Guild Wars 2

I was just wondering who exactly it is that the Lionguard serve? In the first game they were a branch of the Krytan military, but centred on Lion’s Arch. From what I’ve gleaned they are still focused on Lion’s Arch, but given that Lion’s Arch is now a seperate city state that seems rather odd given that they are still officially a part of the Krytan armed forces.

Could someone shed some light on the relations of the Lionguard in regards to the nation of Kryta and the independent city state of Lion’s Arch?

They serve Lion’s Arch as a whole, but they are probably looking after the interests of the Commodore and the Captain’s Council – enforcing their laws and such. However, their boss and commanding officer is Magnus the Bloody-Handed, although he’s also a member of the Captain’s Council.

I thought that too, but the Lionguard seem to be occupying Krytan forts, and in the human quest one of their members was talking about not receiving enough reinforcements from Divinity’s Reach. That, and there doesn’t seem to be any information regarding how or when they formally broke from the Krytan military. Lion’s Arch was originally completely destroyed so that means the survivors would have still been working for the Krytans. Or have they become a supranational organisation like the Templars but with their base in Lion’s Arch?

The forts or havens outside LA are walled trading outpots of sorts, and they are manned by Lionguard because they are neutral and don’t belong to any of the factions or races. They are there to protect merchants and travelers, not to interfere in Krytan politics – or any other conflict, for that matter.

I didn’t know about that line on reinforcements coming from Divinity’s Reach, but it could also mean that they are expecting a batch of new soldiers that were recruited in the city by the Lionguard liason there. Same could be said of the Lionguard recruits of the other major cities, as well.

I believe the original Lionguard loyal to Kryta and the King/Queen was completely destroyed when LA was flooded, and today’s Lionguard just simply inherited the name and the fundamental purpose: the protection of Lion’s Arch.

They are occupying trading posts and havens along their trade routes. Some members still hold ties to their respective governments and races, however they receive orders and only directly serve Lion’s Arch and the Captain’s Council. The humans within the Lionguard want to destroy the centaurs but Lion’s Arch has some sort of ceasefire/treaty with the centaurs that prevents them from openly supporting the Krytans in the fight, though the centaurs seem to disregard said agreement.

Because Lion’s Arch contains members of most intelligent non-hostile races it makes sense that they want to avoid taking sides in any regional conflicts that might be occurring when and where possible. They will however aid in any fight against the Elder Dragons and their servants.

TheXand.7041:

I was just wondering who exactly it is that the Lionguard serve? In the first game they were a branch of the Krytan military, but centred on Lion’s Arch. From what I’ve gleaned they are still focused on Lion’s Arch, but given that Lion’s Arch is now a seperate city state that seems rather odd given that they are still officially a part of the Krytan armed forces.?

Of course it would seem rather odd that they’d still be part of the Krytan armed forces.

Because they’re not.

When Lion’s Arch flooded, some unknown events occurred (that will probably be explained in the third novel, whenever that gets released, since its about the flooding and re-establishment of Lion’s Arch as a multi-racial city) and they cut ties to the Krytan military (being replaced by the Seraph since 1079 AE, aka for about 150 years, anyways). Since Lion’s Arch’s refounding they have been a militant organization under command of the Captain’s Council of LA and their focus is to protect trade and commerce – hence why they have havens throughout continental Tyria.

TheXand.7041:

I thought that too, but the Lionguard seem to be occupying Krytan forts

The havens exist throughout the continent – you can see one in Diessa, a few in Snowden Drifts and Wayfarer Foothills, and some in Caledon Forest and Metrica Province. They were established over older forts and made into havens for the trade routes between the major cities (because not everyone uses asura gates, possibly due to fines that we don’t get as players).

TheXand.7041:

in the human quest one of their members was talking about not receiving enough reinforcements from Divinity’s Reach.

