The Ascalonian Peace Process
prepared by Whispers analyst Audovacar Draxynnus
In our efforts to prepare the nations of Tyria to fight against the dragons, one of the most promising developments has been the forming of a nascent peace between the humans and charr. For centuries these powerful nations have pitted their strengths against one another – the prospect of peace allows for the hope that military forces freed up from fighting one another can be pitted against Tyria’s common enemies instead. As such, maintaining and furthering the fragile peace process is of paramount importance to the Order.
The majority of agents reading this briefing are expected to be familiar with the history of the charr-human conflict. For any who aren’t, a brief summary is given below, although agents are advised to research additional details beyond this document:
The first recorded clash of humans and charr occurred around 100BE, when human armies under King Doric invaded the lands they called Ascalon. As this coincided with the mysterious death of the last supreme leader of the charr, the Khan-Ur, the charr were unable to stop them, and the humans of Ascalon were able to spend the next thousand years consolidating their hold, pushing the charr ever northwards while building the Great Wall of Ascalon to provide a defensive line to fall back to. The eruption of the Guild Wars distracted the armed forces of humanity, a distraction the charr took advantage of to invade southwards and conduct the ritual of the Searing to devastate Ascalon and breach the Great Wall, as well as invading the other two human kingdoms of Tyria. This was the start of a twenty-year campaign to mop up the remaining Ascalonian holdouts, culminating in the Foefire and the beginning of the siege of Ebonhawke that was only lifted with the signing of the truce.
While both sides had shown signs of tiring of the conflict, the first major breakthrough came with the Dragonrise. Faced with the prospect of annihilation and the death of Queen Jennah at the hands of the Branded, the human defenders of Ebonhawke released and armed charr prisoners from the war. This precedent of charr and humans fighting together against a greater enemy provided the impetus to turn the stalemate of two centuries into a truce.
Through negotiations carried out through Vigil messengers, the conditions for a peace were agreed – the charr would accept a ceasefire if the Claw of the Khan-Ur could be retrieved and returned to them. With the success of a multiracial Vigil team in recovering the Claw earlier this year, hostilities between Ebonhawke and the Iron Legion have ceased and negotiations are underway to cement a treaty between charr and humans, although dissident factions in both camps (labelled by the Order as Renegades and Separatists respectively) refuse to accept peace with their old enemies and seek to disrupt the truce.
Threats to the Peace
As mentioned in the summary, dissident groups have arisen among both the humans and charr. Ogres descending from the Blazeridge Mountains also present a threat to humans and charr in the region of Ebonhawke, although if anything they may be accelerating the process by providing charr forces and the Ebon Vanguard with common enemies.
Separatists
Not surprisingly, hatred runs deep among the humans of Ascalonian descent, whether in Ebonhawke or the descendants of expatriates in Kryta. The Ebon Vanguard has a history of employing covert operations against the charr since before the Foefire, and the Separatists have made use of this along with loosened security to form a series of camps from the Fields of Ruin to locations north of the ruins of the Great Wall. From these camps, many named after heroes and martyrs of the years after the Searing, the Separatists launch raids on the nearby charr, hoping to provoke the charr back into conflict and to weaken their position should hostilities recommence.
As would be expected, the majority of Separatist activity is found in the vicinity of Ebonhawke, where they recruit disaffected Ebonhawkers through persuasion and threats of force and seek to disrupt the delegation by sabotage, assassination, and direct assault. Our agents have also been seeing increasing evidence that the Separatists may be active in Kryta, seeking to discredit the queen who came up with the idea of a treaty in the first place.
Renegades
Formed from charr who could not accept the peace, the Renegades can mostly be found in the fields just north of Ebonhawke attacking any human they encounter. So far, their tactics have proven quite simple – the Renegades have not attempted to infiltrate Kryta the way the Separatists have infiltrated the charr territories.
