The Battle Isles
The Battle Isles were a group of islands in the Unending Ocean that once had the Zaishen Order base and a great temple dedicated to Balthazar, the God of War and Fire. They served as an important resting point in human naval travel between Cantha in the south and Elona and Central Tyria in the north. The Zaishen ran a tight business breeding and training all the common and prestige pets from around the world for their clientele in the Zaishen Menagerie Grounds. They also oversaw battle arenas where adventurers from different continents could test their skills in combat in preparation for facing future challenges. Following the death of the Great Destroyer, some asura also traveled to the Battle Isles to offer their services to humans.[1][2] Kurzicks and Luxons appeared on the isles to ask able adventurers to come aid their respective faction against their rivals.[3][4]
The isles were destroyed in the Great Tsunami created by the Rising of Orr in 1219 AE.[5] After the isles' sinking, the guilds of Tyria grew and expanded; some of the Zaishen relocated to Lion's Arch while others of their order were isolated in Elona. As a result, the guilds were no longer racially aligned nor restricted merely to humans as they began accepting heroes of all societies into their halls while the Tyrian branch of the Zaishen switched from the exclusive worship of Balthazar to embracing other races' ideals as nonhuman recruits joined the northern Zaishen's ranks.[6]
Trivia[edit]
- The world map found in the Durmand Priory shows what appear to be historical naval trade routes connecting the Battle Isles not only to the port cities of Kaineng City in Cantha, Kamadan in Elona, and Lion's Arch in Central Tyria but also to what may be other port cities in less known regions to the west tentatively titled "Sunken Islands" and "Sunrise Crest." The possible existence of port cities in the west across the Unending Ocean suggests that the isles once had access to heretofore unknown civilizations (potentially human if they follow the same pattern with the trade routes between known port cities).
References[edit]
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The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on The Battle Isles. |
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