Games PC GUILD WARS PROPHECIES User Manual
© 2005 ArenaNet, Inc. All rights reserved.
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6 The Nolani Academy
26 History of Tyria
33 The Mouvelian Calendar
36 The Human Kingdoms
36 The Kingdom of Ascalon
38 The Kingdom of Orr
41 The Kingdom of Kryta
46 The Old Gods
46 Dwayna
46 Balthazar
47 Grenth
47 Lyssa
48 Melandru
50 The Guild Wars Personalities
50 King Adelbern
51 Prince Rurik
52 King Jalis Ironhammer
53 Devona
54 Cynn
55 Aidan
56 Mhenlo
58 Enemy Armies
58 The Charr
59 The Stone Summit
61 The Undead
64 Regions and Landscapes
64 The Ruins of Ascalon
65 The Shiverpeak Mountains
66 Kryta
67 Maguuma Jungle
68 The Crystal Desert
69 The Ring of Fire Island Chain
70 The Underworld
74 Creatures of Tyria: an Introduction
74 Hostiles
74 Devourers
74 Gargoyles
75 Grawls
75 Elementals
75 Drakes
76 Tengu
76 Skales
76 Trolls
77 Other Creatures
80 A Hero’s Life
81 A Hero’s Career Path
82 The Six Professions
86 Warrior
88 Ranger
90 Monk
92 Elementalist
94 Mesmer
96 Necromancer
98 Customize Your Appearance
101 Playing Guild Wars
101 Explore Your World
105 In Town
107 Buy and Sell
112 Combat: Basic Training
112 Come Equipped
113 The Skill Bar
114 Your Hero’s Status
118 Fighting Creatures
118 Player vs. Player
119 Weapons and Armor
122 Skills
122 Skill Basics
124 An Insider’s Guide to Skills
132 Guilds
136 Missions and Quests
136 Missions
138 Quests
138 Don’t Go it Alone
140 Tournament Play
140 Common Factors
140 Other Factors
141 Tournament Battles
The following texts have only recently been unearthed
and reveal but the barest hint of what adventurers will
encounter in Tyria.
Book I: The Lore of Guild Wars contains a brief summary
of Tyrian history, along with an overview of the human
kingdoms and a few of humanity’s known enemies. These
manuscripts tell the story of the origins of magic, of the
Searing and the Cataclysm, and other key events that
brought our world to the state in which you find it today.
Book II: The Challenge i ntroduces adventu rers to the
basics of life as a hero in Tyria. Here you’ll learn about
the Guild Wars professions and their attributes and skills,
and how they work together to create a unique gameplay
experience for each hero you create.
These manuscripts are incomplete at best, but scribes
are busy compiling additional information, which will be
made available through other avenues. See the enclosed
Quick Reference card for more information.
evona stepped out of the swirling circle of light
into a small, roofless room and drew her sword.
She didn’t know exactly where she was, only that
it was somewhere in the ruins of Nolani. It didn’t matter.
Anywhere was better than being trapped inside the
Academy at Drascir with the Charr pounding down the
rotting wooden door.
Prince Rurik had been the first through the porta l.
He stood hu nched over something now on the other
side of the room. The F laming Scepter mage s t hey
had rescued crouched there as well. Just as they were
le av i ng Drasci r, the g roup h ad s t umbled upon t he
fabled horn Stormcaller. Devona had of course heard of
the legendary weapon, but until she had seen it with her
own eyes, she had assumed—as most people did—that
it was only a myth.
Erol, the first of the mages they had rescued from the
Charr, had seemed fairly certain the horn was the answer
to all of Ascalon’s problems. Devona wasn’t so sure, and
she was in good company: the prince had registered his
reservations as well. How could a horn hold the key to
restoring a ruined kingdom to its former glory? Well, no
matter what role the horn played in the kingdom’s future,
it didn’t hurt to have another weapon in the war against
the beasts from the north.
The portal behind Devona flared as Cynn, Aidan, and
Mhenlo stepped out.
“So this is what Nolani looks like now,” said Cynn,
materializing out of the swirling miasma. She kicked
at the reddish dirt with the toe of her boot, uncovering
6
Book I
part of the ornate marble flooring buried in rubble. “An
improvement, if you ask me.”
Aidan chuckled, nocking an arrow to his bow and
scanning the area. “Still hold prejudices, do we?”
