Guild Wars 2

It is interesting to ponder the game’s (at least initial) focus on the land of Orr. Some might argue that Zaithan’s rise in Orr was for the worse, but I believe that his rise played an important part in the restoration of Tyria herself. The trouble in Orr did not begin with Zaithan, but with the once-human Lich, Vizier Khilbron, who invoked a powerful spell banishing the region beneath the waters. You could say, then, that Tyria herself was injured by the work of humans – an invasive force upon Tyria, migrants not natives, whose only interest in the planet/continent is almost exclusively selfish – and that Zaithan’s rise corrected this somewhat. He was only the first stage in the restoration of Orr, however. The Sylvari Trahearne (and, symbolically because he is firstborn, all Sylvari) completes the cycle of Orr’s restoration.
Orr is, in a way, a metaphor for the planet Tyria. It is the work of the various (so-called “intelligent”) races that has led to the current biospherical crisis currently enveloping the planet. Nor is there any sign that the various races realize that they are responsible. Like Glint once did, they resist the Elder Dragons (even attempting to “kill” one). But what they are ultimately trying to preserve is their lifestyle – a lifestyle powered by magic/technology which provides them with the ability to live at odds with the naturally occurring cycles of Tyria herself.

In considering what happened in Orr we are inevitably speculating that the Elder Dragon’s are in fact not only native to Tyria but also completing an important part of the planet’s cycle of renewal. We are also speculating that Sylvari are also a native race of Tyria (not only because they (plants) are restoring Orr) but also because they are immune to Elder Dragon corruption. (TBC)

What we do not really know is what would happen if Tyria were to be cleansed of all technocentric races – those creatures embodying “magic”. Could the Tyrian biosphere exist without them? Would the cycle of the Elder Dragons end with their decline? Scholars within Tyria speculate that there has been at least one cycle of the Elder Dragons. Does this mean that there have been more? If so, what happened to the races inhabiting Tyria prior to them? More importantly, where do new races come from?

One answer is obvious: From the Mists. But the mystery only deepens if we turn to the mystical to explain what science cannot. Inevitably we ask another question: How did they get to the Mists? The reality is that everything about the Mists seems almost exclusively Tyrian. There are, for example, no NPCs speaking of Mars, Venus or any other celestial body to which we can travel “from the Mists”. Thus, the argument is circular and we find ourselves with as many questions asked as answered.

So, let us consider that the mystical is our best resort when seeking answers to the question: Where do new races come from? Hence we answer: From the Mists. Another response would be: They evolved. Either way, what would happen if the Elder Dragons were to consume all magic within Tyria? Surely Tyria would go on. But is it possible to survive the Elder Dragons without resorting to Glint’s subterfuge?
Undoubtedly the Forgotten realized that Glint might be among only a handful of creatures powerful enough to prevent the extinction of many of the technocentric races within Tyria. This is why they chose her. In so doing, it seems that they were acknowledging that they were unable to come up with any other way to prevent the cycle of the Elder Dragons from completing. This is important because it suggests that all of the technocentric races of that time did not possess the magic/technology to counter the Elder Dragons and so we can be fairly sure as a result that although the current efforts of the “Pact” seem to be working they may be ultimately fruitless.

Now let us return to the matter at hand: Orr as prototypical of Tyria’s cycle of renewal. What does all of what we have already considered mean in relation to this matter? It may be that the extinction of the technocentric races of Tyria is inevitable, a matter of time. There have already been a number of players speculating that the Sylvari are Tyria’s immune system. What if the Elder Dragons are part of that same system? (Granted, the various parties aren’t routinely seen picniking in the Maguuma Jungle, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t each fulfilling an important part of an overall cycle designed to favor those creatures native to the habitat.) This makes the work of Zaithan in Orr far easier to understand.

So what do you mean by Tyria? Do you mean just the land, or also include the oceans, sky, heavens, moons, stars, flora, fauna, magic, or absolutely everything? An argument of internal balance needs a definition of what is outside and inside. This might change someone’s view of whether the raising and sinking of Orr, for example, actually does anything to change balance.

There’s also a question of how the brand adds to the balance of Tyria. It does not seem very natural.