Mad King Thorn

This article is about the one and only Mad King. For the actors, see "Mad King Thorn".

Mad King Thorn

Race

Halloween creature

Level

80

Rank

Legendary

Location

Lion's Arch
(Kryta)
Mad King's Realm
(The Mists)

Organization

Lunatic Court

“

Never kill people unless that's part of the joke.

— Mad King Thorn

Mad King Oswald Thorn was a human monarch who ruled Kryta in the ninth century AE. He is famed for his lethal lunacy, which he has kept up after his death when he returned as the powerful spirit of Halloween. Thorn rules the Mad King's Realm and has an intense rivalry with his son, Bloody Prince Edrick Thorn, as well as Palawa Joko.

Biography

Early years

King of Kryta

Prince Oswald Thorn was born to the royal family of Kryta in the eighth century AE. Already showing early signs of sociopathy, he became a prolific prankster and troublemaker. During a visit of diplomats from Elona, Oswald met with the diplomat's son Palawa Joko. Viewing the young Thorn ripping wings off of flies as amateurish for not utilizing torture to its fullest extent, Joko secretly taught Oswald what creatures would survive torture and be of use afterwards, suggesting that Oswald should direct his sadism towards his servants instead. The young prince challenged Joko to a pun contest much to the latter's horror, and the pranks escalated into a clash between the two youths, the first battle to take place between the future lich king and Mad King.

After Joko's visit, Oswald became responsible for the deaths of both Serene and Samson through negligence, but as a second son he was not expected to ascend to the throne. Nevertheless he schemed his way to the throne, murdering his well-liked elder brother Prince Ewan Thorn and later, his father (but not before taking his brother's betrothed, Lady Lyrica, as his wife, and having her assassinated). While growing up, Thorn proved he had a strong command of magic, and his will alone was enough to make him a very dangerous foe.

Oswald Thorn's first act as king was to execute Lord Humphrey Faren for accusing him of murdering his father, and he declared that all traitors would be punished without delay. Early in his reign, he proposed a treaty to the centauran tribes, but the centaurs rejected its terms as unfavorable. Later, famine and drought struck Kryta, but the high taxes drove some peasants to theft and others to starvation. King Thorn rounded up all citizens who were even suspected of theft and cut off their hands. As a young man, Oswald traveled to Kamadan on the Isle of Istan where he became infatuated with Princess Zola of Vabbi and tried to woo her. When the princess rejected his advances, Oswald kidnapped her father Seamarshal Bennu and ransomed him for her hand in marriage, turning the princess into his fifth wife. He had Zola burned alive when he grew tired of her, however, sparking a war with Istan in which Kryta was ultimately victorious.

As king, Oswald had eight wives in total; the other known wives include Illiyan, his sixth and favorite wife who was burned alive; Estrella, who was killed by Oswald when he put her in a coffin full of rats and dumped it into the sea; and Henrietta, who was killed by his heir, Prince Edrick Thorn. There was also Edrick's mother, whose name is still unknown, who was beheaded on his birthday. Oswald viewed his son to be a disappointment, and after a failed coup attempt from Prince Edrick on the final night of Oswald's rule, the Mad King stuffed Edrick's mouth with candy corn and had him locked in the Shell of Insanity. Once his counselor Dribbin had cast a spell on the shell to make it drain the life of anyone who touched it as well as erased records of the Bloody Prince's existence, Oswald killed the counselor as well to ensure that none would be left alive to learn the truth about Edrick's fate.

The tyranny of Mad King Thorn came to an end in approximately 825 AE when an angry mob stormed Castle Thorn, ending his earthly rule. The rebels intended to kill Oswald's eighth wife and son as well during the assault, ending the Thorn dynasty, and beseech his cousin to take the throne and plead forgiveness. Worried that the Mad King would try to return using his magic, his killers hid his body parts in boxes and buried them in locations scattered across Tyria, obscuring their locations with magical seals.

King of the Mad Realm

Although unable to return to Tyria due to the seals (except at Halloween, at which he would make an annual appearance), Thorn rose to notoriety within the Underworld, coming to rule a sub-realm of his own as the Mad King after conquering it and naming it the Mad Realm.