Said individual is former member of the Seraph – during the dead sister storyline, right? That individual was part of the sister’s unit (or worked with) and they weren’t getting reinforcements from Divinity’s Reach, so he left and joined the Lionguard.

Way I understand it Divinity’s Reach and Lions Arch are also on friendly terms. It would make sense for the two factions to help and reinforce eachother when they are able. Especially when fighting the same enemies.

Except they don’t have the same enemies.

Divinity’s Reaches enemies are bandits and centaurs. The Lionguard made a treaty with the centaurs to protect trade routes.

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Except they don’t have the same enemies.

Divinity’s Reaches enemies are bandits and centaurs. The Lionguard made a treaty with the centaurs to protect trade routes.

Also the Lionguard is far more widespread and can count the Flame Legion as well as many other that Kryta doesn’t fight.

There are Lionguard ‘havens’ across Tyria, so called I imagine because they are neutral ground to some extent. There are a bunkittenryta, but also in sylvari, norn, and other lands. Essentially, the Lionguard owe allegiance to Lion’s Arch, which is a neutral city-state, so their guard posts are also neutral and should help anyone in need in the area. It’s also in the interests of the city of Lion’s Arch that trade be relatively protected to and from there!

I think as others have said that the Lionguard do indeed primarily serve Lion’s Arch given their racial diversity and their leader is one of the captain’s council of Lion’s arch, but a lot of my confusion stems from the fact that there’s not very much on their history at all. We’re left to guess what happened to the original Lionguard. I think the case is that these aren’t true Lionguard at all since they’ve turned traitor and defected from Kryta. The current version are merely spiritual successors only very loosely based on the original Lionguard, and that the originals were destroyed along with the old Lion’s Arch.

There does seem to be some contention between the current Lionguard and the Krytans from what I’ve seen however, there’s a human soldier in one of the Lionguard havens that talks about his niece asking if he would protect her from the centaurs, and he said he couldn’t because he wasn’t a Seraph, and then his sister told her daughter that he wasn’t a real soldier. Or something to that effect, I’m paraphrasing here. Which is understandable given that they would be officially rebels and traitors if they did have any actual ties to the original Lionguard beyond the name.

TheXand.7041:

I think as others have said that the Lionguard do indeed primarily serve Lion’s Arch given their racial diversity and their leader is one of the captain’s council of Lion’s arch, but a lot of my confusion stems from the fact that there’s not very much on their history at all. We’re left to guess what happened to the original Lionguard. I think the case is that these aren’t true Lionguard at all since they’ve turned traitor and defected from Kryta. The current version are merely spiritual successors only very loosely based on the original Lionguard, and that the originals were destroyed along with the old Lion’s Arch.

There does seem to be some contention between the current Lionguard and the Krytans from what I’ve seen however, there’s a human soldier in one of the Lionguard havens that talks about his niece asking if he would protect her from the centaurs, and he said he couldn’t because he wasn’t a Seraph, and then his sister told her daughter that he wasn’t a real soldier. Or something to that effect, I’m paraphrasing here. Which is understandable given that they would be officially rebels and traitors if they did have any actual ties to the original Lionguard beyond the name.

I wouldn’t say they’re traitors. Their power was usurped by the White Mantle in 1070 and since the end of the Krytan civil war in 1079, they’ve been replaced by the Seraph. The Lionguard still maintained the protection of Lion’s Arch and probably helped rebuild it after the rise of Zhaitan. That would explain why it is now a multi-racial organization. With Lion’s Arch acting as a city-state, the Lionguard is no longer directly connected to Kryta.

WarriorOfAsgard.3705:

I wouldn’t say they’re traitors. Their power was usurped by the White Mantle in 1070 and since the end of the Krytan civil war in 1079, they’ve been replaced by the Seraph. The Lionguard still maintained the protection of Lion’s Arch and probably helped rebuild it after the rise of Zhaitan. That would explain why it is now a multi-racial organization. With Lion’s Arch acting as a city-state, the Lionguard is no longer directly connected to Kryta.

