Hero (NPC)
This article is about an NPC. For the user interface, see Hero panel. For the achievement, see Hero (achievements). Hero
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The five heroes and Kormir. |
“Abaddon remained a fallen god, imprisoned for a thousand years, until he rose to threaten Tyria one last time...A mortal hero led a mission to stop him, and against all odds, succeeded.
— Kormir in Facing the Truth
The Heroes were a group of individuals, both Sunspears and not, who defeated the fallen god Abaddon and witnessed the Ascension of Kormir in 1075 AE. Their exact number and lands of origin remain unknown, but the existence of one notable Hero in particular is alluded to. Visions of these Heroes are seen during Kormir's retelling of the events leading to her own ascension. The Hero's actions would pave way for the heroics of the Pact Commander centuries later; some ghosts who knew the Hero have even suggested that there may be a deeper connection between the Hero and the Commander as their spirits seem familiar and embody the same heroism.[1][2][3]
Biography[edit]
Early years[edit]
The Hero's name and origins have been lost in time, so much so that the Hero's deeds have become obscure in modern day and often attributed to other members of their adventuring party. Some documents even claim that there was more than one notable Hero active at the time. Some sources, among which the Hero's companion Koss,[4] claim the Hero hailed from Ascalon before the Searing and defeated the mursaat and Vizier Khilbron; others suggest that the Hero may have come from Cantha where a party of heroes slew Shiro Tagachi with the dragon Kuunavang's help in 1072 AE; further accounts claim the Hero was a native Istani Sunspear. Wherever they came from, however, the ghost of Kimmes the Historian claims that one notable Hero was involved in all three campaigns as well as in the exploration of the northern regions of Tyria.
At least one Hero ultimately joined forces with Spearmarshal Kormir and Koss, collaborated with Palawa Joko to combat the corrupt Warmarshal Varesh Ossa's forces in Elona, and foiled the plans of the fallen god Abaddon who was attempting to usher in Nightfall to break free from his prison in the Realm of Torment in 1075 AE. When Abaddon was defeated and his rampant magic was threatening all of Tyria, the Hero witnessed Kormir sacrificing herself to absorb the divine power and becoming the Goddess of Truth.
The Hero's actions after Nightfall have become just as obscure as their earlier deeds although their title as the Hero of Nightfall lived on. According to Kimmes, the Hero may have stalled the rise of the Elder Dragon Primordus by slaying his champion known as the Great Destroyer in 1078 AE. It is also possible that at least one Hero participated in the assassination of Reiko Murakami, leader of the xenophobic Ministry of Purity, thus hampering the Ministry's efforts to purify Cantha of unwanted groups of people for a time.
Legacy[edit]
Interim years[edit]
The ultimate fate of the Hero is not known although it is assumed that, like all mortals, the Hero eventually died and passed into the Mists. After rising to power again in Cantha, the Ministry of Purity so feared the Hero of Cantha that their name and features were expunged from record.[5] Even though knowledge of the Hero and their identity would become obscure to most modern day Canthans, Elonians, and Tyrians, the legacy of the Hero's brave deeds would live on as the Hero had saved Tyria, possibly on multiple occasions, and paved the way for the Pact Commander to continue the Heroes' work centuries later.
By 1325 AE, the ghost of Kimmes the Historian welcomed the Pact Commander to the Eye of the North. He potentially sensed in the Commander the same kind of heroism that the Hero had once possessed and, as a reward, offered relics from the Hero's time for the Commander to use as they saw fit in the Hall of Monuments.
Path of Fire[edit]
After accessing the Sanctum in 1330 AE to seek out help from the gods, the Pact Commander, Canach, Kasmeer Meade, and Rytlock Brimstone met with Kormir who recounted the events leading to her ascension to explain the dangers of gods interfering in Tyrian matters. During the vision the Hero was briefly shown expressing worry about Abaddon's rampant magic following the fallen god's demise and witnessing Kormir's action to contain the power.
If the Commander had deeper links to the Hall of Monuments where at least one of the Heroes had once treaded, the ghosts of Dunkoro and Turai Ossa mentioned that the Commander's spirit felt familiar with the wording suggesting a potential connection between the two heroes.
End of Dragons[edit]
Following the Rising of Orr and her meeting with the Elder Dragon Soo-Won to plead her to save Cantha from the giant wave in 1219 AE, Kuunavang was inspired by the Hero who had saved her from Shiro Tagachi over a century prior. She chose to become Soo-Won's bonded champion and began watching over Cantha as a savior and the Elder Dragon's representative.
While exploring Cantha in 1335 AE, the Pact Commander discovered a memorial plaque in Arborstone dedicated to the Hero of Cantha whose name and features had been expunged from record during the Ministry of Purity's regime. Upon witnessing the imperial court advisor Navan transforming into Kuunavang in Arborstone, the Commander learned about Kuunavang's pact with Soo-Won and that the last time the dragon had revealed her true form to a mortal had been centuries ago when the Hero had saved her from Shiro's influence.[6]
Story involvement[edit]
Path of Fire story[edit]
- Act II
Notes[edit]
- ArenaNet does not seem to take an official stance on the number of heroes for the Guild Wars campaigns. Kimmes the Historian suggests one hero, Young Heroes of Tyria implies three heroes, while Facing the Truth implies five. Narrative designer Peter Fries has stated that it depends on the player's decision to make a character for each Guild Wars campaign or just have one character go through all three.[7]
- The Hero who represents the Player Character from Guild Wars in Facing the Truth can spawn as either gender, but will always spawn wearing Primeval armor.
Trivia[edit]
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The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on Familiar-Looking Hero. |
- The Hero is also referred to as the Hero of Cantha,[5] the Hero of Nightfall,[8] and the Tyrian hero.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ Dunkoro
- ^ Kimmes the Historian
- ^ Turai Ossa
- ^ a b Koss on Koss (object)
- ^ a b Memorial Plaque (Arborstone)
- ^ Fallout
- <Character name>: You're Soo-Won's champion.
- Kuunavang: I am. It's been centuries since I revealed my true form—to a mortal.
- Kuunavang: The last time... Well, that mortal was a hero, much like yourself. One who saved me from a terrible fate. [...]
- <Character name>: What did you mean about a terrible fate?
- Kuunavang: I was imprisoned by the assassin Shiro Tagachi. More than imprisoned... I was under his poisonous control.
- Kuunavang: Used as a weapon against his enemies. Until I was finally released by an alliance of heroes.
- Kuunavang: Soo-Won offered me a new path. Inspired by the heroes who saved me, I became Soo-Won's representative in the mortal world.
- ^ Tweet by Peter Fries, Twitter.com
- ^ Sun's Refuge ambient dialogue