The Underworld was attacked by the former god Dhuum's army of dryders, ghosts, and skeletons circa 1072 AE. Thorn detected ominous changes in the Underworld and believed some ancient power to be at work. To set the Mad King's mind at ease, his steward tasked able mortal adventurers to contact King Frozenwind, one of the allies of Dhuum's successor Grenth, to ascertain what was happening. Upon learning Frozenwind's dire news that Dhuum was stirring and trying to break free of his prison, the steward delivered the grim news to Thorn who was none too pleased about the outcome as Dhuum potentially usurping the throne of the Underworld would change the fundamental rules of life, death, and undeath. Once Thorn was made aware of these recent developments, he ordered his steward to send emissaries to the Seven Reapers, lieutenants of Grenth, to learn more information about the coming of Dhuum and to ask the Reapers to rendezvous with King Frozenwind to assess the severity of the threat.

Dhuum's army eventually ensnared the Seven Reapers and caused chaos in the Underworld, sending souls to torturous places like the Realm of Torment. To aid in the battle, mortal adventurers were allowed access to the Underworld to assist Grenth's forces. However, some arrived to plunder the Underworld's riches instead. During this conflict, Dhuum regained strength through any death in the Underworld, and eventually broke free of his chains. Though the Seven Reapers and their mortal allies did eventually manage to re-imprison Dhuum after weakening and imprisoning his minions with the assistance of Mad King Thorn's subjects, the new bindings were inefficient and the former God of Death managed to break free repeatedly from his imprisonment as he drew strength from the deaths of his minions and other spirits in the Underworld. The Mad King and his servants offered what little help they could once they learned about the severity of the threat that Dhuum's actions posed.

In 1079 AE, the ascension of Queen Salma to the throne of Kryta broke one of the seals intended to keep the Mad King from returning to Tyria. Emboldened by this turn of events, Thorn's Lunatic Court set about attempting to break the rest of the seals so that the Mad King might become as powerful in Tyria as he was in the Underworld. A selection of artifacts from Thorn's life was gathered, and a suitable vessel for his spirit was obtained from a mausoleum.

The political climate was also prepared for the Mad King's return, inciting his arch-rival Palawa Joko into swearing to "flood valleys and enslave nations" to get his vengeance on Tyria some time after his return to Elona in 1075 AE. Meanwhile, Thorn's minions defeated Qwytzylkak, the only being capable of telling as good jokes as the Mad King. The rivalry between Mad King Thorn and Joko led to the Battle of Scarred Psyche in which Thorn was ultimately victorious much to Joko's dismay.

Thorn's courtiers tried to sway the ghost of Princess Zola to travel to Kryta so she would be present upon Thorn's impending arrival as the king needed a queen by his side and Zola's presence would act as a beacon for his soul. After the Mad King's followers had assisted Zola in getting rid of her ghostly suitors who tried to keep her in Istan, she vehemently declared that she would eagerly travel to Kryta in order to welcome Thorn if he returned to life; however, she would only do so in order to personally kill Thorn and send him back to Grenth's waiting arms as revenge for what the Mad King had done to her. Despite Zola's declaration, the Lunatic Court believed that the long trip to Kryta would calm her down and light the fire of love in her heart once more.

Despite these victories, the Lunatic Court suffered a setback: the elaborate rituals with the vessel had not freed King Thorn but his favored steed, Mister Gum Drops, instead. Palawa Joko's minions attempted to hunt down Thorn's returned pony, but the courtiers managed to thwart their attempts although they had difficulty tracking down the invisible pony which only Thorn himself could see. The courtiers returned to the drawing board chastened although they found solace in the fact that their rituals to free the Mad King might succeed now that they had proof that the rituals had weakened the barriers between realms enough to let the steed through.

Shadow of the Mad King 2012

Mad King Thorn breaches the Grand Piazza in Lion's Arch.

After his court's failure, the Mad King's influence was not felt for a long time, and he became a folk legend used to scare children with. However, in 1325 AE, over two centuries after his court's failure, King Thorn made a dramatic return. He shattered the Lion's Court in the Grand Piazza of Lion's Arch and assaulted the citizens with insidious pranks and terrible jokes, intending to break free into Tyria. His return was opposed by the asura Magister Tassi, and foiled by adventurers who ventured straight into the Mad King's realm and defeated him in his own game as well as in battle. Despite his initial defeat, the Mad King would continue visiting Lion's Arch every Halloween and only resort to less lethal pranks on the festive citizens while making them play "Your Mad King Says" with him.

