EDITORI
A
LS
LORE & HISTO
RY
FE
ATURED
ART & FI
CTION
COMMUN
ITY
IN THIS ISSUE
THE INQUEST TH
REAT
Get up to speed on the Inquest with this
primer by Draxynnic.
06
D
R
AON
I
C ENERGIES &
THE INQUEST
Elder Dragon research and the Inquest go
hand-in-hand; uncover why with Amala.
11
THE SCAR
AB
PLAGUE
With the Scarab
Plague prevalent in
Season 4, Fearan explores its history.
40
TWISTING TIME
The latest entry in Draxynnic’
s
exploration of elite specialsiation lore.
45
INQUEST LABS
Discover the various Inquest bases
scattered around central Tyria.
16
P
ESTILENCE & P
LAGUE:
SEASON 4 RECAP
Season 4 of the
Living World is well and
truly underway; recap the story so far.
29
DOWNLOADING THE
TYRI
AN CONSCIOUSNESS
Phoenix explores how choices are
handled in the storytelling of Guild Wars
2
.
22
THE NEW UN
DER
W
ATER
EXPERIENCE
Underwater combat was updated this
May. We explore the impact it’s had.
50
COLLEGE
OF AESTHE
TI
CS
Looking for badass heavy-armor looks
for your asura? We’ve got you covered!
56
COMMUN
ITY ART:
FOR THE LOVE OF ASUR
A
Delve into this issue’s collection of
awesome community-created art.
64
RESISTING THE AW
AKENED
FETTERS
Inquest ideals vs the call of
Joko; one
asura attempts to resist his fate.
70
GUILD
S
POTL
IGHT
Black Lion Expeditions is a guild focused
on supporting its members - find out
more here!
60
3
Editor’s Letter
|
GUILD
MAG #22
EDITOR’S
LETTER
Welcome
to
our latest magazine!
This
issue
it’s
all
about
the
Inquest;
we
explore
who
they
are,
their
e
ff
ect
on
Tyria
and
their part in asuran culture. Enjoy, b
ookah!
the team
EDITOR-IN-CHI
EF
Val
iant
M
ANAGING EDITOR
Starconspira
tor
GENER
A
L M
ANAGER
Drax
ynnic
COMMUN
ITY M
ANAGER
Miko
WRITERS
Ama
la, Phoenix, Fear
an
COPYEDITORS
Tauz, Talus, Ka
labajooie,
Arlee,
Belph
DESIGN
ERS
Maiirin
reetings,
progeny!
This
latest
issue
of
the
Guild
Mag
magazine
is
all
about
asura,
and
in
par
ticular,
the
Inquest.
This
particular
megakrewe
can
often
be
found
on
the
wrong
sid
e
of
the
Commander,
willing
to
do
what’s
necessa
ry
in
the
name
of
resea
rch.
With
their
involvement
in
the
ea
rly
episodes
of
Season
4
of
the
Living
World,
now
is
the
perfect
time
to
probe
furthe
r
into
the
organization
-
so
here
w
e ar
e!
Insid
e
these
pages
you’ll
find
articles
covering
a
huge
range
of
areas,
includ
ing
a
lore
pr
imer
on
the
Inquest
courtesy
of
Drax
ynnic,
as
well
as
beautiful
community
artwork
inspired
b
y
asuran
chara
cters,
cura
ted
by
Starconspirator.
In
addition,
Phoenix
and
Maiirin
present
an
exploration
of
Inquest
labs
in
central
Tyria
,
while
Amala
shows
o
ff
two
out
fi
ts
for
asuran
heavy
armor
-
wearing
characters
i
n
Col
lege
of Aesth
etics.
It’s
not
all
about
the
In
quest,
however.
We’ve
got
two
great
opinion
piec
es
exploring
the
role
of
choices
in
storytelling
and
the
latest
updates
to
underwater
combat
-
make
sure
to
give
them
both
a
read!
Our
guild
spotlight
featur
e
is
also
back
for
another
issue,
this
t
ime
with
Black
Lion
Expedition
s
[BLE]
-
if
you’re
lookin
g
for
a
guild,
this
could
be
the
new
home for
you!
Our
long-term
readers
may
notice
some
changes
in
our
team
listing
below.
Since
the
start
of
the
year
w
e’ve
recruited
several
new
t
eam
members
and
re-sh
u
ffl
ed
some
existing
ones
into
new
management
roles,
so
please
join
me
in
welcoming
everyone
new
and
returnin
g!
We hope you enjoy I
ssue 2
2!
G
6
GUILDMAG #22
|
LORE
- The
Inquest Threat
The Inquest
Threat
BY
DRAXYNN
IC
A
transc
ript
of
a
l
ecture
given
by
Professor
Blorp
to
new
Pac
t
recruits early in the Se
ason of t
he Phoenix, 1331 AE.
he
In
quest.
I’m
sure
you’re
all
familiar
with
these
arr
ogant
li
ttle
pus-stains
on
Tyria.
They’re
probably
the
Pact’s
most
persistent
and
annoyin
g
little
irr
itations
besides
the
Elder
Dragons
and
their
mi
nions.
Pretty
much
anywhere
you
might
fi
nd
yourselves
assigne
d
in
the
fi
eld,
you’re
likely
to
fi
nd
these
slimeballs
getting
underfoot,
stirring
up
any
nearby
dragon
minions
with
their
ill-conceived,
so-called
“
research”
into
attempting
to
control
th
e
Elder
Dragons,
not
to
mention
antago
nising
the
locals
by
using
them
as
unwillin
g
test
subjects
and
trying
to
steal
artifa
cts
and
inventions
needed
for
th
e
Pact’s mission.
You
may
think
you’re
here
to
fi
ght
dragons,
bu
t
each
and
every
one
of
you
bookahs
w
ill
need
to
be
able
to
deal
with
these
bottom-feeders
p
oking
their
putrescen
t
olfactory
organs
w
here
they
d
on’t
belong
if
you
expect
to
be
a
successful
Pact
opera
tive.
Fortunately,
yo
u
have
me
to
educate
you.
You’re
welcome.
Listen
closely,
because
there
will
be
a
test
on
this.
Passing
means
you
get
to
make
Tyria
a
marginally
better
plac
e
by
killing
them
instead
of
getting
killed.
So,
how
did
our
least
favourit
e
collection
of
odoriferous
pon
d
scum get started?
The
Inquest’s
origins
started
in
the
generations
after
the
asura
diaspora
to
the
surfac
e.
Many
of
the
inventions
made
prior
to
th
e
rise
of
the
Great
Destroyer
were
l
ost
in
the
evacuation,
and
more
still
were
lost
in
the
yea
rs
afterwards
as
their
inventors
refused
to
share
them.
After
some
generations
of
this,
some
bright
spark
decided
that
they
weren’t
going
to
let
this
keep
happening,
and
fo
unded
the
Inquest
to
become
a
repositor
y
of
know
ledge
for
all
asura.
Just
h
ow
they
went
from
th
e
asuran
equivalent
of
the
Priory
to
the
gang
o
f
thieves,
kidnappers
and
murderers
we
all
know
and
hate
is
not
something
you’ll
fi
nd
in
th
eir
recruitment
pamphlets.
If
I
had
to
guess,
I’d
say
that
they
found
that
th
e
oth
er
asura
weren’t
too
happy
about
just
handing
over
their
hard-
won
data
withou
t
a
bit
of
strong-arming,
leadi
ng
to
an
increasing
tendency
towards
ruthlessness
among
their
organisation
until
i
t
became
their
de
fi
ning
chara
cteristic.
Certainly,
any
inclination
th
ey
might
have
ever
had
for
using
this
information
for
the
good
of
asurakind
has
clearly
been
put
in
favour
of
using
i
t
for
th
e
good
of
the
Inquest…
an
d
I’
m
not
talking
about
the
suckers
at the bottom.
Since
then,
they
have
been
presenting
themselves
as
just
another krewe that
is
T
bigger
and
more
organi
sed
than
the
others,
but
their
actual
structure
is
more
like
that
of
a
corporat
ion…
or
a
cult.
Where
most
kr
ewes
are
formed
based
on
asura
with
mutual
interests
i
n
their
research,
anybody
fool
ish
enough
to
fall
for
their
recruitment
pitch
-
you
ca
n
fi
nd
their
recruiters
trying
to
pick
up
im
p
ressio
n
able
youn
g
graduates
in
Soren
Draa
and
even
Rata
Sum
itself
-
will
fi
nd
themselves
being
told
what
their
projects
are
going
to
be,
whether
th
ey
like
it
or
not.
Rec
ruitment,
as
fa
r
as
the
Inquest
is
concern
ed,
is
for
life;
any
recruit
wh
o
sees
sense
and
leaves
the
Inqu
est
can
expect
to
b
e
pursued
by
their
agents
looking
to
enforce
that
clause…
often,
lethally.
