Flameseeker Chronicles: The aftermath of the War in Kryta
The War in Kryta ended with a bang, but was unfortunately overshadowed a bit by the information avalanche coming from Guild Wars 2 last week. It was an extremely exciting week for Guild Wars 2 fans, but I want to backtrack a bit and look at the current state of the War in Kryta.
It's been an interesting story from the beginning, and I don't think it's over by a long shot. No war ends with a single final battle that leaves everyone happy and ready to resume daily life, and the same is true of the War in Kryta. Follow along after the jump and we'll take a look at the land of Kryta today.
The story of the citizens of Kryta is ongoing, as is our interest in the citizens themselves. What's happened to everyone now that the war is over? The story of Gwen and Thackeray got the most prominent update late last week, and it included some sad news.
Even if you've done Mustering a Response, you may have been too rushed to pay close attention to the dialogue during the chase -- some people stayed behind at the Ascalon Settlement. Captain Langmar, Captain Greywind, and Lieutenant Thackeray remained behind to round up some stragglers, and it didn't go as well as hoped. Four members of the Ebon Falcons arrived in the Hall of Monuments where Gwen was waiting, to pass on the news. Captain Langmar didn't make it out of the Ascalon Settlement area -- the Ebon Falcons think she succumbed to Spectral Agony.
Lieutenant Thackeray has gone missing, which seems to devastate Gwen more than anything. The Falcons have found signs that he initially escaped with an injury, but then he seems to disappear without a trace. An extremely upset Gwen gets a search and rescue underway immediately, barking orders at the Ebon Falcons and dismissing them to Gunnar's Hold. After they leave, she stands alone in the Hall of Monuments and cries. (An amusing side note here is that Gwen's scepter and focus do not disappear when she cries, leaving the impression that she's beating herself about the ears with them. I sort of wish they'd fix that -- it's not really a laughing moment.)
The third person who stayed behind, Captain Greywind, is not mentioned, and he's not the only one we're waiting to hear about. Evennia, for example, hasn't been seen since her unsuccessful attempt to gain an audience with King Adelbern. Zinn and Blimm have disappeared as well, unless I've managed to misplace them somehow. We know they reached Lion's Arch safely, but what happened to them in the Battle for Lion's Arch? The lab behind the Secret River Passage is deserted except for a few golem sentries and a handful of random villagers. There are more unaccounted for as well.
Speaking of deserted, if you haven't taken a look at some of the significant areas of Kryta, you might want to run through a little tour. Ascalon settlement, the Shining Blade camp, and other places are all empty. Will we find out more about these participants in the war and the places they called home as things progress? The people of Kryta are ready to move forward, and it would be nice to see these familiar areas reinhabited as time goes by.
There's more to it than just picking up the pieces, though. It's hard to imagine that we'll go back to a humdrum daily existence in Kryta after all that's happened. Queen Salma has a new guard and a new Krytan army, but surely not everyone has fallen peacefully in line. Will we be called upon to assist the Seraph in maintaining a peaceful Kryta?
The Wanted by the Shining Blade quests are different for characters who have seen WiK through to the end, in a way that is very simple and clever. The bounty for Justicar Kasandra, for example, reads: "For too long, the farmers and merchants that have traveled through the D'Alessio Seaboard have suffered from the cruel whims of Justiciar Kasandra. This supposed agent of the law abuses her authority to prey on those under her protection. Allies of Kryta who eliminate this criminal will receive a generous royal bounty and the gratitude of the Queen. Passage to a secluded area of D'Alessio Seaboard has been aranged with Jiaju Tai in Lion's Arch."
Once you've finished the War in Kryta arc, it changes: "Relive this classic event from the War in Kryta! For too long, the farmers and merchants that traveled through D'Alessio Seaboard suffered from the cruel whims of Justicar Kasandra. This supposed agent of the law abused her authority and preyed on those under her protection. Re-create this famous hunt for Kasandra during the war, and claim your bounty by eliminating this menace once again! Passage to a secluded and historically accurate area of D'Alessio Seaboard has been arranged with Jiaju Tai in Lion's Arch."
Easy as pie, and I'm not certain how I feel about that. Thanks to the hard work and incredible talent of the people at ArenaNet, I care about and am invested in this story. Langmar is dead, and she's only one of many; Thackeray is missing; Gwen is falling apart in my Hall of Monuments; people are homeless; and I have a bounty that reads like a party game..
On one hand, I absolutely respect the time and effort behind this change. The acknowledgment that the bounty as it read before would not make sense is an example of the attention to detail that helps make Guild Wars great. On the other hand, it just feels a little flip in the face of everything else happening.
Overall, though, I'm enjoying what we've seen in the past week, and I hope the bounty text is either an aberration or my opinion does not match that of the general community. The story of the people of Kryta isn't even close to being over, and I'm very excited to see what comes next.
