White Mantle
“The Mursaat preyed upon the weak and impressionable, who in turn worshiped them as gods. Calling themselves the White Mantle, these converts sacrificed innocents and toppled the Krytan monarchy. The chaos they inflicted on Tyria was short-lived. They were eventually crushed, and their scattered remnants went into hiding. But pockets of their fanatical followers have been operating in the shadows ever since.
The White Mantle are a group of outlaws based in the Maguuma Wastes and northern Heart of Maguuma. Once leaders of Kryta for a brief time 250 years ago, the White Mantle view themselves as the rightful rulers of the last human nation on Tyria. With intentions to retake their role of rulership over Kryta, the White Mantle have infiltrated deep into the political system of the kingdom and stir strife across the land.[1]
Though most Krytans have long believed the White Mantle a distant historical threat, the Shining Blade are few who know the truth: that the cultists fund and lead the bandits plaguing the countryside in secrecy. Though the White Mantle lead the bandits, not all bandits are members of the cult or know of their existence—many are those fooled by the White Mantle's trickery, or are those left destitute by the cult's actions with little choice but the life of crime.
History[edit]
Rise of the White Mantle[edit]
The White Mantle originated as a religious cult formed in Kryta by Saul D'Alessio in 1067 AE. Saul was a drunk and a gambler turned thief who was exiled into a deep forest and had stumbled upon powerful spellcasters whom he had called the Unseen Ones. They rescued Saul from the brink of death and returned him to Kryta, where he preached the doctrine of his new Unseen Ones as gods. Saul proclaimed salvation during Kryta's darkest hour, when the charr invasion threatened the nation's survival and when King Jadon had fled the throne.
Under Saul's leadership, the White Mantle were kind to non-believers and defenders of the weak. Saul led an small elite unit in the middle of the night to strike the charr's invading forces' leaders. Though the leaders were killed, the battle had alarmed the charr camp, and the entire charr army marched upon Saul and his few faithful. Saul prayed in the White Mantle's time of need, and three of the Unseen Ones named Optimus Caliph, Mercia the Smug and Lazarus the Dire arrived and aided them in defeating the charr.
However, this aid came at a steep cost: all but the most faithful White Mantle would perish for having gazed upon their Unseen gods. Witnessing the death of his fellow men, Saul grieved and realized the true nature of his so-called gods. The Unseen Ones took the disillusioned leader of the White Mantle with them to a remote location to ensure his silence.[2]
The survivors, becoming leaders of the White Mantle under Confessor Dorian, spread stories that Saul had valiantly sacrificed his life in the battle against the charr. With no threat and no king, the White Mantle took over Kryta.
War in Kryta[edit]
The White Mantle grew arrogant and abusive during their reign, thriving off of the wealth of the land and leaving non-believers in poverty. Worst of all, each year Krytan citizens were chosen for "special education" and never seen again. In truth, the White Mantle offered these ill-fated Chosen as sacrificial victims atop of the Bloodstone in the Maguuma Jungle.[3]
Born from this strife, a group of rebels situating themselves in the Maguuma Jungle formed. They called themselves the Shining Blade and vowed to hack away the corruption and decay that robbed Kryta of her greatness. The true nature of the White Mantle and the inhuman sorcerers they worshiped was exposed for all to see in a series of violent conflicts that left the Mantle high council dead.[4]
However, the White Mantle remained strong and became even more ruthless under the new Confessor Isaiah who plunged Kryta into a full blown civil war. This war heightened in 1079 AE, and culminated in a battle at Lion's Arch, where Confessor Isaiah and the last of the Unseen Ones except for Lazarus were killed off. Expecting losses, Isaiah had sent many White Mantle into the depths of the Maguuma Jungle to ensure the cult's survival, and they immediately began to attempt to sow distrust against Queen Salma and the Shining Blade for the time they would one day return.[5]
Return of the White Mantle[edit]
In 1325 AE, after several years of preparation, the White Mantle attacked Kryta again. This time, they planned to destabilize Queen Jennah's rule by assassinating several of her key supporters. The list of targets included Logan Thackeray, Countess Anise, and a young human orphan who had recently distinguished themselves in battle against the centaurs. The orphan knew nothing about their parents, but the White Mantle had recently learned that orphan was the child of two royal spies who worked for Queen Jennah's father. The White Mantle had killed the royal spies, but missed their infant child.