However,
the
Inquest
doesn’t
hold
back
from
killing
their
recrui
ts
before
they
leave
either,
whether
through
overwork,
u
nsafe
laboratory
practices,
abandoning
them
i
n
life-threatening
situations,
or
even
using
them
a
s
unwittin
g
test subjects.
Meanwhile,
the
Inquest
maintains
a
paramilitary
forc
e
of
agents
and
golems,
which
it
employs
to
intimida
te,
sabotage,
and
steal
from
other krewes.
So,
how
do
they
get
away
with
all this?
Because
the
idiots
on
the
Arcane
Council
let
th
em.
Those
w
ho
aren’t
In
quest
themselves.
As
most
asur
a
ar
e
more
interested
in
research
than
politics,
the
number
of
places
on
the
Arcane
Council
that
need
to
be
fi
lled
are
greater
than
the
number
of
asura
in
good
standing
with
the
ability
to
fi
ll
them.
A
s
a
result,
it
has
been
simplicity
itself
for
the
Inq
uest
to
insert
its
representati
ves
into
the
Council,
ensuring
that
the
Imbecile
Council
grants
th
em
status
as
a
legitimat
e
mega-
krewe
and
d
oes
n
ot
formally
recognise
their
illegiti
mate
activities.
In
exchange,
th
e
Inq
uest
uses
its
ability
to
demand
that
it
s
resea
rchers
pursue
project
s
of
the
Inquest’s
choosing
to
take
up
projects
that
the
Moronic
Council
considers
necessary,
but
which
n
o
asura
is
likely
to
join
of
their
own
free
will.
In
the
meantime,
the
Inquest
ensures
that
its
plots
to
take
over
Rata
Sum
are
maintaine
d
at
a
level
of
plausible
deniability
that
allows
the
Oblivious
Cou
ncil
t
o
continu
e
turning
a
blind
eye,
su
ch
as
the
use
of
supposed
ly
“malfunctioning
” golems.
Meanwhile,
the
Inquest
are
given
free
reign
through
much
7
LORE - The Inquest Thre
at
|
GUILDMAG #22
8
GUILDMAG #22
|
LORE
- The
Inquest Threat
of
Metrica
Province,
oppo
sed
only
by
local
Pea
cemakers
and
the
krewes
they
victimise
.
The
height
of
their
arrogance
could
be
seen
in
the
western
Brisban
Wildlands
before
th
e
rise
of
Mordremoth,
where
they
formed
an
open
alliance
with
the
Nightmare
Court
a
nd
human criminals from Kryta.
From
our
perspecti
ve,
however,
their
most
dangerous
act
ivities
come
from
their
experimentat
ion
with
dragon
energy.
These
lunatics
think
they
can
harnes
s
and
control
the
E
lder
Dragon
s
for
their
o
wn
usage,
and
th
ey
ar
e
obsessed
with
cr
eating
dragon
minions
-
usually
by
infusing
kidnapped
victims
with
dragon
corruption,
including
that
of
multiple
dragons
-
and
controlling
them.
Unfortunately,
their
e
ff
orts
to
control
dragon
minions
have
met
with
some
success,
encouraging
them
to
continue
even
if
they
do
regularly
lose
cont
rol
a
gain.
Every
time
one
of
their
bases
researching
this
has
been
destroyed,
whether
by
their
own
experiments
exploding
i
n
their
face,
Pact
intervention
,
or
some
other
cause,
they’ve
simply
bu
ilt
a
larg
er
an
d
m
or
e
remote
base
elsewhere
to
continue their research.
This
is
not
the
only
way
in
which
th
ey’ve
been
a
problem
for
the
Pact.
While
experimentation
on
sylvari
has
been
banned
among
mos
t
asura,
the
Inquest
continu
e
this
line
of
research,
and
seem
particularly
interested
i
n
powering
golems
with
sylvari
life
essence.
Worse
is
that
the
Inquest
does
n
ot
restrict
its
theft
to
asura
krewes
-
it
is
suspected
that
the
airships
used
by
Sca
rlet
Bria
r’s
Aetherblades
were
based
on
designs
stolen
from
the
Pact
by
the
Inquest,
alth
ough
the
Inquest
appears
to
ha
ve
with
drawn
their
association
from
the
Aetherblades
shortly
after
Scar
let
ent
ered
the
picture.
I
m
ight
consider
giving
them
some
cr
edit
for
disassocia
ting
themselves
from
that
psychopath,
if
not
for
the
fact
that
they
were
partially
r
esponsible
for
creating
her
in
the
fi
rst
place,
and
thus
knew
her
well
enou
gh
to
kno
w
that
sh
e’d
care
about
any
promises
she
made
t
o
members
of
her
little
coalition
about
as
much
as
the
Inquest
leadership
ca
res
about their su
bordinates.
When
th
e
Zephyrite
fl
eet
came
c
rashing
down
in
the
opening
stages
of
the
rise
of
Mordremoth,
the
Inquest
were
also
quick
to
swoop
in,
claimin
g
salvage
rights
over
the
entire
cra
sh
site,
kidnapping
the
fallen
Zephyrites,
and
a
ttempting
to
stea
l
the
magic
al
crysta
ls
littered
around
the
crash
site
-
probably
a
s
part
of
their
research
into
dragon
energies
.
Fortunately,
though,
th
ey
d
id
not
appear
to
b
e
eager
to
get
further
involved
in
the
region
as
Mordremoth’s
forces
grew
in
strength.
The
discovery
of
Rata
N
o
vu
s
apparently
pique
d
their
interest,
but
it
w
as
secured
by
Pa
ct
forces
and
more
reputable
asura
before
they even knew
ab
out it.
The
next
time
that
the
Inques
t
got
i
n
th
e
way
of
the
Pact
came
when
they
pr
ovided
mercenaries
to
t
he
fallen
human
god
of
indiscriminate
murder,
Bal
tha
zar,
initially
in
h
is
disguise
as
that
other
fallen
human
god
of
unseen
murder,
the
mursaat
Lazarus
the
Dire.
As
a
result,
the
Pact
expedition
pursuin
g
Balthaza
r
to
Draconis
Mons
found
the
Inquest
already
wel
l
established
there.
However,
the
Inquest
had
split
away
from
Baltha
zar’s
other
mercenaries,
being
more
interested
in
the
ruins
of
Rata
Arcanum
and
the
possibility
o
f
uncovering
some
of
th
e
last
discoveries
of
the
rogue
asur
a
Zinn to be found
th
ere.
9
Their
most
da
maging
a
ct
of
colossal
stupidity,
however,
might
have
b
een
the
decision
to
build
their
latest
set
of
majo
r
labs
on
the
islands
near
Elona
.
We’re
still
collecting
reports
a
s
to
what
precisely
happened,
but
preliminary
data
i
nd
i
cate
s
that
Inquest
bases
on
I
stan
and
the
Dajkah
archipela
go
were
compromised
by
the
lich
Palawa
Joko,
granting
him
access
to
their
work
on
receiver
less
gates,
the
Scarab
Plague
that
consumed
the
Primeval
Dyna
sty,
and,
knowing
the
Inq
uest,
their
latest
work
on
dr
agon
energies.
Intelligence
suggest
s
that
the
self-aggrandisin
g
windbag
intended
to
use
these
a
s
part
of
some
convoluted
plot
against
Tyria
in
revenge
for
the
co-optin
g
of
his
armies
d
uring
th
e
fi
nal
stages
of
the
campaign
against
Balthazar.
One
might
think
that
the
insu
ffi
ciently
-
decayed
corpse
might
have
reason
to
show
so
me
gratitude
for
the
preservation
of
his
empire
and
his
release
from
a
trap
that
c
ould
only
be
broken
by
the
Arson
God’s
death,
but
apparently
h
e
saw
it
as
a
reason
to
unleash
w
ar
and
pestilence
o
n
an
innocen
t
populace instead.
Fortunately,
his
plot
w
as
foiled
before
the
scarabs
wer
e
released
in
their
most
virulen
t
form,
but
h
e
wouldn’t
have
got
that
far
without
those
short-sighted
imbeciles
at
the
Inq
uest.
So,
now
that
you
know
w
hy
they
are
a
problem,
you
may
be
wondering
what
to
expect
when
these
grease
stains
get
underfoot.
First,
they’re
asura.
So
don’t
expect
many
Inquest
acting
as
m
eathead
warr
iors
or
guardians
w
hen
th
ey
can,
and
do,
get
golems
to
do
the
job.
Expect
to
see
golems
providing th
e heavy
muscle,
protective
sh
ields,
and
mobile
artillery.
They’r
e
also
fond
of
using
little
golems
that
will
try
to
sneak
in
and
discharge
energy
fi
elds,
drop
bombs,
o
r
just
plain
explode.