Well it all depends if it even is the same Lionguard. Current lore says that Lion’s Arch was completely levelled and rebuilt by pirates, which would suggest that the current Lionguard are just loosely based copies and all of the old school Lionguard died, which would also explain the racial diversity and change in allegiance. It’s hard to imagine the original Lionguard turning their backs and betraying Kryta and the royal family, especially after they and the Shining Blades restored the current government and monarchy of Kryta.

TheXand.7041:

WarriorOfAsgard.3705:

I wouldn’t say they’re traitors. Their power was usurped by the White Mantle in 1070 and since the end of the Krytan civil war in 1079, they’ve been replaced by the Seraph. The Lionguard still maintained the protection of Lion’s Arch and probably helped rebuild it after the rise of Zhaitan. That would explain why it is now a multi-racial organization. With Lion’s Arch acting as a city-state, the Lionguard is no longer directly connected to Kryta.

Well it all depends if it even is the same Lionguard. Current lore says that Lion’s Arch was completely levelled and rebuilt by pirates, which would suggest that the current Lionguard are just loosely based copies and all of the old school Lionguard died, which would also explain the racial diversity and change in allegiance. It’s hard to imagine the original Lionguard turning their backs and betraying Kryta and the royal family, especially after they and the Shining Blades restored the current government and monarchy of Kryta.

As I said before, the original Lionguard were acting primarily as a police force in Lion’s Arch at the time and had largely been replaced by the Seraph as the main military group of Kryta. The Shining Blade became the protectors of the Royal Family, and the Lionguard really only had power in Lion’s Arch. At the most, I could see them declaring full independence from Kryta once Lion’s Arch was formally unified by Cobiah Marriner and up until then acting as the unofficial protectors of the people who survived the flood. Just because the city was destroyed doesn’t mean the people who once lived there were entirely wiped out. They may even have been ordered to stay behind and help Lion’s Arch by a member of the Royal Family.

I would say that it is highly likely that much of the Lionguard joined the Seraph or other military organizations after their city was destroyed, and in the end a few of them stuck around to see the city rebuilt, and lead to the naming of the new police force after the one that defended the city in the past. Entirely speculation, but at the same time it makes sense, especially in a rapidly changing world, to hold on to things of the past for some stability.

imo the closest real world example of Lionguard is French Foreign Legion, where members of different races (nationality join to protect the (commercial) interest of Lion’s Arch & its outposts, without the need of having any direct relationship with the city state itself.

Ever since GW1, as WoA said, the Lionguard haven’t been tied to Kryta the nation, but Lion’s Arch the city – and that might have been the case even long before GW1. So they’re not traitors to the nation of Kryta.

According to the novels, the Lion Guard of today serves specifically Lion’s Arch, with is an autonomous city state. They are not affiliated, today, with the Kryta or any other nation.

I would imagine im some weird way they would ultimately fall under the Queen.
In GW1 the throne was just a stones throw away from the city, granted things have changed, but in the end I would imagine the Queen has the final call.

I’m more or less going off a Greek idea, Lions Arch being like Athens or Sparta they are there own little city state; however, at times of neutrality or despair (they werent always in a 24/7 war with each other) they would conform under 1 king for military operations. With that being said, I would imagine that LA would be the real life equivalence of Sparta since it has been in a constant struggle against the Orrian undead and Divinities Reach would be like Athens with its temples and shrines to the gods.

I may just be blabbering on, but that’s what I think at least o.O

Lion’s Arch is 100% independent from the throne. In Edge of Destiny (1019 AE by timeline standards), Queen Jennah was negotiating with the Captain’s Council about an alliance in fighting the centaurs and risen – the Seraph would aid in fighting Risen, the Lionguard would aid in fighting centaurs. If they fell under the throne, then no such negotiation for the Lionguard’s aid would be needed – just an order. And to boot, despite the fact that this negotiation concluded with agreement of aid (iirc that is), in GW2 we can see that the Lionguard are standing neutral in the war between Kryta and the centaurs, in order to protect traders from centaur raids (for what little good it does them).

