Vissh Rakissh

The statue of Vissh Rakissh in the Lair of the Forgotten.

“

My ashes were to cast in stone in defiance of the Elder Dragons and their corruption, so that I may impact this message: Glint's legacy is essential to Tyria's survival.

— Statue of Vissh Rakissh

Vissh Rakissh was one of the last Forgotten remaining on Tyria. He left his last words in the Lair of the Forgotten in a statue devoted to him, hidden until all Forgotten Statues are found.

Biography

Early years

Vissh Rakissh was a member of the long-lived Forgotten race who were devoted followers of the Six Human Gods and collaborated with the dragon Glint to realize her legacy. He witnessed the Margonite Horde of Darkness's assault on the Gates of Heaven and Abaddon's defeat at the hands of the other gods. Although many Forgotten were tasked with watching over Abaddon's prison in the Realm of Torment following the Exodus of the Gods in 0 AE, Vissh was one of the Forgotten remaining on Tyria and was stationed at the Lair of the Forgotten in the Desolation.

After Abaddon's manipulations brought about the return of his demonic Margonite followers to Tyria in 1075 AE, many Forgotten fell in subsequent clashes against the Margonites until only a handful were left. Wanting retribution for the deaths of his brethren, Vissh urged sympathetic adventurers, including the Hero of Nightfall, to hunt down local Margonites.

Vissh eventually discovered that the Margonites were seeking the Staff of the Mists, an ancient relic capable of bending the fabric of reality, in order to gain its power for their imprisoned god. Knowing that the Staff of the Mists had been hidden in the Poisoned Outcrops, he sent the adventurers to retrieve it before the Margonites found it. The adventurers ultimately destroyed the relic with the ghost Buuran's assistance.

Demise and legacy

After the defeat of Abaddon and the Margonites, Vissh continued watching over the Lair of the Forgotten and communicated with Glint and his fellow Forgotten Josso Essher who was the main architect of the Glint's legacy plan, aiding them with the creation of the first Exalted to carry on the fading Forgotten's work. After Glint's demise in the battle against Kralkatorrik in the Crystal Desert in 1320 AE, Josso Essher and many other surviving Forgotten left to confront the Elder Dragon in order to cleanse it of its corruption, but the attempt failed and led to the Forgotten being corrupted into the Branded.

Knowing that he would not live long, and wanting to prevent himself from sharing his brethren's fate, Vissh had his ashes cast in a stone statue of himself in defiance of Kralkatorrik's spreading corruption. Before passing on, he cast a complex spell over his statue as well as other nearby Forgotten Statues so his hidden, spoken message could only be heard by those who interacted with the other statues first. Vissh also managed to teach mortals and ghosts how to set up sulfur lures to lure and tame Junundu Wurms, and his students would use this knowledge to protect themselves from the Awakened and the Forged years later.

In 1330 AE, the Pact Commander discovered Vissh's statue and interacted with other nearby statues to hear the defiant Forgotten's inspiring message to future generations. In his final message Vissh Rakissh spoke about the Exalted and their role carrying on the Forgotten's work, and urged all Tyrian races to come together to fulfill Glint's legacy in order to restore balance and save Tyria from destruction.

References

The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on Vissh Rakissh.