The
full
range
of
golems
that
these
scumbags
have
develo
ped
is
too
varied
to
detail
them
all,
and
new
models
are
constantly
adopted
an
d
old
ones
discarded.
The
Order
of
Whispers
keeps
dossiers
on
currently
know
n
models,
and
you
are
all
advised
to
devote
some
time
keeping
yourselve
s
up
to
date
on
the
latest
developments
i
n
between
drinking
yourselves
to
unconsciousness
or
whatever
it
is
you
ignoramuses
think
is
a
good
use
of
your
spare
time.
10
GUILDMAG #22
|
LORE -
The Inque
st Threat
Every
so
often
you
may
fi
nd
a
n
Inquest
member
piloting
a
golem
suit,
but
this
is
becoming
less
common
a
s
later
models
become
incr
easingly
more
autonomous.
You’re
probably
more
likely
to
see
th
em
being
used
as
hazardous
environment
suits,
prisoner
control,
or
other
n
on-combat
purposes
rather
than
being
deliberately
used
i
n
b
attle.
Some
of
the
I
nquest
h
igher-
ups,
though,
like
to
do
their
fi
ghting
personally,
but
the
babies
want
to
avoid
actually
risking
getting
hurt
when
they
do
so,
s
o
they’ll
build
the
mos
t
souped
-
up
golem
e
x
oskeleto
n
they
can
and
fi
ght
you
fr
om
inside
that.
Crack
it
open
and
give
them
the
thrashin
g
th
ey
deserve.
Those
Inquest
who
have
more
bravery
than
the
typical
rabbi
t
-
my
most
insin
cere
apologies
to
any
Hare
followers
ther
e
may
be
in
the
norn
section
of
the
audience,
w
hy
you
w
ould
worship
rabbits
o
f
all
things
I
just
do
not
understand
-
tend
to
b
e
more
predictable,
probably
since
it’s
a
bit
harder
t
o
teach
an
Inqu
est
dog
new
tricks
than
to
come
up
with
a
new
golem.
Expect
to
fac
e
a
lot
of
spellca
sters,
although
th
ey
may
not
be
all
that
competent,
since
those
that
are
ac
tua
lly
valuable
will
probably
be
holed
u
p
in
a
panic
room
somewhere
at
the
slightest
hint
of
danger,
leaving
apprentices
to
do
the
fi
ghting.
Elementalism
seems
to
b
e
their
most
popular
for
m
of
magic,
possibly
beca
use
they
fi
n
d
i
t
the
e
asiest
t
o
wor
k
into their magitech.
Engineers,
unsurprisingly,
ar
e
also
common
to
see
in
an
Inquest
deployment.
As
well
a
s
keeping
larger
items
of
technology
in
p
assable
repair,
you’r
e
likely
to
see
Inquest
engineers
deploy
in
g
fi
eld
turrets
and
scrapper-
style
heli-dron
es.
Grenades
are
also
popular,
and
instead
of
fl
amethrowers
they
have
developed
a
kind
of
ice-
thrower
-
probably
prim
arily
intended
for
d
amage
control
when
one
of
their
experiments
inevitably
goes
haywire
throu
gh
their
own
incompetence,
but
they’ll
happily
turn
you
in
to
a
n
icicle
if given th
e chance.
Finally,
if
you’ve
demonstrate
d
that
you
have
better
short-
term
m
emory
than
the
average
gold
fi
sh
and
you
recall
the
start
of
this
lecture,
you’ll
remember
that
the
Inq
uest
likes
to
intimidate,
sabotage
and
steal
from
from
reputable
krewes,
Pact
bases,
and
anyone
else
wh
o
gives
them
a
n
opportun
ity
.
Not
surprisingly,
they
have
a
special
forces
div
ision
of
thieves
and
assassins
to
perform
such
un
derhanded
tasks.
Don’t
underestimate
these
operatives
-
they’r
e
likely
to
be
vet
erans
in
fi
eld
operations
rather
than
the
usual
stream
of
appr
enti
ces
being
sacr
i
fi
ced
a
s
cannon
fodder
by
the
I
nquest
higher-
ups,
so
they
may
catch
you
by
surprise
by
proving
to
have
genuin
ely
dangerous
combat
skills
even
if
they
don’t
have
the
typical
magic
and
gadgets
of the Inqu
est.
And
this
isn’t
considering
the
threats
posed
by
wh
atever
ill-
conceived
experiments
and
super
weapon
s
they
might
be
developing.
This
will
vary
over
time
and
between
bases
even
more
than
their
golem
designs,
and
I
really
don
’t
have
the
time
to
give
you
an
overview
of
the
things
that
you
might
face
that
half
of
you
will
probably
forget
nex
t
time
you
drink
yourselves
silly.
Remember
to
keep
u
p
to
date
with
the
dossiers
provided
b
y
the
O
rder
of
Whispers
if
you
even
suspect
that
there’s
a
n
Inqu
est
base
nearby.
It
probably
won’t
be
enou
gh
to
make
sure
you
’re
prepared,
but
a
t
lea
st
then
you
might
have
a
chance
to
not
be
surprised
by
whatever
abomination
they
might
cook
up
next to yo
u.
All
right,
that’s
all
I
have
for
you
morons
today.
Get
out
of
here! Class dismissed!
e
shall
b
egin
with
the
de
fi
nition
of
draconic
energy.
Also
know
n
as
dragon
energy
o
r
dra
gon
magic,
drac
onic
energy
can
be
described
a
s
the
magical
signature
uniqu
e
to
each
Elder
Dragon.
To
illustrate,
Zhaitan
was
the
only
Elder
Dragon
able
to
ra
ise
the
dead,
but
aft
er
his
defea
t
the
remaining
Elder
Dragons
absorbed
some
of
his
uniqu
e
energy.
Recent
observati
ons
such
as
Kralkatorrik’s
ability
t
o
Brand
the
dead
i
s
due
to
this
phen
omenon.
The
Inquest,
throu
gh
diabolical
means
and
opportunistic
accidents,
have
come
to
be
at
the
forefro
nt
in
experimenta
tion
utilising
draconic
energy.
Here,
I
seek
to
chronicle
the
evolution
of
their
research
fr
om
the
discovery
a
t
the
Thaumanova
Reac
tor
to
their
present-day
acti
vity.
W
11
LORE - Draconic Energies & The Inquest
|
GUILDMAG #22
Draconic
Energi
e
s
&
The Inquest
BY
AMAL
A
Your
fi
rst
encounter
with
the
Thaumanova
R
eactor
was
likely
to
be
its
ruins
in
Metrica
Province.
Amid
the
broken
buildin
gs
and
coughin
g
asura,
there
wa
s
chaos
in
the
most
litera
l
sense.
The
fallout
of
some
disaster
imbued
the
atmosphere
with
a
high
concentration
of
chaos
energy,
a
n
unpredictable
for
m
of
magic
at
best,
which
cause
d
the
teleportation
of
random
creatur
es
from
a
ll
around
Tyria
to
the
ruins.
A
c
rackle
of
energy
would
bring
forth
a
minotaur
and
if
you
w
aited
long
enough
that
crackle
wou
ld
soun
d
again,
and
the
minotaur
would
no
w
be
a
gri
ff
on.
Certain
rooms
insid
e
the
building
had
been
transformed
into
distinct
biomes.
There
was
v
egetation
and
a
disorientated
oakheart
in
one
room.
Not
far
fr
om
there,
snow
fell
in
a
room
fi
lle
d
with
c
reatures
native
to
the
cold,
such
as
Ice
Elementa
ls.
The
next
hal
l
wouldn’t
be
classed
as
a
biome,
bu
t
it
stood
apart
from
t
he
others
in
its
patches
of
fi
re
on
the
fl
oor.
It
was
here
that
a
gi
ant
fi
re
elemental
was
created
when
a
golem
meant
to
clear
the
chaos
energy,
ha
d
its
core
fuse
with
it
instead.
Lastly,
there
was
the
strange
room
fi
lled
with
angry
crabs.
The
walls
were
cov
ered
with
coral
and
a
slow
mist
rose
with
the
faint
impression
of
bub
bles.
Where
do
the
Inquest
come
into
this?
You
wouldn’t
see
them
amongst
the
casualties
or
the
clean-
up
operations
and
you
shouldn’t
exp
ect
t
o
,
as
this
wasn’t
even
an
Inquest
lab.
They
were
there
though.
Underneath
the
Thaumanova
Reactor
they
conducted
their
dangerous
research
on
chaos
energy
in
secret.
I
t
is
unknow
n
how
long
they
had
occupied
the facility.
In
1326
AE,
Captain
Ellen
Kiel
ran
against
Evon
Gnashblad
e
for
a
spot
o
n
the
Captain’s
Council
and
won.
