Kodan

A kodan render.

“

No race weaves the thread of life. We are all strands in it, seeds upon the earth, inheritors of nature’s balance.

— Many Stars, Kodan Voice

The kodan are a race of intelligent polar bear-like beings from the distant northern lands and seas. They are a highly spiritual race that for centuries has lived in cities built upon, and carved into, icebergs in the arctic seas known as Sanctuaries. Their society is divided into tribes, each one having their own iceberg and leaders.

After the Elder Ice Dragon Jormag awoke, the kodan Sanctuaries were scattered in all directions, if not capsized by the dragon.

Physiology

The kodan are ten feet tall and are bipedal. They resemble polar bears and are often seen adorned in armor and red cloth. The lifespan of the kodan is not fully known, but some can live for centuries.

Culture

The kodan live in close communities upon their Sanctuaries, acting in concert and living in peace. The kodan are not without disputes and disagreements, but they consider themselves "above" most interpersonal conflict. To them, balance is more important than an individual's needs and the will of their god, Koda, supersedes any single kodan's wishes. Each member of the tribe contributes and works to maintain peace, encouraging the sharing of resources, and provide support for others within the Sanctuary.

Their Sanctuaries both act as shelters and as spiritual havens. Within the core of the Sanctuaries lie shrines to Koda and the Voice of the tribe and iceberg city. The kodan are a highly religious race, focusing a great majority of their culture and society upon their beliefs of balance and Koda.

Kodan young are said to be weak and easily susceptible to outside influence. As such, they are heavily guarded and rarely - if ever - seen by outsiders.

Religion

The kodan believe that Koda is the creator of the world and holds to the importance of balance, for example each individual's actions must be in balance with nature. However, this does not mean that they are pacifists; they view hunting and killing as a natural order of life, as long as it is done in order to serve the balance.

They also believe that everyone will always be reborn as their own race until they reach a higher stage of enlightenment, after which they reincarnate a step up in the spiritual ladder. In their view, they are at the top of the food chain and therefore responsible for maintaining balance; they are not afraid to use force to do so.

The kodan will not hold an individual responsible for the actions of their race, but they will judge the race based upon the actions of a few of its members. When they meet a new race, the kodan will take time to evaluate the race and determine how best to bring them into balance — this is how they treat the norn. However, for races that are openly hostile, such as the dredge, the kodan will judge quickly and violently.

The Voice communicates with Koda, linking their mind to the Mists in order to hear his word. The Voice is tended to by shamans and before death passes on his role to one of his caretakers.

Some kodan believe that the Elder Dragons awakened to redress a terrible imbalance in the world, though others view the Elder Dragons as an imbalance.

Government

The kodan are divided into tribes, with each tribe having two equally important leaders: the Voice and the Claw. The Voice is the spiritual leader of a tribe, passing on messages of Koda and gives guidance to the Claw. They are capable of sensing the balance of the Sanctuary and the world around it. The Claw is the physical leader of the tribe, protecting the Sanctuary and the Voice, and puts the Voice's words to action. Outside a small group of shamans, who tend to the Voice's needs to keep him alive, only the Claw may speak to the Voice. The Claw also leads the hunters and warriors of the Sanctuary. Neither of the two leaders has the power to overturn the others' decisions.

The Claw and Voice are often chosen at the same time, and end their rule together. If one dies, it is tradition for the other to retire. Between these two kodan, the Sanctuary of the tribe is very organized.

Names

The kodan choose their own names, basing it off of their personality, past, actions, occupations, or something that they find suitable. In essence, they chose a name which they feel describes them best. As such, their names are usually descriptions or nouns of some form. For example, Still Waters chose his name to remind himself of a past event and Farthest Shore took that name because he felt distant from his people. Kodan will also change their names to suit their evolving personalities or changed circumstances, for example, Watchful Moon changed his name from "Laughs at the Dawn" after his wife died. It is unknown how newborn kodan names are treated.

History

In ancient times, the kodan once spread across the land, only hindered by the sea and had brought balance to the spirits that they had encountered. However, during an event now referred to as the great storm, a tribe of kodan without a Voice had sought out food and began to travel south and never returned. It is speculated by scholars and Voices that the norn are descended from this tribe, and if so that the norn are spiritual failures and may soon follow the fate of the dwarves. Despite this, the kodan are not hostile to the norn.

When the great storm had ended, the kodan found icebergs frozen by the storm and believed them as a gift from Koda. As such, the kodan had settled on them, turning the icebergs into floating cities.

Trivia

• A race of armored polar bears also appears in the form of the panserbjørne in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy.
• The kodan did not appear in the original Guild Wars. The developers said when they saw the concept images related to the kodan they were so cool that they had to find some way to include them in Guild Wars 2.

Gallery

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See also

• The Wisdom and Power of the Kodan