces. Even though there were more failures than successes, Abaddon was closer to his goal than

nightfall – the ce lestial event :

nightfall – the ce lestial event : I sense a disturbance in the skies. A presence I have not felt since... - An unnamed scholar of the Order of the Sky Nigh:all was also prophe sied by the stars. The members of the Order of the Sky met in the Astralarium of Istan, and studie d the heavens in order to follow the events as they occurred on our planet. It is intriguing that the astronomical happenings can be related to events on Tyria. The stars seem to re:ect the past, the present, and the future of our world.

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Lore | Page 1 0/35

By Thalad or Doo mspeak er

te st

Torment claws appeared in the "targeted" area as Abaddon's twiste d realms started thei r push towards Tyria .

The effect of Nightfall on Marga Coast and the Garde n of Seborhin.

The stars were foretelling the events of Nightf all. Do they have something to say abo ut the future as well?

nigthfall – the transformation: It is a demonic manifesta:on. A part of Abaddon's world pushing into the living world. - Jurah, the Master of Whispers As the walls of Abaddon’s prison weakened, the more his evil could pour forth onto Tyria. Then, the malevolent energy would spread and use the minds of others to rupture reality and :ood Tyria with more and more tormented minions. In the mean:me, Abaddon dreamt the nigh:allen visage of every area on the planet, and

In the mean:me, Abaddon dreamt the nigh:allen visage of e very area on the planet, and once the dream was complete, he used the contaminated minds as harpo ons to make a "targeted" land fall into nigh t. In the past, those who have been tainted by Abaddo n’s touch were sentenced to an eternal torment within Abaddon’s realm, even if they were innocen t and good . On ly thro ugh such merciless measures could the gods prevent the contamina:on of the re st of the reality .

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Lore | Page 11/35

By Thalad or Doo mspeak er

nigthfall begins: Night falls. The :me of the Five Gods is at an end. - Unknown prophet, probably Elder Jonah Abaddon’s plans were already in mo:on, however, without his mortal followers working in

Abaddon’s plans were already in mo:on, however, without his mortal followers working in Tyria and an unexpected aid, his return would’ve happened later than it did. We don’t know the reason for Kahyet turning her back on the Five Gods, but it seems very possible that Kahyet encountered Abaddon’s knowledge, and shared it with her "pupil", the aspiring warmarshal of Kourna, descendant of the great Turai Ossa, Varesh Ossa. They had not been corrupted by the dark god yet, but even knowing about Abaddon and his secrets was enough to turn them to his side. As I men:oned before, history would tell a different tale if Abaddon had not "received"

the rituals and the results of nightfall:

entourage made a formal visit to Istan, and some:me during this trade mission, Kournan troops le d by General Kahyet herself entered the forbidden ruins of Fahranur, and gained an important pie ce of informa:on regarding Nightfall, form the awakened Apocrypha. Sh ortly a:erwards, Varesh le: for Kourna to begin the rituals, while Kahyet had some business with the corsairs. A business she was never able to finish...

gandara, the moon fortress and the plaza of the five (six) gods: Fools! Your gods are weak! My god gives me strength! Abaddon! - Warmarshal Varesh Ossa A few days a:er Kahyet’s death a war broke out between Istan and Kourna. Istani warships

A few days a:er Kahyet’ s death a war broke ou t between Istan an d Kourna. Istani warships besieged Gandara, while their troops boarded and advanced through the crescent city. For some :me, it seemed that Varesh’s madness could be stopped when they cornered her and the remnants of the defenders in the Plaza of the Five Gods. However, Varesh had pre- pared something to properly "greet" the invaders. Through an unholy ritual, Varesh sum- moned demons from the Realm of Torment, who made quick work of the Sunspears. Spear- marshal Kormir was captured and blinde d (by a greater demon called the Hunge r), while

the Sunspear heroes fled . Varesh scored a great victory. Not only did she break the Sunspears, but the ritual made Abaddon stronger, and his prison we aker. The Plaza was also the scene of the only known mural of Abaddon. It is unknown whe ther it was a new depic:on, or if it was one of the surviving things related to the dark god.

The results were terrible. The Realm of Torme nt was constantly seeping into Tyria. Even the land was corrupted by Abaddon's tormen:ng powe r. Large chunks of earth rose to wreak havoc in Kourna's countryside. Two greater demons began ac:ng in Elona to serve their lord, although none could accomplish its given task. The Drought, intending to taint the Elon, was destroyed in the Mahnkelon Waterworks, while its "brothe r", the Hunger, was killed by the Sunspears it was ought to slay.

Varesh in Gandara, moments before she finished he r first known convoca:on with Abaddon.

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Lore | Page 12/35

By Thalad or Doo mspeak er

the transmutation: And thus was magic gi:ed to Jadoth, chosen of Abaddon, the :rst of the Margonites. - Scriptures of Abaddon, 1BE Margonites were long thought to be ex:nct. However, due to the fact that Abaddon was

the sebelkeh basilica: It is too late to stop; this part of the ritual is complete! The walls of my lord's prison are being being torn away and Torme nt is swallowing the world!

With the Istani military in disarray, Varesh moved her forces north to Vabbi with the goal to hunt the fleeing Sunspears responsible for General Bayel’s (Ascalonian he ritaged officer in the Kournan military, who was killed by Sunspears) assassina:on. Howe ver, Varesh’s true mo:ves became clear – seemingly – when she started a war, now with the Vabbians. Al- though the combined strength of Prince Ahmtru’s battalions and the Sunspear routed the attacking Kournans and the Margonites, Varesh could be gin another ritual within the

the ruptures: Yes, weak mortals. Come to me. You will provide precious amusement, and your death will herald a beginning to Nigh:all. - Harbinger of Nigh:all

- Harbinger of Nigh:all Abaddon became stronger, and the walls of his confinement were breaking apart. So did the barriers between Tyria and his realm... Abaddon dreamt the fate of every area on the planet and started pushing the horrid caricatures of the regions onto Tyria. At first, they happened only in Elona, albeit we have no knowledge of other regions falling into night on the other two con:nents. The two nightfallen lands in Elona were Marga Coast and the Garden of Seborhin. Each

The two nightfallen lands in Elona we re Marga Coast and the Garden of Seborhin. Each transforma:on was brought forth by special de mons: the Harbingers of Twi light and Nigth- fall. Fortunately for the (surviving) inhabitants of the areas, the demons were kille d, and the transforma:on of the land stopped, but this allowed Varesh to have a really great ad- vantage over her pursuer s.

Loyal soldier and his corrupted warmarshal face to face a:er the massacre at the Temple of Lyssa.

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By Thalad or Doo mspeak er

the mouth of torment: Abaddon reclaims his possessions, soon his true power will be revealed and the door to his prison opened. - Prophet Varesh The very place were Abaddon was cast down into Torment – and probably the epicenter of

The very place were Abaddon was cast down into Torme nt – and probably the epicenter of the disaster that created the Crystal Desert and the Desolation. The site also containe d three pieces of equipment that belonged to Abaddon: his mask, his gauntle t, and his sword. To finish what she had started, Varesh needed to bind together these pieces of the god’s armor. That would have freed the Dark God of Secrets and brough t him th ro ugh th e M outh (a writhing globe of dark energy that led to the Realm of Torment). As the ritual pro- gressed, the Horde of Darkness, the very Margonites who fought alongside Abaddon whe n he besieged the Gates of Heaven, rallied for battle – only to be slain by the encroachi ng

he besieged the Gates of Heaven, rallied for battle – only to be slain by the encroachi ng Sunspears. The ritual was already in motion, so Varesh could deal with "annoying" Sun- spears herself. After a long and brutal battle, the prophet of Abaddon fell de ad on the ground, but even death could not stop her. Her maddened soul was blessed by Abaddo n, and she returned as the supreme commander of "his majesty’s" forces, in the form of a Margonite. Although she was significantly more powerful as a demon, she was defeated again, and for the last time .

The ritual was abolished, but Abaddon reclaimed the majority of his power. It would have only taken him a few days to finally shatter Balthazar’s chains and se t foot on Tyria once more. He became arrogant and o verconfi dent. ..

Abaddon was slowly reclaiming his possessions, and so did his powe r grew. His mask is about to unite with his master a:er more than 1,000 years.

dawnrise: Night fell, and the :me of the Five Gods ended. Yet a:er every night, comes the new dawn of a new day. - Unknown prophet, probably Elder Jonah Abaddon did not think that he could be stopped at that moment. However, he seemed to

Abaddon did not think that he could be stopped at that moment. However, he seemed to be desperate after the Sunspears and their guide, Kormir (who was drawn into Torment be-cause of her contamination), broke the Soulveir (which dammed the River of Souls) from which he could have gained enough power to break free. Then, the last line of his defense, the souls of the undead Khilbron and Shiro Tagachi, were destroyed in the Temple of the Six Gods (the ancient temple where Margonites defaced the statues of the gods, and which was drawn into Torment after Abaddon’s defeat). Eventually, the Sunspears brought the fight to the Dark God himself. Each of them blessed

Eventually, the Sunspears brought the fight to the Dark God himself. Each of them ble ssed by the gods, they were stronger than Abaddon had expected them to b e. After a diabolical

Abaddon, hours away from the finale of Nightfall... and his de feat.

