- The Mursaat - Bar Jokes with Arghore

This issue:

→ Th e Mur saa t Unseen, but not u nh eard. → Th e White Mantle Find out the truth behind the followers of the Unseen. Costume code contes t wi nne r s. The answer to the riddle and the winners. The En d of the Mant le

find out about the exciting contest we’ve set u p.

The White Mantle

The Shining Blade

Fo rewo rd:

Since my youth, I’ve lived in Kryta. Since Saul’s dis- appearance, I’ve known about the Unseen . Ho w- ever, both me and my companions are aware that few know the secret plot within the tale. Few are driven to open forbidden books and find ou t th e truth .

Truth is actually the whole point on wh ich the recent war in Kryta has been based up on. Th e Wh ite Mantle have described the Unseen Ones as the sav- iors of Kryta, worshiping them like gods. On the other hand, rebels who call themselves the Shining Blade have opposed these "deities." Several months ago, both sides be gan campaigns to rally people for their cause.

their cause. Now is the time that we can look back and see how the War in Kryta began, progressed and ul timat ely concluded with a new ruler of Kryta. We can explore the motifs and goals for e ach of the factions, learn of their recruiting technique s and even discover the creation of a third splinter gro up!

These arrows ca n be used to r ea d through the article in- stead. Don’t ge t lost n ow :)

Att ention Bookah!

Here the charr almost had a successful takeover, if it was not for Saul D’Ale ssio. He re- turned from exile and formed the White Mantle, after which he quickly de alt with the charr by calling upon the he lp of the Unseen Ones.

Kryta was free ye t again, but since the Krytan king fled the throne during the charr invasion, it was missing a true le ader. A lot of people came to beli eve in the cause of the White Mantle and their saviors, the Mursaat. Thus, the White Mantle took the throne and the age of Mantle rule of Kryta began. A few ye ars later, in the year 1072 AE, it was found th at the past king had left an ille gitimate child in Kryta. Soon after the Lionguard got mobilized and began preparing for battle, the Shining Blade joined the cause to get Salma, princess of Kryta, back onto the throne. Meanwhile the White Mantle’s Unseen gods were exposed as the Mursaat and were nearly brought to extinction. Even the White Mantle had to su ffer

Concept art of the in-game loading screen for Krytan areas.

It began as a fight along the Great North- ern Wall in Ascalon, but when the wall fell, the charr proceeded to invade t he rest of Tyria. With the Great Northern Wall destroyed by the Sear ing, the Char r could now quickly spre ad their forces over Tyria, incl uding K ryta.

By Dut ch Sunsh in e

These signs of impe nding con!ict polarise d the adventuring community. Most, having seen the atroci!es committed by the White Mantle on the Bloodstones and h aving fo ught the Unseen in the Shiverpeaks and the Ring of Fire, sided with the Shining Blade, eager to see the end of the Mantle ’s grip on Kryta. Others, feeling that the White Mantle had been un- fairly vili!ed, that the sacri!ces were jus!!ed in keeping closed the Door of Komalie, sup- ported the exis!ng regime, feeling that Kryta needed to remain united in the face of exter- nal thre ats.

Ostensible volunteers raised by the Mantle in order to assist in ke eping orde r in Kryta, the Peacekeepers quickly revealed themselves to be little more than g ov ernment-sponsore d bandits, extor!ng gold and food from K rytan civilians and raiding smaller K rytan settle- ments including N ebo Village, Beetletun, and the Ascalonian re fuge. The situa!on was fur- ther worsened with the implementa!on by the Mantle of a system of war!me travel per- mits, that were required to legally travel between Krytan provinces. Whether the re sul t of Shining Blade interference or Mantle indifference to the impact this would have on the Krytan economy, few permits reached those who needed them, effec!vely placing mu ch of

Krytan economy, few permits reached those who needed them, effec!vely placing mu ch of Kryta in a state of sie ge imposed by her own gove rnment.

Meanwhile, the Mantle and its Peacekeepers !ghtened their grip, forming camps through- out Kryta. White Mantle jus!ciars and inquisitors began to join the Peacekeepers in ter- rorising the populace, harassing the priests of the Temple of the Ages despite the edict of their founder and displacing innocent K rytan farmers from their lands at the ins!ga!on of collaborators such as Layman Josef. Meanwhile, Inquisitor Bauer was unleashe d on the As- calon Settlement, but fortunately the quick thinking of Farmer Dirk dire cted his atten!on to the mergoyles and skales of Scoundre l’s Rise.