Baron Wycker, a relative of Thorn consigned to the Mad Realm as the Mad King's subject, staged a short-lived revolt against his lunatic liege during this time. When confronted by adventurers during his arrival at the Village of Shaemoor amidst the unrest caused by multiple Halloween creatures invading Queensdale, he claimed that the throne of the Mad Realm belonged to the "true demented heir" instead of King Thorn although he refused to elaborate on this heir's identity upon being defeated.

Blood and Madness 2013

In 1326 AE, Magister Tassi discovered Prince Edrick's last resting place in the Nolani Academy ruins as well as the Shell of Insanity containing him. She connected the dots and realized that Baron Wycker's words from a year ago had referred to the Bloody Prince all along, and the Mad Baron's revolt may have been a prelude to a bigger civil unrest brewing within the Mad King's court. Upon being roused, the Bloody Prince attempted to break into Tyria only to be sealed again with candy corn after adventurers confronted him in his lair. Despite his failed escape attempt, Edrick Thorn successfully recruited various denizens of the Mad Realm to his side and made them fight a civil war against the Mad King's minions while father and son continued their quarrel in the center of the Mad King's Labyrinth.

Since Drooburt's Ghost first appeared in Lion's Arch, Thorn befriended the quaggan and invited him for a walk whenever the two crossed paths.

Shadow of the Mad King 2017

In 1330 AE, Magister Tassi tasked the Pact Commander with interviewing denizens of the Mad Realm as well as ghosts of Thorn's victims to compile this information into a definitive biography of the Mad King. During one such interview, the ghost of Seamarshal Bennu claimed that the gods had sent his daughter Princess Zola's ghost to the Mad Realm because they had thought that she would have a calming effect on King Thorn. Despite the seamarshal's belief, however, Zola herself did not appear to the Commander during the latter's many visits to the Mad Realm, leaving her fate uncertain despite her promise from centuries ago to make Thorn pay for his crimes.

Shadow of the Mad King 2018

Following Palawa Joko's demise in 1331 AE, Brigadier General Kernel and the Pact Commander schemed to gather real and fabricated spoils of war from Elona to fool Thorn into thinking that Kernel's forces had merely forced the lich king to retreat. Should the Mad King ever learn that his archrival had been killed without his permission, his tantrum would be legendary and deadly to behold even on his already high mad standards.

Shadow of the Mad King 2020

After getting rid of his writer's block in 1333 AE, the famous charr author Snargle Goldclaw wrote a novel called Heart of Thorn about a fictionalized triangle drama between Mad King Thorn, the Grand High Viscount of Candy Corn, and one of Thorn's wives called Priscilla Sarsaparilla Barbarella Thorn. Given Snargle's tendency to embellish his writing and use different names for real people in his novels, it is unknown how accurate the novel's depiction and name of Thorn's heretofore unknown wife is.

Shadow of the Mad King 2021

Mad King Thorn and the ghost of Palawa Joko, towering above the Mad King's Labyrinth as they argue.

By the Halloween of 1334 AE, Thorn grew suspicious of Joko's lack of activity, which prompted the Lunatic Court's emergency task force to find a means to bring Joko's spirit to the Mad King's Labyrinth somehow to appease the mad monarch. What seemed to be the spirit of Joko himself did eventually appear in the Mad King's Labyrinth, prompting King Thorn to replace his previous bantering partner, Bloody Prince Thorn, with Joko at the center of the labyrinth much to the prince's annoyance. Thorn and Joko began exchanging taunts with gusto, and Joko appeared to enjoy his time both bullying Thorn while being simultaneously annoyed by the Mad King's pranks and puns. Curious of these developments due to having witnessed Aurene devouring Joko in Gandara, the Pact Commander sought out members of the task force to press them for information. The task force's testimonies differed wildly from one another, however, leading to multiple conflicting theories to consider.