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By Thalad or Doo mspeak er

battle, Abaddon was grievously wounde d... his physical form was dying. In order to avenge everything, and punish the gods even if he couldn’t laugh in the ir faces, he released all of his pent-up power, which (according to the heroes) could’ve destroyed both the Realm of Torment and Tyria. But in a moment of unmatched he roism, Kormir jumped right into the power that was seconds away from exploding. The special blessing, that the gods bestowed upon her, soaked up the power and knowledge of Abaddon. In 1075 AE, the God of Secrets ceased to exist. Instead, a new god was born. Kormir, Goddess of Truth, Spirit and Orde r became the sixth true god of T yria.

became the sixth true god of T yria. "N igthfall has come and gone." As the goddess said herself. The nightfallen lands began to heal, and the demons were defeated. Kormir could begin the long and tire some work of the Realm of Torment’s restoratio n. The question remains, though. Are there more dark prophecies that threaten us an d T yria? What do the stars tell us about them? Will they be inevitable? Watch the heavens, and maybe you wil l get the answer...

- Thalador Doomspea ker Day 215 of the Season of the Scion, 1079 After the Exodus

The beautiful sight that the Elonian heroes saw in the Throne of Secrets. Many scholars tried to decipher what it was. Some say it was the light of K ormir's ascension, another group believes it was the une arthly light of the Hall of Heroes, while others simply think that it was another star, namely the First Sun that was mentioned by the wise Fo rgotten, the Keeper of L ight.

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By Gmr Leon

civilized men. And is this trait that ties them into the plot of the defiant trio that attempted to bring about Nightfall, of the forces of Menzies, Dhuum, and the most illustrious Abaddon. the forces of the defiant trio Intriguingly, we know more of these demons than two of

Intriguingly, we know more of these demons than two of the trio’s own forces. Menzies’ are the Shad ow Army, wh o assault Balthazar’s Eternals in the Fissure of Woe and occupy Ravenheart Gloom in the Do main of Anguish, within the Realm of Torme nt, where the meeting of these different forces takes place. However, Menzies’ participa- tion in Nightfall is not his first dire ct act of revolt against the entire pantheon of gods. Albeit originally unclear wh o

the entire pantheon of gods. Albeit origin ally unclear wh o orchestrated the attack on the H all of Heroes and corrup- tion of the Tomb of the Primeval Kings, it became clear that Menzies sent three of his higher ranking force s, the Dark- nesses, to lead a mixture of Dhuum’s followe rs and demons to seize control of the Hall.

Of Dhuum’s forces, we only know that the Skeleton s of Dhuum, Banished Dream Riders, Grasping Darknesses, and Terrorweb Dryders are truly connected to him. Th e Emis- sary of Dhuum appears as a demon, and thus it is un clear whether there are certain demons that actually fol low Dhuum, or whether they are only te mporarily allying the m- selves with him for their own purpose s, as is l ike ly the case

with many of the demons found supp orting th is t rio. Aside from this, it is well known that Dhuum’ s forces are an es- sential component in the trio’s plans, as hi s dryders are what maintain the Soulweir, seemingly through their ab- sorption of souls. This ability is also significant for, if not the demons, then at least Abaddon’s own forces, wh ich also feed off of souls, and even if the Soul weir is n ot b eing

maintained through the dryder’s absorp ti on of souls, the n their power to contain and divert souls to othe r regions of the Realm o f Torment certainl y is.

no form, no rules, no ethics, it is but a perpetual state of conflict, and to civilized peoples, this would be evil. Thus it is to these demons that civilized men are wretched, to be hated, and the characteristics of their world visited upon them, which is to say, the powerful oppress or devour the meek, and suffering and despair are but normality. Nevertheless, their hatred for Tyria’s denizens, or any real

Neverthe less, their hatred for Tyria’s denizens, or any real world’s, cannot be the only attributable cause for the ir desire to emerge from the Mists and bring h arm u pon them. No, similar to any creature, they hunger, and their hunger is horrific to any intelligent creature, as it is their very soul. Whether this is a necessity, as food is to any Tyrian, is difficult to say, and even if it was, it would not make it any more comforting .

make it any more comforting .

Yet perhaps the most important factor has be en nearly overlooked, and that is the intellige nce of these creatures. An appropriate adage for them would be to not judge a tome by its cover, as despite their appearances, they are known to be extremely inte llige nt, never mi ssing a chance to strike a deal that will permit them to bring thei r world’ s lessons crashing down upon the structured principles of

“Outside the world we know, malesc forces watch and wait, scheming of ways to manife st in the realm of flesh. Their methods range from the subtle to the shocking: whi s- pers in the minds of the troubled, plagues creepi ng acros s the corrupted countryside, innocents transformed into rav- enous abominations, and stranger creations. Civ ilizati ons arise to defend humanity against this evil but sometimes,

-Unknown autho r

It is the darkness, the abyss, that binds us together, the light which casts our distinguishing fe atures into view. Tyr- ians reside in a world of light, but have at times, stepped outside it, illuminating the way in the dark ness, in the Mi sts that connect everything. The first to do this was Lo rd Odran, for what purpose remains unknown, and all that he discovered in his journeys, likewise; yet that he managed to reach the Rift suggests he managed to elude co ming into

to reach the Rift suggests he managed to elude co ming into contact with the more malevolent forces that reside within. Perhaps it was luck , perhaps he w as wise e nough to listen to the rumours of others, or perhaps, they did not yet wish to be fo und . the demons

“When a strong malignant force choke s the lands it be- comes a breeding ground for demons.” -Raukus, forgotten in the Gate of Anguish

Of these, the most natural may be the demons, aberrations of the Mists that are derivative of the Mists them- selves, that is to say, made from the Mists themselves. As a resul t, their forms vary radicall y, from humanoid shapes to centaurian shapes, to inh u- man abomination s. S ome wo uld say

man abomination s. S ome wo uld say they thrive on chaos, and while true, it is more the results of the havoc th ey dream of. Being of the Mists, there is, it would seem, no stru cture ,

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By Gmr Leon

Despite this, many Margonites still stood by Abaddon, and any that remain may still refuse to acknowledge his defe at. It is difficult to say whether the Margonites should be counted amongst demons, though, as mentio ned ab ove, they are noted to consume souls, but many of th e Margo- nites encountered are likely to be the orig inally tr ans- formed Margonites, and whether they were transformed

into what we see, or that is the effect of the countless cen- turies upon them, is difficult to decide. Vare sh, our only real example of a transitioning Margonite , does not take on the form of the Margonites we see until she falls and is brought back by Abaddon. This may be an expedited trans- formation by Abaddon, as one final attempt to keep the heroes at bay, but we cannot say without an y certainty.

Regardless of this, these but make up the surface of those dark forces that inhabit the Mists, for the Ravenheart Gloom is said even to lead into places more dangerous, more ominous than the Realm of Torment, which is un - doubte dly the most gruesome place within the Mists we have had the opportunity to visit. Remembe r this, the next time you stroll through the Realm of Torment, or find you r- self in the Spawning Pools of the Underworld, we have yet

self i n the Spawning Pools of the Underworld, we have yet to plunge into the depths of true madness, of true deprav- ity .

A charr, a norn and an asura enter a bar... As the charr and the norn aproach the bartender: Bartender: "Hey where is your friend, the asura?" Charr: "Oh, he's here..." Asura: "Hiya, mr. bartender."

Asura: "Hiya, mr. bartender." Bartender: "By the gods, where'd that come from?!" Norn: "It's some asura mobile device, it let's him be in-game but offline, or offline but in-game" Charr: "Which exactly, we haven't figured

Charr: "Which exactly, we haven't figured out yet, but he's here..." Norn: "So three beer please." Bartender: "But, how is he going to drink it, he's not even physically here?!"

Thus bringing us to Abaddon’ s followers, who are the only group that come close to the demons in terms of what we know of them. Previously human, these devout seafare rs went to great extreme s in their expression of piety, des- ecrating temples of the gods, and other material that h as long been tread over. Instead of punishing them, or telling them otherwise, Abaddon ble ssed them with great power, which transformed the people complete ly, and while they

which transformed the people complete ly, and while they stood by him as he face d the gods, they could not, even with his blessing, prevent his fall into the Realm of Tor- ment. Over the centuries, the Margonites would find that this blessing was not so much a ble ssing, yes, they were im - mortal, unaging, and powerful, but they could no lon ger reproduce. This inability to re produce meant that the y suf

fered the same fate as the god they h ad so zealou sly fought for, extinction, elimination should the y be crushed further.

