Guild Wars 2

Been playing since early beta, and am an RPer as I’m sure many are on here. I’ve written an in-character essay (that is, essay that would have been written by my character within the setting) and wanted to get thoughts on the ideas put forward, especially as we don’t have particularly much Guardian lore to go on. So! Please find it below

(Had to split it into multiple posts sorry )

On Guardian Magic and it’s Origins and Function.
by T Kaltlicht.

It has been two hundred and fifty years since the most well-known Paragon of Elona, Spearmarshal Kormir, passed into Godhood with the death of Abaddon. During that time, Tyria as a whole has seen massive upheaval and change in it’s environment and peoples across all areas of life. This has also included development and innovation in the use of magic. In this essay I shall discuss and explain my own interpretation of where the abilities of the Guardian fit into this tapestry of change. To do so I shall look at the historical view of magic and it’s organisation. I shall also touch upon the progenitor professions of the Guardian, namely paragons and monks. I shall also discuss personal will and it’s use in shaping magic into defensive and offensive abilities.

As per historical record, Abaddon gifted the world with magic, but due to the terrible wars such a massive influx of power caused, King Doric begged the Gods to intervene, and as such the Bloodstone was created to limit and control the magic inherent in all creatures of Tyria. The stone was split into four pieces and a keystone, and thrown into the volcano, Abaddon’s Mouth, from whence the pieces erupted and were scattered across Tyria. Today we see traces of this in the Bloodstone Dust used in various crafting professions to create extremely powerful magical items and armour.

A further theory suggests that magic existed in the world before the Gods and Bloodstones. Discussion of a Draconic cycle, where the Elder Dragons slumber and leech magic into the world, only to reawaken at saturation and consume it again, only to slumber once more and restart the cycle. Evidence has been found among the Jotun of the Shiverpeaks that their society wielded magic before the Gods walked on Tyria. Yet further theories are put forth by the various Schools within Asura society.

No matter what theory is ascribed to, if not all at once, the fact that Tyria is suffused with magic is an undeniable fact, and it is down to the sentient races of the land to research and interpret how it works and how to apply it to daily life. Within the historical context again, humanity split it into four schools, hence the four Bloodstone parts, namely Preservation, Destruction, Aggression, and Denial. The forms of magic within the schools aptly match the names, and the professions of old, and their new interpretations, draw from more than just one school.

Of the professions of old, Monks and Paragons, as stated, are the two most closely tied to Guardians. Monks were a human profession who had a direct conduit to the Six. Their abilities relied upon prayers to the Gods to bring healing and protection to their allies and call down divine wrath upon foes. With relation to the Gods, Dwayna was considered the mostly attuned to the Monks, especially in their protective aspects, and Balthazar when in their offensive pursuits.

Paragons hail from Elona and were considered touched by the Gods, having come close to death and survived, attributing their survival to the Six. However, unlike the monks,they do not directly call upon the Gods for power. Instead they aided through rallying shouts and chants, supporting and encouraging. Their use of spears and shields allowed them range on the battlefield, from which they could give greater support, rather than being at the frontline with their allies behind them.

Since Kormir’s Ascension to godhood, these two professions do indeed appear to have evolved into a single one. Guardians poses the healing, protective and smiting abilities of the monk, and combine them with the inspirational and battlefield presence of the paragon. One major difference is entirely obvious. With the spreading of knowledge to the now generally allied races of Tyria, the reliance on the power of gods or higher beings is now removed. This is especially shown as we now see Asuran, Norn and even Charr guardians, as well as newly awakened Sylvari guardians. I shall touch upon this further, later in the essay.

It would be remiss of me not to also touch upon the abilities of the Ritualist, as there are hints of these two within the portfolio of the Guardian. The Ritualist being a magic user from Cantha which actually pre-dates the arrival of the Gods. They are known for having called upon the spirits of their Ancestors for power, which they then used to summon spirit-world allies. This shows itself in the modern Guardian as the ability to summon spiritual weapons which act independently.

It can be considered that true power requires both strength and force, and the will to apply and direct said force. This can be said for all professions, both old and new, across all of Tyria, regardless of the religious faith of the wielder, or the target said power is directed at. Historically, as stated, the Monk’s force came from the Gods themselves, and their own will used to direct it through prayer. The Paragon’s power, similarly, came from their faith in the Gods, and the will was their own, directing said force as shouts and rallying calls to their allies. In modern times, however, with Guardians coming from all races, where does the force itself come from, as it is generally only humans who still keep faith with the Six, and even then, there are areas of humanity where this belief differs?

