Guild Wars 2

We know with metagame knowledge that Flame Legion followed the Titans, and the Titans were instructed by Abaddon, and that Flame Legion wasn’t aware at the time that Abaddon, a human god, was involved – they just followed the Titans as if they were gods.

In the present day, do the races know that as general knowledge? The Searing is referenced all over Tyria of course, because it was one of the biggest cataclysmic events before the Elder Dragons. But it doesn’t seem like the races know that Abaddon ultimately caused it.

Hm… that’s a hard one. The only folks who’d know would be Kormir, the Sunspears, and the Order of Whispers, plus that motley assortment of henchmen- so someone who’s been off doing godly things, a defunct organization from a foreign land, a group known for their tight lips, and a few fellows who wouldn’t be believed. On the other hand, though, Kormir’s thing is knowledge, so she might’ve seen fit to make sure it got around.

Either way, though, at this point it’d be an obscure fact of human history. Nightfall was a big deal, but it happened further back than three of our five races have records, and the charr have worked tirelessly to distance themselves from their former religion. Any reliable information on titan worship would’ve been phased out for their derisive propaganda. That’d just leave the Order of Whispers, and maybe the Priory and human priests and scholars, with the information.

To be honest, it doesn’t matter to GW2’s storyline if they know or not, since that plot is done. It might have gotten a little revisit if Evon had won the election and his Abaddon fractal was implemented instead of Kiel’s Thaumanova. But as it stands, the only plot relevant fact is that the Charr, more specifically the Flame Legion, summoned the Searing.

So does the average citizen know it was Abaddon? No, I don’t think so. Humans might know the name from the cult of Kormir, maybe even the cults of the other gods too but I’m not sure if they would know the connection of Abaddon → Titans → Flame Legion. That’s something the heroes of Nightfall found out. By that extend the knowledge passed to the Order of Whispers and probably the Durmand Priory, they perform a mini-searing after all, so it’s likely they know what is behind its magic.
But those are the Orders, not average citizens. Those are details that aren’t really of interest to the public, in fact it might even be dangerous to give that information away. Imagine if the White Mantle, or the Inquest figured out how to cause a Searing. Besides, not counting some obscure human scriptures, Abaddon seems to be more or less forgotten by history anyway. As I said, aside from maybe humans, I doubt any of the races average member has heard the name before.

Reasonable points, you guys. And yes, of course that story is “done” and all, but I was asking because I was trying to decide how best to move forward with a detail about a character I’m roleplaying, and this happened to be important for it.

I doubt the average citizen knows it was ultimately Abaddon, though I’ll wager that Kralkatorrik being the source of magic for the event is commonly known.

At the end of the day, the takeaway is likely that the Charr caused the Searing, and the Flame Legion more specifically. Regardless of who gave them the weapon, they were the ones to point and fire it.

Kalarchis.8635:

I doubt the average citizen knows it was ultimately Abaddon, though I’ll wager that Kralkatorrik being the source of magic for the event is commonly known.

I’d disagree, seeing as it’s not commonly known even to us. The only basis for that theory is one out-of-universe document cluing us in that the Searing magic predated the titans, and the whole crystal parallel (and saying all magic crystals are linked to Kralkatorrik is just silly).

All the Priory experts (since they were brought up earlier) that we talk to attribute the Searing and the cauldrons solely to the Flame Legion, so I’m not even certain they remember that the original cauldron had been a gift.

My gut feeling is that the information is in the ‘public domain’. It’s part of the story of Kormir, and it’s likely that the stories don’t omit the titans being part of Abaddon’s armies.

How much it’s believed, however, is another question. The other races are likely to consider it exaggeration of the power of the human gods. Even most humans may consider it to be myth more than genuine history – after all, only a relatively small number of heroes entered the Realm of Torment and returned to tell the tale, and even the White Mantle were considered to be bogeymen by most humans at the start of GW2. So my estimation would be that it’s known that the story of Kormir’s ascension claims that the titans were servants of Abaddon all along, but the number of people who believe that it was literally true is relatively small. The Flame Legion worshipping the titans and invoking the Searing, on the other hand, is history that everyone agrees on.

i think the priory should know. and the order… i want ascalon to build a hugeeee wall. and make ascalon greeat again.

Someone Zhitan corrupted had to have known. I have long suspected that it was a cauldron of cataclysm that the risen were after in the sunken temple.

Aaron Ansari.1604:

I’d disagree, seeing as it’s not commonly known even to us. The only basis for that theory is one out-of-universe document cluing us in that the Searing magic predated the titans, and the whole crystal parallel (and saying all magic crystals are linked to Kralkatorrik is just silly).

The Movement of the World and Ecology of the Charr are actually in-universe Priory papers, we were told once, just delivered out of game.

Still, that one comment is only a very strenuous hint at best, and the second basis for the theory is the Searing Effigy which creates purple fire and crystal, but very very few people saw this thing before its destruction.

dusanyu.4057:

Someone Zhitan corrupted had to have known. I have long suspected that it was a cauldron of cataclysm that the risen were after in the sunken temple.

Why would a Searing Cauldron (there was only one Cauldron of Cataclysm and I believe we saw that at the Hierophant’s Stronghold in Eye of the North) be at a temple that was sunken for a thousand years before the Searing? No charr went in there as far as we know or are hinted at.

And why would any of the risen know? The charr only knew the titans gave them the cauldron of cataclysm – and we see no charr risen covered in coral like the orrian risen (invading charr would have been underwater just as long). The Orrians didn’t even know about the titans, given no one did but the charr until the end of Prophecies.