The White Mantle chose to start their string of assassinations by killing that orphan in the palace gardens. Unfortunately for them, the orphan hadn't gotten their reputation by luck, and defeated the first wave of assassins. The fight attracted the attention of two Shining Blade exemplars, and together the trio defeated the rest of the assassination team. In two strikes, one on a hunting lodge near Beetletun and one on a White Mantle hideout in northeastern Kessex Hills, a team of the orphan, Thackeray, and the Shining Blade killed Confessor Esthel and other high-ranking members of the White Mantle.
Fall of the White Mantle[edit]
In The Silverwastes and eastern Brisban Wildlands, scattered papers and objects left behind by the bandits that once operated the fortresses there revealed that the White Mantle have taken to calling their lands "New Kryta" and had become even more militant since their fall. Their numbers remained a mystery until the Pact unintentionally stumbled upon the outskirts of the White Mantle's primary fortifications in the Forsaken Thicket. The White Mantle had not only survived but thrived in their exile, rebuilding their forces in the Forsaken Thicket and around Bloodstone Fen to the south. In recent years, the White Mantle had become focused entirely on two goals: resurrecting Lazarus, the last of the Unseen Ones, and recovering ancient mursaat magic to make a full-blown assault on Kryta. To fulfill both of these roles, under the newly appointed Confessor Caudecus Beetlestone's orders, the White Mantle had begun experimenting on the Bloodstone of Bloodstone Fen, cracking its shell and figuring how to utilize its magic.[6] After Lazarus was seemingly resurrected, the White Mantle split between those loyal to Lazarus and those loyal to Confessor Beetlestone. The White Mantle loyal to Caudecus regrouped and assaulted Divinity's Reach, using Bloodstone-empowered weaponry, jade constructs as well as centaur reinforcements led by Siegemaster Immelhoof to take over the neighbouring region of Lake Doric. However, the combined might of the Seraph, Shining Blade, charr Sentinels and the Pact Commander retaliated and crushed the invaders. Caudecus was killed in an assault on his family manor. Meanwhile, Lazarus' faction of White Mantle built a new stronghold in Draconis Mons, gathering strength for their own plans to take on the Elder Dragon Primordus. Once their treasury and resources were exhausted, however, Lazarus turned on his White Mantle followers, imprisoned them and hired mercenaries to continue his work. Judging from dialogue with Escaped Prisoner Arissea, it is unknown whether the White Mantle found out that "Lazarus" had been an imposter all along. The few surviving White Mantle, who were still loyal to the real Lazarus, fled to their remaining hideout deep in Brisban Wildlands where they safeguarded an Aspect of Lazarus under orders of Justiciar Araya. The justiciar grew more erratic the more she relied on the addictive power of the Bloodstone shards, however, and she made sure to kill anyone who tried to flee or defy her will. When the Pact Commander and Shining Blade Exemplar Kerida entered the hideout in search of the Eye of Janthir and the aspect, they fought their way through the cultists and ultimately Araya herself. The fall of the last justiciar signaled the end of the once mighty White Mantle. |
Known bases and ruins[edit]
- See also: Bandit#Known bases
- Janthir Syntri (Abandoned)[7]
- Harathi Hinterlands
- Ruins of Holy Demetra
- Martyr's Tomb (Abandoned)
- Ruins of Holy Demetra
- Lake Doric
- Fort Evennia (Captured from Seraph)
- Unnamed camp in the Eastern Hunting Grounds
- Unnamed camp in the Harvest Cascades
- Queensdale
- Hunting Lodge (Undercover cell)
- Brisban Wildlands
- White Mantle Hideout (Instance)
- Caledon Forest
- Ruins of the Unseen (Abandoned)