“In the best of times, Nolani was a third-rate city,”
replied the Elementalist, still pushing the dirt around.
“Now it’s as good as any other place: just as ruined as the
next city.”
Mhenlo stepped around Cynn, letting his hand brush
across her hip as he did. “This building was a holy
place,” said the Monk. He crossed the small room and
approached a battered statue of Dwayna.
“It was an academy,” corrected Prince Rurik. “The sister
academy to the one we left in Drascir,” He had finished
examining the horn and now approached the group.
“Don’t venture too far,” Devona warned Mhenlo. “We
don’t yet know who inhabits this place.”
Mhenlo nodded as he bent down and picked up a broken
piece of marble carved in the shape of a feathered wing.
Lifting it from the ground, he tried to place it back on the
statue of the goddess. It fit where it was supposed to, but
it wouldn’t stay put.
Mhenlo held it in its place, admiring the temporarily
Nolani Academy of the Arcane Arts
7
whole goddess. Then, after a moment, he respectfully
placed the wing on the ground at Dwayna’s feet.
“My friends, the Wall is not far. We can get to Rin within
the hour.” Prince Rurik turned and headed out of the
small room. “Come. We need to bring the horn to my
father, the king.”
Devona and the others followed the prince out to a
larger courtyard. It was much like the last academy.
Though the outside walls seemed to be mostly intact,
the roof was gone, and the windows smashed. A pair of
defensive magical obelisks sat perched atop the front
wall. Devona assumed they were erected during the Guild
Wars. Academies were among the most popular targets
for raiding guilds. Depriving a foreign nation of its most
promising young heroes was a good way to avoid having
to fight them when they were fully ready for battle.
The doors of the gate were still shut, but from this
vantage point Devona could see the silhouette of the
Great Norther n Wall through the academy’s r uined
façade. The arches on the upper level caught the morning
light as they rose proudly into the sky as if to say, “We will
never fall.”
“Home,” said the Warrior.
8
Book I
Aidan placed his hand on her shoulder. “We’l l be
there soon.”
Prince Rurik continued down a set of smashed stairs to
the base of the big wooden front gates. “Is there a switch
up there?” he called back.
The mage Erol was the first to reply. “Yes, my lord. It’s
up here, just on the rampart. I’ll get it.”
“Very good,” replied Rurik.
Devona, Cynn, Aidan, and Mhenlo headed down the
ramp to the prince, and the rescued mages followed.
Directly ahead of them, in the very place it landed after
smashing through the academy roof, lay the remnants of
a huge, jagged magical crystal. Devona had seen this sort
of debris all over Ascalon. There were several crystals
like this one still in the commons just south of the Wall.
The sight of them always sent a chill down the Warrior’s
spine. They reminded her of the Searing, of the carnage
that battle brought and the people who had died in it.
She shook her head, trying to clear the images so she
could focus on the task at hand.
It was still early morning, and in the shadow of the
front gate it was quite dark. Cynn ran her hand along the
metal frame of the gate. “Might as well have been made
of parchment,” she said.
Erol leaned over the rampart edge just above where the
group was standing. “I am ready, my prince.”
“As are we.” Rurik waved his hand.
Erol’s face disappeared from view, and the neglected
mechanisms that operated the gate began to move. The
decrepit metal and wood gave several loud creaks and
complaints, but the gates swung wide.
Before the academy, the scene was mostly what Devona
Nolani Academy of the Arcane Arts
9
expected. Dust and bits of debris covered the ground.
Burnt trunks reached toward the sky like so many skeletal
fingers, the haunting remnants of what was once a lush,
tree-lined garden.
But as the gates swung fully open, Devona was granted
another view.
“Charr warband,” shouted Mhenlo. “Close the gates!”
The plaza before the academy was crawling with
Charr—furry upright beasts with huge fangs and even
bigger claws. In the center of their camp, built out of
tree limbs and straw, sat a towering, three-legged, flaming
effigy—a tribute to their fiery gods.
When the gate opened, every one of the furry beasts
stopped what they were doing and charged the nowexposed academy.
Cynn was closest to the gate. Closing her eyes and
crossing her arms, she rose into the air, incanting the
words to a spell.
The Charr were fast, and they reached the open gate
in a flash. Devona broke into a run, sprinting to shield
the Elementalist from the bestial onslaught. Bringing her
sword up in a powerful arc, the Warrior caught the first
Charr Axe Fiend in the breastplate, knocking it backward
and leaving a huge gash in its chest.
