Countess Danika zu Heltzer
Countess Danika zu Heltzer
Countess Danika zu Heltzer was the head of the Kurzick House zu Heltzer when the Ministry of Purity began the invasion of the Echovald Wilds in Cantha. When the Kurzicks were about to lose the war, she gave various zu Heltzer children pieces of their house's tapestry and had them smuggled away to various remote locations across Cantha and Tyria in order to preserve her house's bloodline. Since then, Danika has been haunting her old memorial while waiting for the zu Heltzer descendants to be united again.
Biography[edit]
Early years[edit]
Danika was born as the daughter of Count Petrov of House zu Heltzer, the most influential Kurzick family in the Echovald Wilds of Cantha, in 1049 or 1050 AE (1559/60 CC). Like her father, Danika was proud to name the venerable Saint Viktor zu Heltzer, the hero who had helped slay Shiro Tagachi during the day of the Jade Wind, as an ancestor. Unlike her father, however, Danika was much more open-minded toward non-Kurzicks and the other Kurzick houses, which was probably attributable to her avid reading habits. To overcome the extreme boredom of what she considered her "imprisonment" in the cathedral, she voraciously devoured the contents of countless tomes in the zu Heltzer family library, especially those that spoke of other lands and other peoples. Her pet wallows Brutus and Sheena had been with her since her birth.
As years passed, Danika became frustrated with the Kurzicks' isolationist policies, which she believed could only lead to the further decline of her people, and her world. She was eager to venture into the world outside the Echovald Forest, and find new allies for all the Kurzicks. Her sense of justice was strong, and she would be among the first of the Kurzicks to set aside factional differences should a greater threat arise. She had even had some contact, against her father’s strict orders, with House Vasburg, the longtime rivals of House zu Heltzer.[1]
Guild Wars Factions[edit]
Guild Wars: Eye of the North[edit]
In 1078 AE (1588 CC), Danika traveled to Gunnar's Hold in the Far Shiverpeaks to enter the norn fighting tournament against other notable heroes coming from all over Tyria, Elona, and Cantha to determine which one of them would earn the honor of facing the invincible norn warrior Magni the Bison in single combat. Aided by her wallows Brutus and Sheena, Danika eventually faced the Hero of Tyria in combat. She lost after a fierce struggle and admired the Hero's strength and resolve.[2][3] Danika also spectated and commented on the fights between opponents in the tournament.
Interim years[edit]
Danika eventually succeeded her father as the new head of House zu Heltzer. When Emperor Usoku and the Ministry of Purity began a campaign to subjugate the Echovald Forest in 1127 AE (1637 CC), the proud Kurzicks met them in battle. However, unlike their previous conflicts against other ambitious emperors, the Kurzicks found Usoku to be a more dangerous foe with a well-equipped army. When defeat seemed all but certain, Countess Danika ordered the zu Heltzer children to be smuggled to safety before the Ministry could harm them.[4] When the Kurzicks fell, Danika's body was hidden so the Ministry of Purity could not desecrate it. After the Ministry of Purity had fallen in the decades since the Rising of Orr and a more benevolent regime had risen to power, the countess was reinterred in the house's memorial site so she could finally rest alongside her relatives.[5]
End of Dragons[edit]
In 1335 AE (1845 CC), the Pact Commander was tasked by the archeologist Valeria to find clues whether any zu Heltzers had survived the Ministry of Purity's purges. The quest led the Commander to locate one of Countess Danika's personal possessions and dedicate it to her memory at her grave.
When the Commander paid their respects at Danika's grave, the countess's ghost suddenly materialized. Danika calmed the Commander down, not viewing her spectral appearance as anything unusual given the circumstances. When the Commander told Danika about seeking the remains of the zu Heltzers, the countess was quick to correct the Commander as she revealed how she had safeguarded the descendants of her house by having them smuggled away during the war centuries ago. Impressed by the Commander's determination, Danika asked them to look for the missing zu Heltzer tapestry pieces from Cantha and abroad so that the pieces could be made whole, and the descendants could be reminded of their heritage and reunite the distant branches of the noble house.
Location[edit]
Dialogue[edit]
- See also: The Fate of House zu Heltzer#Dialogue
- During The Fate of House zu Heltzer
- Countess Danika zu Heltzer: No need to gawk... Yes, it's I, Danika zu Heltzer, hovering before you. Now why have you come?
- <Character name>: I was sent here with this. There's a woman trying to piece together the story of your house through its remains.
- Countess Danika zu Heltzer: It's remains? As if we were wiped out!
- Countess Danika zu Heltzer: Do you think the Ministry of Purity was really that all-powerful?
- Countess Danika zu Heltzer: Or that I was foolish enough to send every member of my house to fight? Please.
- Countess Danika zu Heltzer: We sent the children away. As many as we could—smuggled them away in boxes, under straw, dressed as merchants and bards.
- Countess Danika zu Heltzer: They ended up all over the world, with just one thing to remind them of who they were—
- Countess Danika zu Heltzer: A piece of the tapestry that once hung in our great hall.
- Countess Danika zu Heltzer: It was meant to reunite them when the day came, but apparently they forgot.
- Countess Danika zu Heltzer: Find all the pieces of the tapestry, and you will unify the far-flung branches of our tree.
- Countess Danika zu Heltzer: Take my piece. It's still hanging on my headstone. You can use it to find the others. Thank you for your noble service.
Related achievements[edit]
Arborstone: The Fate of House zu Heltzer — Work with Valeria to discover the fate of House zu Heltzer of Echovald. (6
)- Arborstone: Tracing the Tapestry — Find the missing pieces of the zu Heltzer tapestry, spread across Tyria. (4
)
Trivia[edit]
- Danika is voiced by Debra Wilson.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
|
The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on Danika. |
- ^ Guild Wars Factions Manuscripts
- ^ The Norn Fighting Tournament
- ^ Round 1: Fight!
- Magni the Bison: I laugh at heroes. I scoff at dragons. I even deride the Titans! None have withstood my strong right arm. None have bested Magni the Bison. This tournament will decide who has the right to challenge me. You have something of a reputation among the other weaklings. But you will still need to defeat five opponents in my tournament before earning the right to face me, your sixth and final challenge!
- ^ The Fate of House zu Heltzer
- ^ Valeria