Ogres
In response to the withdrawal of the charr from the vicinity of Ebonhawke, ogres have started moving down from the mountains, building kraals and attempting to push into the power vacuum left by the charr. Two kraals have been established to the east of Ebonhawke itself, with more further north. Ebon Vanguard and charr have been cooperating in fighting the ogres, granting them an opportunity to build experience in fighting alongside instead of against one another.
Personnel Dossiers
A number of individuals, both human and charr, are of special interest to the Order due to their importance to the peace process… or the possibility of disrupting it. Summaries of the portions of their dossiers as relevant to the peace process are given below – agents are referred to their complete dossiers for more information.
Queen Jennah
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Affiliation: Queen of Kryta
Magic: Mesmer
Jennah became Queen of Kryta at a young age due to the untimely death of her father – too young to be granted power over the kingdom, the Legate Minister took up a regency over Kryta until she came of age. Even now, her political opponents use her youth as evidence for her unsuitability for power. Despite her youth, the Queen is one of the most accomplished mesmers in the current generation.
Until the Dragonrise, Queen Jennah supported continuing Ebonhawke’s war against the charr, committing to increased support to Ebonhawke from Kryta in a speech given just before Kralkatorrik’s awakening. The events of the Dragonrise changed this – seeing humans and charr fighting alongside one another after a personal encounter with an Elder Dragon appears to have lead to an epiphany in the young monarch. After weaving an illusion that persuaded the Branded ogre attackers to abandon the assault, the Queen gave a speech in which she formally released the charr that had fought in Ebonhawke’s defence, speaking to human and charr alike of the importance of the two races learning to cooperate against the greater threat.
This unique perspective makes Queen Jennah an indispensible figure in the peace process in the eyes of the Preceptors, combining in one person the will to do what is necessary to ensure the peace holds and the authority to carry out that will.
Logan Thackeray
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Magic: Guardian
Affiliations: Seraph, Destiny’s Edge (former)
A person of great interest to the Order of Whispers due to his membership of the Destiny’s Edge guild and his suspected role in its breakup.
Prior to his membership of that guild, Logan was the black sheep of his family (refer to dossier: Dylan Thackeray, a member of the Seraph unit assigned to the Queen’s protection, KIA 1320AE in the Branded assault on Ebonhawke) serving as a mercenary escorting caravans to Ebonhawke. Under unclear circumstances, this lead to his arriving in Lion’s Arch in the company of Rytlock Brimstone and Caithe. Shortly after arrival, these three were sentenced to fight in the arena to pay off a fine incurred as a result of property damage from an altercation between Logan and Rytlock, believed to be over the sword Sohothin.
The gladiatorial team formed by the three went undefeated until challenged by Eir Stegalkin, Snaff and Zojja. Their defeat lead to the formation of Destiny’s Edge, which proceeded to defeat several dragon champions before breaking apart.
While the exact details are currently unknown to the Order, the information we do have places Logan at the Branded invasion of Ebonhawke while the rest of Destiny’s Edge was in the desert, where he was responsible for the recruiting of charr prisoners from Ebonhawke’s stockades to assist in fighting off the Branded assault.
In the aftermath of the siege, Destiny’s Edge shattered, for reasons that the Order believes are connected to the death of Snaff. With his estrangement from his former companions, Logan followed his brother’s footsteps in joining the Seraph, currently serving as the captain of the Seraph company responsible for the protection of Divinity’s Reach. Rumour suggests that Logan and Jennah are romantically involved, and that the friendships that Logan has found among charr have lead him to swear off further conflict with the charr. If both of these are true, his influence may be a significant factor in the Queen’s determination to see the treaty succeed.
Minister Caudecus Beetlestone
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Magic: None known
Affiliations: Ministry, Bandits (suspected), Separatists (suspected)
Minister of Beetletun and Legate Minister of the Krytan Ministry, Caudecus Beetlestone served as Jennah’s regent until she achieved her majority, and has been attempting to regain control over Kryta since.
