Cantha? Part III: What's There Now?

[Shin Ryu.5802]

According to official game lore, the human Canthan empire was still in the process of booting non-human races and becoming even more isolationist out when Zhaitan happened. The Tengu had ostensibly managed to live in hiding while scouting out viable dwelling places overseas, and we know they were able to do so in the Dominion of Winds and parts of the Auric Basin. So what's likely to have happened in the intervening decades since contact was lost?

 

One of the reasons players are eager to return to Cantha is that most of it was just gorgeous, so I hope it won't be revisited as just yet another visually boring post-cataclysmic wasteland. Curiously, the biggest eyesore in Cantha, Kaineng City, is the one area most likely to have been devastated by flooding. Those races formerly relegated to hiding in the mountains or petrified treetops would have been practically unaffected. In fact, there's really no guarantee that humans are the dominant race in Cantha anymore.

 

That brings me to the wardens of Echovald Forest. What are they, exactly? The official lore is that they may have been druids or something that may have once been human, BUT no one really knows. What if they've actually been Mordrem all along? Their "mother" tree might still be alive somewhere, or may have become petrified with the rest of Echovald. If the wardens were Mordrem, it's possible that the human settlements which survived Zhaitan's cataclysmic rising of the lost continent of Orr faced an even more dire threat when the wardens heard the call of Mordremoth. The partially-reconstructed remains of Kaineng city were probably subjected to a second round of "urban renewal." Once Mordremoth was defeated, then what? Do they continue as programmed, or are they lost and seeking a new purpose? Are they unified into one or more groups, or are they a race of scattered individuals?

 

Whatever the case, the now partially-submerged, partially-overgrown, and yes, possibly even partially rebuilt remains of Kaineng city are likely to be easier on the eyes than the several nigh-identical blocks of monochrome weathered wood it used to be in the original "Guild Wars: Factions."

 

What about the other parts? Do humans still mine the Jade Sea with giant sea turtles, and how has the ridiculous abundance of jade influenced architecture and technology? Is Shing Jea Island still a teaching/training ground, and if so, will they teach players how the new elite specializations work before turning them loose to save the day? Skippable tutorials on any new elite specializations might be a good way to introduce new players to the game while simultaneously serving veteran players a little nostalgia...

 

Next time, I'll address the issue of possible new Elite Specializations.

[Trise.2865]

Again...

https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/categories/community-creations

[Ashantara.8731]

> @"Trise.2865" said:

> Again...

> https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/categories/community-creations

 

What does that have to do with having questions about the actual current status quo the OP is pondering?

[Shin Ryu.5802]

"Again" implies there was a previous time, which is not in evidence.

 

It's not that I'm not open to moving this thread to a more specific and appropriate venue; it's just that there doesn't appear to be one for this vague kind of musing.

The "Community Creations" category is more of a showcase for player-generated artwork or music than for future content suggestions. I don't have a gift for painting, composing music, or knitting adorable baby springer plushies, so regrettably, I won't be contributing to the "Community Creations" forums any time soon.