Guild Wars 2

The King and Queen’s Horrorween 2013

“It was a long time ago, longer now than it seems.
In a place perhaps you’ve seen in your dreams.
As the long summer ends, and the winds turn cold,
our memories drift back to the holidays of old.

A Mad Queen of legend and bad repute,
returns to Kryta with her ghoulish pursuit.
A King of the Snowmen follows by her side.
They shall be your hosts for this devious night.

Zombies and spirits rise up and take pause.
Tonight all of Lion’s Arch is caught in their claws."

What is the Horrorween?

The Horrorween was a popular Halloween community event in Guild Wars 1, hosted by Mad Queen Malafide and Daniel Frozenwind. This is the return of that event in Guild Wars 2, with the very same hosts. It has been exactly 250 years since the people of Tyria helped Miya and Malafide return to their world, by performing a ritual, and creating a massive gateway in Lion’s Arch.

But now the Queen of Halloween has returned.

The schedule for Saturday October 26th 2013
Times are listed in GMT, in Lion’s Arch, server is Aurora Glade (EU).

16:00 GMT / 18:00 CET – Tales of terror (a spooky swamp tour)

The Mad Queen takes you on a tour through the Krytan swamps while telling a chilling Halloween tale. Bring your lanterns, and don’t stray from the light. This is a pre-event to the actual Horrorween, that leaves from Divinity’s Reach.

18:00 GMT (States) / 20:00 CET (Europe) – Arrival of the Mad Queen in Lion’s Arch, Horrorween pre-event
18:30 GMT / 20:30 CET – Transmogrify Sync (Fun with unlabeled potions) + drinks and food
19:00 GMT / 21:00 CET – Shark attack! (AKA fun by the beach)
20:00 GMT / 22:00 CET – All Hallows costume contest (Dress your scariest)
21:00 GMT / 23:00 CET – Pongu (survival horror of the 8-bit kind)
22:00 GMT / 24:00 CET – Last is first (A classic from 250 years ago)
23:00 GMT / 01:00 CET – Rooftops full of corpses (AKA the amazing swan dive)
24.00 GMT / 02:00 CET – Zombie attack!
1.00 GMT / 03:00 CET – The undead army marches on Kryta

Event Hosts
-Mad Queen Malafide
-Daniel Frozenwind

Staff
-Lady Rhonwyn
-

Catering
-Lola Shade
-

Filming
-

How can you help out?

What we still need is more staff and more donations. If you would like to sign up for staff, catering, or filming, just post in this thread and list your in-game name, and the position you’d like to fill. We need mostly people that are available for most of the night.

What we are looking for donation wise, is tonics, gold items and exotics, and of course gold and rare crafting materials.

I so wish this was on an NA server. You guys are Doing It Right.

Alas, the split between EU and US servers creates a divide that is difficult to overcome for us event hosts. Hopefully in the future the lovely people at Arenanet will find a solution to this problem. And we understand if people don’t want to switch servers just to attend, that would be a bit much to expect from US players.

We’ll try and film the event, so that you can at least see what it was like.

I will love joining and helping out ^^ I remember it was so much fun the previous event I attended. I have some nice items that can function as reward.

Jeaellasar.2680:

I will love joining and helping out ^^ I remember it was so much fun the previous event I attended. I have some nice items that can function as reward.

Splendid darling! Can I sign you up for staff or catering?

hmmm I think considering the items I have got I suppose staff?
Is it an idea to send you the items in game or do you want me to give it in a different matter. If I had been a guildmember I could’ve put them in the guildbank xD

Love to see you guys carrying this into Guild Wars 2 – I just wish I could participate

Have fun!

Jeaellasar.2680:

hmmm I think considering the items I have got I suppose staff?
Is it an idea to send you the items in game or do you want me to give it in a different matter. If I had been a guildmember I could’ve put them in the guildbank xD

You can send the items to me, and I shall store them in our event vault. We have a special guild bank reserved just for the Horrorween prizes.