A full description of Caudecus’ activities to undermine Queen Jennah’s power, overt and suspected, is well beyond the scope of this document – agents with a need to know are referred to documents on Krytan politics and Lord Beetlestone’s full dossier. Of relevance, Caudecus has spoken against the treaty, shows a dislike of charr, and has been observed associating with Separatist dissidents. It is not known, however, if this is representative of the Minister’s true beliefs or a position that has been adopted in order to capitalise on resentment directed at the Queen over the treaty. Whether through true hatred or simply political convenience, however, Minister Caudecus represents a significant threat to the treaty, on which the Order is seeking to gain further insight.
Minister Duran
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Magic: Elemental
Affiliations: Kryta
Raised in a village near the area now called Wiley's Cove, Minister Duran's experience with dealing with other races during visits to Lion's Arch made him well-placed to become Queen Jennah’s spokesman at the peace summit. Our information suggests that he is a cautious and pragmatic man, but willing to take risks when needed for his duties.
Wade Samuelsson
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Magic: None known
Affiliations: Ebonhawke
While only claiming the titles of Duke of Ebonhawke and Captain of the Ebon Vanguard, records held by the Order indicate that Wade Samuelsson is descended from the Ascalonian royal line, making him the clearest known heir to the Ascalonian throne should it ever be restored. His demeanour, however, is informal for a person of his rank, and he appears more inclined towards seeking a peaceful life over a quest for glory.
As the commander of Ebonhawke, Samuelsson is an important figure in the peace process. Fortunately, while he remains cautious of the charr, our reports indicate that he is genuinely tired of the war and eager to do his part in forging a lasting peace.
Dougal Keane
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Affiliation: Vigil
Magic: None known
After deserting from the Ebon Vanguard, Dougal Keane took up a life of treasure hunting and tomb robbing. After one such expedition – an illegal trip into the catacombs of Divinity’s Reach – lead to his arrest, Dougal was recruited (although “conscripted” might be a better term) into the team sent to retrieve the Claw of the Khan-Ur.
The reason he was chosen was simple – after their desertion, Dougal Keane and the majority of his unit went on an expedition to loot the treasures of the haunted city of Ascalon. Dougal was the only member of the unit to escape the city – however, this distinction made him the only living person at the time to have entered Ascalon City and escaped, making his knowledge indispensible for the expedition. While details are sketchy, as part of the mission he reportedly prevented a traitor in the expedition from stealing the Claw and turning it over to the Flame Legion in hopes of intensifying the charr civil war enough to render the charr vulnerable to an Ascalonian counterattack.
Dougal Keane can sometimes be found in Fort Marriner in Lion’s Arch, telling stories of his experiences and dispensing advice to young adventurers and would-be dungeoneers.
Smodur the Unflinching
Race: Charr
Gender: Male
Affiliation: Iron Legion
Magic: None known
As Imperator of the Iron Legion, Smodur the Unflinching epitomises the ideals of his legion, being a skilled warrior and engineer. As befits the commander of the legion that has driven the charr industrial revolution, Smodur has garnered a reputation for thinking of the future rather than the past. Rumours overheard by Whispers agents suggest that having obtained the Claw, Smodur may even be intending to melt it down as a symbol of his determination to build a better future from the present rather than to seek to return to the perceived glories of the past.
Since Ascalon is regarded by the charr as Iron Legion territory, on the charr side it is ultimately Smodur’s decision to pursue the treaty or not. Some Whispers analysts regard Smodur’s cosmopolitan attitude as an indication that Smodur saw peace with humans as desirable without requiring the Claw as a condition for peace – an analysis reinforced by the generous terms offered to Ebonhawke. Either way, holding the Claw likely shored up Smodur’s authority to declare a truce without risking being challenged for the Imperatorship by an objector.
