Six Human Gods

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Disambig icon.png This article is about the Six Human Gods. For the gizmo, see The Human Gods. For the achievement, see The Six (achievement).

The Six are a small group of extremely powerful divine beings from somewhere deep in the Mists,[1][2] with powers rivaling those of the Elder Dragons. They are worshiped by the Forgotten as well as humans whom they brought to Tyria. They have a central position in human culture, but have retreated from worldly affairs in the last 250 years. The Six have historically also had some worshipers from native Tyrian races such as centaurs,[3] dwarves,[4][5][6] and possibly naga among others.[7] The norn view the Six as the Spirits of Action, comparing them to the Spirits of the Wild.[8][9]

List of the Human Gods[edit]

Characteristics[edit]

The extent of power of the human gods is not known, but it is known they are not omniscient, and by their own very nature as a pantheon each is not omnipotent (though human legends do claim they are omnipotent in their own specific domain). Xakk, in his publication The Six: Being or Playing God, states his belief that the Six are not gods, but are what anyone would become if given the amount of magical energy they possessed and allowed to live as long as they appear to have.

All the gods seen so far have been humanoid in appearance, both in person and in cultural depictions. They can have family members (e.g. Balthazar's half brother, Menzies, and his father) and can have children with human mortals. It is also possible for a demigod or a mortal to ascend into godhood by absorbing the power of a deposed god.[10][11] It is said that the mortal dies when they ascend into godhood, no longer being human;[12][13] instead of living beings, gods appear to instead be pure magic.[14]

The gods are incredibly powerful, so much so that they blind mortals who gaze upon them for too long. Clashes between the gods have, in the past, transformed seas into deserts, and verdant coastlines into toxic wastelands. Abaddon, even while weakened and imprisoned in the Realm of Torment, was able to extend his influence to Tyria and warp the landscape to his desire.

It is immensely difficult (and perhaps unwise) to kill a god. Dhuum was sealed in the Hall of Judgment because Grenth was not powerful enough to kill him,[15] and Abaddon was sealed in the Realm of Torment rather than killed with chains forged by Balthazar himself binding him.[16] Whereas the Elder Dragons release their magic from their inert bodies into the world along the ley lines when they die, the death of a god causes their magic to escape unbound into the world with potentially catastrophic consequences as their bodies crumble. Abaddon's death, for example, caused his body to break apart and the magic within to violently escape, threatening to "destroy everything".[11] It has been said that the power of a god cannot be destroyed, which is a statement similar to the Seventh Law of Maginamics.

Each of the gods also has a realm, their own shred of reality within the Mists, which serves as the afterlife for their followers. Grenth's is the Underworld, Balthazar's was the Fissure of Woe, and Abaddon's was the Realm of Torment, which Kormir took over. From time to time, these come under attack from rivals, and the gods have been known to grant access to mortals deemed worthy in order to solicit their aid. Several great landscapes have also been named after the gods, such as Grenth's Footprint and the volcano of Abaddon's Mouth, but it is unclear whether there is direct relation to the god or gods which the places are named after.

History[edit]

Pre-arrival[edit]

Very little is known of the gods or their histories prior to their arrival in Tyria. At the time that they first arrived in Tyria, it is thought that there were six of them: Dwayna, Balthazar, Melandru, Lyssa, Abaddon, and Dhuum. Melandru is the oldest of the gods, although Dwayna is usually depicted as their leader.[1]

The gods (in particular Dwayna) brought humanity with them to Tyria from elsewhere.[17][1][2][18] In the Orrian History Scrolls it is said that Dwayna "brought with her those who would make this world a paradise", and that "as she had promised, Dwayna led her people to peace". This implies that humanity are her favored people, that she had brought humanity to Tyria because of a promise that she had made, and that wherever they had come from, it was not peaceful. The fact that no record exists of these times may be attributable to Lyssa, as it is said in the scrolls that "[Lyssa] brought with her the hope and beauty of humanity. While the other gods focused on building Arah and beginning a new future, Lyssa gave them joy and helped them forget the past".

