The Grizzly Guardholme

Animal Shapes

Wolf | Snow Leopard | Bear | Raven | Owl | Moa | Wolverine | Eagle | Ox | Dolyak | Wurm | Fox | Otter | Minotaur | Opossum | Raccoon | Ice Drake | Moose | Elk | Deer | Mink | Rabbit | Ram | Hare | Snake | Aurene | Dragon

Other shapes

Heart | Star | Flower | Maple Leaf | Snowflake | Boat | Horn | Antler | Circle | Triangle | Crystal | Fang | Sword | Axe | Shield | Staff | Scepter | Arrow | Bow | Orb

Merchandise

Colored wax pencil packs
Wick trimmers
Wick hooks
Snuffers
Matches
Candle holders

Herbal and Spices Scents

Lemongrass
Ginger root
Cassava Root
Green Tea
Earl Gray
Black Tea
Chamomile
Coffee beans
Nutmeg
Cinnamon
Sage
Thyme
Clove
Garlic
Mint
Rosemary
Basil
Bay Leaf
Dill
Peppermint

Fruit Scents

Blueberry
Raspberry
Blackberry
Banana
Lemon
Lime
Strawberry
Cherry
Passion Fruit
Sugar Pumpkin
Apple
Grape
Orange
Tomato
Omnomberry
Coconut
Peach
Pear
Mango
Allspice Berry
Winterberry

Floral Scents

Passiflora
Lilac
Lavender
Daisy
Sunflower
Flax Flower
Snowdrop
Shing Jea Orchid
Koda’s Blossom
Ascalonian Royal Iris
Krytan Spiderwort
Rose
Maguuma Lily
Cactus Flower
Lotus Flower

Other Scents

Lake Water
Salt Water
Maple
Chocolate
Vanilla Bean
Walnut
Hops and spices
Honey

Flavors

Dolyak milk and Honey
Winterberry’s Warmth
Sugar Pumpkin
Mixed berries and Cream
Maple Honey
Vanilla
Honey
Strawberry
Chocolate
Passion Fruit
Green Tea
Mango
Mint chip
Lavender Lemon
Affogato
Apple Cider
Coffee

Peppermint
Cherry
Lemon
Pistachio
Cotton Candy
Bubblegum
Fruit Sherbet
Red bean and Rice
Smoked Salmon
Sea Salt Caramel
Cookies n’ Cream
Green Chile
Saffron-Mango
Mintberry Swirl
Winterberry Sorbet
Peach
Peach Raspberry Swirl
Ginger-Lime
Chocolate Chip
Candy Corn
Blueberry Chocolate Chunk
Mochi Ice Cream
Lobster

Alcoholic Flavors

Bear’s Brew Ale
Winterberry Melomel
Mead
Melomel
Oaknut Malt
Bourbon
Fireball Whiskey
Spirits
Krytan Cream
Moonshine
Fruit Vodka

Toppings

Cherries
Marshmallows
Peanuts
Almonds
Pecans
Walnuts
Edible Glitter
Rainbow and Chocolate Sprinkles
Chocolate Chips, Milk or Dark
Brownie Bits
Cake Bits
Hazelnut Spread
White Chocolate
Strawberry Puree
Raspberry Puree
Banana
Mint chips

Garnet • Chrysocolla • Amethyst • Fluorite • Beryl • Amber • Tiger’s Eye • Opal • Sea Glass • Sapphire • Kyanite • Spodumene • Moonstone • Ametrine • Malachite • Sprocket • Coral • Citrine • Emerald • Jet • Chalcedony • Spinel • Topaz • Aquamarine • Ruby • Sunstone • Rhodochrosite • Tourmaline •

Bismuth • Pearl • Azurite • Amberite• Lapis • Quartz • Amber Resin • Peridot • Maguuma Burl • Passion Flower • Ebony • Agate • Diamond • Dilflourite • Carnelian • Jade • Flax Blossom • Freshwater Pearl • Black Diamond • Maguuma Lily • Black Jade • Dragonjade • Cubic • Zirconium

Copper • Iron • Ruthenium • Stainless Steel • Palladium • Silver • Sterling Silver • Gold • Rose Gold • White Gold • Green Gold • Nickel • White Gold

Brass • Tungsten • Bismuth • Cobalt • Ceramic • Platinum • Mithril • Black Zirconium • Orichalcum • Titanium • Mithrilium • Deldrimor Steel

Accessories

Amulets | Pendants | Chokers
Rings | Earrings | Necklaces
Bangles | Tail Bangles | Horn Rings & Caps | Bracelets | Cuffs | Circlets | Bracers
Polished Crystal Carvings

Roxx’s Edible Rocks

Chocolate Rocks
Rock Candy
Pop Rocks
Sugar Crystals
Jade Nugget Chewing Gum
Cinnamon Hot Flame & Minty Ice Cores
Various Flavors of Rocky Mochi

Come and join us as we trek across the vast lands that is the Shiverpeak Mountains, a land thriving of mighty beasts to hunt and secrets to be found. You will find yourself sharing an ale with great company, listening to local tales and from time to time take a dip in our local hot springs.

We come together to build our legends while enjoying the smaller things in life like axe throwing, visiting the shrines of the Spirits of the Wild and best of all partaking in the drunken revelry that is our monthly Grand Grog Games! You do not have to be a Norn to partake in such an event but be ready for a night you'll never forget.

