House zu Heltzer
This article is about the Point of Interest. For the Hero Challenge, see House zu Heltzer (hero challenge). House zu Heltzer
- Type
- Point of Interest
- Area
- Zu Heltzer Historical Site
(The Echovald Wilds) - Game link
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“Strong, the zu Heltzers, with faith as their shields.
The House zu Heltzer was once the seat of one of the oldest and largest Kurzick families in the Echovald Forest dedicated to the worship of the goddess Dwayna, but is now reduced to ruins being excavated by Canthan archaeologists after Emperor Usoku and the Ministry of Purity had forcibily annexed the Kurzicks into the Empire of the Dragon centuries ago. With the growing interest in Kurzick nostalgia among modern Canthans after the dissolution of the Ministry of Purity, the site has seen an increase in the number of tourists. Although the house has fallen and no longer holds political power in Cantha, some descendants of the zu Heltzer bloodline still exist to this day.
| Through the efforts of the archeologist Valeria and the Pact Commander who carried out the request of the ghost of Countess Danika zu Heltzer, the fates of the fallen descendants of House zu Heltzer were revealed to give them closure while surviving zu Heltzer descendants in Cantha and abroad became aware of one another's existence in 1845 CC (1335 AE). Valeria, who was revealed to be a surviving zu Heltzer as well much to her surprise, was elected as the new head of House zu Heltzer.[1] |
History[edit]
Early history[edit]
After the Kurzicks settled into the Echovald Forest in Cantha, House zu Heltzer became one of the major houses and was eventually regarded as the most influential noble family among the Kurzicks. The family worshipped Dwayna, the Goddess of Healing, Air, and Life. Wallows personified the traits of House zu Heltzer because the house was seen as sturdy, vast, and strong above others.[2] In addition to the wallows' impressive strength and resilience, their bonds with family—blood or chosen—were seen as extremely strong.[3] The shield became the signature weapon of House zu Heltzer.[4] This information would be used for one of the puzzles involving the Kurzick houses within the Valdhertz Crypts to prevent anyone unfamiliar with Kurzick lore from accessing the treasure within.
Under Kaineng Tah the Empire of the Dragon had reached peaceful pacts with both of the less-developed cultures with which Cantha shared a continent, making the Kurzicks and Luxons subjects of the first emperor. However, Kaineng Tah's successor Yian Zho began a bloody campaign to quell what he called insurgencies in Luxon and Kurzick territories. Like the Luxons before them, the Kurzicks were likely driven to unity by the belligerence of the new emperor after he had brutally put down a relatively small Kurzick uprising in 51 CC (459 BE). This, coupled with the new threat of a unified Luxon state in the Jade Sea, led directly to Kurzick unity and the forming of the Council of Nobles where House zu Heltzer held significant political power. Yian Zho was unable to drive the Kurzicks from the Echovald; however, he was able to contain them within those loose borders and was convinced by advisors to arrive at the same arrangement forged with the Luxons to turn the Kurzicks into a vassal state. Unlike their neighbors, the Kurzicks remained much more isolated, which might have been the driving force behind the intense competition between the Great Houses for domination within their own unique political structure.[5]
Arborstone, also known as Cathedral zu Heltzer, became the Great House's seat of power and one of the most impressive feats of Kurzick architecture. Lord Stein zu Heltzer designed Fort Aspenwood before 1082 CC (572 AE), and it would serve as a key strategic location in the region during the many skirmishes at the ever-shifting Kurzick/Luxon border.[6]
Saint Viktor zu Heltzer was a renowned Kurzick champion during the reign of Emperor Angsiyan. Though not often admitted by the government, the emperor's bodyguard Shiro Tagachi was an integral part of the peace treaties Angsiyan was forming with the bickering Kurzicks and Luxons, and was the one who convinced their champions to work together and attend the Harvest Ceremony alongside the emperor at the Harvest Temple where both Saint Viktor and Archemorus had received their power from.[5][7] When Shiro unexpectedly betrayed Angsiyan and slew him during the Harvest Ceremony of 1382 CC (872 AE), Saint Viktor and Archemorus who had been accompanying the emperor's retinue rushed to the top of the temple to confront him. With help from the assassin Vizu, the two champions were able to slay Shiro, only to witness him unleash the magic of Dwayna which he had stolen from the emperor in a twisted death wail which created the Jade Wind that petrified the three heroes as well as much of the Echovald Forest and the Jade Sea.