It is also not clearly known how the gods came to form the pantheon, what their relationship is to one another, and the degree to which they understand how their own power works. What is known generally dates to after their arrival on Tyria. Grenth is the first Tyrian-born god, being the son of Dwayna and a mortal sculptor[19] (speculated to be Malchor), and with the help of his Seven Reapers he defeated and replaced Dhuum as the god of darkness, ice, and death. However, Grenth was unable to vanquish Dhuum entirely, so he imprisoned Dhuum in the Hall of Judgment in the Underworld.[15] Kormir was once a human, the Spearmarshal of the Sunspear Order of Elona, who rose to divinity after the fall of Abaddon.

The gods have not revealed much to humanity regarding the nature of their cooperation. In the case of Kormir, no indication is given that the gods' gift to her while she was still mortal, which enabled her to absorb Abaddon's divine powers once he was defeated and ousted, was discussed amongst themselves in advance. However, the gods apparently did know what their gift would do and were also apparently satisfied with the elevation of a mortal human to their pantheon, as well as the replacement of Abaddon who had previously been the guardian of their secrets.

Arrival[edit]

The Artesian Waters, the source of Orr.

The date at which the gods arrived in the world of Tyria is somewhat contentious, although it is known that they arrived sometime after the writing of the Tome of the Rubicon.[20] Human legends say that the dragon Glint was the first creature created by the gods, and Glint told Destiny's Edge in 1320 AE that three thousand years ago, she was set on Tyria as a guardian of the world.[21][22] The legends also say that the Forgotten were brought to Tyria in 1769 BE to help Glint, and that humanity came later.[23][24]

However, it was later discovered that Glint was a champion of the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik,[25] and that the Forgotten were present for the last dragonrise, which is believed by the Durmand Priory to have been around 10,000 years ago[26] (this is corroborated by the Mursaat Lore Tablet). The earliest known mention of humanity on the northern continent is in 205 BE, although humans were known to have a presence in Cantha as early as 786 BE.[27][28]

The gods first stepped from the Mists into Tyria at the Artesian Waters,[2] a place of such power that they were drawn to it from across realities. Dwayna was the first to step forth, and it is said that Tyria was her choice. Next came the others: Balthazar, carrying the severed head of his father and flanked by his hounds Temar and Tegon. He cleansed Orr and claimed Tyria for humanity, believing that the other races would be easy to defeat. Melandru, on the other hand, urged peace, but was ignored. Melandru terraformed Orr into a green and flowering expanse. Dhuum is not mentioned in any early Tyrian records, but is assumed to have been present and was known to have had a presence on Tyria before being usurped by Grenth.[10]

Together, the gods built Arah, and gathered artifacts of power from across Tyria to their city, including the Bloodstone and the Mystic Telescope. Abaddon designed a set of magically warded reliquaries in Siren's Landing where the gods could keep their priceless and powerful artifacts, relics and knowledge safe from thieves and defilers with his reliquary as the centerpiece.[29] At some point the gods became aware of the existence of the hibernating Elder Dragons, who were tied to the magical balance of Tyria, and learned their names and spheres of influence. This information was documented in what would come to be known as the Scroll of the Five True Gods.[30]

For a time, the gods lived among the humans of Orr. They had a working relationship with the leader of the humans, Doric. Doric was the first to kneel at Dwayna's feet, begging for an end to the wars that harmed his people. These events are dated 115 BE in the Scriptures of Dwayna. He was later crowned as the first King of Tyria.

Because the gods blinded most humans who looked upon them for too long, they chose a sculptor, Malchor, to make statues of each of them, before retreating to Arah. Dwayna was the last of these, and Malchor drove himself mad with love for her, throwing himself to his death after she left.

At some point during this period, Grenth was born to Dwayna and a mortal sculptor, making him the first god to be born of Tyria. Grenth, along with seven mortals, defeated Dhuum in the ossuary of the Cathedral of Eternal Radiance. Grenth imprisoned Dhuum within the Hall of Judgment in the Underworld and took his place among the gods in a spot not far from where his father had fallen.