She
then
delivered
on
the
e
lectoral
promise
sh
e
made
t
o
win
over
the
asuran
council
members:
an
investigation
into
the
Thaumanova
disaster
using
the
Co
nsortiu
m’s
Fra
ctals
of
the
Mists.
You
could
now
immer
se
yourself
in
the
moments
before
the
cata
strophe
and
discover
its
cause.
Inside
th
e
Thaumanova
Reactor
fractal
was
pure
mayhem.
Portals
popped
up
all
around
the
reactor
.
Th
ey
spewed
o
ut
aatxe
from
the
mists,
Flam
e
Legion
from
Ascalon,
Destroyers
from
the
depths
o
f
Tyria
and
more.
Increasing
the
tension
of
the
Inquest
scientists
w
as
the
knowledge
that
if
they
d
id
n’t
escape
soon,
they
w
ould
be
incinerated
in
a
m
agical
explosion.
The
Thaumanova
Reac
tor
was
going
into
melt
down.
They
had
push
ed
science too far.
Several
of
the
Inquest
blamed
the
same
person
fo
r
th
eir
current
predicament
while
they
fought
or
fl
ed
for
their
lives.
A
‘special
consultant’,
someone
with
wh
om
the
Inquest
had
p
reviou
s
dealings,
had
been
ca
lled
in
to
assist
their
researc
h.
It
was
this
consultan
t
who
goaded
the
krewe
chief
into
a
litt
le
competition
of
who
could
push
things
further,
faster.
Som
e
sco
ff
ed
a
t
this
consultant,
this
sylva
ri
wh
o
told
them
that
it
wasn’t
even
chaos
energy
th
ey
were
playing
with,
but
somethin
g
else entirely.
They Blew It Up
A crackle of energy
would
bring
forth
a
minotaur.
“
Chaos Energy
is a
Misnomer
12
GUILDMAG #22
|
LORE - Draconic Energies & The
Inquest
13
Her
name
was
Scar
let
Briar.
With
her
work
at
the
Thaumanova
R
eactor,
she
identi
fi
ed
the
global
n
etwork
of
magical
channels
tha
t,
until
then,
scholars
had
on
ly
theorized:
ley
lines.
This
historic
moment
brought
her
closer
to
her
goa
l
of
using
them
to
awaken
the
E
lder
Dragon Mordremoth.
Chaos
energy
was
a
misnomer,
she
tol
d
them.
What
the
Inquest
harnessed,
and
a
t
her
recommendations
agitated
and
a
mpli
fi
ed,
was
in
fact
draconic
energy.
Combin
e
the
Inquest’s
ignoranc
e
with
the
fact
that
the
Thaumanova
Reactor
sat
on
a
n
intersection
of
multiple
ley
lines
and
you
reach
the
explosive
end
of
unstable
research.
T
he
investigation could
be closed.
Solve
one
m
ystery
and
another
o
ne
appears.
The
fracta
l’
s
exit
route
was
blocke
d
by
a
coalescence
of
energy
which
took
on
a
hu
manoid
form.
Dessa,
the
head
of
research
in
fra
ctals,
c
alled
i
t
an
anomaly,
a
remark
which
ended
up
naming
the
en
tity
‘the Thaumanova Anomaly
’.
Two
years
l
ater,
after
the
death
of
Mordremoth,
more
of
these
anoma
lies
appeared.
Created
by
the
in
fl
ux
of
ma
gic
borne
by
th
e
death
of
the
Elder
Dragon,
th
e
Ley
Lin
e
Anomaly
is
fa
r
la
rger
than
its
Thaumanova
relativ
e.
Furthermore,
cont
act
with
these
new
anomalies
caused
hallucinations
where
small
er
unhappy
anomalies
fl
ash
in
and
out
of
existence
near
you
,
a
condition
which
can
only
b
e
cured
with
a
shadow
stone
o
r
some
Consortium-sold
kra
it
oil.
To
avoid
specula
tion,
I
will
let
you
draw
you
r
own
conclusions
on
the
link
between
draconic
energy,
ley
lines
and
th
ese
anomalous
beings.
After
the
destruction
of
the
Thaumanova
R
eactor,
the
Inquest
committed
resources
to
their
facility
in
Mou
nt
Maelstrom
:
the
In
fi
nite
Coil
Reactor.
There
were
six
main
zones
around
the
perimeter
o
f
the
facility.
Each
was
assigned
a
colour
and
a
di
ff
erent
type
of
dragon
minion
for
experimentation.
Zone
Black held the Risen.
Zone
Red
held
the
Destroyers.
Zone
Violet held the Branded.
Zone
White
held
the
Icebrood.
Colours of the Coi
l
LORE - Draconic Energies & The Inquest
|
GUILDMAG #2
14
GUILDMAG #22
|
LORE - Draconic Energies & The
Inquest
Zon
e
Green
was
intended
for
th
e
Mordrem,
but
as
Mordremoth
was
not
yet
awake,
the
area
held
dangerous plant
life.
Zone
Blu
e
was
intended
for
the
minions
of
Deep
Sea
Dragon,
but
the
construction
of
this
area
was
not
completed.
This
separ
ation
of
the
types
of
minions
resembles
the
aftermath
of
the
Thaumanov
a
Reactor,
where
di
ff
erent
biomes
appea
red
a
fter
the
fallout.
What
seem
ed
accidenta
l
and
chaotic
at
Thaumanova
was
harnessed
and
controlled
at
the
I
n
fi
nite
Coil
-
the
Inqu
est
appeared
to
have
learned
from
their
mista
kes.
Eventually,
the
Pact
launched
an
atta
ck
on
the
facil
ity
and
wrested
control
o
f
it
from
the
Inquest.
It
then
became
clear
that
the
surface
bu
ild
ings
were
only
the
tip
of
the
iceberg.
The
central
pa
rt
of
the
complex,
the
Crucible
of
Eternity,
went
d
eep
underground,
w
ith
a
pillar
of
light
piercing
through
the
levels.
This
light
was
c
aused
by
the
draconic
energy
that
had
been
sip
honed
from
minions,
to
be
concentra
ted
at
the
bottom
of
the
complex,
at Eternity’s Focus.
Kud
u
was
the
head
of
th
e
operation.
His
work
in
the
Crucible
of
Eternity
expanded
on
the
research
d
one
by
his
late
mentor,
Sna
ff,
one
of
the
founding
members
of
Destiny’s
Edge.
H
owever,
where
Snaff
found
research
into
draconic
ener
gy
to
be
too
dangerous
to
continue,
Kud
u
was
seduced
by
its
potential.
Zojja,
w
ho
was
Snaff’s
apprentice
at
the
time
of
his
death,
could
n
ot
allow
the
perversion
of
their
mentor’s
work
to
continue,
choosin
g
to
head
a
strike
team
which
wen
t
down
to stop
him.
As
they
went
down
throu
gh
the
labs
which
spiralled
the
central
pit,
they
found
evidence
of
disturbin
g
experiments.
Among
the
containment
cells
holding
dragon
minions
were
a
lso
cells
holding
captives.
So
me
were
saved
by
the
str
ike
team
before
the
remaining
captiv
es
were
subjected
to
the
‘Transmutation
Protocol
’.
Using
the
draconic
energy
collected
a
t
E
ternity’s
Focus,
the
captives
were
turn
ed
into
various dragon minions.
Kud
u
wanted
the
power
of
Elder
Dragons:
the
ability
to
m
ake
minions
only
he
could
control.
He
succeeded.
By
the
time
Zojja
and
her
friends
reached
Ku
du,
he
was
unrecognisable.
Corrupted
by
dragon
energies,
branded
crystals
had
sprouted
from
h
i
s
back
and
his
skin
was
tinged
purple.
In
that
moment,
he
regr
etted
nothing,
cl
aiming
enlightenment
was
worth
any
price.
Kud
u
was
defeated,
b
ut
in
h
is
dying
moments,
he
unleashe
d
a
monster.
The
creature
looked
like
a
Risen
giant
but
could
n
ot
be
c
lassi
fi
ed
as
such
a
s
it
not
only
h
ad
the
abil
ities
typical
of
the
Risen,
but
also
of
the
Branded,
Destroyers
and
Icebrood.
It
would
sw
itch
between
these
states
w
hile
in
comba
t,
channelling
them
as
elementalist
s
do
their
attunements.
Regardless,
this
creature was also defeated.
Kudu’s
monster
was
not
the
o
nly
one
o
f
its
kind
.
Further
exploration
of
the
Crucible
of
the
Eternity
led
to
the
discovery
of
Subject
Alpha,
one
of
Kudu’s
early
experiments.
It
too
had
the
abiliti
es
of
multiple
dragon
energies,
including
all
the
energies
that
created
Kudu
’s
monster
as
well
as
the
energies
of
Mordremoth
and
the
Deep
Sea
Dragon.