As a result of this catastrophe, Kurzick and Luxon hostilities resumed. Unable to farm for themselves in forests turned to stone or to fish in seas that had become jade, they instead competed for the jade itself and the rare mineral found within it, becoming increasingly more independent while the empire began a lengthy recovery from the aftermath of the assassination and the resulting disaster. The Urn of Saint Viktor became a holy relic for the Kurzicks.[5]
In the following centuries the counts of House zu Heltzer took great pride in being descendants of the famous Kurzick champion. House zu Heltzer also deserved much of the credit for the Kurzicks' cultural renaissance of philosophy, magic, medicine, and art in the tumultous centuries after the Jade Wind. They became renowned for their magical innovations, their lifesaving techniques, and their practical methods of enchanting and shaping the stone that made up the transformed Echovald Forest. They also became well-versed in the arts of magical wards and protection. If there was one thing they were better at shaping than stone, it was political thought, as their continued leadership role among the Great Houses attested.[5][8][9]
Guild Wars Factions[edit]
As Danika grew up as the daughter of Count Petrov zu Heltzer, she became frustrated with the Kurzicks' isolationist policies, which she believed could only lead to the further decline of her people, and her world. She was eager to venture into the world outside the Echovald Forest, and find new allies for all the Kurzicks. Her sense of justice was strong, and she would be among the first of the Kurzicks to set aside factional differences should a greater threat arise. She had even had some contact, against her father’s strict orders, with House Vasburg, the longtime rivals of House zu Heltzer.[10]
Guild Wars: Eye of the North[edit]
In 1588 CC (1078 AE), Danika traveled to Gunnar's Hold in the Far Shiverpeaks to enter the norn fighting tournament against other notable heroes coming from all over Tyria, Elona, and Cantha to determine which one of them would earn the honor of facing the invincible norn warrior Magni the Bison in single combat. Aided by her wallows Brutus and Sheena, Danika eventually faced the Hero of Tyria in combat. She lost after a fierce struggle and admired the Hero's strength and resolve.[11][12] Danika also spectated and commented on the fights between opponents in the tournament.
Interim years[edit]
Danika eventually succeeded her father as the new head of House zu Heltzer. When Emperor Usoku and the Ministry of Purity began a campaign to subjugate the Echovald Forest in 1637 CC (1127 AE), the proud Kurzicks met them in battle. However, unlike their previous conflicts against other ambitious emperors, the Kurzicks found Usoku to be a more dangerous foe with a well-equipped army. When defeat seemed all but certain, Countess Danika ordered the zu Heltzer children to be smuggled to safety before the Ministry could harm them.[13] The descendants would scatter throughout Cantha with some even ending up abroad. When the Kurzicks fell, Danika's body was hidden so the Ministry of Purity could not desecrate it.[1]
When the Elder Dragon Zhaitan's awakening made Orr rise from the Sea of Sorrows in 1729 CC (1219 AE), the resulting massive tidal wave swept over northern Cantha and drowned and destroyed much of Old Kaineng City. Emperor Kyobok and most of the Imperial Family, royal guards and servants as well as Kurzick ambassadors Asmund zu Heltzer and Eira zu Heltzer were found dead amidst the rubble in Raisu Palace based on the report of a rescue team headed by Minister Zal and Jimin who had managed to breach into the throne room. Increased Risen activity in the ruins prevented the pair from investigating further. The zu Heltzer ambassadors were assumed to have been held captive by the emperor when the tsunami had hit the palace.[14][15][16]
After the Ministry of Purity had fallen in the decades since the Great Tsunami and a more benevolent regime led by Empress Haebaragi had risen to power, Countess Danika was reinterred in the house's memorial site so she could finally rest alongside her relatives.[1] Interest in Kurzick history sparked among Canthans in the decades that followed, leading to both archeologists and tourists to visit the Zu Heltzer Historical Site which would also be targeted by the belligerent Speakers who intended to steal the valuable Kurzick relics within and to enslave the Kurzick ghosts wandering around.[17]
End of Dragons[edit]
In 1845 CC (1335 AE), the archeologist Valeria learned that Detective Rama had mentioned possibly being descended from House zu Heltzer. Valeria had always suspected that the house had not been fully wiped out, so she asked Rama's friend, the Pact Commander, to investigate whether any zu Heltzers had survived the Ministry of Purity's purges. The quest led the Commander to locate one of Countess Danika's personal possessions and dedicate it to her memory at her grave.