According to an ancient Ascalonian legend and an Orrian scroll, the gods formulated a magical ritual and gifted three holy artifacts needed to enact and reverse it—a magical crown, Balthazar's own sword Sohothin and its twin Magdaer—to the royal human lineage as protection against invasion. The artifacts, as well as the knowledge how to use them in the ritual, would eventually pass on to the Ascalonian line of human kings.[31][32]

Exodus of the Gods[edit]

King Doric prostrates himself before the gods.

For hundreds of years, Abaddon acted as a bridge between the Mists and the world. Though each god had granted magic to humans in small amounts throughout the centuries, when the gods decided to truly spread magic to the world, Abaddon was the one who took on the task, giving unique magic to each group of creatures he deemed worthy. However, he gave magic out too freely, and the civilizations that received magic rose to prominence and began to wage wars on each other.

When King Doric saw his people's plight, he journeyed to Arah and requested the gods to take back magic. Accepting his pleas, the gods split the Bloodstone, an immense repository of the world's magic, into five parts and cast them all around the world, separating and thereby reducing the capabilities of magic use.[23][33] Abaddon was furious at this and strongly protested to the other gods, but his protests were not addressed. Given the events that occurred afterwards, Abaddon apparently left the company of the other five gods at this point, while still retaining his divine power and position, but did not take any other independent action.

One particular tribe of Abaddon worshipers, the Margonites, lived within the Crystal Sea and Unending Ocean. At that time, it was a beautiful and bountiful place, nestled between Tyria and Elona. They worshiped Abaddon exclusively, and upon hearing the news of the revocation of magic, they launched an attack on the Temple of the Six Gods, a great place of worship on the northern shores of Elona. They slaughtered the priests of the other five gods, desecrated their altars, and defaced the statues and scriptures within that holy place.[34][35]

Meanwhile, the Margonites had turned their boats into towers and attempted to physically attain Ascension to meet with Dwayna, Balthazar, and Melandru, perhaps to appeal on behalf of their god Abaddon. While the gods were understandably furious, it was their mortal followers, the Forgotten, whose anger burned the brightest. A mighty legion, the likes which were not seen before, was gathered to quell Abaddon's insolent followers, and what followed was the largest naval battle ever seen in human history.[35]

The crude magics and technology of humanity was no match for that of the Forgotten, and in time, the great Margonite armada was annihilated, and Jadoth desperately prayed to his god for deliverance. For a long time, there was silence. When Abaddon answered, however, the answer was clear. The waters beneath the Forgotten fleet began to bubble as large whirlpools formed. When the sky should have been filled with the light of dawn, it was torn apart by abyssal tempests, and a fearsome devouring darkness appeared from beneath the Forgotten fleet. No living being emerged from the endless darkness that came from beneath the waters, except for one: Jadoth. He became the first champion of Abaddon, and the first of the Margonites to become transformed into demonic beings. Hate and anger had overcame Abaddon completely, and with a vengeful roar, he declared war upon the gods, vowing to turn Tyria into his domain and preside as its one true god.[36]

As the mightiest of the gods, the war initially went in Abaddon's favor. He created the Horde of Darkness and laid siege on the Gates of Heaven.[37] However, he could not stand up against the combined strength of the five other gods. Abaddon was ultimately struck down, leaving a vast desert where there was once a sea. Unwilling or unable to destroy Abaddon, the gods imprisoned him in his realm, much like Dhuum's imprisonment by Grenth in the Hall of Judgement, along with a host of his Margonite followers with chains forged by Balthazar himself binding the fallen god.[16] A force of Forgotten wardens was sent to safeguard Abaddon's prison, and the spot where Abaddon fell became known as the Mouth of Torment. As the rebellious god fell, he pulled the Temple of the Six Gods with him into his new prison.[34] The city of Morah was established to maintain a vigil there, where the link between the world and the Mists was weakest.

Soon after, the gods left the world in an event that came to be known as the Exodus of the Gods, which marked the beginning of the timeline used by the Mouvelian calendar.

Nightfall[edit]

Abaddon in his corrupted form.