In a report to Magister Tassi, the Commander had to choose which of the many theories for Joko's return they supported the most: the spirit could be the real Joko who had naturally passed on to the Mad Realm as his madness and ego would have drawn him there, a fragment of Joko's soul either recovered by the courtiers via a ritual or which had escaped death on its own when Aurene had devoured him, leftover fragments and memories of Joko bound into a projection of him, an echo of Joko created by the Mists, an alternate version of Joko from a different realm in the Mists, a mesmer illusion to conceal the truth, a Mad Spirit coerced by the courtiers into believing they are Joko, or an actual unaffiliated imposter making everyone think they are the real Joko. Deciding on which theory to support for the thesis, the Commander and Tassi concluded their investigation and put an end to Joko's tale while the lich king's legacy, regardless of the labyrinth Joko's origins, would live on in the Mad Realm to keep the Mad King entertained.

Locations

This NPC only appears during Halloween.

Ascalon

• Plains of Ashford
  • Gunbreach Hills

Kryta

• Lion's Arch
  • Grand Piazza
  • Trader's Forum
  • Fort Marriner

• Queensdale
  • Village of Shaemoor

Maguuma Jungle

• Caledon Forest
  • Village of Astorea

• Metrica Province
  • Soren Draa

Shiverpeak Mountains

• Wayfarer Foothills
  • Snowlord's Gate

The Mists

• Mad King's Realm
  • Lunatic Inquisition
  • Mad King's Labyrinth
  • Ascent to Madness

Event involvement

Your Mad King says... (80)

Historical events

Paranormal Disturbance Zone (1)

Combat abilities

Abilities

• Tricks and Treats

Behavior

• Briefly gains Determined and teleports away once health reaches 75% and 25%.
• Scarecrow - Plants a scarecrow, which periodically causes enemies in range to be given the  Crows effect, and inflicts Fear when destroyed

Effects

•  Determined - Determined to survive and immune to damage.

Skills

• Candy Corn Slice - Swings his sword, causing three candy corn colored waves to fly out
• Mad Moon Toss - Bounces his shield off players, inflicting random conditions
• Night Slash - Part of auto-attack ^{[verification requested]}
• Rending Night - Part of auto-attack ^{[verification requested]}
• Pumpkin Bombs - AoE attack that causes knockback

Stolen skills

•   Mace Head Crack
•   Rusty Scrap Strike
•   Shoot Rifle
•   Throw Gunk
•   Throw Net
•   Use Staff
•   Whirling Axe

Dialogue

Lion's Arch

At Trader's Forum:

One of the following:

Mad King Thorn: Hey, I see a lot of weapons down there. Are you planning a revolt? Against me? (laugh) Well, you are all pretty revolting! (maniacal laughter)

Mad King Thorn: I'd like to take a nice vacation down to Arah. Go swimming, get some sun. You know, work on my Zhai-tan?

Mad King Thorn: What do you call a human wearing a charr suit? No... Wait for it... A CHARR-latan!

Mad King Thorn: How did the bear ruin the picnic? He ate five people and all the potato salad.

Mad King Thorn: Oooh, it was rough partying with the norn last night. Call me Jormag, because today I'm "dragon."

Mad King Thorn: What's the difference between charr and norn? The charr have dandruff everywhere!

Mad King Thorn: Here's a funny story. Recently, one of my vassals said to me, "Your Majesty! I can't feel my legs!" And I replied, "Of course, you can't, stubby. I cut your arms off!" And I had! (laugh) (Also in Plains of Ashford)

Mad King Thorn: What's a norn's favorite drink? The next one! (laugh) They're all drunk. (Also in Wayfarer Foothills)

Mad King Thorn: It seems the sylvari are here to stay. As no one has nipped them in the BUD, I must assume they're all of good STALK. Maybe they'll GROW on me. (laugh) Plant puns, people, please! (Also in Caledon Forest)

Mad King Thorn: At the Durmand Priory, what is an asura's best friend? A bookah. (Also in Metrica Province)

Mad King Thorn: Sylvari are certainly naive. They'll be-LEAF anything they hear! (laugh)

Mad King Thorn: I fought an asura warrior the other day, and my shins are KILLING me! (laugh)

Mad King Thorn: I was confused when a servant informed me of the dredge revolt in the Shiverpeaks. As far as I'm aware, dredge have always been revolting! Get it? Ugly bugly! Hoo! (laugh) They're ugly. (Also in Wayfarer Foothills)

