Guild Wars 2

We’ve had many threads about Wizard’s Tower. There are dozens of theories behind it.

BUT none that I know of mentions Howland. (If you visit this page, read the trivia – “Howland may be named after the wizard Howl from the book Howl’s Moving Castle.”)

—> He tasks elementalists to bring him Heart of Ice that allows creating Ice Golems. Verata can be found there too.

—> In Pre-Searing, Verata bows to him. Although this could be ironic (like the bow to Ciglo), we know that elemenetalists (Aziure) were accepted in the Order too.

Speaking of Aziure… in Pre-Searing she could be found researching a water magic elite spell, Ward Against Harm, in the area called Wizard’s Folly. To be more precise, it happens at the Tower that was guarded by a Golem. It’s worth mentioning that Ice and Stone Elementals can be found there. What’s more, Ice Elementals attack Aziure and the player as she is creating the new spell.
Aidan suspects that this tower could be a reason behind aloe husks (that can be found in Kessex too, among many other places) plaguing the land.

Wizard’s Folly (and the tower) can’t be entered after the Searing.

Wizard’s Folly Tower’s fate is unknown according to this forum post by Mark Katzbach back from 2014.

Jeff [Grubb]: I think the two towers are similar chiefly because of the chains. The idea of chaining down your tower makes sense for when you are dealing with particularly powerful powerful magics allows you to move the tower away from populated areas when you are experimenting with particularly powerful energies, and, of course, to move away once something has gone horribly, horribly wrong. The tower in Kessex Hills was in a nearby location in GW1 and was towed to the present location. The one from Ascalon in GW1 is missing and its fate is unrevealed.

Wiki takes it as proof that they’re not related but imo it’s not a clear clarification. I don’t think that they’re the same towers but the Pre-Searing one might be a part of the great one. (or ArenaNet planned it to be the same tower but scrapped the idea at some point. We know that Villainy of Galrath is one of the first quests made. It means that Pre-Searing tower was most likely added later, although Aziure’s quest happens 2 years before Galrath tried to enter the Kessex tower.)

I don’t know if Isgarren could be Howland (that was named Rodgort during gw1 beta btw) himself (he could gain immortality at some point) or his relative (his and Aziure’s great-great-grandson?) but this theory seems logical.

It doesn’t explain, however, towers’ origins.

Anyway, what are your thoughts on this? Could Howland and Heart of Ice be related to Wizard’s Tower?

Interesting, and yeah you could be right. Thing is, there are a lot of speculations that could be right. At one time it was really enjoyable for me to speculate about the tower, but I’m kind of over it. I just want the official details from ANet. It’s been 10 years.

Fomivee.3065:

(If you visit this page, read the trivia – “Howland may be named after the wizard Howl from the book Howl’s Moving Castle.”)

This was added by an IP for unstated reasons. In all honesty, it’s pure speculation because his name is Howland, and the other dude’s name is Howl, and both are magicians. There’s doesn’t seem to be any similarity beyond that.

Fomivee.3065:

—> In Pre-Searing, Verata bows to him. Although this could be ironic (like the bow to Ciglo), we know that elemenetalists (Aziure) were accepted in the Order too.

And why wouldn’t the mysterious “the Order” accept elementalists? People presume because all but one named member is a necromancer that it is a group for necromancers, but we honestly can’t say that is so.

Fomivee.3065:

It’s worth mentioning that Ice and Stone Elementals can be found there.

Just as they’re found throughout the area. I’m not exactly sure I’d call that a coincidence, since it’s a stated known fact that wild elementals form in locations of great magic and are attracted to such. That’s why the ice elementals attack Azuire as she practices her spell.

Fomivee.3065:

Aidan suspects that this tower could be a reason behind aloe husks (that can be found in Kessex too, among many other places) plaguing the land.

That’s a huge leap. Firstly, Aidan’s claiming that Azuire’s magic specifically is the cause of the husks. Secondly, aloe husks are seen EVERYWHERE in Tyria. Throughout Ascalon, throughout the Shiverpeaks, throughout Kryta. They’re just in abundance near the river which flows from the river. They are NOT unique to the towers – nor was Aidan claiming such; he was claiming that Azuire was causing an uncommon increase of them.