Evennia, however, had somewhat less success – without authorisa!on from K ing Adelbern (which was unlike ly to come, given the Ascalonian king’s attitude towards Kryta), Captain Langmar of the Ebon Vanguard was only willing to commit a single unit to the assistance of the Shining Blade, officially to serve as “observers” to the con!ict. That unit was the Ebon Falcons, lead by Lieutenant Keiran Thackeray. Officially, this was because the Falcons we re

Livia’s expedi!on met with suc- cess sooner than exp ecte d. As a consequence of his un willing par!cipa!on on th e assassina- !on attempts on h uman lead- ers in Kryta, Canth a and Vabbi, the golemancer Zinn and h is assistant Blimm had bee n

assistant Blimm had bee n exiled from the asura lands. In- tercepted by Livia, the y were drafted into the war effort and directed to a secret lab near Shaemoor, where they we re

By Dr axynnic

Ader securing the capital, Salma inidated a series of royal bounde s to adract more mer ce- naries and foreign adventurers to Kryta’s shores. At drst, these boundes were issued against low-value targets such as Peacekeeper gang leaders, but as the bounde s proved successful, the Princess began to aim at higher targets, including three of the White Mantle’s top inquisitors. However, the unse en backers of the White Mantle had also rein- forced their devotees with jade constructs capable of inflicdng a spe ctral agony that tore through any of their opposidon that lacked the protecdon of infused armour, adding a never-before-seen construct capable of wielding elemental magic to the pre viously seen

never-before-seen construct capable of wielding elemental magic to the pre viously seen warrior and archer constru cts.

Despite these reinforcements, Inquisitors Lashona and Baue r were the drst to fall. Bauer was found by adve nturers sdll searching for evidence of an alliance between the Shining Blade and mergoyles in Scoundrel’s Rise, while Lashona was caught in the act of adempdng to arrest the cidzens of the Ascalon Sedlement as punishment for the acdons of the Ebon Falcons and the Ascalonian adventurers that had pardcipated in the opening of the Door of Komalie. Finally, Inquisitor Lovisa was tracked down on a beach on Watchtower Coast,

Willem the De meaning re- ceives a taste of his own medicine .

the beginning of the e nd

The second of the Mursaat to be located was the ironically name d Ai ly the Inno- cent, then watching over the Fountain of Truth in Shaemoor. As protecdo n again st a similar operadon, the key to the gate was put into the possession of a powe r- ful Jade construct in the village of Loam

hurst. Ader the key was retrieved by the assault team, Aily dispatche d ambush teams of White Mantle to interce pt the team before it co uld return to Sh ae- moor. The assault team reached Zinn’s lab in Shaemoor safe ly, wher e it turned out that the asura had develop ed a

weapon to assist in the adack.

Aily the Innocent receiv es di vine judge- ment. The verdict? Guilty .

Intelligence had been recei ved that one of the re main- ing Mursaat, Willem the Demeaning, had been l ocate d gathering White Mantle forces within the Templ e of the Unseen in Riverside Province. Slipping i nto Riv er- side Province by boat at night, the assassinadon team was presented with two opdons – to eith er launch a frontal assault on the Temple’s gates (which had bee n

reinforced by a magic-draining Mursaat towe r) or at- tempt to secure a key to the back gate. In the en d, the frontal assault proved quicker and easie r, as the guards of the temple were spread out enough that they were likely not to nodce and respond to an at- tempt to reach Willem by steal th anyway.

By Dr axynnic

It appeared that while Zinn was still working on the protection golem that he had bee n commissioned to build, he did have a large supply of failed prototypes. These prototypes were supplied with the teleportation devices normally used with functional golems to allow them to be teleported to a beacon, and were programmed to detonate on arrival, serving as a crude form of artillery. While this assistance prove d less bene ficial than could have been hoped, the assault team was successful in defeating the White Mantle presence within Shaemoor and slaying Aily in his lair, although the citizens of Shaemoor suffered heavily when the arrival of the assault team triggered an ineffectiv e upri sing.

heavily when the arrival of the assault team triggered an ineffectiv e upr ising. The third of the Mursaat, Koril the Malignant, had taken refuge in the Temple of Tolerance in D’Alessio Seaboard. Thanks to the infiltrator Dinas and his allie d agents within the White Mantle, the assault team was able to land in Hakewood without the White Mantle contest- ing the landing. Be fore taking his leave, Dinas reported that he had been transferred to Demetra as part of a White Mantle build up.

Unlike the Temple of the Unseen, the defences at the Temple of Tolerance had not be en reinforced by a Mursaat tower – in fact, the healing shrine that had bee n present in the main courtyard had been removed. Instead of relying on static de fences, Koril had arranged some form of warning system to alert a constant stream of reinforcements to come to h is aid should his position be threatene d. In the end, however, the assault team was able to fight off the waves of White Mantle reinforcements until the number of troops close enough to respond began to dwindle, allowing the killing blow to be delivered on the third of the surviving Mursaat.

of the surviving Mursaat. However, his compatriots had not been idle.

