User:Santax/Gallery/enlore/articles/GWENandNow FinalRevision

=GWEN and Now= Time marches on. Six years have passed since the events in Guild Wars Prophecies, since the Searing blazed across Ascalon. Chroniclers in Lion's Arch have compiled a report on the state of all Tyrian races and nations, both familiar and recently discovered. Enter now the setting for the upcoming Guild Wars: Eye of the North.

Ascalon
The mighty kingdom of Ascalon has seen better days, humbled under the relentless assault of the Charr. Brave heroes have slowed, but not stemmed, the invading hordes. A large military force under the command of King Adelbern continues to defend the nation from incursion. Several years ago, the king and a group of heroes struck down the Titan gods of the Charr. However, with his forces declining, the king now fights a war of attrition, his army driven farther and farther south by the enemy.

In these dire times, a brave cadre of Ascalonians has chosen to take the fight to the Charr, striking into their homeland. These units—many of which are made up of humans who've escaped Charr enslavement—have slipped behind (and, in some cases, broken through) the Charr lines. They are now establishing advanced bases deep in Charr territory where they harry the invaders and divert supplies and troops away from Ascalon.

Charr
The Charr were rocked by the death of their gods. For years, Charr legions were commanded by the Shaman caste, who claimed authority on behalf of the Titans the Charr worshiped. When human heroes, alongside King Adelbern, proved these beings were all-too mortal, this created havoc at the very top of the Charr hierarchy. Individual Charr and even entire warbands broke away from orthodoxy, but each heretical uprising has been crushed by the religious establishment.

Even now there is dissension among the Charr. While the Shaman are ever determined to crush human resistance in Ascalon, they are equally alert to the rebels and heretics in their own ranks.

Kryta
The White Mantle also suffered losses when the veil of godhood was lifted from their so-called deities, exposing them as a front for powerful, yet mortal creatures. In the wake of this revelation, Kryta fell into civil war, with the Shining Blade attempting to restore the old royal family to power.

Despite their casualties, the heavily entrenched White Mantle remain a formidable foe. Unable to match them directly with military might, the Shining Blade has sent agents across Tyria seeking new weapons and allies to turn the tide of battle. Each side has vowed to bring peace to Kryta no matter the cost.

Deldrimor Dwarves
King Jalis Ironhammer has restored order to the Shiverpeaks, scattering the Stone Summit forces and rooting them out of Sorrow’s Furnace. Now, Inspired by the recovery of the Tome of Rubicon, the Deldrimor have turned their attention once more to the Depths, the vast underground regions that lie beneath Tyria. The tome foretells of a final conflict between the Great Dwarf, the embodiment of the Dwarven race, and the Great Destroyer, a creature of vast destructive power and limitless evil.

The Depths
The Dwarves have provided limited information about the mysteries they have uncovered beneath the earth. Initial reports describe an immense, interconnected, underground complex the Dwarves call "the Depths of Tyria." The Depths are a combination of natural caves and excavations by the Dwarves and other subterranean races housing structures left behind by previous civilizations that date back to a time before the arrival of humans in Tyria.

The Depths are connected by a series of magical gateways that allow swift travel through miles of earth and stone. These gateways were created by creatures known as the Asura. Little is known of this race as its members have not been spotted on the surface in ages, but legends suggest that they are diminutive creatures with large eyes and long ears. The Dwarves also ascribe great magical power and extreme intelligence to these mysterious beings.

The North
The Dwarves have also fully explored along the entire length of the Shiverpeak mountain range, even into the Far Shiverpeaks north of civilized lands. King Jalis himself accompanied a small expedition into these lands to meet with leaders of the Norn—a race long-known to the Dwarves of old.

These towering half-giants look generally human in appearance but have limited interest in the affairs of races beyond the mountains. Fiercely independent, the Norn are not organized into a single nation. Instead, they place immense value on individual prowess and skill in battle. The most famous hunters among their race establish homesteads that become havens of safety, but no single Norn rules, nor seeks to rule. Both genders hunt and fight, and physical strength is, perhaps, the most highly regarded trait in a mate.

The Norn revere animal spirits. The great animals of the North—Wolf, Eagle, Owl, and Raven—each have an associated spirit, but the greatest of these is Bear—with whom all Norn share a special link. The Dwarves report that Norn are capable of "becoming the bear," shape-shifting into the towering aspect of a bear. This form grants them even greater combat prowess—if one can imagine that. Whether these reports are true or merely tall tales passed on to traveling explorers has yet to be confirmed.

The Cycle Turns
The human lands of Kryta and Ascalon have suffered major reversals over the past six years. At the same time, the appearance of new races and additional threats has further destabilized these war-torn lands. The dour Dwarves, in particular, view all of these troubles as signs and portents of a great conflict yet to come. They believe the cycle of the world is turning toward a final confrontation, and that neither Dwarf nor human will be spared as the cycle turns.

Questions remain unanswered by these reports, though, and new threats may yet be discovered in the years to come. Still, the fact remains that humanity, and all of Tyria, has been altered forever by the events of the Searing, and the world has yet to fully recover from that blow.

Time marches on.