Imprisoned in the depths of the Realm of Torment, Abaddon slowly recovered his strength and plotted his vengeance. Over the millennium after his imprisonment, he sent out demonic servants to subvert the mortal realm. One servant of Abaddon persuaded Shiro Tagachi to murder Emperor Angsiyan during the Harvest Ceremony in Cantha. Shiro's actions during that time led to his death, causing the Jade Wind. The titans, sent under Abaddon's orders, acted as gods for the charr and gave them the capability to perform the ritual of the Searing in Ascalon. When the charr were reaching Arah's gates, the disguised demon Razakel coerced Vizier Khilbron to use the dark magics of the Lost Scrolls, which caused the Cataclysm that sunk Orr. This all set the stage for Abaddon's plan to unleash Nightfall.

Around this time, both Balthazar and Grenth faced challenges within their own realms. Balthazar was under attack by his half-brother Menzies, whereas Grenth faced the forces of Dhuum, who had been slowly accumulating enough power to break free of his chains. Through the aid of mortals, Menzies's forces were thwarted and Dhuum was eventually returned to his dormant state.

Throughout the lifetime of the Kournan Warmarshal Varesh Ossa, General Kahyet, Varesh's mentor and a secret worshiper of Abaddon, groomed the Elonian leader to fulfill an ancient prophecy known as Nightfall, whereby Abaddon would be returned to the mortal plane.[38][39] In 1075 AE, this plan came to fruition and Abaddon, with the help of Dhuum and Menzies, was almost successful.

The prophecy was ultimately stopped by the Order of the Sunspears and the Order of Whispers, who entered the Realm of Torment itself with a group of heroes to defeat Abaddon. But the power of a god could not be destroyed, only transferred into another vessel. In his final moments, Abaddon's power threatened to run out of control and bring about the world's destruction regardless. Using a power that had been granted to her by the Five, Spearmarshal Kormir absorbed the vestiges of Abaddon's power, and in the process became the Goddess of Truth.

One of the last remaining vestiges of Abaddon's power was his abiding hatred of dance, and dancing in front of Abaddon's statues throughout Tyria and the Desolation could severely injure or otherwise incapacitate the dancer. In the wake of Nightfall, remnants of Abaddon's tormented magic left by the Margonites' presence seeped into the Crystal Desert. Left alone, this magic would coalesce into tormented remnants over time. To cleanse the Desolation of Abaddon's corruption, the djinn gathered at Sand Jackal Run and took to reshaping this tainted sand into jackal-shaped constructs. The djinn imbued their magic into runes taken from the bodies of tormented remnants to tame the tormented energies, and in turn the jackals. These jackals were feral and hostile initially, and still sought to bring about Nightfall. Once tamed, it was said that the eyes of the jackal were all that remained of their Margonite forebears.[40]

Silence of the gods[edit]

Though the gods had left the world, they continued to maintain an interest in human affairs, occasionally blessing the world with their favor. This changed with Abaddon's death, however. Although Kormir had absorbed most of Abaddon's power, the surge of energy upended the balance of magic in Tyria and stirred the Elder Dragon Primordus from its slumber, beginning a new dragonrise cycle.[41]

The gods eventually came to the conclusion that there could be no victory in a war with the Elder Dragons, believing that even in the event that they succeeded, Tyria would be ripped apart in the fight. The cataclysmic outcome of their fight with Abaddon a millennium before was proof of what kind of outcome could be wrought when beings of such power collided. The gods decided that they would leave Tyria behind for good—all but one of them.

Balthazar, as the god of conflict, refused to turn away from the fight and announced his intention to fight the Elder Dragons with or without the other gods. He additionally vowed that he would punish the other gods for their cowardice. Before Balthazar could act, the gods imprisoned him and stripped him of his divine power, chaining him in the Mists. There he would remain forever, powerless to carry out his plans.

Oloko, a priest of Kormir, received a vision from Kormir in which it was revealed to him that the remaining gods left in search of a new world without threats like the Elder Dragons that they could prepare for their faithful.