When the Commander paid their respects at Danika's grave, the countess's ghost suddenly materialized. Danika calmed the Commander down, not viewing her spectral appearance as anything unusual given the circumstances. When the Commander told Danika about seeking the remains of the zu Heltzers, the countess was quick to correct the Commander as she revealed how she had safeguarded the descendants of her house by having them smuggled away during the war centuries ago. Impressed by the Commander's determination, Danika asked them to look for the missing zu Heltzer tapestry pieces from Cantha and abroad so that the pieces could be made whole, and the descendants could be reminded of their heritage and reunite the distant branches of the noble house.
Although the investigations revealed that five of the branches had died out, three branches still remained, and two of these descendants were revealed to be Detective Rama and Captain Hao Luen of Lion's Arch. Valeria contracted the tengu Master Weaver Kubo to reassemble the tapestry; upon investigating a piece of cloth Valeria had inherited from her father out of curiosity, Kubo informed her that it was part of the same tapestry and Valeria was a zu Heltzer descendant as well. Upon claiming the final missing piece from Rama, Kubo and Valeria were able to reassemble the tapestry, placing it in a visible spot in the recently revived hub at Arborstone.
In the following weeks, the surviving zu Heltzer descendants kept in contact and found out that each of them had the same freakishly long second toe. The Canthan branches of zu Heltzer had their first reunion in centuries with the hope of planning something bigger in the future to include the Tyrian branches as well. Valeria was voted to act as the new head of the house; she speculated that she was just on the hook to make reservations for future get-togethers but she was nevertheless honored.[1]
Historical bases[edit]
Family tree[edit]
Click here to show/hide annotations.
| Lord Stein zu Heltzer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Several generations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Viktor zu Heltzer Received his power, presumably from Kuunavang, in the Harvest Temple.[7] One of the heroes who slew Shiro Tagachi and lost his life in the Jade Wind in 1382CC (872AE). |
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| Several generations | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adeil zu Heltzer | ♀Bruna zu Heltzer | Count Petrov zu Heltzer Danika's father. Head of House zu Heltzer during the return of Shiro Tagachi. |
Johann zu Heltzer | ♀Nadetta zu Heltzer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rald zu Heltzer | Rutger zu Heltzer | ♀Countess Danika zu Heltzer Last head of House zu Heltzer. Assisted heroes in slaying the returned Shiro Tagachi. Helped forge a temporary truce between Kurzicks and Luxons. Died during the Kurzick and dredge war against the Ministry of Purity. Had the zu Heltzer children smuggled away from the Echovald Wilds to preserve the bloodline.[18] |
Selik zu Heltzer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asmund zu Heltzer Ambassador presumed to have been held prisoner in Raisu Palace during the Zhaitan Disaster in 1729CC (1219AE).[19] |
♀Eira zu Heltzer Ambassador presumed to have been held prisoner in Raisu Palace during the Zhaitan Disaster in 1729CC (1219AE).[19] |
Unknown descendant(s) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Several generations | Several generations | Several generations | Unknown descendant | Unknown descendant Their piece of the zu Heltzer tapestry eventually ended up in the Durmand Priory. |