Before a follow-up to the assault on the Te mple of Tolerance could be planned, Dinas arrived in Lion’s Arch with the news that the Mursaat and the White Mantle had massed their force s in Demetra and were preparing to march on Lio n’s Arch. Immediately on receiving this news, Sal ma dispatched messengers to bring the Shining Blad e troops in the Talmark camp to Lion’s Arch, to re

troops in the Talmark camp to Lion’s Arch, to re- trieve the asura Zinn and Blimm and the p ro duct s of their research, and to warn the village s on the Mantle’s warpath to ev acuate . T he warn ings ar- rived just in time, with the inhabitants of

Nebo Terrace escaping just before the White Mantle army swept through the province. Un - fortunately, the asura had not had time to complete their protection golem, requiring the unstabilised power core to be rushed to the capital in order to grant whatever incomplete protection it could provide . For the inhabitants of the Ascalon Settlement, things were even closer. One family had not been collected at the muster, requiring Captains Langmar and Greywind to lead them into hiding to the e ast while the rest of the Ascalonians fled to Lion’s Arch with the White Mantle and their Peacekeeper allie s hot on the ir hee ls, bare ly making it through the gate s before they were closed against the attacking army.

making it through the gate s before they were closed against the attacking army. With the White Mantle surrounding the city and unwilli ng to allow Kryta to bear the burden of a conventional siege, Salma decided on a despe rate gamble – she would shore up the defences within Lion’s Arch to provide a ki lling field for the Shining Blade archers be fore opening the gates and inviting the Mantle inside.

Against the waves of Jades and the Mursaat themselves, the defenders of Lion’s Arch had some advantages – favourable terrain, the availability of resurrection magic for many of the defenders, and the fruits of Zinn's incomplete research – a defensive enchantment similar to Infusion with the power to turn Spe ctral Agony back on its originator. Nevertheless, it was on the heroes of the Flameseeker Prophecies, equippe d as they were with their own armour infused by the Seers seven years before, that served as the linchpin of the city’s de- fence.

By Dr axynnic

Interestingly, despite the climactic nature of this bahle, the Peacekeepers did not appear during the final siege. Perhaps they refused (or were not trusted) to participate in a bahle of this inte nsity, or perhaps the White Mantle delegated them to maintain the grip on the countryside while saving their best troops for the assault. Eithe r way, this means that de- spite the decisive defeat of the White Mantle’s core forces, it is like ly that pack s of Pe ace- keepers remain in hiding – possibly to put aside their weapons under the new regime, or possibly to cause trouble at some later time.

With the conclusion of the bahle, Salma gave a speech thanking those who assisted in the overthrow of the Mantle, and an - nounced her plans for the future defence of Kryta. T he Sh in in g Blade would be downsized in orde r to serve as the Krytan royal guard, joining any other willing voluntee rs in the the new stand- ing army of Kryta, the Seraph (named in Dwayna' s ho no ur). More significantly, Salma also de clared an amnesty for for mer

supporters and members of the White Mantle, even o fferin g them positions in the Seraph. Time will tell if this will prove to be an inspire d act of forgiveness or whether further troubl e wi ll follow.

Or perhaps his presence may have tipped the balance the other way. Perhaps, for now, we should be content with what has been achieved, and in the confidence that whatever Laza- rus may try in the future, the now united nation of Kryta will be ready.

Surrounded by foes, Oizys the Miserable l ive s up to his moniker…but not for lo ng.

Koril the Malignant meets hi s death

By Dr axynnic

The Royal Line of Kryta was a shining one. Descende d from the great Doric, first king of the united humans of Tyria, the line continued uninte rrupted for centuries, until the ye ar of 1070 AE, when the charr attacked Kryta after their succe ssful invasion of Ascalon . K in g Jadon was a noble king, but in his heart he was fe eble. After he had seen that even the proud Ascalonians and their great wall could not stop the feline s, he abandoned his people in their darkest hour. Because of this, the broken Krytans flocked to Saul D’ Alessio, savior and hero of Kryta, who destroyed the invading charr armies with the help of his unsee n gods. The new faith and its enforcing orde r arose and assumed leadership over the lands of

gods. The new faith and its enforcing orde r arose and assumed leadership over the lands of Kryta. The White Mantle’s reign h ad begun…

There were some people who wanted to see a heir to the Doric bloodline on the throne of Kryta again. They searched for something that could prove how evil the Mantle is, and all of their promises and sayings are lies, incl uding the divi ni ty of thei r unse en masters. Afte r a small time they got what they wanted. Once they followed the Mantle and the Chosen to the bloodstone, only to see the aforementioned, ugly truth. It gave the push for the m to arm themselves and begin a guerrilla war against the fanatics and their unse en demons. At the beginning they could do ve ry little damage against the zealots, although ev en that was enough to raise the i re of the Mantle. The government began to spread their propaganda

enough to raise the i re of the Mantle. The government began to spread their propaganda about the rebels, which effectively influenced the populace, thinking of the Shining Blade as murderous ruffian s. The Blade were very few, while the Mantle were many. They could only re cruit several Kry- tans; they could not find allies and their attacks against the oppressors did not do serious damage. Until the day when they found a group of Ascal onian heroes…

than this, they hadn’t shown any signs of oppression. The only "price" for their protection was the Chosen (a group of people with exceptional magical aptitude), whom they took to the Grand Masters in the Temple of the Unseen – that was the official expla

The Bloodstone, as seen in the ‘Bloodstone Fen’ mission (Prophecies campaign).