Recent developments[edit]

Perspectives of the other races[edit]

Each of the races of Tyria have different attitudes to the gods. Despite their legend of Melandru, the charr view the gods as powerful beings to fight, not worship. The norn recognize the existence of the gods, but consider them an extension of their belief system of nature spirits; they refer to the Six as the "Spirits of Action" and do not call them by their name, but by what they govern. For instance, Balthazar is War and Kormir is Knowledge. The asura consider the gods to be relatively large parts (but parts nonetheless) of their Eternal Alchemy.[8]

The sylvari, having appeared only in 1302 AE and therefore having never actually witnessed the work of the gods, remained unconvinced they existed at all until the recent return of Balthazar made them reconsider their views. The sylvari heading the reclamation of Orr in Siren's Landing have changed their views of the gods and interpret them as powerful royals to the humans rather than godly beings per se while trying to understand the significance behind the term "god" itself.[45]

Statues[edit]

Throughout the current and formerly human-controlled lands of Tyria, statues of the Six Gods can be found. There are at least two styles of statue for each god except Abaddon and Dhuum.

Guild Wars[edit]

The first style of statue is the one that was seen throughout Guild Wars. These statues would animate when the world had the favor of the gods. Some can still be found today, mainly in abandoned locations. Others have been replaced by the other style of statue, for example in the Reclaimed Chantry. There does not seem to be any in-universe explanation for these replacements; the ones in the Chantry are even referred to as being the "original god statues" by Nenah.

It is not definitively known who designed this style of statue, however the statue of Dwayna strongly resembles the Unfinished Dwayna Statues found in Malchor's Anguish. The statue of Kormir was of course designed long after the rest of the statues, and was first seen in the Throne of Secrets mere moments after the Ascension of Kormir.

There are few enough examples of this style of statue that they can all be listed here:

Guild Wars 2[edit]

The second style of statue is the one more commonly seen throughout human lands in Guild Wars 2. Although these are never seen in Guild Wars, which is set 250 years before Guild Wars 2, they do not seem to be any "newer" than the other style of statue as evidenced by their widespread presence in Orr, which has not had a human presence since just before the start of Guild Wars' storyline.

Although again the creator of these statues has never been explicitly stated, each of the statues of this style in Divinity's Reach carry an inscription from Malchor the Sculptor, with the exception of the statue of Grenth, which has an inscription by Desmina, and the statue of Kormir, which has an inscription by Jurah.

Statues of this style could be found in the god realms of the Mists themselves, as evidenced by their prominent appearances in Dragonfall.

Other designs[edit]

Concept art[edit]

Early concept art[edit]
Final versions[edit]

Notes[edit]

  • Humans often refer to the pantheon as the Six Gods or simply the Six. Other races most commonly refer to them as Human Gods. They are also known as:
    • the Five Gods (during the time between the Exodus and Nightfall)
    • the Old Gods (archaic Krytan name; in contrast to the "new gods", the Unseen Ones, who were worshiped in Kryta for a time)
    • the True Gods (archaic name; in contrast to the "false gods" of cults throughout Tyria and Elona)
    • the Ancient Gods (used by Forgotten)
    • the Ancient Ones (used by Forgotten)

Trivia[edit]

  • The name of Abaddon's predecessor is speculated to be Arachnia, as this name can be found by datamining Guild Wars. While some information originally found in the gw.dat (such as the name of the Lonely Vigil statue) was later confirmed by canon sources, other information originally gleaned from gw.dat (such as the Realm of Torment being renamed the Redeemed Realm after the Ascension of Kormir) has later been flatly contradicted by canon sources. For this reason, the existence of Arachnia should be considered non-canon until confirmed by canon sources.