Mad King Thorn: The other night, a charr warrior told me everything he knew. It took about ten seconds. (Also in Plains of Ashford)

Mad King Thorn: What do you say when an asura praises you? No one knows yet. (chuckle) Right? (Also in Metrica Province)

Mad King Thorn: What do you call a sylvari who's round and green? MELON-y! You know, like the name, but also the fruit? The, the melon, Melony... Why aren't you all laughing? Laugh! Or I'll kill every last one of you humorless worms! (Also in Caledon Forest)

Mad King Thorn: What's the fastest way to anger a norn? Tell her you've never heard of her. Ahhh, it's funny because it's true. (laugh) (Also in Wayfarer Foothills)

Mad King Thorn: Why can't you borrow money from a dwarf? Because they're always a little short. Ha! Get it? Ha ha! Ah, yes, I miss dwarves. (Also in Queensdale)

Mad King Thorn: Two quaggans were walking in a cow pasture. The first turns to the second and says, "Foo." The other replies, "Cows say moo." The first looks down at his flippers and says, "No, foo. Poo." (snicker) (Also in Caledon Forest)

Mad King Thorn: I wanted a sylvari court musician for a while, but I gave up on the idea. I'm told their music is too SAP-py! It's really wasted on you.

Mad King Thorn: I hear—oh, this is a good one—I hear the mortality rate for hylek is very high. They croak every night! (laugh) (Also in Metrica Province)

Mad King Thorn: Were you aware that grawl have engineers? It's true. I hear one of them invented a new gadget called a "stick." (Also in Plains of Ashford)

Mad King Thorn: I'm so disappointed that the dwarves have disappeared. I had so many good jokes about short things. And beards. (Also in Queensdale)

Mad King Thorn: I paid a visit to Ascalon before coming here, and I'm not judging—but did shaving go out of style or what? (Also in Queensdale)

Mad King Thorn: The prince has never been on his best behavior. You could say that being his parent was an "heir raising" experience.

Mad King Thorn: Now, where's that life of the party, Theo Ashford? C'mon out, Theo! Where are—what? Really? Oooh, never mind.

Mad King Thorn: What's black and blue and stuffed in a box? My son!

Mad King Thorn: How many asura does it take to make a sandwich? Depends on how thin you slice them!

Mad King Thorn: You'd go to Elona? By yourself? Aren't you worried about traveling alone-a?

Followed by either:

Mad King Thorn: (laugh)

Mad King Thorn: (cackling)

When finished, either of:

Mad King Thorn: Here's a little something for all my LOYAL subjects.

Mad King Thorn: Loyal subjects! How can I leave you? My royal heart would be breaking if I still had one.

Mad King Thorn: That's enough treats! Time for some tricks.

Droburt's Ghost: Do you have anything to spare for quaggan?

Mad King Thorn: Oh, it's you, you insatiable mendicant! For the last time, I have nothing for you to drink.

Drooburt's Ghost: Please, quaggan needs only a little more.

Mad King Thorn: You bottomless bipedal beluga, I'd strangle you if somebody hadn't already beat me to it!

Drooburt's Ghost: Fooooooooo...

Mad King Thorn: Aw, I can't stay mad at you, you tubby little tippler. Come, let us eat a few villagers and terrorize a few fish!

At Fort Marriner:

While wandering around, either of:

Mad King Thorn: (laugh)

Mad King Thorn: (evil laughter)

When eventually encountering Evon Gnashblade by the lion statue, either of two dialogs:

Mad King Thorn: Nice statue you have here, Gnashblade. It would be such a shame if something nasty were to happen to it.

Captain Evon Gnashblade: Just keep your hands off it.

Mad King Thorn: Or else?

Captain Evon Gnashblade: Or else I'll eat all this candy corn and tell your son where to find you.

Mad King Thorn: How dare you threaten me! You're speaking to a king! I've no interest in your brittle, relatively unguarded statue...

Mad King Thorn: Well, the latest statue is an improvement on the last one.

Captain Evon Gnashblade: Just keep a safe distance.

Mad King Thorn: Why? Every time it's destroyed, you build a better one. I believe you owe me a debt of gratitude.

Captain Evon Gnashblade: Not funny.