- Draconis Mons
- Heathen's Hold (Abandoned)
Types[edit]
- See also: Category:White Mantle
- Assassin
- Caulle the Vociferous
- Champion Demagogue
- Champion White Mantle Bloodstone Savant
- Champion White Mantle Catapult Engineer
- Champion White Mantle Cleric
- Champion White Mantle Elementalist
- Champion White Mantle Justiciar
- Champion White Mantle Knight
- Champion White Mantle Necromancer
- Champion White Mantle Seeker
- Champion White Mantle Supply Runner
- Confessor Esthel
- Demagogue's Vanguard
- Doorguard
- Elite Assassin
- Elite White Mantle Catapult Engineer
- Elite White Mantle Cleric
- Elite White Mantle Elementalist
- Elite White Mantle Inquisitor
- Elite White Mantle Knight
- Elite White Mantle Mesmer
- Elite White Mantle Necromancer
- Elite White Mantle Seeker
- Elite White Mantle Supply Runner
- Engul the Calculating
- Faerla the Fastidious
- Fanatical Ghost
- Galleta the Persistent
- Ghostly Justiciar Hablion
- Henley the Tremulous
- High Inquisitor Victor
- Ianim the Architect
- Imposing Ghost
- Informant
- Inquisitor Torbon
- Insidious Projection
- Jessica the Benevolent
- Justiciar Adrienne
- Justiciar Agatha
- Justiciar Araya
- Justiciar Hablion
- Lady Valette Wi
- Lazarus
- Legendary Bandit Executioner
- Markis
- Matthias Gabrel
- McLeod the Silent
- Minister Caudecus
- Minister Estelle
- Minister Zamon
- Nyle the Compassionate
- Olson the Elder
- Pallia the Errant
- Rhea Ingham
- Ritualist Josa
- Sabetha the Saboteur
- Saul D'Alessio
- Savant Ehrin
- Stablehand
- Subjugated Bloodstone Mauler
- Tenad the Faithful
- Thief Lloyd
- Treasonous Minister
- Undercover Assassin
- Veteran Bandit Caster
- Veteran Inquisitor Mirella
- Veteran White Mantle Battle Mage
- Veteran White Mantle Cleric
- Veteran White Mantle Elementalist
- Veteran White Mantle Inquisitor
- Veteran White Mantle Knight
- Veteran White Mantle Mesmer
- Veteran White Mantle Necromancer
- Veteran White Mantle Seeker
- Veteran White Mantle Supply Runner
- White Mantle Abbot
- White Mantle Battle Mage
- White Mantle Blacksmith
- White Mantle Caster
- White Mantle Cleric
- White Mantle Cultist
- White Mantle Cultist
- White Mantle Elementalist
- White Mantle Initiate
- White Mantle Inquisitor
- White Mantle Knight
- White Mantle Knight
- White Mantle Knight
- White Mantle Mesmer
- White Mantle Necromancer
- White Mantle Savant
- White Mantle Scout
- White Mantle Seeker
- White Mantle Seeker
- White Mantle Seeker
- White Mantle Torch Bearer
- Xera
Gallery[edit]
Trivia[edit]
- The White Mantle emblem c. 1079 AE features as one of the available guild emblems.
- The Unseen Ones are in fact the mursaat, an ancient race of spellcasters. After the release of the titans during the first campaign nearly all of the known members on Tyria were eradicated apart from Lazarus, who was weakened after his final aspect was corrupted in the Eye of the North mission The Justiciar's End.
- The White Mantle have their own leitmotif, called "White Mantle Theme", which was composed by Maclaine Diemer.
See also[edit]
The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on White Mantle. |
- Associated items
- White Mantle weapons
- White Mantle Outfit
- Mini Ghostly Justiciar Hablion
- Mini Lady Valette Wi
- Mini Lazarus
- Mini Matthias Abomination
- Mini McLeod the Silent
- Mini Ragged White Mantle Figurehead
- Mini White Mantle Battle Mage
- Mini White Mantle Figurehead
- Mini Xera
References[edit]
- ^ Stronghold of the Faithful
- Xera: For hundreds of years we have hidden in plain sight, living in your cities, manipulating your politics.
- Xera: Soldiers, farmers, scholars—all swearing allegiance to the cause... all waiting for the moment to strike.
- ^ The Rise of the White Mantle
- ^ Bloodstone Fen
- ^ Final Blow
- ^ White Mantle Missive
- ^ Conspiracy of Dunces
- ^ Janthir Wilds Unleashed: The Enhanced Warclaw Mount, GuildWars2.com