10
Book I
Devona stepped in front of Cynn and into the gap left
by the falling Charr, reversing her blade and slashing the
other way. She struck steel, connecting with another Charr
blade meant for her head. She cried out as she bashed
the attack aside. Running the length of her sword up the
Charr’s axe, she thrust the tip of her Rin Blade between
the seams of the creature’s armor, puncturing fur and
flesh and jabbing through to where—at least on a human—
there should be a lung. The beast howled and squirmed as
it struggled to free itself from Devona’s sword.
Another Axe Fiend charged into view, coming up behind
Devona. The Warrior struggled to pull her blade free
of her victim, but the creature convulsed and slumped
toward the wound, closing its flesh down tight around the
stuck weapon. The new attacker raised its axe, and Devona
spun away, leaving only one hand on her Rin Blade.
Despite her quick move, the creature’s axe came down
on her arm. Devona hissed and braced for the impact.
Her skin flushed with the blue-white glow of divine magic,
and the Charr’s weapon seemed to bounce off her flesh.
“Nice catch, Mhenlo,” said Devona through gritted
teeth.
A pair of arrows whizzed past Devona’s ear, catching
the Axe Fiend in the shou lder, knocking it back and
pinning the furious creature to the wooden beam of the
open gate.
Clea r of immediate threats, Devona lifted her boot
and placed it on t he wounded Charr still attached to
her blade.
“Get . . . off,” she shouted as she kicked with all of
her might. Her Rin Blade came free with a sickening rip,
and she whipped it to one side, clearing the steel of the
Charr’s black blood.
At that moment, Cynn lifted her head and extended her
Nolani Academy of the Arcane Arts
11
Book I
arms, shouting the last word of her spell. The sky above
lit up, and huge cones of sputtering flame rained down all
around. Those Charr within a few steps of the gate were
pummeled with magical balls of fire. Their fur caught
quickly, and their flesh began to bubble. The beasts let
out nerve-rattling squeals, and many fell dead where
they stood.
Those who hadn’t been caught i n the f la ming ra in
stopped in their tracks, waiting for t he conflagration
to subside.
The gates began to close again, pushing the bodies of
dead Charr out of the academy entrance as they did.
“Devona, get back!” shouted Mhenlo.
The Warrior retreated to within the relative safety of
the closing gates just as Cynn’s spell subsided. When the
flames stopped falling, the Charr rushed the door again.
Most of them were caught outside, left to pummel their
weapons against the heavy wooden door. But one made
the dash, squeezing through the gate just before it closed.
The beast eyed each of the Ascalons, grunted once, then
turned toward a Flaming Scepter mage. With a bounding
leap, it jumped on the weak, unarmored man.
The mage screamed as the Charr dug into his flesh.
“No!” Devona closed on the beast, slashing down on
it from behind. Her blade hit the creature in the neck,
severing the monster’s head from its shoulders with just a
single blow, and it slumped to the ground.
Mhenlo rushed to push the creature’s carcass from on
top of the mage’s body. The man was barely conscious.
He had been badly mauled by the Charr. His face was
slashed, and he coughed blood. Dropping to his knees
beside the man, the Monk laid his hands on the mage’s
wounds. With a quick word, a flood of blue-white energy
crossed over from the Monk to the wounded man.
From outside, the sounds of Charr at the gate echoed
into the desolate courtyard.
“Great,” said Cynn, “we went from being trapped inside
one academy to being trapped inside another.”
“At least this one has thicker walls,” said Aidan.
“There is another passage—” Prince Rurik pointed to
the east, in the same direction as the huge magical crystal
in the middle of the academy “—that leads out and
around to the Wall.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” said Cynn, starting off
to the east. “Let’s get that little bugle of yours to the king
and be done with this.”
Mhen l o looked up fro m his ministra t ions to the
wounded mage. “Cynn, please. You aren’t helping.”
“I don’t think it is wise to take the mages outside of the
academy unless we are sure the way is clear,” interjected
Nolani Academy of the Arcane Arts
13
Aidan. “They are weak from their long imprisonment
and are ill-prepared to fight. Outside the gate we cannot
guarantee their safety. At least here they are not in
immediate danger.”
