Duke Barradin
Duke Barradin
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Duke Barradin possessing a statue. _portrait.png)
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“Filthy animals! You will regret this!
Duke Barradin was once a renowned duke of Ascalon. After being turned into a vengeful ghost by the Foefire, he haunts the ruins of his old estate and continues to fight against the charr who now populate Ascalon.
Biography[edit]
Early years[edit]
Duke Barradin, descendant of King Doric, was considered one of Ascalon's most notorious dukes and a renowned warrior, with some even calling him a poor diplomat due to his rather straightforward manner of addressing nobility and commoners alike.[1] His brother was the second to last king of Ascalon who peddled influence to guilds for the slightest show of coin and involved Ascalon in the devastating Guild Wars as a result. The duke himself appointed the promising soldier Adelbern, leader of the Ascalon's Chosen guild, as the commander of the army after the Battle of Rin.[2]
When the royal family was assassinated during the Third Guild War, Barradin was the first in line to the throne. However, he did not object when the people called for Adelbern, who had successfully defended Ascalon, to be king instead.[3][4] The duke spent his life on the Barradin Estate, making wine and training warriors. However, some Barradin loyalists disagreed with Adelbern's crowning and became rowing bandits known as the Royalists whose mission was to harass Adelbern's supporters and place the duke on the throne. By 1070 AE, the threat the Royalists posed was great enough that Devona asked local adventurers to investigate whether people at the duke's estate were actually showing signs of disloyalty towards Adelbern's regime and if Barradin was supporting the Royalists' actions. These investigations ultimately revealed that Barradin and others at Lakeside County were fully loyal to the crown, thus putting an end to rumors of high treason.
During Adelbern's regime, Barradin's daughter Lady Althea was betrothed to Adelbern's son Prince Rurik.[3] However, Ascalon was attacked just shortly before their wedding in 1070 AE, and Althea was captured and sacrificed by the charr in one of the Flame Temples in 1072 AE. Althea's ghost remained restless until a renowned hero returned her ashes to the devastated duke.[5]
In 1078 AE, the charr had advanced deeper into Ascalon and were threatening the capital. When Barradin led the defense from Diessa Plateau, the charr captured him and Farrah Cappo and placed them in cells at the ruins of an old temple. The hero and Gwen Thackeray happened upon the pair during their trek through the lowlands and rescued them, informing Barradin that the Ebon Vanguard still existed in the north much to the duke's surprise. The hero and Gwen managed to defeat Dahgar the Eye of Flame, the charr leading the latest assault on Ascalon, earning Ascalonians some time to recover before the next charr attack.
Barradin died in 1090 AE when he was caught in the Foefire unleashed by Adelbern when the charr had breached the last defenses of Ascalon City. The spell turned him and other Ascalonians into vengeful ghosts set on exterminating charr under the now spectral king's orders. Barradin began haunting the vaults of his ruined estate and caused regular trouble for the charr in the now charr-controlled Plains of Ashford.
Personal story[edit]
As a ghost, Barradin was the leader of the largest scale ghost assault in recent history when he stirred them to attack the Village of Smokestead in 1325 AE.[6] Tribune Rytlock Brimstone and a collection of charr soldiers, including a soldier who would later become known as the Legionnaire, managed to turn the tide of the battle and defeat Barradin who, as a last resort, possessed a statue to fight them. However, the victory over the ghostly duke cost the lives of nearly every member of the Legionnaire's warband as Barradin caused the crypts to collapse and crush anyone inside.[7] Rytlock and other soldiers speculated that it would take weeks for Barradin's ghost to reform, allowing the charr to rebuild their perimeter in the meantime.[8][9]
Legacy[edit]
Living World Season 2[edit]
When Rytlock Brimstone attempted to cleanse the Foefire curse with Rurik's sword Sohothin and King Adelbern's crown in 1327 AE, Ascalonian ghosts possessed Duke Barradin's statue in a similar manner as Duke Barradin himself to fight his party. Barradin was absent during the event, however.
Path of Fire[edit]
After dying in the rogue god Balthazar's ambush in 1330 AE, the Pact Commander's soul appeared in the Domain of the Lost where all spirits which experience sudden, violent deaths end up in. While recovering their name and remembering their purpose to be properly judged, the Commander was subjected to fragmented visions of past deeds, including the encounter with Barradin if the Commander was a charr.