By Thalad or Doo mspeak er

In the year of 1072 AE, Ascalonian refugees arrived through the Shiverpeaks. They searched for a new home in Kryta, since Ascalon was in ruins and unde r constant attacks by the charr legions. A small band of the foreigners helped Justiciar Hablion in e radicating a larg e undead army. Because of this, Hablion allowed them and the ir people to settle in the prov- ince of North Kryta. However, the same Ascalonian party’s heroic deeds did not end. Con - fessor Dorian himself bestowed the title of Mantle Knight upon them. What’s more, they were asked to help in finding the Chosen near Shaemoor and leading them to Loamhurst. After their arrival, the Chosen and the ir Mantle guards left from Loamhurst toward the

After their arrival, the Chosen and the ir Mantle guards left from Loamhurst toward the jungle. But this time, the Shining Blade inte rcepted them, killing Justiciar Rhynnon in the process. There was a little "miscalculation" in the plans: the deceased was the younger brother of Thommis, one of the founders of the White Mantle. In his grief, Thommis com- manded numerous White Mantle troops and began hunting the Maguu ma Jungle to fin d and kill his brother’s murderers. The Ascalonians followed the m and found the trace of the escaping Blade and the kidnapped Chosen. The y chased them through the Wilds, but after

saving the Chosen from spiders, they were captured by the rebels… There they met Evennia, leader of the Shining Blade, and the rest of the inner council, in- cluding Markis (who wante d to kill them, because they were the allies of the Mantle). Eve n- nia saw the potential ally in them, thus she asked Saidra – another member of the council –

to take the Ascalonians to the bloodstone . There the confused Knights of the Mantle witnessed the cruelty of their previous allies. Justiciar Hablion murde red a g roup of Chosen, sealing their souls in crimson-coloured stat- ues, which were intended to be taken to their demonic masters. The small Ascalonian party felt guilty for the death of the innocent village rs. If they had not taken the divine Eye of Janthir to Loamhurst, all those pe ople

the divine Eye of Janthir to Loamhurst, all those pe ople would’ve not been killed in the name of the Unse en Ones. The furious heroes stormed the bloodsto ne , ending Hablion’ s villainy once and for all.

That day the Shining Blade made their first, major vic- tory against the fanatical devotees of the unseen "god s" thanks to the ir new allie s. However, their victory came at a price…

With a new base of ope rations and two major victories everything seemed to be fine. Even- nia tasked Shadow, a scout, to guide their Ascalonian frie nds to Riverside Province. Ther e they were given a bold mission: to steal the Scepter of Orr from the Temple of the Unse en. Acquiring the Scepter was the easy part - thanks to Dinas, a Shining Blade spy who mas- queraded as a White Mantle priest. Escaping the enraged Mantle was much tougher, though the Ascalonians safely reached Eve nnia.

While they were taking the Scepter to Vizier Khilbron (advisor to King R e za), the traitor - who was no other than Markis – le d his Mantle comrades into De nravi. Only a few Shining Blade survived the raid. The se survivors fled toward the Shiverpeaks. Markis’ tr eache ry did not stop at that. He told the White Mantle that the knights whom had be trayed them were to visit visited a monastery in Sanctum Cay. The ze alots boarded the isl and, captured Even- nia and cut off the Ascalonians from escaping. The Vi zier raised a ship from the depths in order to make another escape route for himself and the desperate group. They sailed east-

ward, in the Crystal Desert's direction. Khilbron told the Ascalonian band

Evennia

leader. Fortunately, the Ascalonian heroe s – energized by the will to redeem themselve s – ar riv ed in time and defeated the attacking battalions. Vaylor the n ordered the party to discover the fate of Elder Gretchen, the leader of the "Denravi project" , and her pe opl e. Gretchen and some Shining Blade scouts su rvived, however, the White Mantle conti nued in to Aurora Glade to claim Denravi for their own – anothe r betray al

Glade to claim Denravi for their own – anothe r betray al from the infiltrator’s sake. The Ascalonians we nt after them and were able to secure the Henge Portal, s cor- ing against the Mantle again by killing the threate ni ng Demagogue .

The Demagogue

By Thalador Do omspeak er

In the meantime, the broken Blade continued to flee from the pursuing Wh ite Mantle. Saidra and Evennia were waiting for their execution atop another bloodstone within the Shiverpeak Mountains. However, the Ascalonians returned and broke them out of the ir prison. Unfortunately, the sound of the exploding cell door alarme d the Mursaat – the true name of the Unseen Ones which was revealed by the Dragon Prophet, Glint – and the ir constructs. To give a chance of escape for Evennia and the ir liberators, Saidra dre w the at- tention of the Mursaat to herself. Her sacrifice was not in vain, since the small group did escape on a Dwarven ice ship.

escape on a Dwarven ice ship.