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By Dut ch Sunsh in e

Last issue you could’ve read how unlucky we were at GamesCom, starting with problems at the front of the business area to an empty battery of our camera. Though within all these troubles Colin Johanson was kind enough to participate in another interview via email. In this interview we asked all the other questions that we had during GamesCom, including some of your own, which you could’ve send to us via email before GamesCom. Have fun reading! GuildMag: How does the side-kicking work when a lower level player is playing with a

GuildMag: How does the side-kicking work when a lower level player is playing with a higher level player in a high level area? Can you give us specific examples? Colin Johanson: We don’t have all the specifics for how exactly the UI will work and what not, but the basic simple answer is the high level player can give the low level player the option to side kick up to their level, if they accept they will jump up to the level of that character. We’ll talk more about side kicking and all the specific details more down the road. GuildMag: How does the side-kicking work when a higher level player is playing with a

Colin Johanson: Much the same, we’re still working out all the final details on this, but con- ceptually the idea is the low level player can offer the high le vel pl aye r to side ki ck down to their level, if they accept they jump down. Also, if the high level playe r starts ki ll ing low level stuff in the are a and griefing other players, they’ll be auto side-kick ed down to the level of the map to make them le ss able to grief others with the added bonus they can ex- perience the content there and enjo y it.

GuildMag: The demo had vendors that sold ingre dients. Does that me an there will be craft- ing in the form of cooking in the game? Perhaps you could te ll us some more about craft- ing ? Colin Johanson: The crafting ingredients we threw in for the demo were just sort of a teaser to let people know, “hey someday there will be crafting done here !”, once we hav e all the specifics of the crafting system worked out and fully functioning in-game, we’ll reveal a lot more information abou t it.

GuildMag: In the Ranger demo, you revealed that Caudecus' mansion was a dungeon. What can you guys tell us about dungeons? We know dungeons are 5-man teams, so what makes dungeons harder than the persistent content? Colin Johanson: Dungeons are basically our highly organized group PvE content. They come

Colin Johanson: Dungeons are basically our highly organized group PvE conte nt. They come in two modes, there is the story mode which helps tell one of the major stories of the world and also progresses the story of the iconi c NPCs from Destiny’s Edge: Rytlock, Caithe, Logan, Zojja and Eir. The n after you have defeated the story mode, you can access the re- peatable mode which is a more difficult re peatable dungeon, effectively our ver sion of raids in Guild Wars 2. Both story and repe atable versions of dungeons are played using 5-man teams, though you can take them on with le ss people if you’re feeling especially bad-ass. In the repeatable mode, the dungeon will present you with choice s and decisions that can

the repeatable mode, the dungeon will present you with choice s and decisions that can branch and change the content you experience, so you can play throu gh th e d un geon slightly different each time instead of having to e xperience the same content over and ov er again. The story dunge on in Caudecus’ manor is really a cool one, you show up in time for a party for all the rich and nobility from the city and need to deal with a myste ry that is dan- gerously unraveling in the background of the party while navigating the political whirlwind of the rich and famous of Kryta. As a result of the things you do in the story dunge on, you’ll

be able to discover a secret part of the manor and will e xplore and discove r new things there while in repeatabl e mode.

As for what makes dungeons harder, they are specifically tu ned in d ifficu lty so t he y are bal- anced to be harder than normal content. The monsters use more advanced skills and builds, coordinate together, come in larger numbers, and have elite versions of norma l monsters that can be more difficult to contend with. The re are a number of lesser bosses with various abilitie s and skills you need to overcome, and mega-bosses that are e xtremely difficult highly coordinated battles that push the skills of your group. In particular, repeat- able mode is designed to be the hardest content you encounter in Guild Wars 2, and the highest level dungeon repeatable content should provide exciting and fun challe nges for

highest level dungeon repeatable content should provide exciting and fun challe nges for player groups long afte r the release of the game. GuildMag: On the Ghosts of Ascalon map there are a few islands calle d: "The Domini on of Winds," near Lion's Arch. What's the importance of these islan ds? (If you don 't want to spoil the book, what's the importance of these islands in the game?)

Colin Johanson: Someday….we will explain all of this. I can say as with anything in Guild Wars 2, it’s awesome to hear Jeff Grubb or Ree Soesbee tell a story about it. I also can say in the initial release of Guild Wars 2, you will not be abl e to v isit this location…howe ver y ou will be able to learn some details about what is the re and interact with some of the pe ople who live the re.

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

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By Dut ch Sunsh in e

GuildMag: Could you pe rhaps ask Izzie to give us some more details on the bonus system for armors and weapons (so far we only know about the Crests for light armor). Colin Johanson: Afraid Izzy is WAY too busy right now conque ring mountains of skills (and preparing to fly to France for the Paris game show!) but I’m sure when he has more time, he’ll come back and go into more de tails on Cre sts. GuildMag: Is there anything else that you perhaps want to share with our GuildMag read- er s?

Colin Johanson: I’d love to share that we’ve been playing a lot of PvP here at the office lately and though it’s still early and we have a lot of work to do, it’s an absolute freaking blast to play! For the PvP fans out there, I think you’re going to be thrilled with the quality of game-play being produced, how much fun the combat system is in a PvP environment and how much tactics and emergent game-play there is to be found in Guild Wars 2 PvP. GuildMag: Do your family and friends fully understand what your job entails? How do you

GuildMag: Do your family and friends fully understand what your job entails? How do you explain to people what you do for a living? (Old folks hardly understand the extended work that goes into a game). Colin Johanson: HAH! Now that is a great question. Most of my friends totally understand

Colin Johanson: HAH! Now that is a great question. Most of my friends totally un derstand what we do here at ArenaNet, though pretty much all of them play video game s too so I think it’s easy for them to understand, to them the content design team is “the dudes and ladies who put turtles down that mario gets to jump on.” Some of my family unde rstands, but for most of them I think they don’t really have any ide a what in the world we do here at ArenaNet or what a “Guild Wars” is. I ofte n times find it easier to explain what we do in re - lation to TV serie s or movies, and to explain that we basically write the scrip ts for the sto- ries of what you’re going to experience and then come up with all the characters that the

ries of what you’re going to experience and then come up with all the characters that the hero of the movie is going to interact with ove r the course of the movie. They tend to un- derstand that a little bit better, though I think a lot of the he ad nodding is so we can get on to the next subject as fast as possible. The slightly glazed over look I get sometimes when trying to explain it is probably similar to the look on my face when my mom tri es to expl ain to me why colle cting antiques is interesting. GuildMag: What's your favori te pizza?

Colin Johanson: I’ m a big fan of Fennel sausage and cherry peppers on my pizza, there is an awesome pizza place in downtown Se attle called “Serious Pie” that makes some of the best pizza I’ve ever had in my life, their sausage and peppers pizza is top notch. If you’re ever in Seattle, I highly recommend checking this place out.

Better watch your head when this guy’s aroun d!

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By Dut ch Su nsh in e

GuildMag: The convention season is (almost) over, but what has been your best experi-ence? Colin Johanson: I’ve had two favorite experiences that tie for my over-all #1, picking be-tween them is basically impossible, I’ve been in the game industry nearly 14 years now and these are two of my all time favorite experiences period. The first occurred at PAX, where we hosted a panel with a number of our most dedicated

The first occurred at PAX, where we hosted a panel with a number of our most dedicated fans to design an event chain that would go live in the final Guild Wars 2 game. Going into it, Eric, Jeff and I were thinking maybe we’d come up with like 2-3 e ve nts with the hel p of the fans and to be totally hone st, we were slightly nervous we’d end up coming up with some crazy event chain that may not really work for the game. What we didn’t real ize is we were about to have one of the flat out most fun, exciting and entertaining expe riences ever! We manage d to come up with like 9 events over the course of the hour and a half , folks shouted out all sorts of fantastic and crazy ideas that we melded together into a wo n

folks shouted out all sorts of fantas ti c and crazy ideas that we melded together into a won- derful dynamic event chain experience. The fans were wonderful, my face hurt from l aug h- ing so hard over the course of the panel. It was just a wonderful experience and something I’ll cherish for the rest of my career.

The second experience which ties for #1 for me goes back about a year ago, wh en a yo un g lady named Emily came to visit us here at ArenaNet through the Make A Wish Foundation. Emily’s wish was to get to spend a day here at ArenaNet and see what it was like to part of the games design team. Little did she know, she was going to be the very first person out- side of ArenaNet to *ever* play Guild Wars 2, and she got to work with all of us to de sign out an event chain down to the smalle st details including the name s of the characters and their personalities that will show up in the game on launch. This day was absolutely incre d- ible , Emily is a charming, brilliant and hilarious pe rson and she re all y won us all ove r imm e

ible , Emily is a charming, brilliant and hilarious pe rson and she re ally won us all over imm e- diately, even when she told me she wasn’t a huge fan of the Tihark Orchard mission I b uilt in Nightfall I still couldn’ t stop smiling!

We’ve managed to stay in touch with Emily over the course of the last ye ar and when we announced that we were going to be attending the N ew York City Comicon, we got a sur- prise email from her saying she was going to make it out to come se e the game. Getti ng to see Emily and her amazing parents Bob and De b again out in New York made the entire trip incredibly spe cial, and seeing he r play the game again a year later and enjoy it as much as she did was just amazing. As long as I live I’ ll never forget how much fun I had getting to spend an hour or two talking with he r and her parents as she got to play the game. I think it’s easy for game developers to get caught up in sale s units, marketing pitche s, game me

it’s easy for game developers to get caught up in sale s units, marketing pitche s, game me- chanics and forum trolls but moments like the time we got to spend with Emily helps ground you and make you remember at the end of the day what we do is all abou t bu ild in g something that helps make people happy. Se eing the smile on her face and how much fun she had reminded me of why I re ally make video games and will always be one of my be st experiences in the industry.

