Guild Wars 2

This is my second call for assistance to the lore community, and I’m hoping that it won’t fall on its face like the Thaumanova one.

Attached below is a picture of an architectural style that has troubled my mind since July, and is largely responsible for my sour opinion of Bazaar of the Four Winds (also my drake, because as Rylan’s pose clearly shows I was feeling lazy). No particular race or creatures are associated with it, and I know of nothing like it in Guild Wars 1- but the reason I am writing this is because I have decided I know too little.

The purpose of this thread is two-fold: A.) for y’all to share everything that you know or discover about these ruins; B.) for you to go crazy with theories and speculation, and critique of theories and speculation, which you have a propensity for doing even without invitation. So have at it! The ultimate goal, if you are the sort to keep that sort of thing in mind, is to discern, if we can, who built/carved these things, and why they were abandoned.

The locations where I have seen it (to be expanded as needed if new sites are brought to my attention):
-The Gallowfields in Brisban Wildlands
-Coalpit Watchpost in Fireheart Rise (pictured)
-Mon Maelstrom in… do I need to say?
-Labyrinthine Cliffs, currently inaccessible

And as always, my sincere thanks to those who make constructive contributions. My heart will be grateful to you, when next it is between all-consuming obsessions over trivial things.

Unfortunately, I don’t have constructive discussion for this, but I have been interested in the nature of these as well. For some reason, I always associate them with Skritt, even though we’re given numerous examples of actual Skritt homes. I assume the holes are tunnels to some sort of hollowed out cave or something, which to me seems like an insectoid thing. And of course, it could just be some species we’ve never seen or heard of, gone extinct long ago and kept here to give a ‘deeper’ look at the world of Tyria.

First time I see/hear of these structures. I will go check them out, but until I get to do that, from what I can infer through the picture… it seems like supplies deposits.

In Perú, ancient civilizations, like the Inkas, used to do this exact type of “windows” on mountains. They would store supplies there on certain seasons and retrieve them later once they were needed.

I don’t see from that picture any tunnel like structure, so I doubt it’s a creature’s home or transport system. Rather seems like a small cavity on the wall, where you can put something inside it. Which leads me to my other alternative: ceremonial / deity sculptures to be set on the “windows”.

I will further comment upon analyzing them myself.

P.S. You would save me time if you actually tell me where in Mt. Maelstrom. My first character global completion was rather uncaring and fast a year ago. Currently on the process of a second completion, heavily more paced and lore focused.

It’s literally in the volcano. If you go to the asura lab waypoint, then work your way down into the volcano, you should pass some of these. The Brisban ones are also in the side of a cliff.
If these holes are storage deposits, that just begs more questions >.< Who needed to store their stuff and leave?

Based on the paint around some of the holes in the wall, as well as what Eluveitie has said, I’m going to guess that these things once belonged to the Grawl. It’s mostly the bad paint job.

I agree with the above posters, I’ve always assumed they were abandoned grawl dwellings. They seem to be located around places where they would have been pushed out by an invading faction in the area.
While I can’t at the moment, try checking the grawl camp in the SE corner of frostgorge, the painting styles may match, and possibly prove/disprove the idea.

I thought of grawl as well when I saw the paint, but two things dissuggest the notion to me: to the best of our knowledge they have neither means nor reason to cut holes into rock, especially high rock (in Labyrinthine Cliffs and Mon Maelstrom they go from the bottom of the rock face all the way up to the top), and further, grawl have never been known to settle west of the Shiverpeaks, let alone as far into the Maguuma as we can now go.

EDIT: It is also worth noting that the only place I know of where grawl live in a chasm similar to where these ruins are found, Firesnake’s Tail (what is it with grawl and tails?), the walls are smooth and unbroken. Still, I’m not willing to discount the idea entirely. The grawl are as strong a contender as any. As far as the grawl clay/paint goes, the color is somewhat similar, though that on the ruins appears darker (age, perhaps?) and grawl don’t seem to use white. The largest difference is that the grawl use large, sweeping lines and whorls, covering much of the surface. The meager outlining done on the ruins would seem an ill fit. A possible counter argument is that as the grawl use clay, it is possible that much of it flaked off as time dragged on.

Supply deposit… hm. I don’t think so, simply because of how inaccessible they can be. In the Maelstrom ones (which are throughout the chasms of Mon Maelstrom, which in turn is just south and southeast of the lab on the southern slopes of the mountain) there are a couple places where the nooks are actually carved along the lower edges of otherwise natural bridges. In other places they’re in the middle of an otherwise sheer wall of rock, far from both the top and the bottom. Perhaps idols were placed in these, but if so I don’t think they were ever meant to be recovered.

Precisely so, they were made inaccessible to prevent anyone from easily pillaging the content. Grawl seem unlikely due to locations and that they’re not known for making structures as such.

Still haven’t had the chance to go check it out, but…

In any case, what we’re looking at is definitely:

1) A species that has been in Ascalon, Shiverpeaks and Maguuma.
2) They use paint.
3) They possess tools, and means to reach high heights.

I’ve been thinking Giants might be a posibility. They seem to match the above criteria.

I think they’re a bit small for giants. Similarly with jotun. Are there any other somewhat nomadic races? Maybe a race that isn’t around anymore? Otherwise it must be from the gargoyles before they disappeared!!! Lol

Aye, and they all seem to be in fissures and crevasses (all the ones I’ve seen, anyway, with the partial exception of the LC), which would be very cramped working quarters for a giant.

I’ll admit to the tengu crossing my mind- the Caromi and Avicara certainly seemed nomadic- but again, the geographical dispersion doesn’t match up.

Gargoyles and Tengu don’t add up due to geography. Giants don’t have these structures anywhere near them either, but was a worthwhile suggesstion. I’ll stop guessing for now until I get in-game, heh.

The gargoyles thing was totally just a joke.

Since the guy arguing about moles in Tyria, you can never be too careful. :P