One last ba:le remained from the Shiverpeaks campaign. The ba:le of Thunderhead Ke ep. The Ascalonians joine d Jalis Ironhamme r, king of the Deldrimor dwarves, in a brave m ission to retake the fallen city from the hands of the Stone Summit, the evil cousins of the Deldri- mor dwarves. They successfully raised the flag of Deldrimor over the k eep, but the hard part was yet to come. The Unseen Ones and their disciple s arrived. Through many waves they besieged the city, the Mantle and their unseen gods could not pene trate the keep. The last assault was led by Confessor Dorian himse lf, but he faced a similar fate l ike the r est of the Mantle army…

the Mantle army…

It was time for the Shining Blade to ave nge their fallen brethren. They kne w where the traitorous snake, Mark is was heading… The y chased him through the iron mines of the leg- endary Moladune, stopping at a mysterious individual. The person calle d itself the Seer, and claimed that its race fought the Mursaat in the past. The See r believed in the Flame

in the past. The See r believed in the Flame- seeker Prophecies and thus helped the true Chosen – the Ascalonians – in infusing the ir armor (a technique that protected the m from the Mursaat’s agonizing touch). Now they could face the demons head on. They kille d several of the Mantle’s gods on the i r way to

the traitor. By the end of day Markis was dead…

The Shining Blade had survived and had won important ba:le s against the White Mantle, but it was time for them to regroup. Before doing this, two agents were sent to the Ring of Fire where the Ascalonian heroes headed. Shadow task ed them with assassinating the last members of the White Mantle’s inner council who we re preparing to meet their " gods" in secret. The Chosen killed them and proceeded toward their de stiny. Through a serie s of ba:les they gained foothold in a small garrison ne ar the Mursaat's mighty Onyx Gate. Blade Warrior Olivio briefed them before the heroes continued on to finish off the demonic Unseen Ones. They succeeded, but by doing so they unleashed the titans upon Tyria. This

The remaining titans a:acked the human kingdoms and the Shining Blade, but they were stopped eventually. The Ascalonian heroes had done what the Seer’s entire race could not – they had defeated the Mursaat - , however, their job was still unfinishe d. The Mantle was not yet defeated… the krytan civil war:

was the Vizier’s intention all along, as he was no oth er bu t the Lich L ord behind the undead invasion of Kryt a. His desire was to rul e the world, but these dreams were sha:ered quickly, when the true C hosen slew him atop the bloodstone – which was surrounded by soul ba:eries. The absorbed ene rgies

by soul ba:eries. The absorbed ene rgies shut the Door of Komalie once again, preventing the horrors beh ind the portal entry into the mortal realms.

The Lich defeate d

By Thalad or Doo mspeak er

On the other hand, Bartholos - the new leader of the Shining Blade – and his aide , Saerin, recruited foreign adventurers and mercenaries for a quest to seize special crystal s (an arcane and spectral one) and a shimme ring essence from ettins lurking in a cave system that was infused with the power of a bloodstone – the very bloodstone where the Mursaat had planned to execute Evennia and Saidra. The e ssence was used to make the Blade mem- bers' sword sharper than any other on Tyria. The arcane crystal proved to be perfect in making arrow heads, while the spectral one's true powers were not revealed by Saerin . Ac-

cording to her, it would be invaluable in turning the tide against the Mantle.

Livi a

Although the Blade ’s hands were full of enemie s, Livia joined a group of foreign heroes – among them the same Ascalonians who had defeated the Mursaat – to stop a rising thre at in the heart of the world. Together they defeated the Great Destroye r, the an - cient nemesis of the dwarves. The fact that Livia playe d a role in the death of the Great Destroyer was far more imp ortant th an many had originally thought. She met the Ebon Vanguard, a group of elite Ascalonian soldie rs during her travels. The Vang uard late r

of elite Ascalonian soldie rs during her travels. The Vang uard late r helped in restoring the monarchy to Kr yta.

This was the time when the true Chosen learned that Said ra’ s ashes had been recovered by the Deldrimor dwarves. A fe ll ow Shining Blade member by the name of Kaira laid the heroine’s re- mains in Sparkfly Swamp. Adventurers can find this site, and if they lift the urn that contains he r ashes, they’ll feel her courageous spirit giving aid to the m.

The first round of the war favoured the Shining Blade, but the war itself was far from over. It was just the beginning of the end…

The Blade started operating within Kryta’s lands once again. However, they were still few compared to the Mantle, whose numbers were doubled by the disgusting ban dits called "Peacekeepers". In order to balance the scale, Salma ordered Evennia to make contact with the Ebon Van- guard and ask for their help. The prince ss also ordered Livia to find some Asuran inventors that could build something useful in the upcoming battle s against the oppressors.

