Crystal Desert

From Guild Wars 2 Wiki

The Crystal Desert is a grassy region south of the Blazeridge Mountains which acts as a land bridge between the continents of Tyria and Elona. Before its transformation into a savanna, it was said that every grain of sand in the desert was in fact a tiny crystal, giving the region its name. The dragon Glint made her home in one of these crystals and only allowed those who had Ascended to enter her home. The Desert is said to contain one of the few entrances to the Redeemed Realm and is also the site where the Tomb of the Primeval Kings was erected.

[edit] History

The Crystal Desert has a long history. Long ago it was known as the Crystal Sea and was a favored land of the gods. When humans arrived in Tyria the Forgotten retreated to the waters to live in solitude. Prior to their rebellion against the gods, the Margonites sailed into the sea and constructed great towers in hopes of Ascending to stand alongside their god. However their efforts were in vain and they often found themselves at odds with the Forgotten fleets.

In time the Margonites discovered the Temple of the Six Gods, erected on the shores of the sea, and defaced the statues of the five gods, spurring on the conflict that would lead to the Exodus. When Abaddon was cast down, he crashed into the southern half of the sea, poisoning the land and transforming it into the Desolation. When he was banished into the Realm of Torment, the Temple was taken with him while the waters receded from the northern half of the sea, leaving it a desert.

Over the following centuries many made pilgrimages to this region, trying to follow in the footsteps of the Margonites in Ascending. The most notable of these pilgrimages was that led by Turai Ossa, who claimed the Desert as part of the Elonian empire. Though they created great monuments in an attempt to draw the gods' interest, in the end they fell to internal strife, the dangers of the desert, and the attacks of the Forgotten.

It was in the year 1072 AE that heroes of Ascalon, driven from Kryta by the White Mantle, found their way to the Desert. With the aid of the restless spirits of Turai's fallen pilgrimage, they succeeded in Ascending, gaining the ability to combat the Mursaat.

[edit] Present Day

The Desert has changed drastically in the 250 years since the heroes saw these lands. After the Ascension of Kormir, Palawa Joko devised a dangerous campaign to conquer Elona. Rather than taking each province by force, he diverted the river Elon from Vabbi. The ensuing drought would force the Princes into submission and drastically weaken Kourna. This also had the unforeseen consequence of transforming the Crystal Desert into a lush, verdant region.

The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on Crystal Desert.

For most of recent history, Lord Joko has maintained control of the entire Crystal Desert. However when the dragon Kralkatorrik awoke it flew south and claimed the northern grasslands of the Desert as its own. Joko has maintained control of the Desolation and has no intention of allowing part of his realm to be usurped, resulting in a constant clash between the two powers. The presence of Kralkatorrik and Joko has cut off the land route from Tyria to Elona, save for the members of the Order of Whispers who have somehow bypassed this obstacle.