Lion’s Arch after its destruction and re-establishment by pirates has become its own city-state, fully independent of all others government-wise. And the Lionguard, for some unexplained reason, kept ties to the city rather than the kingdom of Kryta (most likely, as said, due to the Lionguard’s duties being undermined first by the White Mantle in 1070-1072 AE, then by the Seraph in 1079 AE – they ended up becoming just a city police roughly 150 years before Lion’s Arch’s flood, so when Kryta abandoned the city, the Lionguard didn’t – that’s my guess).

Konig Des Todes.2086:

Lion’s Arch is 100% independent from the throne. In Edge of Destiny (1019 AE by timeline standards), Queen Jennah was negotiating with the Captain’s Council about an alliance in fighting the centaurs and risen – the Seraph would aid in fighting Risen, the Lionguard would aid in fighting centaurs. If they fell under the throne, then no such negotiation for the Lionguard’s aid would be needed – just an order. And to boot, despite the fact that this negotiation concluded with agreement of aid (iirc that is), in GW2 we can see that the Lionguard are standing neutral in the war between Kryta and the centaurs, in order to protect traders from centaur raids (for what little good it does them).

Lion’s Arch after its destruction and re-establishment by pirates has become its own city-state, fully independent of all others government-wise. And the Lionguard, for some unexplained reason, kept ties to the city rather than the kingdom of Kryta (most likely, as said, due to the Lionguard’s duties being undermined first by the White Mantle in 1070-1072 AE, then by the Seraph in 1079 AE – they ended up becoming just a city police roughly 150 years before Lion’s Arch’s flood, so when Kryta abandoned the city, the Lionguard didn’t – that’s my guess).

I’m guessing you meant 1319 AE not 1019 AE?

I’m still not convinced that this is the same Lionguard from GW1 however. Granted, this one seems entirely loyal to Lion’s Arch but then it’s not the same Lion’s Arch either. I think what happened was that the original Lionguard were annihilated along with Old Lion’s Arch because as stated by others the Lionguard were marginalised by the White Mantle to begin with, but then after they aided the Shining Blade they were further marginalised by being replaced by the Seraph so as someone else pointed out that means that they’d have been effectively reduced to a police force localised in Old Lion’s Arch and given that city was entirely swept away then surely this new breed of Liognuard is more like a spiritual successor than anything? It’s like confusing the original Templars with modern copycat oganisations that only share the name.

The Lionguard always have been the protectors of the city of Lion’s Arch and nothing else. We do not know what the name of Kryta’s army was before their war with the charr, and the rise of the White Mantle. But I specifically remember during the War in Kryta, when Salma was speaking of returning to Lion’s Arch, her being unsure whether the Lionguard would side with her or if she would have to fight to take the city. To her joy, and everyone else’s they sided with her and allowed her to enter the city. So it seems that their loyalty is city first, and Kryta/Monarchy later.

Narcemus.1348:

The Lionguard always have been the protectors of the city of Lion’s Arch and nothing else. We do not know what the name of Kryta’s army was before their war with the charr, and the rise of the White Mantle. But I specifically remember during the War in Kryta, when Salma was speaking of returning to Lion’s Arch, her being unsure whether the Lionguard would side with her or if she would have to fight to take the city. To her joy, and everyone else’s they sided with her and allowed her to enter the city. So it seems that their loyalty is city first, and Kryta/Monarchy later.

They used to be the primary army and military unit of Kryta before the rise of the White Mantle, that’s why they chafe at them because they’re being marginalised. Their loyalty seems to have been to Kryta and the throne primarily, but they were based in Old Lion’s Arch because it was the capital of Kryta. So if the current Lionguard are indeed the remnants of the originals that would make them traitors and rebels of Kryta. I still think the originals were wiped out and this new breed are just copies.