See also[edit]

Gwwlogo.png The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on Human Gods.
Associated items

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Orrian History Scrolls: The Six
  2. ^ a b c Cathedral of Silence
    The Seventh Reaper: So shall it be. You seek the heart of Orr? Then you must go to the very beginning. The rock where the gods first set foot upon this world.
    The Seventh Reaper: There is an artesian well hidden in the mountains behind the temple of Melandru. There, you will find the place where Orr began. [...]
    Trahearne: The place where the Six Gods first walked upon Tyria. I never dreamed I'd see it, yet now we know it is the end of our great journey.
    <Character name>: Where the gods first walked? What does that mean?
    Trahearne: Human myth says that when the Six Gods came to Tyria, they built the city of Arah. The "source" must be the place where they first set foot on Tyria.
    <Character name>: A place so powerful that it drew the attention of Gods from deep in the Mists? It must be amazing.
  3. ^ Eternal Forgemaster
  4. ^ Abbot Silverbeard
  5. ^ Acolyte Rockhammer
  6. ^ Attack on Jalis's Camp
    Orozar Highstone: My brother, Ural Highstone, was once in the Stone Summit, but he reformed and has become a follower of the human god, Dwayna.
  7. ^ Ssuns, Blessed of Dwayna
  8. ^ a b Lore Interview with Jeff Grubb, GuildMag.com
  9. ^ GuildMag Issue 5: Frigid Times, Issuu.com:
    GuildMag: Can you give us more information on the Great Dwarf, is he really a god or more like a powerful spirit (like the Spirits of the Wild)?
    Jeff Grubb: The Great Dwarf can best be thought of as a collective consciousness of the dwarves themselves (indeed, in making the prophecy of the Great Dwarf defeating the Great Destroyer coming true). Has anyone MET the Great Dwarf, and found him to be a real being? Well, that has not happened.
    The whole question of gods is based upon culture. The humans have tangible, powerful beings that they can interact with—hence, gods. The spirits of the norn also fit that description, so humans would call these beings "gods" as well. Norn would disagree. And describe the human gods as being "Spirits of Action" of the humans—Balthazar is obviously War, and should be spoken of as such. Kormir is Knowledge and calling her Kormir is a quaint human thing.
    Similarly, the humans would say that asura have no gods, or that they worship some concept. The asura would say that the Eternal Alchemy is obviously a true way of looking at the universe, and that human gods were merely functions in that equation (really BIG functions, but functions nonetheless).
    And while the charr recognize the human gods as powerful patrons, they reject those patrons as being all-powerful or worthy of veneration. Indeed, such worship makes the worshippers weak.
  10. ^ a b Memory of Dhuum's Last Stand
  11. ^ a b Abaddon's Gate
  12. ^ Koss on Koss (book)
  13. ^ Journal of Kormir
  14. ^ Heart of the Volcano
    Scanner: No—life—detected. Only—magic—energy—present.
  15. ^ a b Something Wicked This Way Comes
    King Frozenwind: Long have the bards sung of Grenth's defeat of Dhuum, the former ruler of the Underworld. With the help 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; Grenth was simply not powerful enough to slay him. Instead, he forced Dhuum into a state of dormancy and imprisoned him within the Hall of Judgment, trapped behind massive enchanted doors and layers of divine magic. There Dhuum remained, slumbering...waiting. But his torpor is not so heavy that Dhuum does not occasionally wake.
    <Character name>: Why does he continue to wake? Is a little sleepwalking really that harmful?
    King Frozenwind: Dhuum awakens fueled by dark powers, eager to reclaim his seat as The Final Judge, and set to cull the life from those who cheat death. Every time a creature in the Underworld dies, the release of life energy adds to Dhuum's vigor. Too many beings are being slain in the Underworld. Dhuum grows both strong and restless. I fear that one day he will come to his full strength, and then those doors will not hold. Where Dhuum walks, candy man, no soul is safe! Go, tell your master to heed my warning: Dhuum remains the most serious of threats!
  16. ^ a b Dunbri
