Am Fah

A banner of the Am Fah from prior to their disbanding.

“

O Chalice of Corruption, impart your strength on this mortal... Infuse this fleshy shell with the strength and power that is your gift... Take this flesh and make it more than it is, as only you can... Take this flesh and make it whole.

— Brother Tosai

The Am Fah were one of the two notorious gangs of Old Kaineng City and bitter rivals of the original Jade Brotherhood. They disbanded after most of their ranks had perished in the Zhaitan Disaster, which had drowned Old Kaineng, and after Emperor Bitgaram and his successor Empress Haebaragi had hunted down the remaining members.

History

Early history

The Am Fah is speculated to have formed alongside the Jade Brotherhood in Cantha in the aftermath of the Jade Wind circa 1382 CC (872 AE). The two criminal guilds started a rivalry which would last for hundreds of years. The two gangs' influence grew so much that they were said to control almost all trade, legal and illegal, in Old Kaineng City. The constant state of cold warfare the gangs were in occasionally harmed innocent Canthans, leading to them being declared enemies of the Empire of the Dragon. Neither gang was able to topple the other, however, and out of necessity the rivals had been known to cooperate during the occasional crackdowns on their activities. Were one gang or the other ever to gain the upper hand, the resulting trade monopoly could conceivably lead to a coup against the imperial throne, so the emperor's personal agents helped ensure that never happened by making sure to covertly aid and oppose one gang over the other to maintain a delicate balance of power.

Guild Wars Factions

The Am Fah formed a cult around the Affliction when the mysterious plague began spreading throughout Cantha. Plague Idols were sought by rival gangs such as the Jade Brotherhood and the Obsidian Flame, as well as the Celestial Ministry as proof of the deaths of Am Fah members.

Guild Wars Beyond: War in Kryta

The Jade Brotherhood purchased the golem P.O.X. from the asuran inventor Zinn sometime prior to 1589 CC CC (1079 AE), planning to use it in their escalating war against the Am Fah to gain an edge. However, P.O.X.'s original programming could activate at any time, causing it to complete its ultimate objective which Zinn's mysterious benefactor had forced him to program into it: assassinate Emperor Kisu instead. Urged by Zinn to prevent the planned assassination that would ruin his reputation, heroes traveled to Cantha to prevent the golem's activation. When the Am Fah were about to overwhelm the Jade Brotherhood's headquarters, however, the latter activated the golem and realized too late that it did not obey their commands. A timely intervention from the heroes stopped the frenzied golem just in time, forcing both the Am Fah and the Jade Brotherhood into a hasty retreat. Once Zinn's involvement in the creation of the assassin golems became known, he was called to stand trial for his crimes in front of the Arcane Council at the grounds of early Rata Sum. The trial was attended not only by the council but also various non-asura faction representitives from abroad, including the Am Fah.

Guild Wars Beyond: Winds of Change

In 1587 CC (1077 AE), Minister Reiko Murakami officially established the Ministry of Purity after getting tired of the self-serving agenda and stifling bureaucracy of the Celestial Ministry. The Ministry of Purity made dealing with that which harmed Cantha its goal: to take action when all other branches of the government were content to turn a blind eye, pass the issues off as the Emperor Kisu's problem, or fault the other ministries. Two years later, the Ministry of Purity began in earnest its campaign to finally rid Cantha of the Afflicted. Brave men and women rallied to their cause, eager to make their homes safe once more. In the course of the campaign, which lasted under a year, the Afflicted were vanquished alongside many members from the Jade Brotherhood and Am Fah gangs, and the Angchu and Sensali tengu were branded as traitors and routed. The Ministry then set its sights on sweeping social reform and became seen as saviors of Cantha.

Meanwhile, the Am Fah and the Jade Brotherhood resolved to use more and more extreme methods in their turf war. One such desperate plan involved both gangs hunting for drakes, intending to tame them and use their fire attacks to gain an edge over the rival gang while not realizing that unleashing so many drakes could bring down all of Xaquang Skyway. Their plans were thwarted by the efforts of the Imperial Guard

Extremists in the Am Fah continued their experimentation with the Affliction. Heroes aided the Ministry of Purity in intercepting an Am Fah courier and seizing instructions about the magics necessary to build chalices of corruption, dangerous artifacts with which the Am Fah hoped to spread the nearly eradicated plague once more.

In 1590 CC (1080 AE), Minister Reiko's ambitions to cleanse Cantha were exposed, and word was sent to Emperor Kisu about her attempts to eradicate the tengu and oppress any Canthan who stood in her way. However, Kisu was unable to act against the Ministry of Purity, whose influence was growing beyond his control, out of worry that divided loyalties between his and Reiko's respective followers would lead to an endless civil war.

In response to the Ministry of Purity's campaign which had thwarted so many of their respective plans, the Am Fah and the Jade Brotherhood resolved to have a brief truce, sending word abroad to call all types of criminals and mercenaries, from the Crimson Skull and Elonian corsairs to the White Mantle and even the Stone Summit to attend a secret meeting in the Undercity.

Reiko was eventually assassinated by her niece Miku Yuudachi and the Hero of Tyria who were assisted by discontent Shing Jea peasants led by Xin Ji, Angchu tengu led by Soar Honorclaw, survivors from the Am Fah and Jade Brotherhood gangs led by Daisuke Crimson Edge and Eri, Heart of Fire, and even the atoning Ministry of Purity initiate Zei Ri. They believed that Reiko and the Ministry of Purity, in their zealotry to fight evil, had become a threat to themselves and to others with the way they violently oppressed those that did not fit their ideal of a purified Cantha. Those participating in the uprising against Reiko lamented that many Canthans would mourn Reiko's passing despite her crimes and would view the Hero as a criminal.

Zhaitan Disaster and aftermath

After briefly teaming up to defeat Reiko, the Am Fah and the Jade Brotherhood returned to their status quo of cold warfare in the decades that followed. Just before the Zhaitan Disaster struck Cantha with the great tsunami, the Am Fah member Dalnim was instructed to assassinate Yuhwa, a Jade Brotherhood heiress. However, Dalnim fell in love with Yuhwa who answered her affections. Both women understood that their relationship would not be tolerated, and they formulated a plan so Dalnim would fake Yuhwa's death and they would flee together before their respective gangs realized what had happened. However, the lovers died in the tsunami before they could carry out their plans and ended up haunting the vicinity of the Ancient Vault.

The Am Fah disbanded after the Zhaitan Disaster in 1729 CC (1219 AE) when most of their ranks were killed in the resulting tsunami and the Undercity Massacre. Minister Tao of the Ministry of Air was revealed to be a high-ranking Am Fah official during this time, having taken bribes from ship captains, usually giving those carrying valuable cargo higher priority in docking permits and possibly better wind direction for swift travel. Tao was arrested and her family was exiled for her crimes. Emperor Bitgaram and his successor Empress Haebaragi both made great efforts in working to "cleanse" New Kaineng City of Old Kaineng's problematic history, hunting down the rest of the Am Fah and effectively destroying what was left of their criminal organization.

Members

See also: Category:Am Fah

• Dalnim

See also

The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on Am Fah.

Associated items

• Plague Idol