TheXand.7041:

Narcemus.1348:

The Lionguard always have been the protectors of the city of Lion’s Arch and nothing else. We do not know what the name of Kryta’s army was before their war with the charr, and the rise of the White Mantle. But I specifically remember during the War in Kryta, when Salma was speaking of returning to Lion’s Arch, her being unsure whether the Lionguard would side with her or if she would have to fight to take the city. To her joy, and everyone else’s they sided with her and allowed her to enter the city. So it seems that their loyalty is city first, and Kryta/Monarchy later.

They used to be the primary army and military unit of Kryta before the rise of the White Mantle, that’s why they chafe at them because they’re being marginalised. Their loyalty seems to have been to Kryta and the throne primarily, but they were based in Old Lion’s Arch because it was the capital of Kryta. So if the current Lionguard are indeed the remnants of the originals that would make them traitors and rebels of Kryta. I still think the originals were wiped out and this new breed are just copies.

Yes, they used to be a large part of the Krytan military, but the White Mantle took away most of their power and the Seraph, who were more capable of defending Kryta. They were also created as a symbol of the reunification of Kryta by combining citizens, ex-White Mantle, and former Shining Blade members. At the time, the Lionguard’s power had already been reduced to guarding the city. They may have continued but their duties were less official than before and by the time of the flooding of Lion’s Arch they were already tied more to the city than to the rest of Kryta. The new Lion’s Arch would have needed a police force, and with few, if any, official ties to the Krytan monarchy, the surviving members (likely those not in the city itself at the time or those on higher ground) would have been the perfect candidates for the job because they already had the training that would be necessary to run and protect the new settlement.

If they are just copies then they cannot possibly be traitors. Also, given the time that has passed, the current Lionguard are descendants at best, ruling them out as traitors. You may have the odd norn who has lived that long (unlikely) as a member of the Lionguard, but even then, the fact that they are norn, not human, nullifies the traitor argument. Even if you are correct and the original Lionguard were technically betraying Kryta in the service of the new Lion’s Arch, those individuals are long dead so at this point it’s not even an issue for the existing Lionguard. I would think, given the tragedy that occurred, the king or queen of Kryta at that time would be lenient and pardon them in light of their unique situation.

TheXand.7041:

I think as others have said that the Lionguard do indeed primarily serve Lion’s Arch given their racial diversity and their leader is one of the captain’s council of Lion’s arch, but a lot of my confusion stems from the fact that there’s not very much on their history at all. We’re left to guess what happened to the original Lionguard. I think the case is that these aren’t true Lionguard at all since they’ve turned traitor and defected from Kryta.

By your logic I think yes, the current Lionguard are not the same as the original Lionguard, because this is not the same Lion’s Arch. It’s not the case that Lion’s Arch is a part of Kryta that has some conflicts with the throne (e.g. whether or not to fight the centaurs), though – Lion’s Arch is not part of the Krytan kingdom. No longer. It’s an independent city-state, neutral and separate. So in that sense the Lionguard are still a coastal/port city guard, but they’re not part of the same organisation and definitely don’t have the same loyalties.

The ‘new’ Lion’s Arch, built near the original site after the flood, started off as a pirate haven (the Tortuga of Tyria!), and part of the appeal would have been that it owed no allegiance to any nation and therefore none of their laws applied. Since then obviously it has grown up into its own major trade hub and it has its own laws, but unlike Ebonhawke, it is not part of Jennah’s kingdom.

Curuniel.4830:

By your logic I think yes, the current Lionguard are not the same as the original Lionguard, because this is not the same Lion’s Arch. It’s not the case that Lion’s Arch is a part of Kryta that has some conflicts with the throne (e.g. whether or not to fight the centaurs), though – Lion’s Arch is not part of the Krytan kingdom. No longer. It’s an independent city-state, neutral and separate. So in that sense the Lionguard are still a coastal/port city guard, but they’re not part of the same organisation and definitely don’t have the same loyalties.