My own theory on this relates to the discussion of upheaval in my opening paragraph. The world has seen some devastating changes since Kormir’s ascension. The rising of the Dragons, changes to landscape and peoples, new enemies and threats emerging. With all this, the major races of Tyria are now allied, even the humans and charr, bitter enemies for generations, are now starting on the path toward peace. This gives a tremendous body of will, and it is this alone which I believe that now fuels the Guardian profession. The will to keep what we have, to protect our world, to maintain what little stability we have now gained. It is the faith in those around us, in ourselves, in our right to continue existing. That which used to direct the power of the Gods themselves now directs the magic of the Guardian.

To demonstrate my theory, I shall look at the current portfolio of abilities considered ‘standard’ for all the Guardian. As befits a form of magic which mixes two previous professions together, Guardians appear to have split, sometimes opposing, sides to their abilities; offense and defence, magical and martial weapons, vocal spells and symbols on the ground, actual physical attacks and spiritual, near ghostly, weapons and manifestations. All of these formed by the will and faith of the caster.

The first and majorly noticeable ability, and the first that is generally taught alongside proficiency with martial weapons, is the summoning of the aegis or shield of pure will and focus. Whether wielding a physical barrier or not, the aegis is a requirement to ensure the will and focus of the Guardian is maintained at all times. Similarly perhaps to mesmeric constructs, it manifests as a kite-shaped shield on the arm of the Guardian and will shatter when absorbing the next attack. Some guardians have indeed taken note of the mesmeric ability to direct shattered illusions and can cause effects on the aegis being broken.

This protective manifestation can then be added to, increased and re-shaped into other forms once the young Guardian has mastered it. This includes walls and domes as well as circles. Shapes which can reflect, push back and keep enemies either outside of the area, or trap them close to the offensive guardian’s attacks. Another word that could perhaps be applied to such defensive capabilities is control, ensuring the enemy is where the guardian and it’s allies wish it to be.

With offensive abilities, these are most commonly tied to the weapons immediately in the Guardian’s hands. Unlike warriors however, these also include magical items such as scepters and foci, as well as the ability to make use of a staff, though this is more for supportive rather than offensive capabilities. These are all, generally, related to the idea of the monk ‘smiting’ mindset. Adding to the muscle-power and physical prowess of the guardian come the ability to attack multiple enemies around oneself, to inscribe symbols on the ground which both support allies and harm enemies, and to accentuate movement around the battlefield. Again, the term control can be applied, both in terms of controlling the enemy’s movement, but also your own toward or away from them.

There is, as mentioned, a third side to this which is the idea of support. This is where the Paragon’s shouts and inspirations come into play, and the third generally considered form for the manifestation of a Guardian’s will, namely, that of fire. A Guardian’s flames can be widely utilised but most often initially so for the purging of magically applied conditions or injuries, poisons and bleeding for example. The exertion of will required to remove these most often manifests as fire, as stated, and once understood and controlled this can be again utilised and strengthened. Indeed, many Guardians are able to apply it into their offensive abilities and cause burning to their enemies. It can be also noted that said Guardian fire can actually be used to snuff out mundane fire within a short range.

These two opposing forms combined with the idea of support, once mastered, can then be combined in a multitude of ways. Once one has learned to physically manifest their will in terms of shield or ranged attack, this can easily be changed to manifestation of spiritual weapons, as per mentioned Ritualist influence. An ultimate example of this is the manifestation of a Tome. The Guardian’s will manifests as a book, allowing it to be formed into a number of either supportive or aggressive forms and powerful abilities.

This, however, can present the Guardian with a problem. All of these manifestations of willpower require a certain amount of concentration to maintain, and this can take tremendous mental concentration and discipline. Maintaining all of the manifestations at once can take a lifetime to truly master and it is the major weakness for a Guardian. Being distracted, caused to fear or interrupted in concentration in any way can be devastating for the Guardian and is a major reason why so much of Guardian training consists of focus and discipline.

In conclusion, the Guardian is a melding of multiple older philosophies of magical manifestation and ability, combined with the modern Tyrian will and strength to preserve and persevere in the face of tremendous upheaval. In these trying times, the Guardian is a beacon of discipline and focus, granting protection and support to their allies in the form of shielding and magical condition removal, and offensive capability, strengthening themselves and allies to take on greater challenges that individually would be insurmountable.