Guild Wars: Northern Sights

GUILD WARS: ArenaNet have sent us fresh lore and brand new images for the upcoming GUILD WARS expansion ‘Eye of the North’. I present them (somewhat edited) for you below. Eat up!

“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.

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.”