“Agreed,” said Prince Rurik. “What do you propose,
Aidan?”
The Ranger leaned on his bow. “Let us four venture out
and ambush the Charr from behind,” he said indicating
Cynn, Devona, Mhenlo and himself with a wave of his
hand. “Once we’ve cleared the beasts from the gate, then
we can take the mages home.”
Prince Rurik’s face grew grim. “What you propose is
ver y risky. It’s not something I would ask of you.” He
looked down at the wounded mage then around at each
of the other Ascalons with him. He nodded. “But if you
think you can succeed, then I give you my blessing.”
“’Bout time,” said Cynn. “Come on, let’s go.”
Devona made eye contact with Aidan. She shook her
head in disgust, but the Ranger just smiled and chuckled.
The Elementalist’s antics always seemed to amuse him as
much as they irritated Devona.
Mhenlo finished tending to the fallen Flaming Scepter
mage then stood and joined the group as they marched
up and out the back passage to the academy.
“We will man the defensive obelisks while you are away,”
the prince shouted after them as he helped the downed
mage get back to his feet. “We will watch for you. Once
the way is clear, we will open the gates and join you in the
trek back to the Wall.” He stood up straight and, in his
best military style, Prince Rurik, the heir to the throne of
Ascalon, saluted the Warrior, the Monk, the Elementalist,
and the Ranger.
14
Book I
s the prince had said, a door in the eastern
corner led out of the academy. Unlike the one at
the front, this one was already open.
“Guess this place isn’t as safe as you thought,” quipped
Cynn.
“Then we should move swiftly, to make sure no harm
comes to the good prince,” replied Aidan. “Without us,
he has little help if the Charr get in.”
Devona led the way through the door and up a winding,
rocky path out the back of the academy to the northeast.
Several hundred yards up the path, Aidan grabbed
Devona by the shoulder and stopped her, placing a finger
to his lips. “Shhh.” With a nod and a flick of his eyes, he
indicated the hanging rocks overhead.
Devona craned her neck, listening. She could just
make out a slight sound . . . a scraping, like someone
dragging something.
She looked at Aidan. “Charr?” she whispered.
Aid an shook hi s head . “Dev ourers.” The Ranger
dropped to his knee and laid a pile of arrows out on the
ground. Pulling a small vial from a pouch at his belt, he
poured a few drops of a viscous green liquid on their tips,
then he nocked one to his bow and, returning the others
to his quiver, headed up the path.
The others fell into step behind him. Cresting the rise,
Devona could see the double stinger tail, hooked claws,
and thick carapace of a Plague Devourer.
“Only one,” said Cynn. “Walk in the park.”
Nolani Academy of the Arcane Arts
15
Aidan sighted down the shaft of his poisoned arrow and
let it fly. It struck the creature, puncturing its chitinous
hide with a crunching pop. Though it was on target, the
arrow didn’t kill the beast, and it turned toward the group,
its tails waving in the air.
Devona raised her sword over her head and charged
in . A s sh e ca me, the gr ou n d a rou nd t he Pl a g ue
Devourer began to shift and move. Small rocks tumbled
away, and a pair of Carrion Devourers emerged from
the baked earth.
“That’s more like it,” shouted Cynn.
That brought a smile to Devona’s lips, and she gripped
her sword tighter, advancing on the newly arrived vermin
and swinging her blade downward onto one creature’s
head. The Carrion Devourer staggered backward under
the blow.
The Plague Devourer’s tails stopped waving, and it
pointed them at the Warrior, casting something on her
just before it fell dead from Aidan’s poisoned arrow.
Devona’s knees grew weak, and her legs struggled
to keep her upright. Her sword grew heavy in h er
hands, and as she swung at the creature
again, her Rin Blade rebounded
off th e cr e at ure ’s s h el l,
hardly making a dent. The
Plague Devourer’s hex
ha d sap pe d he r
strength.
16
Book I
The Carrion Devourers closed on the Warrior, battering
her from both sides. Devona’s armor took some of the
impact, but the creatures’ mighty pinchers slashed her
across the forearm and down one leg. Devona pushed
herself to move more quickly, tr ying to parry the attacks
of both creatures despite the hex that weakened her.
She wasn’t fast enough. A pincher raked across Devona’s
shoulder, puncturing her armor and dropping her to her
knees. Something hit her hard in the chest, knocking her
to the ground.