Evennia had a hard time convincing Langmar, captain of the Ebon Vanguard, to join the war on the royalists' side, but in the end she agreed to help. Officially, without the agreement of King Adelbern, the Vanguard could not have gone to Kryta. To show that they are taking the alliance between Ascalon and K ryta seriously, Langmar and an elite group calle d the Ebon Falcons went to Kryta; however, Langmar told Evennia th at she sho uld gain aud ien ce with Adelbern if the Shining Blade wanted additional reinforcements from both Ascalon

One year later the Shinin g Blade returned to Kryta. Th ey made their camp in T almark Wilderness where all of the ir leaders were stationed. Barth o- los, Evennia and Watchman Arad, representative of the Li- onguard who brought a special

onguard who brought a special "guest" with him. Prince ss Salma, heir to the throne and the Doric line, took her rightful place beside the peopl e who fought for her and K ryta’ s free - dom. Evennia returned as

something similar of a politi

The camp in Talmark Wilde rne ss

By Thalador Do omspeak er

In the days to come, Salma gained the alliance of many. Captain Langmar and Li eutenant Thackeray (leader of the Ebon Falcons) arrived in Kryta and offe red their "unofficial" help to her, while many adventurers and mercenaries from Ascalon, Elona and Cantha took boun- ties from her majesty. These bounties wished the end of White Mantle justiciars, officers and Peacekeeper gang leaders. In less than a few weeks the bounty hunte rs made short work of both the bandits’ and the Mantle’s leadership.

Salma sent these brave men and women on more dangerous tasks. First, they slew the pe t inquisitors of Toriimo: Lashona, Bauer and Lovisa. After seeing these great successes, the difficulty of the missions grew. The princess got word of Mursaat leade rs hiding in fortified, holy sites of the Mantle. Willem the Demeaning was assassinated in the Temple of the Unseen. Aily the Innocent was crushed by "raining" golems near the Fountain of Truth. K oril the Malignant got tossed out of one of the towers of the Temple of Tolerance. May I notice that this mission would’ ve been a suicide one without the he lp of the still active Shining

Livia can be conside red lucky. She didn’ t even have to enter Rata Sum, the Asuran capital, because two brilliant, exiled asura happened to meet her. She took the m to the camp, where the identity of one of the asura caused a little chaos among the Blade. Zinn was the infamous asura who created R.O.X., a high-tech gol e m that w as programmed to kill the young Salma. Afte r settling thi s little dispute, Livia, Zinn, Blimm and the ir half-witte d

little dispute, Livia, Zinn, Blimm and the ir half-witte d golem protector, G.O.X., moved to Divinity Coast thr ough a secret river passage, where they set up a lab for the Asuran geniouses. The y were tasked with creating a spe- cial weapon that could either protect an yone fighti ng the Mursaat or damage the demonic be ings. Well, the asur a believed they could combine both into one devic e …

Zinn

Livia and the two asura me t their escort outside the village. Lieute nant Thackeray and Cap- tain Langmar also joined them in their run to the capital. Behind them the White Mantle army and the terrible jade soldie rs appeared on the horizon. The escapees warned Elder Sobel and the pe ople of Nebo village in time, who evecauted to Berge n Hot Springs.

He was true to his promise . A few days later he appeared in the Lion’ s Arch Keep bringing grave news. The White Mantle had amassed the ir armies at Demetra, the headquarter s of both the Mursaat generals and Confessor Isaiah. They were de ter- mined to end the war that had already

mined to end the war that had already taken its toll on them. Their intentio n was to kill the prince ss, shattering the embodiment of hope for all the Kry- tans who wanted their future devoid of the White Mantle and their de- monic god s.

Demetra as seen in the Bonus Mission P ack.

By Thalad or Doo mspeak er

Even though they were greatly outnumbered, nothing could stop the royalists from defend- ing their queen and their beloved ones. The Six Gods have long le ft Tyria, yet the ir ble ssi ng s and their strength were inside the besieged warriors. While the Unse en Ones we re over - seeing the battle, they did not inspire their disciples, instead, they invoked fear in their hearts. Ironic, isn’t i t?

Bartholos and his men arrived in time. Th e asura began to remodel the core. The city’s inhabitants helped the defenders in the preparations. S alma wanted to fight this battle on her own te rms. Her plan was bold, but there was a high chance that it woul d favour them. During midnight, she ordere d the defenders to open the gates. Th e su r

the defenders to open the gates. Th e su r- prised Mantle charged into the city, only to be killed by the blades, arrows and m agic of the unified defenders. As time went on, mo re and more Mantle entered the city.

First, High Inquisitor Toriimo the n Confessor Isaiah fell dead to the ground. The White Mantle got more demoralized than ever. Near the end of the battle, the White Man tle got completely replaced by the jade soldie rs of the Mursaat. Seeing that their forces were re- pelled one by one, the more impatient Unseen Ones led some of the waves themselves. Be- cause of this, Lucent and Oizys died very soon. In re sponse to their deaths, the Perfected and the Cairn constructs were thrown into the battle, however, Blimm and Zin n acti vated their secret weapon that redirected some damage of the spectral agony to the sou rc e, while it still protecte d the injured from certain death. In the very end, Talios, the Mursaat

On the next morning Salma made her triumphant spee ch. She thanked everyone who longed for peace and the end of the oppression. Livia assume d leadership over the Shining Blade, since Bartholos had stepped d own an d h ad become the leader of the newly-founded nation al army of Kryta, the Seraph. The Shining Blade’s role had changed: from the point whe re Salma had claimed her birthright and had taken her rightful throne, the Shining

birthright and had taken her rightful throne, the Shining Blade became the royal guard of every king and queen of the tropical kingdom.The Shining Blade ’s deeds will never be forgotten, Without them, all Krytans would stil l suffer under the yoke of the Unseen Ones and their fan ati cal devotee s.