Subject
Alpha
could
also
split
its
body
into
multiple
glob-
like
essences
which
could
slither
away
to
escape
in
separate
directions,
befor
e
recuperating
and
reforming
to
fi
ght again
.
Subject
Alpha
was
defeated
several
t
imes.
Its
last
ba
ttle
ended
with
all
its
essences,
Creating Monsters
The
central
part
of
the
complex,
t
h
e
Crucible
o
f
Eternity,
went
deep
underground.
“
15
LORE - Draconic Energies & The Inquest
|
GUILDMAG #22
save
one,
being
destroyed.
It
is
unknown
what
happened
t
o
this last essence.
The
latest
Inquest
facility
to
be
discovered
is
Rata
Primus,
located
i
n
the
southern
regio
n
of
Dajkah.
It
reveals
that
the
defeat
o
f
Kudu
and
the
closin
g
of
the
I
n
fi
nite
C
oil
Reactor
did
not
abate
their
research
into
dragon
energies.
Instead,
this
mantle
was
taken
up
b
y
Kudu’
s
daughter,
O
verseer
Kuda,
wh
o
also
experimented
in
creating
her
o
wn
dragon
minion
s.
These
minions
were
housed
in
the
specimen
chamber
in
the
Western
Complex
of
Rata
Primus.
An
opportunity
for
in
fi
ltration
presented
itself
when
tar
seepage
from
the
Awakened
caused
the
laser
array
protecting
the
specimen
chamber
to
lose
power.
Kuda
was
not
present
but
she
spoke
to
the
in
fi
ltrators
through
a
large
hologram
and
,
unperturbed,
continued
h
er
resea
rch
b
y
relea
sing
some
of
her
specimens
to
attack
them
.
The
chamber
held
six
varietie
s
of
dragon
minions.
Five
were
the
standa
rd
type
of
dragon
minions
we
commonly
fac
e,
one
for
eac
h
Elder
Dragon
minus
th
e
Deep
Sea
Dragon.
The
last
was
Subject
Beta.
Lik
e
its
predecessor,
Subject
Alpha
,
it
had
access
to
the
various
dragon energies and abilities.
It
was
also
much
like
Su
bject
Alpha
in
appea
rance,
except
Subject
Alp
ha
seemed
closer
to
the
Risen
while
Subject
Beta
seemed
closer
to
the
Branded.
It
is
unclear
h
ow
many
specimens
Kuda
has
stored
in
Rata
Primus,
as
even
after
the
defeat
of
a
speci
fi
c
minion,
she
was
able
to
reproduce
it
moments
later
.
Instead
of
housing
the
original
su
bjects,
the
specimen
chamber
holds
simulacrums
o
f
those
subjects.
Kuda’s
location
remains
unkn
own.
Though
the
In
quest
h
ave
come
far
in
their
research
of
draconic
energies,
they
are
not
the
only
ones
with
expertise on
the subject.
Professor
Gorr
of
the
College
of
Synergetics
delivered
a
lecture
in
Rata
Sum
detailing
his
draconic
enchanto-
consumption
theory.
He
proved
that
the
waking
of
Elder
Dragons
coincided
with
a
drop
of
magic
lev
els
in
Tyria
and
concluded
that
they
devoured
magic.
This
theory
led
to
his
invention,
the
Vacuuma
gic
Polarizer
,
which
removes
a
person’s
or
object’s
magic
and
sends
it
back poisoned
.
Tai
mi,
also
of
the
College
of
Synergetics,
has
made
sever
a
l
important
discoveries
in
the
fi
eld.
She
discovered
that
the
death
of
Elder
Dragon
s
empowered
the
remaining
ones
with
new
abilities;
that
the
energies
of
Jormag
and
Primordus
nullify
each
other;
and
most
import
antly,
that
the
death
of
any
more
Elder
Dragons
would
be
apocalypti
c
withou
t
a
viable
solution
for
the
extreme
increase
of
draconic energy in Tyria.
Withou
t
sacri
fi
cing
ethics
in
the
name
of
science,
they
hav
e
studied
draconic
energy
to
th
e
bene
fi
t
o
f
all
Tyrians
whereas
the
Inquest
have
thus
far
only
sought
its weaponization.
The Legacy Continues
Outside The Inquest
16
GUILDMAG #22
|
GALL
ERY
- Inquest Labs
BY
PHOE
NIX & MAIIR
I
N
Inquest Labs
Rata Primus
The
Inquest
perform
all
manner
of
research
at
this
megacomplex
in
the
Sandswept
Isles.
The
giant
fl
oating
cube
in
the
center
is
based
o
ff
of
Rata
Sum. Prominent
studies
conducted
here
include
non-asura
gate
translocatio
n
technology,
the
revival
of
the
Scarab
Plague
and
its
e
ff
ects
on
local
fauna,
a
n
d
the
consequences
of
infusing
Kralkatorrik’s
minions
with
the
magic
of
other
Elder
Dragons.
17
GALLERY - Inques
t Labs
|
GUILDMAG
#22
18
GUILDMAG #22
|
GALL
ERY
- Inquest Labs
The
In
fi
nite
Coil
Reactor
was
built
after
the
Thaumanova
Reactor
fallout.
There
are
six
color-coded
zones,
each
correspondin
g
to
an
Elder
Dragon,
where
the
Inquest
experiment
on
their
minions.
The
center
of
the
reactor
houses
several
fl
oating
platforms
as
well
a
s
th
e
entran
ce
portal
to
the
Crucible of Eternity
.
Infinite C
oil reactor
19
GALLERY - Inques
t Labs
|
GUILDMAG
#22
This
is
the
inner
underground
complex
of
the
In
fi
nite
Coil Reactor,
primarily
dedicated
to
studying
draconic
energy.
It
too
contains
Elder
Dr
agon
laboratories
and
an
aquarium,
presumably
meant
to
h
old
min
ions
of
the
Deep
Sea
Dragon.
There
are
also
facilities
intended
to
hold
prisoners
and
containment
units for dragon
minions.
Crucible of eternity
20
GUILDMAG #22
|
GALL
ERY
- Inquest Labs
Inquest Complex
Underwater Bases
The
Inquest
Complex
in
Metrica
Province
consists
of
an
inner
and
ou
ter
portion.
The
Outer
Co
mp
lex
seems
to
be
dedicated
to
stud
ying
golems
including
their
weaponization
and
how
to
acquire
en
ergy
to
power
th
em.
Meanwhile,
the
Inner
Co
mp
lex
dates
b
ack
a
t
least
to
the
awakenin
g
of
the
Secondborn
sylvari,
as
some
of
them
were
kidnapped
and
imprisoned
for
study
there.
The
Inquest
maintain
multiple
underwater
bases
aroun
d
the
world:
th
e
Aq
u
anarium
Hy
dropost
i
n
Bloo
d
tide
C
o
ast,
A
quabase
T
error
S
e
ven
in
Moun
t
Maelstrom,
and
Bauxite Alchemicals
in Malchor’s Leap
are
among
the
most
prominent.
They
tend
to
experiment
on
quaggan
in
these
bases
and
they
don’t seem to care about the water pollution
their research
cau
ses.
21
GALLERY - Inques
t Labs
|
GUILDMAG
#22
Thaumanova Reactor
Some
time
after
Scarlet
Briar
became
involved
with
the
Inquest
in
the
Thaumanova
Reactor,
there
was
a
catastrophic
explosion,
destroying
many
of
the
labs
and
leaving
radioactive
material
i
n
its
wake.
Prior
to
its
mel
t
down
,
the
reactor
was
a
fully-f
unctionin
g
facility
dedica
ted
t
o
stud
ying
ch
aos
mag
ic
with
dormitories,
live-subject
and
repulsor
labs,
and
a
t
least
a
few
rooms
dedicated to studying Elder
Dragon
minion
s.
Downloadin
g
The Tyrian
Conscio
u
sness
BY
PHOE
NIX
C
H
OICES IN GUILD WARS 2’S STORYT
ELLING
22
GUILDMAG #22
|
EDITORIAL - Downloading the Tyrian Consciousness
e
watched
the
sylvari
wrestle
with
Mordremoth’s
influ
ence
in
Heart
of
Thorns
.
We
tried
to
appeal
to
the
Herald
of
Baltha
zar’s
humanity
in
Path
of
Fire
.
We
also
listened
to
th
e
struggles
of
Glint’s
o
ff
spring,
Vla
st,
trying
to
come
to
terms
with
his
legacy,
and
witnessed
him
jump
in
front
of
Balthazar
’s
greatsword
to
save
our
life.
Now,
in
A
Bug
i
n
the
System,
the
second
episode
of
Living
World
S
eason
4,
th
e
cla
ssically
corrupt
Inquest
become
humanized
i
n
the
player’s
eyes.