Ghosts of Ascalon - Review

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Review | Page 20/ 35

By Min tyMin t and GuildMag t eammember s

The Asc alon c at ac o mbs and the f o efire

Voracious wouldn’t be the right adjective if I used it to describe how I read through Ghosts of Ascalon, the new book from the good folks at ArenaNet, meant to be fully canon to the in-game lore. In fact, I don’t think that any adje ctive could describe the range of emotions I went through as I consumed the book. Perhaps it’s a spur of innate fan in stincts fl owin g up like a tidal wave or perhaps it's just overflowing surprise when I found it at my doorstep, but in the end it fulfilled all that eage rness and left me haunted and wanting more. Of course, due to the nature of the contents I wouldn’t want to spoil any part of it for p eo ple who haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but I do want to go into an analysis of what it give s

who haven’t had a chance to read it yet, but I do want to go into an analysis of what it give s us and maybe a little more.

Perhaps the most interesting part about the book series is that ArenaNet promises it to be all canon to the in-game lore. I can’t think of another comp any that does bo th at t he same time, but ArenaNet is doing it and it looks like it's going great. On the other hand, this may not be a surprise to many of us or the few that actually sit around to se e the credits rol l by after slaying Shiro or apothe osizing Kormir. Many of the e mployees at ArenaNet are quite fluent in the realm of literature, and have written quite a handful of stories as well as books. The one group that I suspect wouldn’ t even be surprised at all, is our beloved Guild Wars lore community who I suspect has a ‘Seer’ held captive that divulges the future.

Wars lore community who I suspect has a ‘Seer’ held captive that divulges the future.

So the question is, what might you be getting yourself into when you pick up this b ook? A good one-word summary is "Growth." We are not only getting a new game, bu t from th e looks of it, a new world. One can really tell that more than two hundred ye ars have passed in Tyria. In a way it kind of fee ls like the game we play now is just an innocent child com- pared to things to come. In turn, that childhood innocence may be washed away to what may seem like the cruelty of what reality may really be . To me , Ghosts of Ascalon , re all y re- flects that feeling, and it feels like so much has transitioned and that we ’re not going to see

anything that we’ve ever known.

On the other side of doom-saying, ArenaNet is still doing a good job of ke eping a lot of the game a secret, even from the book front. A better reader may be able to pick ap art each section of the book be tter then I, but it still ite rates a lot that we already know. Then again, the original purpose of the book was not only to create and introduce lore, but also intro- duce the game to people who aren’t fanatically refreshing the page to ArenaNet’s blog, or the Guild Wars 2 official website. Starting from here though, I’m going to have to be a l ittle mean.

The book feels like a cinematic experience, but I’m not talking about the go od kind. At some points it is perfectly balanced, but at other points it reads as if it is stuffe d in, like a moa bird trying to swallow a sie ge turtle. It is just jam-packe d with history and re ferences, and I think it could do bette r with a little less. Then again, I could see the whole entire story dismantled if it wasn’t for all that was presented. Nevertheless parts of the story fe el r eal ly

forced, especially on the reference front. These points are still cool, but they feel very artifi- cial and you can sense that they're fishing for a fan-squeal. (Which, by the way, I did, and apparently loud enough to interrupt a phone call a few rooms away.) The action is repre- sented very nicely and coincide s with the plot, though again it fee ls like the moa bird is still going despite its small jaw. What I do appreci ate though, is the sense of realness that I get from the book. Though very dramatic at times, there’ s a sense of not only seriousness but attention to detail that makes the book feel very real. This is not only captivating, but draws you further into the story, and I hope it is repeated in later publications.

you further into the story, and I hope it is repeated in later publications.

Another one of the key purposes of the book was to introduce all the playable races so that people have a better feel for them and that’s really what they do in th e b ook. This pu rpose though is presented in a way that seemed to trump other factors that could have played a bigger part instead. Now what I’ve heard from people invested in the book sector is that you try your best to keep your primary characters low so that there is less interference. The book feels so focused on introducing the race s that but still keeps with the low primary character count in a way that it feels like at points certai n characters just completely drop from the story. They’re great characters, and I in no way doubt their ability to introduce

from the story. They’re great characters, and I in no way doubt their ability to introduce what it means to be a member of the race they belong to, but this felt quite bloated de - spite it untangling as the story progresses. Despite that, these are very convinci ng charac- ters with well establishe d motives, and realistic traits tha t r eaders can rel ate to.

Ghosts of Ascalon - Review

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Review | Page 21/ 35

By Min tyMin t and GuildMag t eammember s

Ghosts of Ascalon is a good beginning for whate ver is to come. Now it’s not the greatest work of ficron to hit the shelves of fantasy and ficron, but it’s enough. A new age dawns for sure, the elder dragons have really changed Tyria, and it shows in a way that we as re - ceivers of a story can never imagine. Guild Wars is growing up, it’s sad in a way, but it is also very real. True enough to what would really happen if Tyria was real and n ot a world of ficron. In a cliché way, as fans and ne w players alike we’ll really be challenged and our de- lusions shattere d, much like the rde that took Lion's Arch or even the devastaron of the Foefire.

Foefire. ------ Since Ghosts of Ascalon has been out for a while now and a lot more of us have had the chance to read it, the GuildMag team also wanted to give their own opinions on the first Guild Wars nove l . daelin dwin - writ er

Ghosts of Ascalon was a lot better than I e xpected. Unlike movies based on games, books based on games are usually a lot be tter at capturing the feel of the world the game is base d in. I don't usually read novels (GoA is the first book I have bought in about six years) but I couldn't put Ghosts of Ascalon down. It was very re freshing to see the Guild Wars unive rse we know and love in a mature and realisrc way. However, I w as mildly shocke d at some of the more graphic descriprons, as I thought the book would follow the game's teen rarng. So if you're a fan of Guild Wars lore and have n't picked up Ghosts of Ascalon yet then, erm... you probably shou ld!

erm... you probably shou ld! Daelin Dwi n's rating 8/10 konig des todes - writ er

I don't think I can accurately state what I was expecrng when I first heard of th e b ook. I was excited for more informaron on my favorite part of the game (the lore), but I've been very well aware of how most books based on games tend to be. I had mixed feelings I supp ose. I can say I was excited when I finally got it in my hands (mainly due to getting it a cou ple days before its official release thanks to Barnes and Nobles). I read through the book faste r than any other book I've read. My small fears of how it could be a poorly written book me lted away when I got through the first four chapters, because the book did someth in g that h as never happened before: It surprised me. For the first rme in all t he hu ndreds of bo oks,

never happened before: It surprised me. For the first rme in all the hun dreds of bo oks , games, shows and movies that I've read, played and seen, I was surprised by the plot - though the surprises didn't last through the final few chapte rs.

That was the first enjoyment I had in reading the book, and because of that, I couldn't let the book stay down for more than twenty minutes. Excluding the very few mistakes that I saw (and no book is without mistakes, unfortunately), I have nothing bad to say about the book. It was enjoyable in both the plot and the view on the universe I already know. The end could have been better, due to the quick nature of it just suddenly ending, but any-thing that I could think of for being added would probably be viewed as boring by many readers. All in all, as Daelin said, if you enjoy Guild Wars lore, you should buy the book.

All in all, as Daelin said, if you enjoy Guild Wars lore, you should buy the book. Konig Des Todes' rating 8.5/10 free runner - writer I didnt really have any expectarons of Ghosts of Ascalon. I didnt think it was going to be a

I didnt re ally have any expectarons of Ghosts of Ascalon. I didnt think it was going to be a horrible book but neither did i think it would be a great book, having had pre vious experi- ences with novels based on games. So when I read it I was surprise d to find I was enjoying it a lot. One thing that stood out to me was the sylvari character Killeen - this was our first actual look at what a sylvari is like . We've heard about them in inte rviews and seen Cai the and the others in the trailers, but we had yet to have actually learned what they ar e li ke firsthand. So Killeen was to be our first impression of a Sylvari and she didn't disappoint, becoming for me one of the most likeable characters in the book. The book itself was well

becoming for me one of the most likeable characters in the book. The book itself was well written, it stuck to the lore of Guild Wars ve ry well , though at rm es it fe l t l ike it was ke ep- ing to the lore too well. Somermes it felt like it was jumping from one recap of Tyria to an- other, which wou ld be my only complaint.