  17. ^ Comment by Angel McCoy: "Humans (including Canthan humans) were brought to Tyria (from…no spoilers!). They are not native to Tyria and did not come with much magic of their own.", Official forum
  18. ^ GuildMag issue #1 Q&A with Ree Soesbee, GuildMag.com (Archived)
  19. ^ Cathedral of Silence
    Priestess Rhie: Grenth is Dwayna's son, but only half-god. His father was a mortal sculptor, but that is one of the greatest secrets of our church.
  20. ^ GuildMag issue #1 Q&A with Ree Soesbee, GuildMag.com
  21. ^ "Chapter 26: Seeking the Sanctum", Edge of Destiny by J. Robert King:
    "Do you?" roared the dragon, rearing up and spreading her wings through the vault. "I am Glint, Keeper of the Flameseeker Prophecies, Protector of the Forgotten, Foe of the Lich Lord, and Downfall of the Titans! Three thousand years ago, I was set here as a guardian of the world. Three hundred years ago, I welcomed heroes such as yourselves, hailing them as the Chosen who would destroy the titans and save the world. But did they remember? Did not the very heroes that I sent return to battle me again? And now you come to slay me?"
  22. ^ Return to Camp Resolve
    Eir Stegalkin: She had the gift of prophecy and the burden of three thousand years of memories.
  23. ^ a b The History of Tyria, Volume 1
  24. ^ The Guild Wars Manuscripts
  25. ^ Edge of Destiny by J. Robert King
  26. ^ The Ruined City of Arah (explorable)
    Varra Skylark: It shows that the awakening of the dragons is a natural and cycling thing. The stars only indicate the passing ages. They do not determine events here.
    <Character name>: When was that last time?
    Varra Skylark: Around ten thousend years ago. You know what this means? The Elder Dragons may have been responsible for the extinction of the Giganticus Lupicus!
  27. ^ An Empire Divided: A Selected History of Mysterious Cantha for the Traveling Scholar
  28. ^ Guild Wars 2: Path of Fire—Road to the Desert
  29. ^ A Parable of Abaddon
  30. ^ Hidden Arcana
    Ogden Stonehealer: Much of what we know about them comes from a document written by the first humans to walk the face of Tyria: the Scroll of the Five True Gods.
    Ogden Stonehealer: It is written in an ancient dialect, therefore it is subject to interpretation.
    Ogden Stonehealer: In it, the gods revealed the names of the Elder Dragons: Mordremoth, Kralkatorrik, Jormag, Zhaitan, and Primordus.
    Ogden Stonehealer: There is one other name listed, but it is illegible, lost to time. I suspect this is the deep-sea dragon.
    Ogden Stonehealer: The gods expound on how Tyria's health is tied directly to them. This portion is somewhat abstract, however.
    Ogden Stonehealer: There are varied theories on what it means, but I believe it refers to the natural balance of magic.
    Ogden Stonehealer: Too much magic, and the world spins out of control. Too little, and it crumbles into darkness.
    Ogden Stonehealer: The last time the Elder Dragons awoke, they wiped out almost every intelligent race on the planet.
    Ogden Stonehealer: It is from this low-magic environment that the gods built the world as they wanted it.
  31. ^ Comment by Connie Griffith, Reddit.com
  32. ^ Plan of Attack
    Rytlock Brimstone: This story began a thousand years ago, when this ritual was first formulated by the humans' gods—the Six. The Six gave them magic. At the same time, they also gave one of them a magical crown and two magical swords to protect the kingdom.
    Rytlock Brimstone: It all hinges on Sohothin, my sword. There were originally two of them—Sohothin and another called Magdaer. They were given to the Ascalonians as protection against invasion.
    <Character name>: Sohothin and Magdaer. And King Adelbern had inherited the crown?
    Rytlock Brimstone: Exactly. The crown was designed to break into four parts. When the fragments are separated, they're hard to see. This was a safeguard to keep this powerful item from falling into the wrong hands. [...]
    Rytlock Brimstone: I finally found a reference to the ritual.
    <Character name>: And you trust the source?
    Rytlock Brimstone: It's got an Orrian stamp on it, which makes it so old, it's got to be legitimate.
  33. ^ The Ruined City of Arah (explorable) Seer path
    Randall Greyston: The human gods recovered this bloodstone, and gave magic to the human race. When humanity could not handle that power, they split it into five parts. The first bloodstone was broken into pieces in Arah.