Unknown descendant Their piece of the zu Heltzer tapestry sank with the ship they were on, and would later be discovered in a shipwreck in the Eastern Wilds.[22][23] |
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| Hao Luen Grandfather of Captain Hao Luen. |
♀Rama's grandmother Gave her piece of the zu Heltzer tapestry to her descendants for safekeeping.[20] |
Unknown descendant Their piece of the zu Heltzer tapestry was lost amidst rubble during a battle in Fort Aspenwood.[25] |
Unknown descendant Their piece of the zu Heltzer tapestry was lost in the Echovald Wilds and was acquired by the East Precinct for the Echovald-related archives.[24] |
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| Valeria's father Gave Valeria his piece of the zu Heltzer tapestry.[1] |
Hao Luen's father Inherited Arch Exchange from his father and later passed it on to his son. |
♀Rama's mother "Half Kurzick. On my mother's side. Enough that I stand out as "not Canthan enough" for some people." ~Detective Rama[26] |
Rama's father "My dad's...a little much; would rather he didn't know I was here." ~Detective Rama[27] |
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| ♀Valeria zu Heltzer Archeologist excavating the ruins of House zu Heltzer. Elected new head of House zu Heltzer after the family reunion.[20] |
Captain Hao Luen | Detective Rama | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Related achievements[edit]
The Echovald Wilds: Cultures of Echovald: The Kurzicks — Participate in all the events related to Kurzick culture. (3
)- The Echovald Wilds: Ward Nemesis — Successfully disabled 10 wards in a row during the House zu Heltzer archaeology event. (3
) 
Arborstone: The Fate of House zu Heltzer — Work with Valeria to discover the fate of House zu Heltzer of Echovald. (6)- Arborstone: Tracing the Tapestry — Find the missing pieces of the zu Heltzer tapestry, spread across Tyria. (4
)
See also[edit]
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The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on House zu Heltzer. |
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The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on House zu Heltzer (Great House). |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Valeria
- ^ Weathered Plaque
- ^ On the Fauna of the Echovald
- ^ A Selection of Children's Rhymes and Verses
- ^ a b c d An Empire Divided: A Selected History of Mysterious Cantha for the Traveling Scholar
- ^ a b Fort Aspenwood (Kurzick)
- ^ a b Redemptor Iszar
- ^ Historian of Houses
- ^ House zu Heltzer
- ^ Guild Wars Factions Manuscripts
- ^ The Norn Fighting Tournament
- ^ Round 1: Fight!
- Magni the Bison: I laugh at heroes. I scoff at dragons. I even deride the Titans! None have withstood my strong right arm. None have bested Magni the Bison. This tournament will decide who has the right to challenge me. You have something of a reputation among the other weaklings. But you will still need to defeat five opponents in my tournament before earning the right to face me, your sixth and final challenge!
- ^ Countess Danika zu Heltzer
- ^ Research Log 1282: Casualties in the Zhaitan Disaster
- ^ New Kaineng Zoning Record 0013
- ^ New Kaineng Zoning Record 0024
- ^ Tanek
- ^ Countess Danika zu Heltzer
- ^ a b Research Log 1282: Casualties in the Zhaitan Disaster
- ^ a b The Fate of House zu Heltzer
- ^ Tengu Trademaster
- ^ Tapestry Shred
- ^ Wreckage Site
- ^ Officer Suni
- ^ Pile of Cloth
- ^ Fallout
- Detective Rama: Half Kurzick. On my mother's side. Enough that I stand out as "not Canthan enough" for some people.
- ^ In the Name of the Law
- Detective Rama: This is actually where I grew up. My dad's...a little much; would rather he didn't know I was here.
- ^ A Wrinkled Legal Document