As
th
e
player
chara
cter,
we
made
choices
througho
ut
our
personal
stories
that
altered
our
paths
and
changed
ho
w
w
e
arrived
at
our
climactic
battle
with
Zhaitan.
But
recently,
ArenaNet
has
relegated
the
big
choices
to
our
alli
es
and
enemies
to
make
us
feel
like
although
we
ar
e
the
star
of
the
show,
we
are
also
par
t
of
something
bigger.
I’l
l
be
looking
a
t
some
of
those
N
PC
choices
and
examin
ing
how
they complicate our world
.
Recently
w
e
learned
that
Taimi’s
college
friends,
t
wo
brothers
named
Blish
and
Gorrik,
had
joined
the
Inquest
,
unwittin
gly
assisted
Palawa
Joko
i
n
reproducing
the
Scara
b
Plague,
and
set
up
a
network
of
asura
gates
to
help
him
spread
it.
Taimi
is
upset
abou
t
her
friends’
involvement
in
the
organization:
she
laments
that
Blish
is
“tragically
now
an
Inquest
stooge,”
an
d
says
Gorrik
i
s
“kinda
weird.
But
still,
the
Inquest?”
Nevertheless,
she
is
happy
and
nonjudgmental
a
t
their
reunion,
even
after
seeing
that
Blish’s
consciousness
had
been
d
ownloaded
into
a
golem.
The
personal
stor
y
ra
ises
us
to
believe
the
Inquest
are
essentially
evil,
st
ealing
patents
and
inventions,
threatening
the
Arcane
Council
and
the
city
of
Rata
Sum
regularly,
and
tampering
with
dragon
energy
in
their
labs.
Despite
this,
they
a
re
still
allowed
to
operate
in
Rata
Sum.
As
we
keep
discovering
their
bases
throughout
Tyria,
this
ra
ises
a
question:
even
th
ough
the
Inquest’s
reputation
has
been
thoroughly
besmirched
and
they’re
associated
with
a
lack
of
ethical
principles,
why
d
o
W
23
EDITORIAL - Downloading the Tyrian Consciousness
|
GUILDMAG #22
24
GUILDMAG #22
|
EDITORIAL - Downloading the Tyrian Consciousness
25
EDITORIAL - Downloading the Tyrian Consciousness
|
GUILDMAG #22
asura keep lining
up to join?
The
m
ost
obvious
reason
is
the
additional
freedom
and
productivity
that
comes
with
a
la
ck
of
bureaucr
acy.
Tim
e
and
tim
e
again
we’ve
seen
that
the
Inq
uest
are
on
top
of
modern
techn
ology,
from
Kudu’s
teleportation
device
to
the
o
u
t
boun
d
asura
gates
that
don’t
require
a
receiving
gat
e
—
they
just
spit
you
ou
t
of
a
portal
wherever
the
coordinates
poin
t.
However,
these
marvels
usually
com
e
a
s
a
result
of
thieving
or
plagiarizing
the
work
o
f
others.
Zojja
says
Kudu
stole
the
designs
for
h
is
personal
teleporter
and
Taimi
tells
us
Zinn
and
the
R
ata
Novans
were
working
on
th
e
advancements
in
asur
a
gat
e
technology.
But
if
you
place
a
high
value
on
knowledge-
sharing
and
believe
tha
t
progress
moves
faster
if
multiple
people
a
re
able
to
look
at
a
plan
from
di
ff
erent
angles,
it’s
easy
to
see
why
t
h
e
allure
o
f
the
morally-bankrup
t
Inquest
trumps
th
e
strict
regulations
on
copyright
and
patent law.
If
you
stick
around
a
krewe’s
camp
in
Mon
M
aelstrom
long
enough,
you
can
h
ear
some
interesting
ambient
dialogue
that
addresses
this
issue.
Apprentice
Klinx
asks
w
hy
no
one
has
designed
an
anti-
destroyer
golem
yet.
Krewe
Leader
Ambr
replies,
“Sna
ff
came
c
lose,
but
he
never
shared
the
design.”
Would
thi
s
be
a
problem
for
the
Inquest
if
they
could
have
pilfered
the
data
and
schematic
s?
Later,
a
lab
worker
expresses
frustra
tion
that
they
can’t
beat
the
I
nquest
in
the
nearby
lab
if
they
can’t
utilize
shortcuts.
Ambr
tells
him
that
th
ey’ll
“prevail
through
dedication
t
o
sound
alchemic
al
principles.”
Understandably,
this
brings
little
comfort
when
y
ou’re
constantly
being
atta
cked
by
destroyers.
As
a
“megakrewe,”
the
Inq
uest
is
also
able
to
o
ff
er
its
members
additional
resources.
A
normal
krewe
is
a
corporate
entity
p
ut
together
for
one
task
or
research
project.
It
might
get
its
fi
nancing
from
th
e
krewe
leader
or
an
outside
investo
r,
but
fu
nds
are
limited
and
n
o
one
wants
to
spend
mor
e
money
than
necessar
y.
At
the
aforementioned
ca
mp
belonging
t
o
Ambr
an
d
her
krewe,
Lab
Worker
Flinka
says
they
should
research
fl
ame-reta
rdant
fabrics.
As
another
lab
worker
points
out
thou
gh,
“Hiring
new
krewe
members
is
cheaper
than
the
mater
ials
needed,”
implying
that
bringing
in
brave
bu
t
disposable
labor
is
preferred
over
trying
to
better
protect
the
existing
krewe
members.
Ind
eed,
one
th
ing
Gorrik
bemoans
upon
escaping
th
e
cata
strophic
explosion
of
Rat
a
Primus
is
that
he
and
Blish
lost
their
funding.
In
fact,
Gorrik
seems
to
care
littl
e
about
where
h
e’s
working
or
wh
o
he
works
w
ith,
a
s
long
as
he
can
continue
the
research
he
wants
to
pursue
o
n
insects
.
During
tha
t
same
conversation,
Blish
mentions
he
was
able
to
sa
ve
dat
a
on
Kralkatorr
ik.
This
brings
up
another
a
dvantage
to
working
with
the
Inqu
est,
namely
that
they
perform
a
lot
of
research
on
t
he
Dragons
and
their
mi
nions.
This
poses
a
dangerous
risk
as
it’s
led
to
such
events
as
Kudu’s
corruption
by
draconic
energies
and
the
Thaumanov
a
Reactor
fa
llout.
But
with
the
threat
posed
by
the
Elder
Dragons
and
the
potential
catastrophe
that
would
result
from
ki
lling
t
hem
and
releasing
their
magic
without
an
entity
to
contain
it,
the
research is necessar
y.
Any
one
who’s
played
the
asuran
personal
story
w
ill
remember
Professor
Gorr
being
b
ooed
o
ff
stage
when
he
proposed
h
is
theory
that
magic
was
a
fi
nite
r
esourc
e
being
consumed
b
y
the
Elder
Dragons.
Even
th
e
asura
know
little
about
the
Elder
Dragons,
let
alone
the
averag
e
The
personal
story
raises
us
to
believe
the
Inquest
are
essentially
evil,
stealing
patents and inventions.
“
26
GUILDMAG #22
|
EDITORIAL - Downloading the Tyrian Consciousness
layperson.
We,
as
player
chara
cters,
have
enough
trouble
wrapping
our
heads
around
the
idea
that
w
e
can
no
longer
kill
the
Dragons,
bu
t
must
rather
protect
our
selves
from
them
o
r
tr
ansfer
their
magic
to
a
di
ff
erent
sour
ce.
How
a
re
we
to
convince
the
rest
of
Tyria
of
this
if
t
he
research
is
frowned
upon
and
isn’t
easily
demonstrable?
Maybe
the
Inquest
w
ith
th
eir
low
regard
for
appr
opr
iate,
law
-abiding
research
subjects
and
methodologies
have
it
right... at least
i
n
some ways.
The
Inqu
est
simply
has
more
money,
mor
e
expendable
labor,
and
lar
ger,
m
ore
widespread
fac
ilities.
In
addition,
since
the
krew
e
never
disbands,
it
a
llows
asura
to
continue
working
on
their
projects
for
as
long
as
possible,
whereas
a
regular
krewe
might
disband
as
soon
as
they
a
ccomplish
their
goal,
even
i
f
new
or
superior
ideas
are
on
the
horizon.
If
you’re
able
t
o
sacri
fi
ce
some
workplace
safety
and
moral
sensibilities
for
e
ffi
ciency
and
vast
technological
advancement,
the
Inquest
might
not
b
e
such
a
bad
organization to be
a
part o
f.
Blish
and
Gorrik
mi
ght
b
e
the
fi
rst
members
of
the
Inquest
t
o
make
players
consider
there
are
additional
motives
for
joining
beyon
d
an
inherent
wickedness.