Overall if you enjoy the stories in Guild Wars and are looking to get Guild Wars 2, then Ghosts of Ascalon is a must buy. If you've never played Guild Wars but are planning to get Guild Wars 2, then definitely buy it. You'll have a hard rme deciding what race you're going to play by the end of it. Free Runner's rating 8/10 draxynnic - writer I have a tendency to keep my expectarons low when starrng a book that's set in a game

I have a tendency to keep my expectarons low when starrng a book th at's s et in a game world - as a rule, they tend to be lower in quality and comple xity than the nove ls I usually read, whether because most are written by authers breaking into the market or because it 's simply a sacrifice that has to be made to keep them accessible to all (or at l east most) of

Ghosts of Ascalon - Review

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Review | Page 22/ 35

By Min tyMin t and GuildMag t eammember s

For those who are reading the book for its lore, it does provide some insights into the cul- tures and societies of each of the five races, especially in that it gives us our fir st r eal glimpse of the sylvari, as well as showing the curre nt state of human and char r civi li zations. At times, though, this lead me to a feeling of contrivance from a narrative pe rspective, as there are e vents that seem as if they occurred simply in order to showcase some piece of the world's cultural backgroun d.

Otherwise, my largest criticism is possibly on how the book ended - where I would normally expect an epilogue or a "To be continued" (or both) the book jumps pretty much straight from the clima x to the author biographie s in under five pages, which gave me a b it of a "what, that's it?" response - akin to how a re ader might feel if, on reading the final volume of Lord of the Rings, the story had come to a close immediately after the destruction of the Ring. Draxynnic's Rati ng- 7/10

I'm not much of a reader, heck I've only read books for book reports in high school (I blame the lack of interest). But Ghosts of Ascalon interested me as a self-respecting Guild Wars geek. The main characters in the book are really what you'd expect of someone from their race. A norn is proud, battle ready. A sylvari is unexperienced, fascinated. A charr is fero-cious, honorable. My favorite character has to be KIlleen, she constantly reminded me of Luna from the Harry Potter series. As I mentioned earlier, I'm not much of a reader so I don't have a lot of comparison mate

As I mentioned earlier, I'm not much of a reader so I don't have a lot of comparison mate - rial. However, you don't have to be familiar with lite rature to notice some bad writing. There were parts of the book (only a few) that were written in a kind of juvenile way (and then, and then, and then). It doesn't ruin the whole experience though, you'll only encoun- ter it a few times, but it is worth mentioning. I also came across a lot of words I have never heard of before like apex, grandsires, desiccate, erratic, el dri tch and of course a ll those terms the asura shouts out to show off it's intellige nce. English isn't my native language so that's to blame. Hopefully that gives some indication of the level of English proficiency re

that's to blame. Hope fully that gives some indication of the level of English proficiency re- quired to read this bo ok. Ghosts of Ascalon is an e xcellent book for any Guild Wars player looking for background lore and cultural insights. If you want to e nrich your Guil d Wars 2 experience you'll de fi - nitely want to pick this up. It has be en said that it will be possible to visit some loca ti ons and characters from the book i n the game. I'm looking fo rward t o that. Jonny's rating: 9/10

Like Jonny in the review above, I'm not really much of a reader. I read most books that feel interesting to me, and tend to stick to a specific series before moving on to the next. Ghosts of Ascalon, however, was a surprisingly pleasant read and I've got to admit that I did not notice the repeating writing style as much as the others have mentioned. Even for a foreign reader the story was easy to follow and I was tempted to read through it all in one go. There was a good balance between cliffhangers at the end of a chapter and pauses, which made it easy to put down if you wanted to do something else. As for the story itself, having read the preview before my book finally arrived at my book

As for the story itself, having read the preview before my book finally arrived at my book- store, I was really anxious how it continue d. Though the beginning did set a good profile for the main-characters, Dougal and Killeen, and also introduced a fe w stories that would end up having some relevance in the rest of the overall story, I felt there was not real ly that

Ghosts of Ascalon - Review

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Review | Page 23/ 35

By Min tyMin t and GuildMag t eammember s

much importance to the overall story of obtaining the Claw. And while the twist in the plot was kind of predictable, I felt it was just right. Though the overall story turned out to be decent, I believe the book looked back a bit too much to events that happened exactly at the time the orginal Guild Wars played and was kind of relucant to mention many things that happened in between (aside of a detailed description of the Foefire). For any readers that like fantasy, or want to read a decent book about Guild Wars, I do rec

For any readers that like fantasy, or want to read a decent book about Guild Wars, I do rec- ommend reading this one, as it feels like the writers did their be st to tend to both groups. A newcomer to the universe of Guild Wars would still have a good read whe n reading. Dutch Sunshine's Rating- 7.5/10 thalador do omspe aker - wri ter

Ghost of Ascalon was the book I couldn't put down (the two reasons for putting it down eventually were the need to sleep and to check guildwars2.com and guildwars2guru.com for possible new Guild Wars 2 information). I was crazed when I could finally lay my hands on the book. On the first afternoon (3-4 hours of reading) I read about one third of the whole book and then continued on after having lunch. I hope these weird pictures of my life help you imagine how much I liked the book. Ghost of Ascalon helped me in seeing a Tyria that is 250 years in the future. People's atti

Ghost of Ascalon helped me in seeing a Tyria that is 250 years in the future. People's atti-tudes in those dragon-haunted days, the mentioned changes in the environment and inter-esting lore facts that we didn't know before. One of my favorite parts will always be Al-morra Soulkeeper's record of the day when Kralkatorrik awoke and flew south towards the Crystal Desert. A thrill went through my body when I read the line which told how the Elder Crystal Dragon had blocked the light of the sun with its size, and the horrible effects that followed its crossing. The book showed the main characters in a very positive way. At first, I disliked that all of

Averag e rating 8,1/10

All in all, it was an excelle nt book. I loved e very part of it. Those who love fantasy should check this out, and those who hate fantasy should really check this out, as it may change their attitude towards the genre. And of course, I recommend it to every fellow lover of GW lore as well. By Wolf's Te eth, what a marve llous read it was! Thalador Doomspe aker's Rating 9/10 In the end, the average rating was 8.1/10, meaning that we th ink it’s wo rth chec ki ng out for any guild wars or guild wars 2 fan.

The Drago nbrand

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Lore | Page 24/35

By K o nig Des T o des

Much like the Shiro’ ken of Shiro Tagachi’s army, the undead which are shown to have wills of their own, which fight alongside souls enslaved to a gre ater power (specifically, a kind of undead calle d a lich), are lik ely to be mobile due to entrapped souls. It should be noted that, de- spite both undead and Shiro'ken having souls, the Shiro'ken do not always see m to have a will of their own - due to Shiro Tagachi's forme r envoy powers.

due to Shiro Tagachi's forme r envoy powers.

Undead who have minds of their own will not al ways h ave their own wills – or rather, they are forced to foll ow their leader whether they want to or no t. T he most common ly known situason of this would be with Palawa Joko and his undead army. Known to enslave both un dead and sou ls, though only when acsve among them (as man y of his fo l- lowers deserted him when he was imprisoned by Turai Ossa), he would have an ample supply of souls to e nslave

Ossa), he would have an ample supply of souls to e nslave within bodie s.

Tahnnakai Te mple is a grand te mple within Kaineng Ci ty that houses a simple eight heroes – one of each of the Can - than heroic professions (assassin, elementalist, mesme r, monk, necromancer, ranger, ritualist and warrior). If a he ro has recently died and the hero’s spirit ends up residing within Tahnnakai Temple , then the spirit of the pre vious hero of the same profession will move on. Most recent case of this being Togo of Shing Jea Monastery re placing

case of this being Togo of Shing Jea Monastery re placing Kaolai. Though this doesn’t happen often, as it takes a large effort to gain a place the re.

The Kurzicks are a different matter ensrely. While their great houses each have a patron saint – or ancestor – much like how Tahnnakai Temple has a “patron spirit” of each profession, the Kurzicks as a whole revere each ancestor. This is most evident in House Durheim who are best known

This is most evident in House Durheim who are best known for their love of history – both of Kurzicks and of Canthans. Their reverence with the past possibly knows no bounds, and they study genealogy with a passion. They even are said to be blessed by Grenth with the magical ability to chronicle the life of every Kurzick ever born. Whether this is true or not, however, is quessonable. the undead

the undead

The undead are greatly mis- judged creatures. Due to the common un dead kno wn to many as a “minion,” a gr and misconcepson has been formed. This misconcepson is t hat all undead are mindless pil e s of flesh and b on e. This is no t the

flesh and b on e. This is no t the case, and the normal undead , though not the average, are far from mindless bein gs.