Devona opened her eyes. A devourer sat perched atop
her, its beady eyes peering down. The creature’s mass
flattened her lungs, and breathing was almost impossible.
Great, she thought, squashed by a bug. Not the most
heroic way to go.
Devo n a’s vi sion cloud e d, an d her ears rang as
consciousness began to slip away. The sound of Cynn’s
voice came to her distantly; the Elementalist spoke the
words of an incantation Devona recognized, and a surge
of adrenaline brought her fully back to consciousness.
The ground around her lit up with flames. Spreading
out in a wave, the magical fire washed over the downed
Warrior, roasting the two devourers inside their shells,
turning them into crispy little curled up balls.
Devona shoved the dead devourer off of her then
slumped back against the ground. She looked up at the
Elementalist. “Well done.”
Cynn shrugged. “Naturally.”
“May the goddess Dwayna protect you,” said Mhenlo.
Devona could feel her strength returning as the Monk
lifted the Plague Devourer’s hex.
Nolani Academy of the Arcane Arts
17
Book I
“When you are ready,” said Aidan, watching the path,
“we should move on. We’re not far from the front of
the academy.”
Devona took a few deep breaths as she regained all that
she had lost, then got to her feet and again headed down
the path.
The group traveled for some time, until Devona heard
what she thought was the sound of a crackling fire.
“Must be their effigy,” she said.
Aidan nodded his agreement.
The ground was torn and shifted here. Near the edge
of the path the ear th
fell away, dropping
dow n be lo w wh ere
Devona could easily
see. Moving closer to
the edge, the Warrior
climbed up on a large
boulder and peered
over. The other three
followed suit.
18
In the valley below them stood the plaza and the flaming
effigy they had seen in the middle of the Charr camp.
The beasts were attacking the academy, shooting arrows
over the wall and smashing their weapons against the
wooden gate.
Devona could just make out the Flaming Scepter mages
up on the wall, powering the defensive obelisks. Jags of
lightning shot down from the wall, catching the nearest
Charr and turning it into a burnt, smoldering pile. From
the looks of things, others too had fallen prey to the
magical defenses. Their dead bodies lay on the ground at
the base of the wall, fur standing straight up.
As they watched, a large, mean-looking Charr barked
something in their guttural language. A group of six
Charr lifted the trunk of a fallen tree from the ground
and proceeded to charge the gate with it.
“That must be their leader,” said Aidan, pointing to the
order-barking Charr.
“Then that’s the one we should take out first,” said
Cynn, standing up from her hiding place.
“Cynn, wait,” said Mhenlo.
But it was too late.
The Elementalist shouted and threw her hands out
before her. A fireball launched from the tips of her
fingers, arcing out and smashing into the big Charr.
The Charr leader looked up at the ridge, then pointed.
A volley of flaming arrows followed.
“Now you’ve done it,” said Aidan. Standing up, he
launched two arrows into the midst of the group, then
dropped back into a crouch.
The Charr’s volley went soaring over. Devona could hear
the flames flicker as they passed by her head.
Nolani Academy of the Arcane Arts
19
Book I
20
A large crash sounded from below, and everyone lifted
their heads to see. The Charr were using the tree trunk as
a battering ram.
“That gate won’t last long,” said Aidan.
Devona stood up and backed away from the edge.
“Then we’d best get down there.”
As one, the four heroes dashed down the path into the
middle of the Charr camp.
“Attack the Axe Fiend!” shouted Devona, and she
charged in, ahead of the others.
“That which is taken shall be returned. That which hath
been broken shall be mended. That which hath displeased
me shall be struck down at the hands of mine army.”
Mhenlo’s words grew softer as the Warrior ran, but the
effects of his magic were far reaching, and she could feel
her body tingle with divine power.
The first of Cynn’s fire spells impacted the creature’s
chest a step before Devona slashed the beast across
its arm.
The Charr let out a howl then raked its axe across the
Warrior’s face, cutting a deep wound into her flesh. But
as quickly as the wound was made, her skin knitted
itself together again.
“ G o t t a l o v e t h e
Monk,” she gr unted,
raising her sword up
ov e r he r he a d an d
b r i ng i ng i t d o wn
with the force of her
entire body. Her Rin
Blade cut deep, and
the creature spouted
blood.
A pair of fier y ar rows smashed into the Axe Fiend’s
face, and he went down.