Fomivee.3065:

Wiki takes it as proof that they’re not related but imo it’s not a clear clarification. I don’t think that they’re the same towers but the Pre-Searing one might be a part of the great one. (or ArenaNet planned it to be the same tower but scrapped the idea at some point. We know that Villainy of Galrath is one of the first quests made. It means that Pre-Searing tower was most likely added later, although Aziure’s quest happens 2 years before Galrath tried to enter the Kessex tower.)

Eh, wrong.

The wiki doesn’t claim they’re different because of the interview – they claim they’re different because they look nothing alike. The Wizard’s Folly Tower is two long spires that combine into a “cabin” like strcture and is chained down to bark-like stone (a copy of the Talmark Wilderness pillars, though any lore relations is unclear and probably unintended as most of the Old Krytan writing is, seemingly intentionally, hidden by other stone); the Wizard’s Tower is more like a castle (though less so back in GW1 than in GW2 – dunno why it’s called Wizard’s Tower, it should be Wizard’s Castle, IMHO). Completely different, and the Wizard’s Folly tower is definitely not part of the Wizard’s Tower – we’d be able to clearly identify such if it were.

Also, pre-Searing was one of the last things created for Prophecies.

Fomivee.3065:

Anyway, what are your thoughts on this? Could Howland and Heart of Ice be related to Wizard’s Tower?

It’s interesting speculation, but it doesn’t really hold any water. Everything used to link the two are either common place elsewhere or seemingly irrelevant.

Bumping this thread rather than creating another, since Josh saw fit to tease “the floating castle we’re not allowed to talk about” on Friday’s PoI.

I also want to point out that I spotted a conversation in game Saturday speculating that the newly redesigned Mystic Toilet (which you can now dive into and get kicked out of) is actually a portal to to the tower, and that conversation between the nearby NPC’s backs this up. It’s got me curious enough to start an experiment on my own; I’ll post anything interesting I discover.

Sort of like clicking on the cows in the original Diablo game in search of the “Secret Cow Level”. At least the graphics are better.

The only conversation nearby the Mystic Forge is about all the weapons/other items that people have tossed into the Forge. Nothing hints to some portal.

And I don’t see why the Mystic Forge would be a portal to the Wizard’s Tower. It is Zomorros’ prison. Walking into it seems to turn you into the Thaumanova Anomaly’s model – which to me is eerily similar to air djinn from Nightfall (from its ethereal yellow appearance to it throwing spears to it having lightning within its body which is related to air).

I’m not seeing this ‘portal’ theory. The new design is probably more of a joke on the nickname (mystic toilet) than anything else (because it’s a literal drain by appearance now).

So what was the reason behind this ‘portal’ theory?

Wish I knew, and had noted the name of the player talking about it. I didn’t start to consider it seriously until many hours later.

I have yet to hear any kind of NPC conversation near it, though my engineer did discover that if she used Jump Shot to enter and landed perfectly, she’d be tossed up and down indefinitely instead of getting thrown right out.

So that’s progress of a sort. The thing now is to corner Josh, Peter, or Rubi to find out why they were teasing the Wizard’s Tower during the PoI. Bribery with cookies might be necessary before it’s all said and done.

Tanith.5264:

Wish I knew, and had noted the name of the player talking about it. I didn’t start to consider it seriously until many hours later.

I have yet to hear any kind of NPC conversation near it, though my engineer did discover that if she used Jump Shot to enter and landed perfectly, she’s be tossed up and down indefinitely instead of getting thrown right out.

So that’s progress of a sort. The thing now is to corner Josh, Peter, or Rubi to find out why they were teasing the Wizard’s Tower during the PoI. Bribery with cookies might be necessary before it’s all said and done.

I was shouting at the computer screen when they teased that. I’ve wanted to know about that for YEARS!

A guildmate and I have decided that Zommoros is actually the Wizard.

Zommoros the djinn = Isgarren the wizard?

Sure, why not. Can’t be worse than Scarlet.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Zommoros the djinn = Isgarren the wizard?

Sure, why not. Can’t be worse than Scarlet.

And then the Wizard turns out to be a time travelling Scarlet Hologram…

Erukk.1408:

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Zommoros the djinn = Isgarren the wizard?

Sure, why not. Can’t be worse than Scarlet.

And then the Wizard turns out to be a time travelling Scarlet Hologram…

Cue maniacal laughter.

Which turns into a cough because Scarlet’s Rattle.

And then Diana Wynne Jones, the author of Howl’s Moving Castle, sues ANet for copywrite infringement……