After the dialog ends, Mad King Thorn disappears and Evon Gnashblade says either of:

Captain Evon Gnashblade: He's going to blow it up. He just can't help himself. I'm sure of it.

Captain Evon Gnashblade: He's not going to blow it up. Not on my watch.

Outside of cities

Mad King Thorn: By the ghost of me, what is this?

Mad King Thorn: I leave for a couple of hundred years, and I come back to this? Have you completely forgotten whom you celebrate?

Mad King Thorn: This feeble imposter is a disgrace. I don't putter about telling poorly-constructed nursery rhymes. Insulting!

Mad King Thorn: He doesn't even look like me. His head isn't on fire! This oversight must be rectified! Set him on fire!

("Mad King Thorn" is set on fire.)

Mad King Thorn: Sad, sad people of Tyria, clearly you have missed my influence.

Mad King Thorn: But fear not, for I, the mighty and benevolent King Thorn of Kryta, have returned!

(Mad King Thorn will tell three jokes from above, each related to the location he's at.)

Lunatic Inquisition

If character is on the Lunatic Court team

Ah, my fine courtier. How very nice to see you. You were always my favorite, you know. Be a good subject and recruit a few villagers for me.

On my way.

If character is on the Villager team

What are you doing here? Don't you know there's a feast on? Main course: you! RUN!

Running!

Gallery

• 

  Render by Kristen Perry.

• 

  Banner.

• 

  Mad King Thorn and the Bloody Prince Thorn, arguing above the Mad King's Labyrinth from Blood and Madness 2013 until Shadow of the Mad King 2021.

Related achievements

• Lunatic Wardrobe: A Royal Tradition — Impress Mad King Thorn with your obedience in a round of Mad King Says. (5)
• Halloween Daily: Against the King — Survive Mad King Thorn's tricks in the Ascent to Madness mission. (0)
• Shadow of the Mad King 2012: Attend the Party — Attend the Mad King's party. (5) (Historical)
• Shadow of the Mad King: Mad Mementos — Track down firsthand accounts of Mad King Thorn's rule during Halloween, when the Mad Realm draws near. (10)
• Shadow of the Mad King: Mad Memorial — Track down firsthand accounts of Mad King Thorn's afterlife during Halloween, when the Mad Realm draws near. (20)
• Shadow of the Mad King: Mad Memories — Speak with Magister Tassi in Lion's Arch about researching the Mad King's life and death. (1)
• Shadow of the Mad King: Mad Mysteries — Track down firsthand accounts of Mad King Thorn's childhood during Halloween, when the Mad Realm draws near. (5)
• Shadow of the Mad King: Mad Maleficence — Track down trophies of the eternal feud between Mad King Thorn and Palawa Joko during Halloween, when the Mad Realm draws near. (5)
• Shadow of the Mad King: Court Duty: Deference to the King — Survive Mad King Thorn's tricks in the Ascent to Madness mission or participate in his games of Mad King Says in Lion's Arch. Successfully playing Mad King Says awards extra progress. (5)
• Shadow of the Mad King: Court Duty: The King's Guest — Visit the Mad King's Labyrinth for some...festive fun. Then follow up on developments observed in the Mad Realm. (1)

Notes

• Originally, Mad King Thorn appeared outside of the Mists only on Halloween day. The change is referenced by Bruce the Herald.

Trivia

• Mad King Thorn is voiced by Fred Tatasciore.
• Mad King Thorn is also referred to as:
  • Antic Harrower
  • Autumn Lunatic
  • Grim Japer
  • His Dreadful Majesty

See also

The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on Mad King Thorn.

• Heart of Thorn by Snargle Goldclaw
• The Family Business
• Tyrian royalty family tree

Associated items

• Mad King's armor
• Mad King's Outfit
• Armwraps of Madness
• Carapace of Chaos
• Gauntlets of Madness
• Gloves of Madness
• Last Rites
• Mad King's Coat
• Mad King's Overcoat
• Mad King's Vestment
• Bottle of Mad King's Pumpkin Porter
• Champion's Mad King
• Mini Mad King Head
• Minor Rune of the Mad King
• Major Rune of the Mad King
• Superior Rune of the Mad King

External links

• Interview with Angel McCoy and Scott McGough, Wartower.de (Archived)