The ‘new’ Lion’s Arch, built near the original site after the flood, started off as a pirate haven (the Tortuga of Tyria!), and part of the appeal would have been that it owed no allegiance to any nation and therefore none of their laws applied. Since then obviously it has grown up into its own major trade hub and it has its own laws, but unlike Ebonhawke, it is not part of Jennah’s kingdom.

By rights Lion’s Arch still belongs to Kryta, but given the current minor issues of impending draconic cataclysm I can understand why Jennah would put that on the backburner and to make the most of allies where she can find them.

Just because Lion’s Arch was rebuilt by foreign refugees doesn’t change the fact that it was built on Krytan sovereign territory. That would be like if London had been rebuilt after the Blitz by refugee Frenchmen, Irishmen, Italians and Germans who promptly set up their own city state, and then patrolled it with their own imitation guardsmen in red coats and big black wooly hats.

i’d say it’s a little of column A and a little of column B. technically, Lion’s Arch is still Krytan territory and should fall under the juristiction of the queen, currently however the city is quite autonomous and is ruled by the Captains Council.

in the Human Noble personal story, a resident of Lion’s Arch states that the queen has no authority over him, but he will gladly testify in favour of our side if summoned properly. this indicates that the separation between Kryta and LA is at the very least semi-official.

It makes sense for Jennah to treat them as allies instead of subjects right now, whether or not there is a plan to violently or peacefully “reattach” Lion’s Arch to the Krytan kingdom once the threat of the Elder Dragons is gone.

regarding Lionguard however… they serve Lion’s Arch. right now this means following whatever the CC orders them to do, while perhaps aiding Krytans and others as is convenient.

I’m fairly certain it is very much official, although it sits on the edge of Krytan territory Lion’s Arch is not part of Kryta in any political or legal sense. It’s not even a human state. The only connections it has to Kryta are historical.

Lion’s Arch is in Kryta the region, but not in Kryta the kingdom. One can probably consider the western edge of the kingdom to be just past Ascalon Settlement, going up north. It used to extend much further – down into Sparkfly Fen even – but not since Lion’s Arch became independent (which as Curuniel said, is very much officially stated).

As to the idea of the Lionguard “not being the same” – I wouldn’t really say so. Their functions may have change, but they seem to me to be no different from their old selves than the Order of Whispers or the Zaishen Order are to their own (despite the very very very little we get from the modern Zaishen).

Lion’s Arch’s independence might be accepted for the time being because of certain other overriding priorities but it’s still technically just a rebel settlement in Krytan territory.

Obviously my analogy might have been missed on non-British members, but it’s effectively like if the capital city of your country was destroyed by natural disaster and then foreign immigrants moved in and set up camp and then set up an imitation of your country’s oldest military unit. I honestly can’t see Britain letting go of London and it’s territory just because of a natural disaster, nor France ceding Paris to whoever moved in afterwards, nor Germany Berlin and so on and so forth.

TheXand.7041:

Lion’s Arch’s independence might be accepted for the time being because of certain other overriding priorities but it’s still technically just a rebel settlement in Krytan territory.

No, it’s not! It’s an independent state! It’s not part of Kryta’s kingdom – Kryta’s kingdom was only re-established with Salma anyway, shortly after GW1 time. Lion’s Arch has been its own place for a long time now and I don’t think Kryta would gain anything from owning it – sure, trade profits maybe, but if the city lost its neutrality it would lose most of its advantages.

The old city of Lion’s Arch was flooded and abandoned. As the other human kingdoms were breaking up, Kryta shifted, losing some territories (as Konig said) and moving to a new capital in Divinity’s Reach. The new Lion’s Arch was founded later. By your analogy, it’s more like if London fell into the sea and all its buildings, streets and monuments were destroyed, the English capital was moved to Liverpool, and then some people started cleaning up the ruins where London used to stand and decided to live there. By that point, it’s not like they’re claiming anything important.