The dead in Tyria are ssll an important aspect of living. Many are sorrowful for the dead, as they are dead, and many more revere the dead (especially in Cantha). I do not believe that the deceased – recent or not – would ever become an unimportant aspect of life. Not only are they revered and there is constant sorrow around them, but they also prove to be a constant reminder. I do not mean that they are a reminder that no living being

I do not mean that they are a reminder that no living being can escape death, nor do I mean that they are a reminder that there are threats – natural and unnatural – to this world. Rather, I mean that the dead serve to remind us that not everything in life will be understood (to some, that is – I have every intenson to learn everything, no matter how long it takes). The dead can take many forms – from the simplissc, life

The dead can take many forms – from the simplissc, life-less corpse, to a spirit (both kind, but in agony or one of malice), to a grand celessal, to an undead, a mere re-minder that is revered and exists on Tyria only as a thought. I’ll leave the second and third to another day, and there isn’t much to talk about mere corpses. canthans and ancestors An interessng development that had occurred in Cantha

An interessng development that had occu rred in C anth a that is missing almost everywhere else is the grand r eve r- ence of the dead. Whether this aspect was created by the ritualist profe ssion (that I am a part of) or vice ve rsa is ssll a mystery; one probably could attempt to summo n a sp irit from the sme before the ritualist was around to see the answer, but either no one has attempted such, or no one has succeeded.

has succeeded. There are two widely known situasons whe re ancestors are revered: Tahnnakai Temple and the K urzick people. While the ensre nason of Cantha – including both K urzicks and Luxons – are very much devout in their reverence of ancestors (and in turn, the god of death), these two are th e most commonly seen situasons.

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Lore | Page 25/35

By K o nig Des T o des

much like Khilbron himself. A Shiro’ken is not an undead, so what allows this “immortality” would be something tied with the soul itself, or the magic – both of which are the sole common factors. Zoldark the Unholy is unique in this aspect because, de

Zoldark the Unholy is unique in this aspe ct because, de- spite having been called a l ich, he is supposedly dead and gone, without any special means in killing hi m. But there’s a second attribute which makes him unique : he was ca- pable of resurrecting his servants at a distance far gre ate r than any magic known today. This could have be en due to his age, and having access to ancient magic, or it could be tied to his lich-hood, as his unde ad servants act much like

tied to his lich-hood, as his unde ad servants act much like one would expect from a lich and his powers of self- survival. Upon Zoldark’s death, however, all of his ser vants would instantly die, proving that their powers and survival was linked to his.

What does this mean? Are there two kinds of liches? That’ s the most likely explanation. Or perhaps Zoldark was me rel y faking his death, waiting for his would-be killers to loot the place and leave… -Journal of Xaphan Sariel, Researcher and Lorekee per of Kurzick House Sa riel

Chibi by Iz ari

Most people believe that they suffer if they ever be came an undead. What these ignorant people don’t realize is that this would only be true if their soul was used. Other- wise it would just be a husk that once served as your body that would be used. The original owner of the body wouldn’t feel a thing.

When Joko was defeated, Turai and his Order of Whispers attempted to slay him in many, unrecorded, ways. Whe n he wouldn’t die, he was imprisoned. K hilbron was kill ed, but it had to be done in a certain way. As a lich, he wouldn’t die unless he stood ontop of a nearby bloodstone – which was conne cted to various soul batteries, which harnessed the souls of those killed on top of th e b lo od- stone. This proves that Khilbron had a soul (and furthe r

stone. This proves that Khilbron had a soul (and furthe r supports that undead with minds of their own have souls as well), and that the soul had to lite rally be ripped out of the body by force in order to slay the l ich.

If the situation with Khilbron is commonplace for liches, then that would mean that wh at design ates an u ndead as a “lich” would be some one who has its soul tied to its body, and that tie must be broken before it can truly die. This is further supported by a unique Shiro’ken th at ro ams the Realm of Torment: The Hunter. The Hunter, cre ated by Shiro Tagachi, was empowered by Khilbron’s magic and in turn was made to be what some would call “immortal” –

turn was made to be what some would call “immortal” –

There is a unique kind of unde ad among those which have a mind and will of its own. The se are re- ferred to as liche s, and there are only a reporting of three su ch undead: Vizie r Khilbron , Pal awa Joko, and Zoldark the Unholy. Zoldark is further unique in th is

Zoldark is further unique in th is group for he lacks something that Joko and Khilbron, annoyingly to their enemies, have: the ab il ity to survive most de aths.

Welcome to the fourth edition of ‘On the Tube with Daelin Dw in’, where I sea rch high and low for th e best Guild Wars YouTube videos and channels.

On The Tube with Daelin Dwin: Hallo ween edition

Hallow een is on the way, So her e I come, on thi s day. To show you v ids fr om ne ar and far, And gi ve you chills to fr eeze your car. Gather r ound now and click links 'a plenty, Get your scar es right now, don't do so gentl y. On the night of-

On the night of- Enough of that! Welcome to the H allow een special of On the T ube. This issue I have f our of the spo okiest, cr eepi- est and scariest Guild W ars videos yo u wi ll e ver l ay your ey es on.

Now that y ou are all sufficiently scared, it's time to end the festival of frights for this issue. If y ou think there is a video or channel that should be featured here, feel free to e-mail me at onthetube@guildmag.com or private message me on y outube at http://www.y outube.com/daelindwin.

A ter rifying account of the ev ents of last years Ha llo ween cel- ebrations.

Guild Wars Halloween Event 2009

by G unven geur

A spooky intro/adv ert for Queen Malafid e and Daniel Frozen- win d's 2009 Horro w- een ev ent.

The King and Quee ns Horrorween 200 9

by Imaculata

A hor rifying review of the hallo ween cel- ebrations in Gui ld Wars.

Guild Wars Halloween Review 2009 (Part 1)

by Doo ombox

A blood-curdling continuation of the previous video.

Guild Wars Halloween Review 2009 (Part 2)

by Doo ombox

By Daelin Dwi n

On The Tube | Page 26/35

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Dhuum and the Underworld

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Lore | Page 27/35

By Dr axynnic

A meeting between King Frozenwind and the Reapers con-firmed that Dhuum’s bindings were weakening and would soon fail entirely. These tidings proved of great concern to the Mad King and his servants, as Dhuum’s hostile attitude towards any form of life after death, including resurrection and the state of undeath, was a threat to the Mad King and his existence within the Underworld. Soon after the meeting, previously unseen creatures

Soon after the meeting, previously unsee n creatures known as Skeletons of Dhuum began to ap pear in the Un- derworld. Since even the destruction of Dhuum’s own ser- vants served to bring him closer to bre aking out of impris- onment, the Mad King’s Steward devised a means of t hin- ning their numbe rs without releasing their power to Dhuum. This took the form of the Everlasting Gobstoppers,

candy prisons distributed to adve nturers that could encap- sulate and imprison sufficie ntly weakened skeletons. This measure, however, only served to delay Dhuum’s near escape from the Hall of Judgement.

At first, this incursion appe ared just like any other – Dry- ders, Skeletons, and other min ions of Dh uum imprisoning the Reapers and seeking to impose their own orde r on the Underworld. Just as Dhuum’s minions had be en pushed back and it looke d like order had been restored, however, King Frozenwind brought dire news – the Ender of All him- self was on the verge of breaking from the Hall of Judge

Several times, Dhuum’s servants have upset the balance of the Underworld, imprisoning the Reapers and imposing their own order of terror on the land of the dead before being cast down by the timely interventions of Tyrian heroes. As Dhuum’s power wa xed, however, he began to lend his forces towards efforts to rele ase another impris- oned god, Abaddon. What dark bargain these two struck is unknown, but it is likely that Dhuum e xpected Abaddon to

unknown, but it is likely that Dhuum e xpected Abaddon to reciprocate once he was freed.

The history of this conflict has bee n detailed in a previous article, but it suffices to say that Dhuum’s armies were broken along with Abaddon’ s. Many of Tyria’s heroes be- lieved Dhuum had been defeated also until, on the leadup to the Mad King’s appearance after the fall of the Great De- stroyer, the Mad King’s Steward appeared in Lion’s Arch and Kamadan asking heroes to meet with K ing Frozenwind in the Hall of Judgement to discuss dark omens that the

in the Hall of Judgement to discuss dark omens that the Mad King had sensed in the Underworld. The Kin g of th e Snowmen revealed that Dhuum had be en growing in power on the life energy of creatures dying in the Under- world.

I will te ll you a dark secret nearly as old as the Underworld itself. Long have the bards sung of Grenth's defeat of Dhuum, the former ruler of the U nderworld. With the hel p of the rebellious Reapers, Grenth usurped Dhuum's throne. But the books and songs only tell part of the tale. You see, Dhuum was not fully destroyed; Gre nth was simply not powerful enough to slay him. Inste ad, he forced Dhuum into a state of dormancy and imprisone d him within the

into a state of dormancy and imprisone d him within the Hall of Judgment, trapped behind massive e nchante d doors and layers of divine magic. There D huum rema ined, slum- bering... waiting. Until no w. -King Frozenwind, 1078AE

While previously I had planne d to move next to a study on Grenth, the imminent anniversary of the return of Mad King Thorn has turned my thoughts towards the advers ary of both Grenth and Thorn – the former God of Death , Dhuum, who attempted to break free from his prison nearly a year ago and, rumours say, may soon be mak ing another bid for the freedom to exact vengeance on tho se he sees as cheating death .

he sees as cheating death .

Since the fall of the lich atop the Door of Komalie, treasure hunters and adventurers have ventured into the Under- world in search of a valuable commodity – ectoplasm . Found within the spirits and creatures of the Underworld, this material was essential to the forging of impressi ve pieces of armor coveted by the rich and powerful in the ad- venturing community to demonstrate their wealth and

status. With even the smalle st sample value d many times more highly than a bar of platinum, ectoplasm even came to be viewed as a favored mediu m for trade in transactio ns where the weight of platinum required would be impracti- cal.