If you just want to donate, that’s also fine. But if you actively want to take part in the activities of the event, that’s what staff is for. Our staff not only hand out prizes, but they entertain the players (a little roleplaying), provide them with information (answering their questions), and take part in the mini games themselves. They also help vote on who wins some of the contests. For example, with the costume contest every staff member votes, and we together decide who wins.

If you sign up for catering instead, then you’re basically handing out food and drinks during the event. That’s it. It’s an easy fun job. We’ll provide you with food and drinks to hand out, but any food/drink items you bring yourself are also welcome.

Staff and catering are excluded from winning any prizes, because that wouldn’t feel fair. But if you just donate, you can still take part like everyone else of course.

Yailith.4056:

Love to see you guys carrying this into Guild Wars 2 – I just wish I could participate

Have fun!

Thank you very much darling. So sorry you can’t attend. But I hope everyone is as enthusiastic about the Horrorween in GW2, as they were in GW1. We’ll provide plenty of screenshots and video (if possible) of the event on these forums, after Halloween.

seems like I am unable to be in both staff or participating cries I have a birthday event at friends that very same day. I did however sent you some items that can function as rewards

Jeaellasar.2680:

seems like I am unable to be in both staff or participating cries I have a birthday event at friends that very same day. I did however sent you some items that can function as rewards

So sorry to hear that you can’t attend.

Perhaps you’ll still be able to partake in part of it, such as the early pre-event, or the ending? Because the Horrorween lasts throughout the evening, until midnight. So you might be able to catch part of it.

due the distance of where this friend lives I will most likely end up spending the night there but if that is not the case I will try ^^

Just a reminder that the Horrorween kicks off with a pre-event in Divinity’s Reach, at 16:00 GMT. If you want to join for the spooky swamp tour, meet us there. If you’d rather attend the main event, then Lion’s Arch is the place to be. The main event starts at 18:00 GMT.

For Europeans, 16:00 GMT = 18:00 CET. (spooky swamp tour)
18:00 GMT = 20:00 CET. (start of the Horrorween)

Have fun with this Malafide. If it’s still going on in the evening I’ll try to nip over after Fight for Frostgorge!

Thanks everyone for an amazing Horrorween! And congrats to the winners of the 20k prize, and the 100 ectos! This was the first official Horrorween in GW2, and you all made it a big success!

Also thanks to the people who attended the early Spooky Swamp Tour. At 18:00 CET sharp, we all set out into Queensdale, armed with lanterns and torches, while I told a chilling local tale. The transcript of that tale was requested, so I’ll place it right here. This tale is a reworked actual local folk tale, adapted for Tyria.

“*The legend of the Wights of Kryta*

Tonight I shall tell you the Legend of the Wights of Kryta. A wight, is a ghostly white witch, or spectre. They dress in white garments as pale as death, and practice ancient pagan rituals in Kryta’s forests. Some believe they are lost spirits, who could not find their way back into the Mists, and now haunt the forest at night, seeking to bring other travelers astray. Others believe that they are benign forest spirits, who just wish to be left alone. What ever be the case, it is generally believed that you should stay clear of them, for they can be very dangerous.

(We arrived at the cemetery, and two graves)

This story is about two loved ones, Adanne and Lillin. You can see their graves here,
a testament that there is some truth to this story. Whether the rest of the story is true, I do not know. But the locals have passed this story around for years. It may have changed over the years, but it remains roughly the same.

Many years ago, on the edge of what is now known as the village of Shaemoor, lived a prospering farmer. He had many tracks of land that stretched far and wide. But he had no sons, only one daughter. Her name was Lillin, and she grew up to be a beautiful yet strong farmer’s daughter. Her father wanted her to marry Bels Wengar, son of a wealthy local farmer. Yet sweet Lillin had her heart set on marrying Adanne, son of a poor local potato farmer. Of course, Adanne was shown the door right away by Lillin’s father.