Malice Swordshadow
Race: Charr
Gender: Female
Affiliation: Ash Legion
Magic: None known
While the Imperator of the Ash Legion has not been directly involved in the peace process, some of her more trusted agents have been acting behind the scenes to facilitate the treaty. Our information indicates that Malice has recognised the need for the allied legions to make peace with one of their enemies. As a female Imperator, she is likely wary of the possible end result of making peace with the misogynistic Flame Legion, making forging a peace with humanity, at worst, the best of a set of bad options in her eyes.
Bangar Ruinbringer
Race: Charr
Gender: Male
Affiliation: Blood Legion
Magic: None known
Viewed as a loose cannon by the other Imperators, Bangar’s hatred of humans makes him a source for serious concern for the Order of Whispers. Fortunately, the Blood Legion territories are physically distant from the front lines, limiting his ability to carry on the conflict on his own authority. With his reputation for rashness, however, many in the Order fear that he may employ - or may already be employing - a more underhanded method of carrying out his vendetta versus humanity.
Almorra Soulkeeper
Race: Charr
Gender: Female
Affiliations: Vigil, Blood Legion
Magic: None known
Almorra Soulkeeper was possibly the first charr outside the Order of Whispers to realise that the charr could not stand alone against the dragons, when she was the sole survivor of her warband during the Branding. Lacking the clout with her new status as a gladium to push the legions towards making peace with humans directly, she formed a multiracial organisation called the Vigil, dedicated to charitable works and the defence of the innocent.
While officially outside the hierarchy, however, Almorra played an important role during the peace process. The Vigil served as a neutral go-between for communications from the legions to Queen Jennah and back. When Smodur demanded the Claw of the Khan-Ur as part of the price for a truce, it was Almorra who formed a group in order to retrieve it from the ruined city of Ascalon.
Ember Doomforge
Race: Charr
Gender: Female
Affiliation: Ash Legion, Vigil
Magic: Shadow
Granddaughter of Almorra Soulkeeper, Ember Doomforge’s loyalties are split between two leaders – her grandmother as a member of the Vigil, and her Imperator as an Ash Legion agent. Fortunately, so far, they share a common purpose - in fact, Whispers analysts have suggested that Almorra is likely aware that Ember is acting as Malice's agent within the Vigil, and allows her to continue to do so as a sign of good faith and to demonstrate that the Vigil has nothing to hide from the Ash Legion...
...or at least, nothing that they can't hide from known Ash Legion agents, if the Vigil has any skill to speak of in the art of counterintelligence.
Ember was dispatched with the Vigil team that retrieved the Claw of the Khan-Ur, acting as their guide through charr-controlled territory. She has since been assigned to the peace summit outside Ebonhawke, acting as one of the representatives at the summit for both the Ash Legion and the Vigil.
Ajax Anvilburn
Race: Charr
Gender: Male
Affiliation: Blood Legion, Renegades
Magic: None known
The son of Almorra Soulkeeper, the Order’s information suggests that Ajax Anvilburn’s philosophy regarding the treaty is very different to his mother. Having been raised to hate humans in a fahrar, Ajax appears to have been unable to let go of his prejudices for the sake of peace. Whispers agents have placed him among the Renegades and rapidly gaining in recognition among that group. If Ajax was to assume command over a large Renegade unit, this could lead to alarming developments of Renegade strategy, as Ajax’s records indicate that he has inherited the tactical acumen of his mother.
Ambassador Steelcrusher
Race: Charr
Gender: Male
Affiliation: Iron Legion
Magic: None known
Steelcrusher first came to our attention when he fought alongside Smodur on the Granite Front - a meeting that lead Smodur to trust him as the lead charr ambassador at Summit Peak, a position which he volunteered for. His record paints him as an aggressive soldier while on the field, favouring bold strikes against an enemy. Our information suggests that he is appropriately concerned about the threats to the treaty, but remains confident that it is the best path forward for the Iron Legion.