This
is
not,
however,
th
e
fi
rst
time
the
storytelling
of
Guild
Wars
2
has
put
delicate
and
di
ffi
cult
choices
under
a
scrutinizing
eye.
For
instance,
such
choice
s
are
ingrained
i
n
sylvari
culture
.
A
sylvari
can
choose
to
abide
by
the
tenets
of
Ventari,
embrace
the
nightm
ares
in
the
Dream
of
Dreams,
or
cut
o
ff
all
contact
with
the
Pale
Tree
and
the
hive
mind
of
their
fellow
sylvari,
becoming
Soun
dless.
Heart
of
Thorns
is
notorious
for
not
expanding
on
sylvari
culture
as
much
as
it
could
have.
I
t
failed
to
go
into
any
detai
l
about
the
state
of
the
Nightmare
Court
after
Fa
olain’s
corruption
and
eventual
death
and
disregarded
Mallyck’s
origins
completely.
For
all
its
failings
though,
it
did
provide
us
with
a
fascinating
bit
of
dia
logue
between
Faolain
and
the
player
character.
When
we
discover
Ei
r
and
Faolain
locke
d
in
a
vine
cage
b
y
the
Mordrem
,
we
ask:
“Wh
y
is
Mordremoth
locking
up
so
many
Nightmar
e
Courtiers?”
The
implication
is
that
both
Mordremoth
and
the
Nightmare
Court
are
evil.
The
Elder
Dragons
are
gluttons
for
magic,
consumin
g
or
destroying
anyth
ing
in
their
way
to
obtain
it.
Th
e
Nightmare
Court
per
for
ms
dark
rituals
and
unspeakable
acts
of
cruelty
to
try
to
taint
the
Dream
and
urge
the
Pale
Tree
away
from
the
in
fl
uence
of
Ventari.
Some
in
the
Court
also
try
to
forcibly
subvert
sylvari
to
joi
n
their
cause
b
y
placing
them
in
conver
sion
pods.
Both
Mordremoth
and
the
Nightmare
Court
are
bad
seeds,
so
they
would
naturall
y
mesh, right?
Faolain
snaps
bac
k
a
t
the
player
char
acter,
insisting,
“You
know
nothin
g
of
th
e
Court.
We
seek
freedom,
and
Mordremoth’s
yoke
is
even
more
onerous
than
the
Pale
27
EDITORIAL - Downloading the Tyrian Consciousness
|
GUILDMAG #22
Tree’s.”
It
can
be
said
that
the
ultimate
goal
o
f
the
Court
is
merely
to
release
the
Pale
Tre
e
from
the
tethers
of
Ventar
i
and
Ronan,
urging
sylvar
i
to
create
their
own
destinies
instead
of
performing
th
e
goals
given
to
them
by
the
Dream
.
In
Siren’s
Landing,
a
group
of
sylvari
are
attempting
t
o
stud
y
the
roaming
Risen,
unchained
and
seemingly
without
purpose
after
Z
haitan’s
death
.
In
par
ticular,
an
NPC
named
Rose,
inspired
by
th
e
courage
and
willpower
bestow
ed
upo
n
them
by
th
e
Pale
Tree,
sets
o
ff
on
her
own
in
hopes
of
befriendin
g
the
intelligent
Risen,
the
kingpins.
We
meet
one
of
these
kingpin
s
fac
e
to
face
while
searching
fo
r
Rose
and
converse
with
it.
The
kin
gpin
says
he
is
“free
to
continue
dispensing
Zhaitan’s
wrath
to
the
world”
because
i
t
is already lost.
So
what
wou
ld
happen
to
the
sylvar
i
themselves
if
they
were
n
ot
Soundless,
not
questing
on
th
eir
Wyld
H
un
ts
nor
tapped
into
the
group
network
created
by
the
Pale
Tree,
not
ta
king
par
t
in
evil
acts
with
the
Ni
ghtmar
e
Court,
and
n
ot
turned
into
Mordrem?
In
theory,
we’ve
only
seen
two
character
s
like
this:
Scarlet
Bria
r,
who
eventually
went
mad
from
staring
in
to
the
Eternal
Alchemy
and
discovering
that
the
sylvari
were
crea
tions
of
Mordremoth,
and
Malyck,
who
we
know
very
little
about
.
In
fact,
the
last
time
we
heard
about
Malyck,
h
e
was
o
ff
to
his
home
i
n
the
H
eart
of
Maguuma
to
tell
his
fellow
sylvari
about
t
he
Pa
le
Tree.
Was
his
tree
what
eventually
became
the
Blighting
Tree
in
Verdant
Brink?
Were
a
ll
his
fellow
sylvar
i
converted
to
Mordremoth’s
cause
when
t
h
e
Elder
Dragon
rose
because
they
lacked
th
e
Pale
Tree’s
protection?
These
a
re
the
unanswered
question
s
Heart
of
Thorns
left
behin
d,
along
with
the
idea
that
perhaps
all
the
big
bad
organizations
of
each
race
aren’t
so
bad
after
all.
What
about
Path
of
Fire
?
The
developers
had
a
lot
more
time
to
work
on
this
expansion
and
it’s
b
een
lauded
for
its
stor
ytelling,
which
many
players
claim
is
better
than
Heart
of
Thorns
by
far.
The
most
interesting
choice
y
ou
might
discover
is
the
continuou
s
one
Vla
st
must
make.
He
is
the
o
ff
spring
of
Glint,
who
was
originally
Glaust,
a
champion
of
Kra
lkatorrik.
Glint
was
puri
fi
ed
b
y
the
Forgotten
and,
as
we’ve
seen
with
both Vlast
and
A
urene,
her
scion
s
are
free
from
the
Elder
Dragon’s
in
fl
u
ence.
This
makes
them
neither
good
nor
bad
at
th
e
start
but
grants
them
a
certai
n
free
will,
contingent
upon
thei
r
upbringing and socializatio
n.
Socialization
was
somethin
g
Vla
st
severely
la
cked.
The
Forgotten
and
the
Exa
lted
attended
him
but
it’s
di
ffi
cu
lt
to
know
h
ow
t
o
bond
a
dragon
t
o
the
mortal
races
of
Tyria,
especially
when
dragons
equate
to
destructio
n
in
the
minds
of
most.
Thus
he
was
kept
secluded,
growin
g
up
with
a
strict
destiny,
a
piece
o
f
a
larger
gra
nd
plan
to
protect
the
races
from
the
Elder
Dragons.
But
h
ow
could
he
develop
empathy
o
r
compassion
for
those
races
if
he
never
encountered
th
em
and
never
watched
them
grow
or
interacted
with
them
at
all?
Despite
this
major
fl
aw
Both
Mordremoth
and
the
Nightmar
e
Court
are
bad
seeds
,
so
they
would
naturall
y
mesh, right
?
“
The
most
interesting
choice
you
might
discover is the continuous
one
Vlast must make
.
“
28
GUILDMAG #22
|
EDITORIAL - Downloading the Tyrian Consciousness
in
his
younger
years,
h
e
stuck
with
the
plan
set
for
him
by
his
mother,
trusting
in
her
judgment
if
nothing
else,
an
d
to
pass
o
n
hop
e
and
w
isdom
to
his
younger
sister
when
he
r
time ca
me.
The
question
this
leaves
with
us
is
obvious:
i
f
w
e
treat
Aurene
better
and
con
tin
ue
allowing
her
to
explore
th
e
world,
will
she
be
mor
e
convinced
of
her
purpose
tha
n
Vlast?
Currently,
she
seem
s
to
be
assisting
us
as
necessary
with
help
in
battle
and
visions
of
things
and
places
we
can’t
see.
She
d
oesn’t
stick
by
our
side
like
a
lap
dog
though.
Maybe
she’s
fou
nd
a
good
middle
ground
betw
een
the
freedom
Vla
st
c
raved
and
the
wanderlust
that
haunted
him
i
n
his
later
life,
and
the
prophecy
and
goals
set
forth
by
her
mother.
Unlike
th
e
sylvari
storylines
hung
out
to
dry
in
Heart
o
f
Thorns
,
the
mystery
o
f
Aurene
appears
to
be
gradually
unfolding
with
Living World
Season
4.
These
a
r
e
b
ut
a
han
d
ful
of
th
e
choices
made
by
NPCs
that
keep
poppin
g
up
in
th
e
story.
Consider
also
Balthazar
’s
Forged
-
the
developers
revealed
that
the
Herald
of
Balthazar
was
a
ctually
Devona,
a
warrior
from
the
original
Guild
Wars
.
On
her
deathbed
it’s
clear
she’
s
retained
some
of
her
fr
ee
will,
requesting
we
dispatch
Balt
hazar.