I know that there will be hard times when the Shining Blade will be called upon again, but until then let us all enjoy an era of peace and justice. Long live the queen!

Princess Sal ma

By Thalador Do omspeak er

Amongst the enemies in Guild Wars, one holds a special place in the hearts of the commu- nity. Introduced as te mporary villains of Guild Wars Prophecie s, the Mursaat gained a larg e following to the point of player made events being held to keep them living in the final chapter of Guild Wars and (afte r Eye of the Norths release) the upcoming Guild Wars 2. Lik e many of the elder races, the Mursaat are no excepton to the "must have mysteries" rule, and thus, their beginnings and past are yet to be revealed fully.

It was in the days of the Guild Wars that a drunken gambler, Saul D'Alessio, turned to rob- bing merchants in order to pay his debt back to the gambling guild, the Lucky Horseshoe. However after finally repaying this debt, he was caught by one of his victms, tri ed, and exiled from the kingdom of Kryta. Taken into the forest and left to die, many thought they had seen the last of D'Alessio, but they were wrong. Weeks later he returned to Kryta draped in white robes healthy and ready to begin spreading the word of what he found in that forest, word of the new gods he had give n himself to.

What Saul had seen in that forest he described to many - a city of towers reaching into th e heavens and creatures the likes of which he h ad never seen before. These cre atures wou ld become the driving force of the White Mantle, gods to rule in the place of the Five that human s had worshipe d since early days. They were nick- named by the populace as the "Unseen

named by the populace as the "Unseen Ones"due to their tendency to never sho w themselves despite the Mantles insistence that while the citzens could not see them, they could see the citzens. The Un seen were always watch- ing.

Some believed these so called gods did not e xist, that they were another tale from a dru nken foo l who had delved into madness. But they did e xist, though they were not t he go ds S aul tho ught they were.. .

Another odd thing about the ir race comes from their atnity to spell castng. Unlike humans or charr, who are skilled in both the magical and the martal arts, the Mursaat are strictly magical beings. They do employ the use of swords and bows. For this, the y depend upon strange golem-like creatures known as Jade Constructs. Like their masters, these jade units float above the ground; however, they rarely use spells to vanquish e nemies, instead de- pending on physical force. Jade units are made up of Jade Armours, powerful hammer wielding warriors, and Jade Bows, masters of marksmanship. Rarel y seen are a thir d type, the Jade Cloak, who unlike its predecessors, make full use of magic and bear a gree n she l l

the Jade Cloak, who unlike its predecessors, make full use of magic and bear a gree n she l l rather than a purp le o ne. The Mursaat are a force to be reckoned with, but the full extent of their power does no t solely lie with the mastery of magic they possess or their relentle ss jade soldie r s. The ir tr ue power is an ability that all Mursaat and jade constructs are able to use, a powerful spell able to destroy living creatures. The ability known as Spectral Agony. the power and enemies of the mursaa t

Spectral Agony is a terrifying spell that is able to destroy a person in seconds. While many believe the power is able to be used only by the Mursaat, some speak of Saul D'Alessio being gifted with the ability in his final hours, indicatng that the spell can be passed on to those the Mursaat deem worthy enough to control the power. Despite its power, Spectral Agony is not completely unstoppable and defense against it is possi ble. Long ago, the Mur- saat were involved in a war with a second elde r race known as the Seers. The genderless Seers, like the Mursaat, were unlike any other race. They were grey-skinned, had four arms, and like the Mursaat, could float above the ground with grace.

and like the Mursaat, could float above the ground with grace. However, the Seers were no allies to the Mursaat, and the unnamed war that started be- tween them ended with the Seers being wiped out and their civilizaton being forgotten through tme. Only one known survivor remains to this day, roaming the remote regions of Tyria. However, it does not move without purpose, as sometme during the war the Seers successfully found a way to defe nd themselves from Spectral Agony.

The ritual of the Seers made to combat the effects of Spectral Agony is known as "Infusion". Infusion involve s taking a certain essence from a rare beast and infusing it within an obje ct

By Fr ee Runn er

It was in 1072 AE that the Flameseeker Prophecies began to unfold. The se prophecies, compiled by the dragon Glint, were known only to a few beings, the Mursaat included. However unlike others, the Mursaat had everything to lose if the prophecie s came true - their race would fall. Knowing this, they began to plot ways to stop the prophecies from being completed. But who could do this? The answe r came to them... Saul D'Alessio. Using Saul, the Mursaat were able to gain the divine status they thought themselve s worthy of to the desperate humans of Kryta. The founding of the White Mantle would allow the m to in- tervene upon a piece of the Prophecies, the Chosen who would cause the downfall of th e

tervene upon a piece of the Prophecies, the Chosen who would cause the downfall of th e Mursaat.