The farm no longer exists today, except for the old stable, which we’ll visit now. Of course we all know that there is a happy ending to this story, as we have already seen their graves together. But what matters in such a tale is the journey.

(We arrived at the old stable)

So one lone foggy night, Adanne was riding through the forest, with this sad reality weighing heavy on his heart. Now his mother had always warned him to never ride through the forest at night, and stay clear of Godslost Swamp. Because the Wights of Kryta do not like to be disturbed during their dark pagan rituals.

But that night Adanne was not thinking about the Wights, only about Lillin. He was riding his horse up a hill, as the night grew darker still. Soon, the forest was so dark, that he could no longer see the path before him. Adanne realized he was hopelessly lost! As Adanne was trying to figure out where to go, white shapes suddenly glided out of the darkness. Much to his shock and horror, both rider and horse were lifted into the air, and turned around in the opposite direction. Of course Adanne was terribly frightened, for he had almost fallen to his death, to join the broken statues of the Gods of old. Had the Wights not saved him, he would have fallen to his death for sure. But he also realized just how close he had gotten to the sanctum of the Wights. This is where they practiced their dark witchcraft.

(We arrived at the cliff before the swamp)

Adanne made it home safely, and managed to convince his younger sister to bake a very special kind of cookie. Pumpkin cookies! Adanne then brought these cookies on a tray to the swamp, as thanks for saving his life. Meanwhile, Bels Wengar visited Lillin, but she made it very clear that she wasn’t interested. Lillin’s father realized that this was hopeless, and that he and his daughter were going to have to come to some sort of agreement. They agreed that both boys should complete a test. They should both take their horse to the swamp at night, and cast a metal stake into the bog. Then they should call out: “Wights of White, may this stake disperse thy blight!” The first boy to do this and return, may make Lillin his wife.

Both boys accepted the challenge, although Adanne realized he had no chance what so ever. Bels Wengar had a much better and faster horse. He would win for sure. But Bels Wengar, despite his fast horse, was not as brave as he believed himself to be. In the dark of the forest, his courage left him. He cast the stake into the bushes, and fled home halfway into the forest. Adanne however, driven by love for his sweet Lillin, made his way back to the swamp.

(We made our way to the swamproot shack)

Halfway into the swamp, a local hermit warned him to go back. The swamp was a dangerous place during the day, and more so at night. Yet the hermit could not discourage Adanne from completing his dangerous mission, so he gave him some advise instead. He told him to go where swarms of glowing fireflies gather, for they gather near shallow water. But if you step into the water at the wrong place, you never crawl back out again. Such is the danger of swamps. He also warned Adanne that he should take a jack o’ lantern with him, such as the ones we are carrying, to keep the spirits from dragging his soul into the Mists. You see, the undead fear the spirit light that these lantern shine. They reveal them for what they truly are, and this frightens them. By placing Jack O’ Lanterns outside your home, you scare off any undead creatures… well most of them anyway.

(We made our way to the Demongrub Pits)

So with a Jack O’ Lantern under his arm, Adanne took his horse further into the swamp. He followed the fireflies, and managed to stay near shallow water. And then he found himself at the entrance of a dark cave. From within, he heard an eerie chanting. A ghostly ritual of sorts. Slowly, he edged closer to the pit before him. Down below, the Wights were performing their pagan rituals, lead by a high priestess of sorts, in similar ghostly white robes.

Adanne cast down the stake with all his might, and yelled out: “Wights of White, may this stake disperse thy blight!” The high priestess caught the stake in mid air and looked Adanne straight into his eyes, with a look that would turn your blood to ice. The Wights screamed in anger, at this disturbance of their ritual. Adanne immediately turned his horse and fled, chased by the ghastly white spectres. He could see their bloodrun eyes and their razor sharp teeth. The high priestess was even so close to him, that he could feel her ice cold breath in his neck. With their long nails clawing at the feet of his horse, he managed to flee back to Lillin’s stable.