“Who’s ne x t ? ” sho u t ed De v o na, her adren a l ine
pumping.
Arrows rained down on her as a pair of Charr Stalkers
perched on a small hill ahead answered her inquiry. One
glanced off the chainmail protecting her belly. Another
clanged off her armored shin.
In three huge steps the Warrior closed on the two Charr
Stalkers. Spinning as she neared them, Devona gained
momentum, then slashed at the closest. Her sword cut
through the Charr’s bow and dug into the beast’s gullet.
The creature’s insides spilled out, and it dropped to the
ground, writhing and howling in pain.
The second Charr Stalker nocked an arrow to its bow
and let it fly. At this close range, the head of the arrow
punched through Devona’s armor, cutting into the front
of her leg and exiting out the back. Devona shrieked in
pain and frustration, limping on the freshly wounded
limb. Turning her blade around, she shoved the tip into
the creature’s face, lodging it in its mouth. Holding the
hilt with both hands, she drove the sharpened point
straight up into the Charr’s skull and out the back of
his head.
Yanking her weapon back, she let the Charr’s lifeless
corpse fall to the ground beside his companion.
“The gate!” Mhenlo shouted. “They’ve breached the
gate!”
Devona looked up. The academy gate was smashed in,
and the Charr warband leader was climbing over it.
“To the prince!” she shouted, and took off toward the
gate with the others close behind.
Nolani Academy of the Arcane Arts
21
Running with all of her might, Devona drove herself
into a frenzy. Her Rin Blade danced left and right. Where
a Charr stepped in front of her, it fell. They came at her
from all sides, and she took wound after wound, but each
time, Mhenlo was there to patch her up.
Arrows flew and fire rained down. The group of four
took on three times their number in Charr. They fought
like cornered lynxes, the hope of their nation hanging in
the balance.
As Devona neared the gate she could hear the roar of a
Charr mixed with the shouts of the prince.
“You are a pox on Ascalon,” yelled Rurik. “And I am
the cure.”
Flashes of light issued over the walls. Spells went off
every few seconds, lighting up the ruined plaza with an
eerie magical glow.
Cutting down the last Charr in her way, Devona leaped
through the smashed gate and hur ried up into the
courtyard.
On the academy wall, Prince Rurik stood bravely in
front of Erol and the other mages. His flaming sword
held the Charr leader at bay, but as a group the prince
and the Flaming Scepter mages were retreating and
running out of room fast.
The fight to the gate had taken a lot out of Devona, but
she pressed on, climbing up the ruined steps in pursuit
of the Charr warband leader. Right behind her, Devona
could hear the others climbing through the gate.
Four on one, she thought. I like those odds.
An arrow hit the big Charr in the back of the leg,
causing the warband leader to turn around.
“You lookin’ for me, fuzzy?” shouted Devona, coming
up behind the creature.
22
Book I
Aidan’s well-placed shot had hobbled the beast. It tried
to follow the prince and the mages as they dashed along
the wall, but its movement was slowed, and Devona moved
in closer. The Charr growled at her as she stalked around
it, staying just outside its reach.
“Hey,” shouted Cynn, “catch.”
A huge ball of fire slammed into the Charr’s side. The
resulting splash of magic consumed the creature, and
Devona shielded her eyes from the blinding flash.
The creature came stumbling out of the blast, its furry
hide ablaze. That ought to do it, she thought. But instead
of burning to a crisp, the warband leader seemed to draw
strength from the flames. It looked like some sort of
demon, flaming and cackling as it came on. It raised its
huge axe in the air, bringing it down on the Warrior with
both hands.
Devona set her feet and stood her ground. As the
flaming Charr advanced, the Warrior raised her blade and
lunged forward, shouting “For Ascalon!”
Their blades passed in midair. The creature’s axe
cleaved into her armor. The Warrior’s sword caught the
growling beast just below the neck. The tip slipped past
its crude metal chest plate and into soft flesh.
Devona lost her grip on her Rin Blade as she staggered
back, her shoulder wounded heavily from the beast’s
pounding.
The Charr warband leader dropped its axe, clawing at
its throat. It let out a strangled cry—a hoarse gurgling like
the last breath of a drowning dog. Another arrow struck
the beast, and it lost its balance. Falling to one side, it
caught itself on the edge of the academy wall.