However, the Mursaat were foolish to leave the task of getting rid of the chosen to the Mantle. The true Chosen slipped through the grasp of the Mantle and continued on their long journey, unknowingly moving towards the Mursaats greatest fear. Pulling out of K ryta, the Mursaat began defending the Ring of Fire Islands, the place where the Door of Komalie resided. The Chosen, with the help of a Seer, gained infusion and fought through the Mur- saat's defenses finally making it to the door. There the foretold Flameseeker opened the door and allowed the monsters waiting behind it to enter Tyria. The Titans were the demise of the Mursaat that the Prophecies had told of, and they slowly began invading Tyria. T hese

of the Mursaat that the Prophecies had told of, and they slowly began invading Tyria. T hese new terrors were immune to Spectral Agony; therefore, the Mursaat were destroye d by the Titans who rampaged through Tyria like a newborn plague. The Mursaat had failed to s top their fate and fell like the prophecy foretold.

Using an object known as the Eye of Janthir, the Mantle would seek new recruits worthy to join them. Se arching the village s of Kryta, the Eye of Janthir would test peasants and t hose lucky enough to pass would be taken to study with the Unseen o nes. Or so it would see m to the familie s and friends of those taken, as the Eye of Janthir was no mere recruitment test - it was a test to seek out the foretold Chosen. The Mursaat used the Mantle to sacrifice those Chosen on a nearby Bloodstone, both

Mantle to sacrifice those Chosen on a nearby Bloodstone, both powering the doors that held the Mursaats fated destroyers back and getting rid of those who would open the d oors.

Despite the Mursaat having mostly been wiped out by the Titans, all was not lost. One of the Mursaat leaders, Lazarus the Dire had not falle n with the rest. Lazarus escaped from the Titans rampage by splitting himself into aspe cts and infusing each one within his dedi- cated Mantle followers. The followers graciously allowed their god to e nter into the m, be- lieving it to be a gift of power. Six years afte r the Door of Komal ie had be en opene d, Laza- rus finally began to make his move. Remnants of the Mantle moved throughout the Tar- nished Coast, and the members who had received Lazarus's "gift" had began dyin g.

The process to remove each aspect by Lazarus killed its host and the final host h ad lon g since understood the gift he had received was merely a curse. The lone Justiciar sought the help of a genius Asura named Glayvin, hoping he would get rid of the aspect without killing him. Glayvin the Asura failed to remove the aspect, instead corrupting it in the proce ss. Now without hope, the Justiciar brought L azarus ou t for a fi nal conf ro ntatio n. Having gained all his aspe cts, Lazarus the Dire appeared, killing the Justiciar who had served his purpose. Lazarus turned to those aiding the Justiciar and prepared to kill them when his power began to twist upon itse lf. The aspect Glayvin had uninte ntionally changed backfired

power began to twist upon itse lf. The aspect Glayvin had uninte ntionally changed backfired on Lazarus harming him in the process. Weakened and enraged, Lazarus swore revenge on humanity for what it had done to him and his brothers. Co un tless gen eratio ns wou ld suff er for what they had done to the Mursaat... and with that, Lazarus fled into the darkness. the unseen fut ure

In 1079 AE, the fight between the Shining Blade and the White Mantle over the futu re of Kryta turned from small battles into a ful l-blown civil war. Under a new confessor, the White Mantle attempted to keep its grasp on Kryta... and the surviving Mursaat we re behind them. Se ven survivors besides Lazarus the Dire remained, attempting to take shelter within Mantle forts as their oppression swe pt over Kryta. The new queen of Kryta learned of their survival and began dispatching heroes to de stroy the Mursaat once and for all.

By Fr ee Runn er

Willem the Demeaning and Aily the Innocent were the first of the survivors to be taken c are of, Willem hiding inside the Temple of the Unseen and Aily taking refuge within the w al ls of Shaemoor. Scared by their deaths, the White Mantle began to regroup their forces in the village of Demetra, allowing a group of heroes to slip into the Te mple of Tole rance and de- stroy another Mursaat, Koril the Malignant. With three Mursaat killed under the White Mantle's noses, the time had come for the final decisive batt le.

Will the revenge against humanity Lazarus spoke of be carried out? Nobody can know for sure, but one thing is certain: the Unse en will return.

The White Mantle marched across Kryta to the city of Lions Arch. It was there where the queen's forces clashed with the White Mantle for rule over Kryta; however, the Mantle had not come alone. Alongside the Mantle the last four Mursaat, Lucent the Spectral, Oizys the Miserable, Ambrillus the Guardian, and the ir presumed leader Talios

Guardian, and the ir presumed leader Talios the Resplendent, unle ashed their wrath on the forces of the queen. Each one fell o ne after the other on the battlefield, ensurin g the defeat of the White Mantle once and fo r all. All se ven of the reported survivors had fallen, and Kryta would move on to a new age, no longer under the rule of the Unseen

age, no longer under the rule of the Unseen or the White Mantle. But the Mursaat are n ot extinct yet... for Lazarus the Dire still remains somewhere in Tyr ia.

A Mursaat, as seen in -game.

By Fr ee Runn er

Saul D'Alessio and the Mursaat