Analogies with the UK are also flawed because Lion’s Arch is not on an island like London is. Neutral port cities on a continent have precedent. It benefits everyone to have somewhere to trade through.

They serve Lion’s Arch as a whole, but they are probably looking after the interests of the Commodore and the Captain’s Council – enforcing their laws and such. However, their boss and commanding officer is Magnus the Bloody-Handed, although he’s also a member of the Captain’s Council.

Post 2, here, hit the nail on the head. While the original Lionguard was originally the standing army-slakittenown guard force for the Kingdom of Kryta (with the army role having been supplanted by the White Mantle, and later officially replaced by the Seraph), the post-Zhaitan Lionguard is the military force of Lion’s Arch, answerable to Commodore Magnus and the Council.

AS for the forts…

Lion’s Arch is built on trade – basically, the pirates (well, most of them) went legit and rely on commerce for city revenues. As such, they have a vested interest in keeping the roads maintained and secure.

The real question is – wouldn’t this run into jurisdictional conflict? Unless the governing bodies of the racial nations have an agreement with the Lionguard, it just seems odd that you can find their Havens from Ascalon to the Tarnished Coast – especially in places like Kryta and Ascalon, both of which HAVE their own military forces.

And speaking of jurisdiction, here’s my two cents on Lion’s Arch’s political status:

In the wake of the raising of Orr, the city was flooded and abandoned. The capital had already been moved (see above posts), and it was flooded for some time. Over time, though, its ruins made it an excellent place for pirates and smugglers to reside between voyages. And, over time, they rebuilt a new city atop the old.

Perhaps the then-reigning monarch of Kryta could claim that this was trespassing, and move to clean these people out and re-settle the city. They did not do this, however. Perhaps they lacked the forces, with the Seraph busy against the Charr, or the centaurs, or what have you. But the point is, they let Lion’s Arch be. And they KEPT letting it be. The longer it goes, the more it looks like tacit permission – in the eyes of the world at large, Kryta’s inaction speaks volumes.

Meanwhile, the new Lion’s Arch gains its own governing body, and builds its own military – named Lionguard, either in homage to the original or just because the name suits the city so well. This growing settlement, now armed, is going to be even harder to dislodge than it would have been before.

Eventually, I would assume that the Krytan rulers would see the wisdom in a free port, open to all races. A place where they can get things they need, even from Charr (albeit possibly through several middlemen, heh). It is entirely POSSIBLE, even though we don’t know for sure, that the king or queen of Kryta at some point officially did recognize that the new Lion’s Arch was a free city, and had it officially taken off the list of Kryta’s holdings, because it serves the nation to endorse this status. (This is more plausible if it happens after Lion’s Arch went legit – well, mostly.)

They are commanded by Morgus but I think they are still heavily influenced by the Krytans.

Guy Bigsock.2136:

They are commanded by Morgus but I think they are still heavily influenced by the Krytans.

No, they are commanded by Magnus the Bloody Handed.

“Lion’s Arch owes no allegiance to any race or nation, but stands on its own”

Precisely. If you pay attention in certain Events, it’s mentioned that while the Seraph and forces from Kryta will go after people like smugglers, the Lionguard only care about keeping the roads clear and increasing trade; which means they don’t care two wits about smugglers. So the two groups are enforcing two entirely different sets of laws.

Lion’s Guard:
Official police force of Lion’s Arch with additional chapters here and there.

Shining Blade:
The militia which reinstated the current Krytan royal family after the civil war event in GW1. Currently personal guard of the Queen.

Seraph:
Regular troops of the Krytan army.

Lion’s Arch reminds me more of the ancient city of Carthage, they do not have a standing army, because they have the money to hire one on short notice. Although currently the Lion’s Arch army is a bunch of players who happily join the Karka conflict as Soldiers of Fortune. Who needs an army with such a population of adventuring opportunists?