Story involvement[edit]
Personal story[edit]
- Episode 1: Getting the Band Back Together
Path of Fire story[edit]
- Act III
- The Departing (as memory)
Combat abilities[edit]
Ghost form[edit]
- Abilities
- Fears
- Dazes
- Effects
- Skills
- Bash
Statue form[edit]
- Skills
- Bite - Slams hammer to ground, knocking back foes.
- Fear Enemies - Shouts at foes, causing them to flee in fear.
- Frost Siege - Causes pieces of the ceiling to drop and deal circle AoE.
- Long Range Shot - [verification requested]
Related achievements[edit]
Nevermore IV: The Raven Spirit: 
Power over Barradin — Show your power over spirits by defeating the Ascalonian soldiers of Duke Barradin's army in the Battle in the Vault under the Old Duke's Estate in Plains of Ashford.
Trivia[edit]
- Duke Barradin wields a Royal Ascalonian Hammer.
See also[edit]
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The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on Duke Barradin. |
- Associated items
References[edit]
- ^ The True King
- Lord Darrin: What's this? A letter from the duke? Oh, I see. The good duke suggests that I am not doing enough to serve Ascalon. See what he says here? "I trust you and your men, being so far from the conflicts at the Wall, have ample resources to hunt down this Charr." Between you and me, Barradin is fortunate he is so skilled a Warrior. Else he'd learn to regret being such a poor diplomat. In any case, his message has been received. You may consider yourself dismissed.
- ^ Opposition to the King
- Devona: It's sad. These Royalist fools oppose King Adelbern because he was not born into nobility. They forget it was Adelbern who saved us from the Guild Wars and the old king, Grenth Be Just, who nearly brought Ascalon to ruin. These Royalists hope to depose Adelbern and place Duke Barradin on the throne, but no one dares implicate the duke in their actions. I'd like you to go to Green Hills County and search for signs of support for the Royalists. Head north until you find a road to Green Hill County, and talk to at least three people there. Sound them out to see if they have Royalist sentiments. [...]
- Kasha Blackblood: Maybe you don't remember how Ascalon was before Adelbern. The crown peddled influence to guilds for the slightest show of coin. Who would wish for a thing like that to return? [...]
- Little Thom: You've got a lot of nerve talking about that here. It's true the duke was next in line when the royal family was assassinated, but he fully supported the crowning of Adelbern. Wasn't it the duke, after all, who appointed Adelbern commander of the army after the Battle of Rin? [...]
- Duke Barradin: It saddens me greatly to see people use my name and lineage to stir up trouble. Adelbern is a great king, and I see already in his son Rurik the markings of greatness. Disloyalty to Adelbern is nothing less than betrayal of Ascalon, but you were asking in a strictly theoretical sense, weren't you?
- ^ a b Ashford History: Duke Barradin
- ^ Prince Rurik: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow
- ^ The Duke's Daughter
- Ghost of Althea: I am Lady Althea. Or at least I was before the Charr seized me. They took me to the Flame Temple Corridor and burned me alive, but I thought of my beloved Rurik and felt no pain.
- Duke Barradin: My poor Althea! I fear my heart will break... Thank you for telling me. I suppose I'm relieved to know the truth, however painful it may be.
- ^ Battle Report: Duke Barradin
- ^ The Tribune's Call
- Clawspur: Nobody knows. Howl was in the crypts when Barradin collapsed'em. You dug out. He didn't.
- ^ Fury of the Dead
- Centurion Gracchus Krysknife: The ghost of Duke Barradin is far more powerful than we thought. His army just broke through our defenses.
- Centurion Gracchus Krysknife: Rytlock's about to fight him head-on. If he succeeds, it'll be weeks before the ghost reforms and we can rebuild our perimeter. [...]
- Centurion Gracchus Krysknife: Barradin's a nasty piece of work, even for a ghost. He's the one who provoked the others into attacking Smokestead. Take him out, and this corps will simply drift away. [...]
- Rytlock Brimstone: We're going to hit Barradin so hard it'll take him weeks to reappear! Move out!
- ^ Tela Range ambient dialogue