In search of this wealth, treasure hunters and adventurers flocked to the Underworld in the dozens. Wreathed in pro- tective magics that the denizens of the Underworld f oun d difficult or impossible to counter, these treasure hunters roamed and slew at will, harvesting the precious ectoplasm

Dhuum and the Underworld

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Lore | Page 28/35

By Dr axynnic

The third type of creature known to follow Dh uu m are the Skeletons of Dhuum, only seen as the moment of Dhuum’s breakout approached. It is curious that, given Dhuum’s dis- approval of undead, these creatures appe ar similar to undead and share many of their qualimes (incl uding a vul - nerability to holy magic). It is unk nown whe ther this is be- cause Dhuum makes excepmons for his close followe rs, or

whether the Skeletons are actually demons (or ev e n con- structs) that simply happen to resemble undead. Apart from their nature as heralds of Dhuum’s escape, the S kel- etons of Dhuum are most infamous for their powerful at- tacks that bypass the defences of their foes, with the only means to avoid being struck being to run well clear of the point of impact. It is possible that the skeletal hound em

ployed in an atte mpt to assassinate one of the Reapers is related in some manne r to these skeletons.

Also among Dhuum’s forces are the ghostly, mesme ric Dream Riders. While it is unclear if they follow Dhu um (with the excepmon of the Four Horsemen), those found wandering the Chaos Plains in the Underworld have a link to Mindblade Spectres making the m more dangerous than they appear, as the destrucmon of these riders causes swarms of spectres to mob the slayers. It is u nkno wn whether these spectres are create d by the rider’s destruc

whether these spectres are create d by the rider’s destruc- mon, or simpl y responding to a distress call .

The Dream Riders foun d o ut- side the Chaos Plains, how- ever, are clearly in Dhuum’ s employ, having be en seen fighmng alongside Dhuum’s dryders in the Tomb of Prime - val Kings, the attempte d dis

rupmon of the Dragon Fesmval on Shing Je a Island, and within the Foundry of Faile d Cre- amons in the D omain of An

Beneath the dryders in the hierar- chy of Dhuum’s servants are th e Grasping Darknesses, which we re historically unleashed upo n th e Labyrinth and the Forgotten Vale to consume the spirits of the dead. Fortunate ly, while their speed and ability to disrupt spel ls

speed and ability to disrupt spel ls makes them dangerous to spell- casters, like many soul -e amng demons, the souls of their vicm ms are freed when the y are de - stroyed .

ment. In response, the heroes joined the Reapers and the King of the Snowmen to seek to push Dhuum back into his prison. While Dhuum demonstrated many fearsome powers in the

While Dhuum demonstrated many fearsome powers in the battle to break out of his imprisonment, including the abil- ity to summon skeletal retainers and to impose upon his foes the lethargy normally associated with death and a recent re surrecmon. However, the most dan gerou s power Dhuum showed was the ability to pre vent the use of resur- recmon skills within his vici ni ty.

the titles of dhuum While every god has collected a range of mtles, Dhuum is perhaps unique in the quanmty that he has amassed. Or at least, thanks to the Reaper of the Labyrinth’s obsession with lismng them whenever the topic of Dhuum comes up, the deity for whom the most mtles are known. The full (currently known) list is: Death Inevitable, The Ender of All, The Mouth at the End of

Death Inevitable, The Ender of All, The Mouth at the End of the Void, Omega Death, The Voice in the Void, The Final Judge, Emperor of Oblivion, Master of Nothingness, The Final Death. followers: Having been imprisoned for ages, there are no known

Having been imprisoned for ages, there are no known mortal followers in Tyria. Of course, before 1075 AE, the same could be said for Abaddon, so it is possible that Dhuum also has followers hiding in the mortal realm. Interesmngly, unlike the dryders found in Tyria (which

Interesmngly, unlike the dryders found in T yria (which almost universally employ ne cromancer-like powers), the Tortureweb and Terrorweb Dryders instead wield the power of flame, with a sprinkling of othe r magics. While most dryders prefer to fight from afar, a new variety of Ter- rorweb dryder recently appeared to counter on e of the strategies employed by adventurers to survi ve in the Un- derworld, rapidly shadowstepping towards the ir vicmm

derworld, rapidly shadowstepping towards the ir vicmm before unleashing a close-range burst of fla me . A few of

Dhuum and the Underworld

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Lore | Page 29/35

By Dr axynnic

From the Chaos Planes can be accessed two of the mo st sinister parts of the Underworld. N orth of the Planes are the Bone Pits, where the corpses of dead travellers are ani- mated into abominations of bon e an d sinew th at animat e any bodies of the fallen they find. The Bone Pits are also the place where souls are cast into a realm of torment, be - lieved by many to be the Realm of Torment, making this

the place the gods used to dispose of those “tainted” by knowledge of Abaddon be fore that dark god’s replacement by Kormir – and possibly whe re Dhuum’s forces made their way to Abaddon’s side to assist in his push for fre edom.

Finally, to the east of the Chaos Planes are the Spawning Pools, bubbling pools of tar that hinde r the movements of mortal adventurers and rendering them vulnerabl e to the fire magic of the Terrorweb Dryders that call this place home. According to the Reaper that watches o ver the pools, deep within the tar can be found eve n darker things than the Terrorwebs, horrors that must take physical fo rm before they can visit the nightmares of mortals. Howev er,

before they can visit the nightmares of mortals. Howev er, the parallels between this rumour and the nature of the Domain of Fear in the Realm of Torme nt imply that this may story may simply be a dim memory of that domai n, especially since, apart from the Obsidian Guardi ans of the Terrorweb Queens and possibly the Skeletons of Dhu um, there is little to indicate the presence of gre ater e vil s than the dryders within the p ools.

the dryders within the p ools.

Travellers considering visiting the Underworl d ar e re - minded that even with Dhuum returned to the Hall of Judgement, the Underworld remains a dangerous place. Aatxes, spectres, Smite Crawlers, and the Stalking and Coldfire Nights are all highly te rritorial and need no further provocation than the presence of the living to attack . Since even fighting in self-defence may serve to accel erate Dhuum's next attempt to escape, responsible v isitors ar e

Dhuum's next attempt to escape, responsible v isitors are requested to seek the sponsorship of powerfu l p erso nali- ties in the Underworld such as the Mad King to help avoid any of the potentially lethal unpleasantne ss that might arise during such tr avel .

tioned Coldfire Nights and the ghostly Smite Crawlers, phantoms that can turn the power of blows and curses against their foes. Opposite the Labyrinth across the Ice Wastes is the Hall of Judgement, once thought to be Grenth’s palace and now known to the Dhuum’s holding place. The southern reaches of the Underworld are reached by

The southern reaches of the Underworld are reached by crossing the Twin Serpent Mountains, the stones of that land holding within their e ntwining namesake as either the physical bodie s of two brothers that earned Grenth’s ire by challenging him for his position… or as an ete rnal monu- ment to their punishment. Crossing these mountains, and running the gauntlet of rock-hurling Obsidian Be hemoths and thunderbolt-wielding Charge d Blacknesses will find

and thunderbolt-wielding Charge d Blacknesses will find them in the Chaos Plane s.

The former site of Dhuum’s tower and throne bef ore b ein g cast down by Grenth, the Chaos Planes have been swep t barren by energies released in its destruction, and are now wandered by the spirits of those that we re judged to have died without redeeming features. It is unknown whe ther this is the origin of the Banished Dream Riders or Mind- blade Spectres found within the Plane s, or whether the spirits here are too insubstantial to be seen or inte racted

spirits here are too insubstantial to be seen or inte racted with by mortals.