The creature struggled for a moment longer as the
flames slowly went out. Then, its chest heaved once,
Nolani Academy of the Arcane Arts
23
and its body went slack. The Charr’s huge head flopped
backward, causing it to topple over, twisting as it fell over
the edge of the academy into the ruined plaza below.
Cynn was the first to reach Devona’s side.
“You all right?”
Devona smiled. “Yeah, nothing a little of Mhenlo’s
divinity can’t fix.”
The two women walked down the battered stairs to the
courtyard where the prince and the mages stood talking
to the Ranger and the Monk.
“The way is clear, my lord,” said Aidan, bowing before
the prince.
Rurik grabbed the Ranger by the shoulder and lifted
him to his feet. “Come, my friends,” he said, strapping
the legendary horn Stormcaller to his back. “We are
almost home.”
As a group, they headed out of the Nolani Academy
toward the Great Northern Wall.
24
Book I
Book I: Chapter 1
26
t was almost three thousand years ago that a race
of serpents stepped out of the Rift onto the soil
of Tyria. Unlike ordinary serpents, these moved
upright, used language, and adhered to an elaborate
culture. They had been summoned by the old gods,
brought to this world to be the custodians. Their task:
shepherd the other creatures of the land through this
time of transition, while the gods continued to create the
world around them.
From the Tarnished Coast in the west to the Bay of Sirens
(now called the Sea of Sorrows) in the south, from the
far eastern reaches of the Crystal Desert to the Giants’
Basin on the northern coast of Kryta, Tyria flourished
under the protection of these mystical creatures. The
serpents were the protectors of the land, the keepers of
knowledge, the teachers of all things, and during their
time the world was in balance.
But then a new race of creatures was birthed upon the
History of Tyria
27
world. They were neither serpent nor beast. They were
neither plant nor stone. These creatures had no chitinous
hide to protect themselves. They had no claws to tear
flesh. They arrived naked a nd defenseless, except for
one thing: their desire for control.
This ne w race of creatures w a s none other than us
huma ns, and in no t ime we began to take over. Cities
bloomed across the continent. Walls were erected, and
weapons forged. Those things that we humans lacked,
we simply built. We didn’t need tough hides nor rending
claws when we could make metal armor and sharpened
spears. We discovered fire, wrote books of our own,
pa s sed k nowledge to one a nother t hrough song and
verse. Soon humans had everything we required, and it
was then that we began to prey upon the other creatures.
We hunted animals for sport, chased the druids from
the jungle, and took up residence in lands that did not
belong to us. We became the masters of this world. We
took all of the privilege and none of the responsibility.
In less than a centur y, the serpents who had protected
and nurtured Tyria were no longer needed. The balance
Book I: Chapter 1
28
they had achieved had been undone, and there was no
way to bring it back. Seeing that the world had changed,
and preferring not to fight a war over control of the
continent, the serpents retreated from the world of men.
They left the coasts and the jungles. They abandoned
their settlements in the highlands and in the mountains.
Leaving the newcomers be, the serpents went to live in
the only place where we humans did not—or could not:
the Crystal Desert.
The serpents never returned to the world of men, and
slowly, their influence faded. To humans, they were just a
part of the past, spoken about only in legends and myths.
Eventually their memory all but passed from human
consciousness. But they were not gone, only forgotten.
Despite the serpents’ retreat, the gods never halted their
work creating the world, and with the benevolence of
indulgent parents, they decided to create magic. It was to
be a gift to all the intelligent creatures—meant to ease a
life of toil and make survival a less arduous task. When
they had finished creating their gift, they presented it to
the humans and the Charr, the Tengu and the dwarves,
the minotaurs and the imps, and all the races of the land.
But the gods had not counted upon one thing—greed.
Wars broke out immediately as the magical races fought
for dominance. So much destruction was wrought that
humans found themselves at the edge of extinction. When
all seemed lost, it was King Doric, the leader of the united
human tribes himself, who made the long trek to Arah,
the city of the gods, on the Orrian peninsula. He gained
an audience with the creators and begged them to help,
to stop the wars and bring peace to the land once again.
The gods heard his pleas, and they intervened.
The forging of the world was complete. As their final act,
the gods gathered back their gift of magic from all the
races and trapped it inside a tall stone. They smashed the
stone into five parts—four equal but opposing stones of
magic, and one keystone. Without the keystone, the other
four couldn’t be reassembled.
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