How
abou
t
the
stil
l
-
living
and
Awakened
try
in
g
to
resist
Palawa
Joko’s
in
fl
uen
ce:
people
li
ke
Koss
who
found
a
loophole
in
his
un
death
or
Tahlkora
who
retained
her
wil
l
after
Awakening.
There’s
also
the
Sons
of
Svanir,
anothe
r
classi
cally
evil
organization
like
the
Inquest
or
Nightmare
Court,
but
they
are
tolerated
in
the
norn’s
individu
ali
stic
culture.
Maybe
we’
ll
see
more
about
their
story
if
a
future
expansion
brings
us
north.
Wherever
you
look,
I
guarantee
y
ou’ll
fi
nd
plenty
of
instances
of
chara
cters
in
Guild
Wars
2
dealing
with
hard
choic
es,
especially
with
ArenaNet’s
improved
storytelling
and
the
loss
of
the
“E
lder
Dragons
bad,
mortal
races
goo
d”
d
i
chotom
y
that
w
e
had
previously.
Next
time
you
run
in
to
something
stereotypica
lly
evil
or
think
about
a
n
apparently
easy
choice
i
n-game,
maybe
y
ou’ll
think
twice
abou
t
its
true
nature.
Pestilence
& Plague
S4 R
ECAP: Episodes 1, 2 & 3
BY
S
TA
RCONSPIRATOR
29
RECAP - Pestilence & Plague
|
GUILDMAG #22
30
GUILDMAG #22
|
RECAP - Pestilence & Plague
DAYBREAK
he
Living
World
continues
to
expand
the
game,
bringing
us
new
heroes,
new
cultures,
a
pair
of
sympatheti
c
scientists,
and
a
looming
cat
astrophe.
At
the
beginning
of
the
Pat
h
of
Fir
e
expansion
w
e
set
o
ff
for
the
Crystal
Desert
intent
on
stoppin
g
a
god.
Through
our
journey,
Elona
open
ed
before
u
s,
g
iving
us
a
ccess
to
Vabbi
and
Kourna
.
When
the
story
picks
up
in
Season
4,
we
continue
into
I
stan
and
the
nearby
islands
inten
t
on
uncovering,
and
putting
a
sto
p
to,
Joko’s plans.
With
Kralkatorrik
a
wa
ke
and
Aurene
missing
after
the
fi
ght
with
Ba
lthazar,
sever
al
members
of
Dragon’s
Watch
remained
near
Amnoon
,
repairing
Ta
imi’s
golem.
Meanwhile,
Jory
and
Kas
have
tracked
Kr
alkatorr
ik
to
a
far-o
ff
mountain
range.
Yet,
despite
being
so
far
away,
the
Elder
Dragon
is
far
more
powerful,
having
absorbed
the
power
of
a
god,
and
is
able
to
touch
o
ff
a
devastatin
g
brandstorm
in
Amn
oon!
Like
all
good
heroes,
we
hurry
to
the
rescue,
discover
ing
a
city
full
of
people
trapped
i
n
crystal,
branded,
and
turn
ing
on
their
friend
s
and
allies.
These
fi
ghts
against
the
Branded
bring
in
to
play
an
empowering
crystal
mecha
nic
where
we
must
fi
rst
shatter
al
l
the
crystals
in
Amnoon
befor
e
we
can
destroy
the
Branded
that
is
being
shielded
.
Aurene
joins
us
for
the
fi
nal
bat
tle
against
a
Branded
wyv
ern
and,
once
we
are
victorious,
Taimi
and
Scru
ff
y
appear
along
with
Shadows
Agent
Kito.
In
the
aftermath,
Aurene
shares
a
vision
with
everyone
showing
the
Forged
an
d
undead
Branded
along
with
an
unknown
city.
A
gent
Kito
recognizes
it
as
Fahranur
,
the
First
City,
ancient
seat
of
power
in
Istan.
I
n
order
t
o
fi
nd
Fahranur,
we
must
make
contact
with
the
Sun
spears,
which
won’t
be
easy.
Th
e
few
remaining
m
embers
of
the
ancient
order
ar
e
in
hiding;
Palawa
Joko,
undead
king
of
Elona,
has
hunted
them
nearly
to
extinction.
Agent
Kito
suggests
looking
for
the
m
in
the
Astralarium
a
nd
we
quickly
secure
passage
to
the
southern island of I
stan.
Stowing
away
on
a
ship
,
we
soon
fi
nd
ourselves
in
the
Domain
of
Istan.
Joko
has
placed
a
price
on
ou
r
head
T
Brandstorm at Dawn
Istani Trip Down
Memor
y Lane
31
RECAP - Pestilence & Plague
|
GUILDMAG #22
and
his
forces
in
Istan
are
incredibly
hostile.
There
are
few
safe
places
for
us
as
we
search
for
the
Sunspears.
The
Mordant
Crescent
ho
ld
s
power
here,
supported
by
Joko’s
Awakened
an
d
loyal
human
servants.
We
la
nd
at
the
Chalon
Docks
and,
for
players
of
the
original
Guil
d
Wars
,
the
nostalgia
begins
anew.
There
is
little
here,
but
directly
to
the
south
li
es
the
great
city
of
Palawadan,
Jewel
of
Istan
(formerly
known
as
Kamadan,
Jewel
of
Istan).
As
this
section
of
the
story
encompasses
a
rather
open
exploration
of
the
new
map,
it
is
possible
to
spend
a
great
deal
of
time
exploring.
To
the
north
of
the
Chalon
Docks,
along
the
coast,
we
discover
a
corsa
ir
fl
otilla
of
both
airships
and
sea-going
vessels.
Ju
st
to
the
southwest
of
the
fl
otilla
we
fi
nd
the
Astralarium,
whic
h
has
become
an
enormou
s
library
i
n
the
intervening
centuries
since
Nigh
tfall
players visited this area.
The
Astralarium
bustles
wit
h
scholars
resea
rching
sta
rs,
history,
and
the
fl
ora
and
fauna
of
the
area.
Pal
awa
Joko’s
forces
wor
k
tirelessl
y
to
revise
history
but
Scholar
Rhadha
suggests
that
we
aid
the
scholars
as
they
attempt
to
preser
ve
the
truth.
By
impeding
Joko’s
in
fl
uence
in
the
area,
we
can
convince
Scholar
Salwa
to
allow
us
entr
ance
into
the
secret
a
rchive,
which
will
give
u
s
access
to
the
h
idden
Sunspear
base.
Once
th
e
Renown
Heart
is
fi
lled,
we
are
directed
toward
Salwa
w
ho
allows
u
s
entrance.
There,
we
speak
with
First
Spear
Hakim
a
and
ask
if
she
can
let
u
s
into
Fahranur.
Sadly,
she
cann
ot
as
only
the
Spearmarshal
Zaeim
knows
the
way
into
the
ancient city.
War
rages
ac
ross
the
land
of
Istan.
Joko’s
forces
hoar
d
supplies
in
Pal
awadan
and
his
armies
reach
out
to
take
control
of
the
island’s
towns
and
c
ities.
They
have
most
recently
taken
the
c
ity
of
Champion
’s
Dawn
and
Spearmarshal
Zaeim
has
gon
e
south
to
retake
it.
Since
only
the
Spearmarshal
knows
the
way
to
the
ancient
city,
we
decide
to
head
south
in
searc
h
of
him.
Besides,
beating
up
Awakened
and
Mordant
Crescent
has
become
an
enjoyable pastime!
This
chapter
is
beginning
to
feel
like
a
really
long
game
of
hide-and
-seek.
The
storyline
helps
open
even
mor
e
of
Istan
and
each
place
we
visit
is
spiked
with
nostal
gia
for
those
wh
o
played
the
original
Nightfall
campaign.
S
o
long
as
the
journey
through
Istan
is
your
goal,
these
q
uests
to
fi
nd
various
people
a
r
e
simpl
y
a
natural
outgrowth
of
your
exploration.
However,
runnin
g
through
the
story
as
quickly
a
s
possible
means
criss-crossing
a
small
portion
of
the
overall
map,
chasing
green
starburst
s
back
and
forth
a
s
you
search
for
yet
another
person
o
r
quest item.
A
quick
run
south
of
the
Astralarium
along
t
he
Bone
Wall
ta
kes
u
s
to
Zehlon
Breach
and
the
outskirts
of
Champion’s
Dawn,
a
farming
village.
Here,
we
witness
Joko’s
treatment
of
those
who
do
not
worship
him
:
Villagers
are
starving,
surr
ounded
by
hostile
forces
and
propaganda.
Many
have
been
taken
prisoner
and
are
caged
throughout
th
e
village.
Zaeim
is
nowhere
to
b
e
found
but
we
do
fi
nd
Priest
Sazeer,
who
tells
us
that
the
Spearmarshal
has
been
captured
by
the
corsa
irs.
In
order
to
str
ike
a