As well as the skeletal hound, there are a handful of othe r creatures that, willingly or not, have come to serve Dhuum. While there is nothing to indicate that the Aatxes as a group serve Dhuum rather than just being anoth er th reat in the Underworld, some have been known to be har - nessed by magic to Keepers of Souls, link ing their live s to the Keepers. Furthermore, within the Realm of Tor ment were sighted a number of Dhuum’s ambassad ors takin g the

were sighted a number of Dhuum’s ambassadors takin g the form of torment demons, suggesting that eith er Dh uum was able to recruit envoys from the natives of the Realm of Torment, or that some of his followe rs took their forms to better fit in. the und erworld :

While technically now the domain of Grenth, the status of the Underworld as the site of the battle against Dhuum as well as Dhuum’s former domain makes it a logical topic to discuss along with Dhuum, especially if the Ender of All needs to be imprisoned again… Gaining access to the Underworld with the aid of the Voice

Gaining access to the Underworld with the aid of the Voice of Grenth places a band of adventurers into the Labyrinth, a maze inhabited by powerful, minotaur-like demons called Aatxes. While their blows can smash through leather, steel and enchanted cloth like paper, magic is often effective at reducing the power of their blows to a manageable level. Three exits are possible from the Labyrinth. West of the

Three exits are possible from the Labyrinth. West of the post of the Reaper of the Labyrinth is t he Forgotten Vale. While the outskirts are inhabited by re ptil ian cre atures wielding powers of ice and stone kn own as C oldfire and Stalking Nights respectively, the vil lag e within is intende d as a place of peace for those gentle souls that die d without realizing what had happened, although in times of up- heaval it is often overrun with de mons and more violent

heaval it is often overrun with de mons and more violent spirits . To the north is the Frozen Wastes, home of King Fro zen - wind and the lesser ice elementa ls in Grenth’s serv ice. More dangerous within the Wastes are the aforemen

Halloween Workshop

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Community | Page 30/35

By Ar ghor e

… Is how everybody participating in the workshop submitted their final entries close to the 22nd deadline. The workshop started on September 8th 2010 and we here at GuildMag posted a blog interview with Tzu about this workshop on the 5th of October. During this time the thread in ‘Nolani Academy of Art’ on guildwarsguru.com grew to a staggering 52 pages of progress art, feedback and general chatter. From what I can tell everybody in the thread enjoyed this workshop, just like last year… This year the amount of participating artist dwarfed previous years in which this workshop

This year the amount of participating artist dwarfed previous years in which th is wo rksh op was held. A total of 46 artist joined in the fray, to collectively work on individual e ntrie s for the official ArenaNet Halloween Art Contest and to have a chance on winning one of the 14 prizes that come with the workshop itself. The categories for which the Judges of the workshop will pick the winners ar e: - Artist Extraordinaire (wins in workshop and official con test); - Best Overall artist (progress, end piece, thread participation); -

- Best Progress (1st, 2nd, 3r d); - Best Literature (1st, 2nd, 3rd ); - Most Original; - Most Evil; - Most Amusin g; - Best ‘Mad K ing Th orn’; - Muse; -

- In the Spirit of Hallowee n; - T-shirt give out. When ‘we’ wrote our blog interview on the 5th we had hopes we could post the winne rs of most of these categories in this issue , unfortunately IRL issues messed with our plan- ning and we are unable to post the winners in this article, but rest assured, as soon as the winners are known we will post them on our blog.

Which leaves me with the hardest part of this article, giving a non bi ase d i mpressi on of the works of art created in this workshop. Which I hope I did by going through the thread an d

She wasn’t the only one with a costume though, as both K iyaKoorena (MadKing co stume & Plushy) and Kittycricri (Halloween Ritualist) submitted a costume for the workshop, aswell as the official Contest. Best luck to them, seeing ‘Costumes’ are a separate cat- egory in this years Official Contest they will be going up against e achother. To be honest, I wouldn’t want to be in the ArenaNet judge pannel …

Halloween Workshop

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Community | Page 31/35

By Ar ghor e

Another kind of art was made by Odinius. Who made this ve ry detailed clay ‘assembly’ and he wasn’t the only one creating art with clay, as wbbear29 also made a nice Hal lowee n themed artwork made of clay.

It was set ablaze in both charr as well as wicker man tradition, or if you will the resul t of a well placed ‘Mind Burn’ spel l.

Halloween Workshop

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Community | Page 32/35

By Ar ghor e

Totally different was this IRL constructed Hal- loween ‘still’ with all in game ite ms hand crafted by Artemi s Ale xandrae . Which doesn’t only look very cool and Halloween/GuildWars inspired but, as the title suggest, rather tasty as well ...

So, what about the more traditional kind of ‘Art’ I h ear you think… No worries, th ere was more than enough of those. For example this well made render/drawing made by Minami.

Or the scene below made by Operative14, one of those other things that makes your hair raise in your neck, passing a graveyard on your Hallowee n round…

To finish off a special mention which, has me as well as other artists rather excited, is the special category that was introduced especially for the workshop. The literature prizes, this kind of art is not accepted as an entry for the official ArenaNet contest, but, the workshop gave writers the opportunity to participate in the workshop with their preferred kind of Art, by writing a short Halloween/GuildWars inspired story. The writers didn’t let the Art down, as far as I can tell there are 3 very well written Hal

The writers didn’t let the Art down, as far as I can tell there are 3 very well written Hal-loween stories. Which means this year every writer will get a prize, which one though is in the hands of the judges. Next year though, it might be a ‘different story’ … And this was just the tip of the iceberg, like I said 46 artist joined this years’ workshop and the quality was high, if you have some spare time while waiting for Mad King Thorn to show up on Sunday, do visit: http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/halloween-workshop-2000k

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Lore | Page 33/35

By Asur an

The sylvari live in the tarnished Coast, and thei r main capi- tal is known as The Grove. Its locaeon is on the exact spot as the Sanctuary. Despite only being 25 years old, they quickly spread throughout Tyria, learning more and more about the world. While most races accepted them for who they are, the Asura abused their lack of kn owledge and for awhile use d the sylvari as test subje cts for their experi-

ments. But since every sylvari is connected through the Dream, the ones that were born later kn ew of the Asu ra and their doings and afte r a while they were no longer used as test subject s.

They also learned about the human gods and the dragon s, however, they do not believe that gods exist unel th ey see it for themselves. The dragons, on the other hand, who are a real threat to world, which also is the ir start of their cre- aeon, they were a re sponse against the dragons.

Though they are not sure yet wh at their deseny is, since the dream guide them to a ‘’deseny’’. Since they were bo rn from a tree an d are very new to the world of Tyria, they craft their armor and weapons f ro m organic materials such as v ine s and roots. They also have a strong co n

roots. They also have a strong co n- neceon with nature. Th ey're eve n able to manipulate it by maki ng plants grow faster and even bringing it to life to fight alongside the syl- var i.

Despite being the latest race in Tyria they already stand strong an d t heir Dream will guide their race to become even greater.

Chibi by Izari

a never ending dream. The sylvari all are connected through what is known as Th e Dream of Dreams. Killeen, a sylvar i [from the Ghost of As- calon book] describe s it like this:

"In the Dream of Dreams, one grows one's identity. When once Awakened into the world, we leave the Dream behind, for the most part. But what we learn in the world goes back into the Dream to help new Sylvari unde rstand. . .. But knowledge is rarely specific. A face , an item, perhaps a name, may stay with us once we Awaken. We may feel drawn to a particular place or pe rson, or feel that some task needs to be done. Occasionally, something in the

task needs to be done. Occasionally, something in the Dream e choes back to an awakened sylvari, but it is more a feeling than a vision fille d with details and specifics."

It means the Sylvari le arn about the world through the Dream of Dreams. When th ey're asleep, th ey dream abou t the world an d learn from it, but the kno wledge they gain is not specific. Th e o nes that are awake can't dre am more knowledge, however they do stay

knowledge, however they do stay connected to the Dream of Dreams. If they learn someth in g new it will be part of the Dre am which new Sylvari that are sel l asleep can learn from. Of-course , within the Dream of Dreams, the y

also experience Nightmares. While most do not acce p t these nightmares as a way of life, ther e are those that do. This group is known as the Nightmare Court. The Night- mare Court rejects the teachings of the Ventari Tab let and embraces the nightmares. Their goal is to corrupt the Pale Tree to their will, twiseng it to their e vil point of v iew.

The sylvari are the latest race introduced in the violent world of Tyria. The first generation to be born, known as the firstborn, sprung to life only 25 years earlier than the events of Guild Wars 2. seed of life The creaeon of the sylvari dates back to over 250 years

The creaeon of the sylvari dates back to over 250 year s ago. A centaur named Ventari had enough of the war be - tween the humans and the centaur.During the war be- tween the two races, he left the viole nce and cr eated hi s own camp. After some eme, as the White Mantle, Shining Blade, and the centaurs fought their war even deeper in the Maguuma Jungle, he fled south to the Tarnished C oast.

Along the way he befriended a human named Ronan and together they planted the seed of the Pale Tree. With the planeng of the seed they, created The Sanctuary; a place of peace where all races could come and live in harmony. But as with all life , soone r or later it ends.

Before his death, Ventar i wrote what is known as the Ventari Tablet. The tablet describes the ways of peace and harmony and the right morals, according to what Ventari thought they were. He then placed the Tablet at the base of the Pale Tree. He died in 1180 AE but his legacy conenued. Once the first sylvari’s were

conenued. Once the first sylvari’s were born they quickly found the Tablet and it had a very profound effect on th em. It is

Issue #1 - The Fires of Tyria

Issue #2 - The Lights of Tyria

Issue #2.5 - War in Kryta Special

Issue #3 - The Waters of Tyria

GuildMag, the unofficial Gui ld Wars magazine

Magazine | Page 34/35

A charr, a norn and an asura enter a bar... Bartender: "Is your friend the asura with you again?" Norn: "Yeah, he is here." Asura: "!@*&)(*&@#! street lights!!" Asura: "Great it still works!!" Charr: "We told him staying stationary would

Charr: "We told him staying stationary would make this easier." Norn: "But he insists it's a 'mobile' device..."

A charr, a norn and an asura enter a bar... As a sylvari leaves the bar: Charr: "What's going on here, some spe-cial party?" Barman: "Nice isn't it? ... We are having a big sylvari party tonight!"

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