  34. ^ a b Gate of Madness
    Tormented Soul: It is an old temple of the Six Gods.
    <Character name>: Six gods—from a time before Abaddon's fall.
    Kormir: Indeed. Once this temple stood on the shores of the Crystal Sea.
    Kormir: But the Margonites so loved Abaddon, that they defaced the statues of the other gods.
    Tormented Soul: And when Abaddon fell, he pulled it down into Torment. It is now overrun by his Margonite worshipers.
  35. ^ a b Fan translation of Chinese background of Abaddon, GuildWars2Guru.com (Archived)
  36. ^ Statue of Abaddon
  37. ^ Horde of Darkness
    Priest Kehmtut: To finish this business, you will need firepower like you have never wielded before. The force you just defeated is nothing compared to what now rises in the Alkali Pan. To reach Varesh, you must face the Horde of Darkness...the very Margonites who fought the gods when Abaddon stormed the gates of heaven. Do not despair. The great wurms wield great power. Travel north to the Shattered Ravines where you will find elder siege wurms. Kill them and allow your great wurms to devour their carcasses, imbuing them with the carnal knowledge of how to use siege attacks. This is your only chance against the Horde. If you fail, the Horde of Darkness will spill forth across the world like an eternal shadow, and forever the eternal darkness shall reign. You living folk might want to see to that.
  38. ^ Signs and Portents
    Emissary Dajmir: Thank you for helping Kourna. One of Warmarshal Varesh's generals, Kahyet, has asked me to speak with the Order of the Sky regarding a celestial event she calls Nightfall. General Morgahn whom you've met, doesn't seem to like the idea. But more importantly, someone ELSE has been asking the Order about Nightfall. You'd be doing me and the generals a great favor if you'd investigate this. Meet me in Zehlon Reach and I shall tell you more. And you better bring your friend Koss with you; the plants in this area have been especially aggressive lately.
  39. ^ War Preparations (Recruit Training)
    <Character name>: We've uncovered a connection between the corsairs and General Kahyet. She is a worshipper of a deity named Abaddon.
    Kormir: Indeed. I have learned much in my travels and can tell you more. Once there were not five gods, but six. The sixth was Abaddon, imprisoned by his siblings in the Realm of Torment. Stories say that one day Abaddon will break the confines of his cell and release terror upon the land in an event only known as Nightfall.
    <Character name>: And Kahyet worships this monster?
    Kormir: She does, as does Varesh. Unless we stop her she will bolster the power of her dark god and eventually unleash fury upon the world. Time is of the essence. We must attack Varesh's fortress at Gandara, capture her, and bring her to justice. Otherwise...
  40. ^ Drojkor, Spirit Squall
  41. ^ Facing the Truth
    Kormir: Abaddon remained a fallen god, imprisoned for a thousand years, until he rose to threaten Tyria one last time...
    Kormir: A mortal hero led a mission to stop him, and against all odds, succeeded. But then... [...]
    Kormir: I was there to contain the damage, but by then it was too late.
    Kormir: The surge of power upended the balance of magic in Tyria, and stirred Primordus from his slumber—triggering this latest cycle of destruction.
  42. ^ The Sacrifice
    Rytlock Brimstone: I don't know how long I'd been looking. It's easy to lose track of time in the Mists.
    Rytlock Brimstone: But when I finally found Sohothin, its flame had been extinguished.
    Rytlock Brimstone: Then I saw the stranger. In chains. He told me he could reignite my sword.
    Rytlock Brimstone: I didn't ask his name, or why he'd been imprisoned there. I only asked him to restore Sohothin's flame.
    Rytlock Brimstone: To repay the favor, I used the sword to break the chains that bound him.
    Rytlock Brimstone: When I did, a portal opened. He told me it was a passage out of the Mists. A way home.
    Rytlock Brimstone: He must have followed me through. Escaping the Mists. I didn't know until just moments ago, but that stranger...(voiceover says "...followed me out.)
    Rytlock Brimstone: ...was Balthazar.
  43. ^ Comment by Charlie Engelhard, Reddit.com
  44. ^ Comment by Charlie Engelhard, Reddit.com
  45. ^ Abaddon's Reliquary ambient dialogue