Lillin, in her heart waiting for Adanne to succeed, was already waiting for him. The stable doors were wide open, and he rushed inside. Lillin immediately closed the stable doors behind him, and barred the door, just before one of the Wights. In anger the Wight throws the metal stake at the door, leaving it trembling in the splintered wood of the door.

Adanne and Lillin embraced, and Lillin’s father kept his word. Next spring they got married. But the day after the wedding, on a foggy morning, Adanne finds a familiar tray on his door step, with a stake on it. The tray is the same as the one he brought to the swamp, but now the tray is made of gold, and so is the stake! The Wights apparently were benign, and the two lived happily ever after.

No one knows what happened to Bels Wengar though. After that night in the forest, it seemed he had mysteriously disappeared."

Good day beloved Mad Queen. It indeed seemed like a splendid celebration yesterday night in the mortal lands of Tyria which you once more blessed with your presence. It was unfortunate I have not been able to attend until the very last moments.

As promised I shall post here some ideas for future events.
I actually had a multi day event in my head in which guilds participate as a group of three representatives. (PvE ‘battle’) Every day a number of points can be earned and after a passage of days depending on how long the event will take, the top 5 guilds get rewards.

To make things interesting you need to be in tonic or costume form if you are level 40 or higher

Also it is not possible for everyone to be online every day of the event so there may be two spare people to switch in with.

*It’s all in the name
Guilds assemble (a) group(s) of three players. The groups then have to decide on a party name. Most original gets the most points. This registration is on the forum and has to conclude all 3 memebrs plus the 2 spares.

*Whats behind the photo?
To stimulate the roleplaying a little, the characters have to write something about themselves in maximum 400 words (minimum 350). May it be how they met one another or a adventure or the characters background.

Those who decide to write for the party whole (so not individual) can write a maximum of a thousand words (minimum of 850)

Not meeting the minimum or going over the maximum amount of words gives a reduce in points

• Happy picture day! A holiday in Tyria with the guild/ friends
  Finding specific (some suicidal) locations and/or in world structures/ objects. The proof will be a print screen which has to include the participating characters POSING! (so there will not be a character swap) the screens can be posted on the forum. To give breathing space the participants first have time to make the screenshots and find the locations. After the time is over the participating groups get 10 minutes to choose their best screens which then to post. Not only will be points awarded to both the speed the images have been put on the forum, but also the prettyness of the image.

*The useless becomes useful
Here the groups need to finish off creatures to get soulbound trophies. The group having the most of their assigned to get trophies gets most points. (three rounds in this section) think of crumbling bones, dandelion blossom, Dolyak sinew etc

these were some ofo the ideas I had. I understand an event such as this requires a lot of preperations and perhaps is impossible to do but perhaps it could be something fun?

Thanks for your lovely suggestions darling. Me and my snowman companion shall be considering these and other suggestions for our next event. And I am very glad you at least managed to experience the last moments of this marvelous celebration. It truly brought back those feelings of nostalgia to both The Queen and King Frozenwind.

In response to the success of this event, I have received many ideas from the Aurora Glade community for future events. So I anticipate it will be even bigger next time.

that would be nice ^^
My idea basicly is a multi day event so it is the question wether people bother joining. What I noticed in the brief time I managed joining Horrorween many wanted the prizes being given out as soon as possible. A multi day event in which things go a bit slower (and since it is group based teamwork is required) those who are pushing to much will most likely not join. Although it would be nice that a multiday event will have quite some groups

Here are the winners of the costume contest:

First place: Renegade Master (He won the 20k prize and the Dragon Wing Cover)
Second place: Neala Riverflower (5k and an exotic)
Third place: Eexa (5k and an exotic)

We also awarded a prize of 25 ectos, and 100 ectos, to the winners of the Amazing Swan Dive.

Here are some pictures of the costume contest winners, and the event itself.