Guild Wars 2

I have so enjoyed reading this forum. You all have brought this story to real life and so much better from the standard, “We love the update” and “We hate the update.” posts everywhere else.

I have most enjoyed the links back to the Wiki to support various points about who is involved and what may be the future of Tyria.

After GW1 I have learned to not trust the “first” person that is suppose to be “on our side.” Between White Mantle and the Lich we were led down a lot of rabbit trails. I STILL have no idea who the Seer was and what her/his “dog was in the hunt” other than to get rid of the Mursaat for his/her own reasons.

The speculation that the lay lines and the river of souls could be connected was quite interesting as well. I have wondered if perhaps Abaddon had been corrupted himself, as I think in the overall order of things the Dragons could do this. Maybe this is why the god’s left?

I agree with the point that was made that the Dragons are a natural part of Tyria. It makes me wonder how they balance each other? How did the world survive in the past when they awoke? It appears they do not awake “together.”

So many questions…so long between story updates.

Anyway, thank you again to all that contribute. I will go back to lurker mode now.

Raina.3516:

I have so enjoyed reading this forum. You all have brought this story to real life and so much better from the standard, “We love the update” and “We hate the update.” posts everywhere else.

I have most enjoyed the links back to the Wiki to support various points about who is involved and what may be the future of Tyria.

After GW1 I have learned to not trust the “first” person that is suppose to be “on our side.” Between White Mantle and the Lich we were led down a lot of rabbit trails. I STILL have no idea who the Seer was and what her/his “dog was in the hunt” other than to get rid of the Mursaat for his/her own reasons.

The speculation that the lay lines and the river of souls could be connected was quite interesting as well. I have wondered if perhaps Abaddon had been corrupted himself, as I think in the overall order of things the Dragons could do this. Maybe this is why the god’s left?

I agree with the point that was made that the Dragons are a natural part of Tyria. It makes me wonder how they balance each other? How did the world survive in the past when they awoke? It appears they do not awake “together.”

So many questions…so long between story updates.

Anyway, thank you again to all that contribute. I will go back to lurker mode now.

The seers were at war with the Mursaat in the past. The only reason we interact with them at all is because they know how to deal with Spectral Agony through their infusions.

Raina.3516:

The speculation that the lay lines and the river of souls could be connected was quite interesting as well. I have wondered if perhaps Abaddon had been corrupted himself, as I think in the overall order of things the Dragons could do this. Maybe this is why the god’s left?

As for Abaddon’s corruption, from my understanding it was mostly because of a different opinion regarding how magic was to be handled between him and the other gods that caused him to be locked up. Not sure if you’d consider him all that evil or corrupted at that point, he only started leaning toward bad in order to set himself free.

Raina.3516:

I agree with the point that was made that the Dragons are a natural part of Tyria. It makes me wonder how they balance each other? How did the world survive in the past when they awoke? It appears they do not awake “together.”

Well to use a simple analog, the ED are like the Reapers from Mass Effect (actually very much like the Reapers from Mass Effect…). However simply because they serve a function doesn’t necessarily mean they are a natural phenomenon, some external entity or force might had decided that the best thing to do regarding all that magic in Tyria was to create / set loose the EDs.
As for how the world survives… well apparently it doesn’t. The EDs seem to wake up every 10,000 years (or so) and they’ve been at this for at least 2-3 cycles (according to the latest Living World update). They don’t all wake up at the same time, but they do seem to naturally wake up at some point during the cycle. They go about and consume all the magic in Tyria and in doing so practically wipe out everything in their way (not sure if this is intended or only a side effect). The only reason that some of the races (seer, forgotten, dwarves, jotun, and mursaat) survived the last cycle was because of a bit of trickery (like the Mursaat who found a way to hide) and magic (like the creation of the Bloodstones by the Seer). Basically the Bloodstones sealed away all the magic that hadn’t been corrupted, and since there was no magic left to consume the EDs went to sleep.

The actual information state is the third recorded cycle of elder dragon waking. The first seem to be recorded from the gods themselfes (whoever is referred to).

I believe the elder dragons are not essentially natural. Let me put it this way…
There were these 6 amazing ~wizards~ and they all were learning magic. A planty one, a watery one, a icey one, a dirty one, and a purple one; oh yeah and an emo one. they all eventually all got so good at it, and loved the power it gave them that they all got ~addicted~ to it. They eventually become god-like, through their consumption of the magic in their world straight out of the air, and its ether to feed their addiction. Sometimes they pass out because of all the magic they eat.
…
Sound familiar?
Simply, i just think the dragons are normal beings that became addicted, and that’s what made them what they are. I don’t think its right to think of them as a force of nature for the balance of tyria; just whacked out junkies gettin’ a fix.
If they were forces of nature, then why take the form of dragons? just doesn’t seem right, just as much as how the reapers from mass effect didn’t seem right… AT ALL.
~I dont care what bioware may think, but i can guarantee you that when the big bang went off and created the known and unknown universe, it didn’t also create synthetic life that was bent on destroying all organic life every whatever years. So silly. at least to me.~
I used to think the whole elder dragon cycle of extinction was a bit silly too, until i realized all the parallels that Anet is doing with the elder dragons, and the real life “big extinction events” on our own planet. Having gone through 5 major extinction events already, and many more scientists suggesting we’re about to head into our sixth, thanks to global warming and human expansionism, etc… interesting note: None of the first 5 extinction events happened because of humans, or even when humans in their current form even existed.

Zayd Akira.1942:

Sound familiar?
Simply, i just think the dragons are normal beings that became addicted, and that’s what made them what they are. I don’t think its right to think of them as a force of nature for the balance of tyria; just whacked out junkies gettin’ a fix.
If they were forces of nature, then why take the form of dragons? just doesn’t seem right, just as much as how the reapers from mass effect didn’t seem right… AT ALL.
~I dont care what bioware may think, but i can guarantee you that when the big bang went off and created the known and unknown universe, it didn’t also create synthetic life that was bent on destroying all organic life every whatever years. So silly. at least to me.~
I used to think the whole elder dragon cycle of extinction was a bit silly too, until i realized all the parallels that Anet is doing with the elder dragons, and the real life “big extinction events” on our own planet. Having gone through 5 major extinction events already, and many more scientists suggesting we’re about to head into our sixth, thanks to global warming and human expansionism, etc… interesting note: None of the first 5 extinction events happened because of humans, or even when humans in their current form even existed.

The Mass Effect Reapers have a very strong similarity to the Elder Dragons, so I’m hoping / guess ANet decided to go in a different direction then them being the creation of a ancient race intent on preventing some perceived disaster. There are several other theories of course. Natural phenomena is one, a purposeful intent is another, and external influence. And of course several combination and variations of them.
As for why they take the form of dragons. Well maybe like how dinosaurs roamed the earth many years ago maybe dragons roamed the world of tyria and were the dominate life-form. This would allow them either be modified by outside forces, become the focal point of natural forces, or through their own intent become EDs.

Personally I do find the natural phenomena route interesting. Maybe a natural trait of magic is that it groups together, like how rivers flow into lakes and into the ocean, maybe magic itself seeks to come together. Magically powerful entities might be magnets for magical energy (maybe Mordy wasn’t so much sleeping on a leyline as much as causing it be created, drawing magic to him in the form of a leyline). The death of an Elder Dragon might at most be a temporary respite for inevitably another one will be created (maybe Tequatl’s increase in power was him becoming the new Zhaitan). If we kill all the EDs maybe in the future we’ll have Elder Charr or Elder Asura…