There's more to just boisterous laughter and a floor bombarded with drunkards. The Grizzly Guardholme is not a place filled with brutes and chaos as we also share tales around a warm fire and enjoy the company through the means of fishing or a visit into Hoelbrak.

A Norn homestead nestled in the woods of Borealis Forest. It's larger than it appears as overtime it has received many repairs and renovations. The large doors are kept open day and night to give a welcoming stature for the local visitor.

The kitchen provides both warmth and the delicious aroma. Led by Chef Baldur Beastbane, an elder and skilled cook with his own many kitchen hands, it satisfies the empty stomach through creative recipes and grand feasts.From platters of roast boar, yak steaks, grilled salmon to baked goods of fruit cobblers, hand-made pies and pudding, this is the domain of the skilled and innovative.

One of the many tales of this lodge are the brews made by the lodge keeper himself. A wall lined with casks filled with the many delicious ales, meads and spirits. One tap is a carving of a golden bear's maw while another is of a proud silver stag, each tap different from the next. One can enjoy all of the Ironliver stock including lighter and less overwhelming brews.Ale is not all that awaits as the sight of a stainless steel pitcher of elonian filigree filled with a rich roast of coffee joined with flavored timberline creams and sugar waiting beside it. Enjoy the roast of Polished Obsidian Coffee or Joko Java shipped from the Flaming Cats Trading Company.

Many moots and feasts are often held almost every night in this lodge. With much food and many patrons there is a plentiful space with strong wood tables and chairs while chandeliers of antlers and candles hang above.Trophies of exquisite beasts line the very walls blended with portraits, wreaths and tapestries that share the art of the land and its culture.

If you've come for a place to rest after a long trek, you're welcome to take shelter. The lodge has many spacious cots and cozy hammocks, the majority found up on the second level.Claim a blanket crafted from the cozy furs and rest easy for the night either alone or with company as Norn are known to share their own beds should space prove too little after a popular night of drinking.

The lodge offers other amenities that may shock the local Norn. Just outside are large wood-crafted tubs filled with freshwater. Designed and created by Anki, a talented engineer, these would function for bathing or soaking for any individual. Water is filtered with each use and the metalworks offer a way to provide heat as if in a hot spring.Note that these were made for Norn thus any visiting Human, Sylvari and especially Asura would find it quite entertaining to have a small pool all to themselves.

It all began when a Norn, Khorthall Ironliver, opened the doors of the Grizzly Guardholme. It was meant to be a home for the weary traveler, a kinship of adventurers and hunters who called this land home and wanted to protect it.It was like that way for a time, peaceful and welcoming with good company to share drink along with a tale or two. Yet this was just the beginning of a story to be told and a legacy to be made.

Many Norn had gathered outside of the lodge to enjoy each other's company and share a drink. What followed was a massive explosion near Snowlord's Gate. Heading that way to investigate, they came across Dredge with strange weapons attacking and capturing Norn. Leading them was a one-eyed Dredge, Lieutenant Syk, wielding an iron rod in hand with a massive plated behemoth hungry for blood.The Guardholme joined into the fray led by Magna Strongarm. They split off to fight against fighters and riflemen while others dealt with the plated behemoth leaving few to engage Syk.The dredge was making a difficult fight. Odd weapons were used; grenades that pulsed magical electricity and Syk's magical rod stopping a Norn in their tracks, flinging them into the ground.Our heroes beat back the attacking Dredge and beheaded the plated behemoth. Syk called for retreat as some Norn had been captured and dragged into a large hole blown out of the mountainside. Among these Norn was Dagny and Magna and before our heroes could follow, Syk sealed it with a cave-in.In the aftermath our heroes interrogated a Dredge survivor and through his vile words spoke of a leader, General Torlok, and that the rise of the Dredge was coming...

Snowden Drifts was the best lead our heroes had to find their kin. After finding the village of Mennerheim having suffered a similar attack, the group decided to venture into Molengrad, a Dredge mine rumored to be keeping the prisoners.They didn't make it far as they were ambushed from all directions. The battle was hard fought as these Dredge wielded familiar weapons from before showing that our heroes were on the right track. Through bloodshed and sheer will they found the prisoners, among them was Dagny and Magna.During their escape back to Mennerheim they were blocked off by a titanic Dredge drilling suit manned by a Lieutenant Molev. With mounted cannons and a weaponized ley-imbued weight it proved a difficult fight that our heroes survived.Back at the Guardholme they tended to their wounds and scavenged the strange weight that had broken off the suit to learn of its properties with the other Dredge weapons. They may have saved their kin but they still had to put a stop to the Dredge threat.

Days later, a group of our heroes led by Alberto, a skilled necromancer, journeyed to Lion's Arch, asking around for any information about shipments of strange weapons matching that of the Dredge. Both the Lionguard and those of the Undermarket mentioned shipments of those weapons were coming from Rata Sum. Our heroes took the asura gate to Rata Sum, arriving at the docks. One of our heroes, Chris, a skilled thief, managed to investigate the shipping logs for clues.They noticed a ship that’s been making many trips to Lion's Arch recently and went to investigate. Onboard the ship they find several crates of the Dredge weapons. The crew catch our heroes as a battle ensues. Finding victory, our heroes interrogated the crew to find out they were hired mercenaries to smuggle these weapons into Lion's Arch. As a bribe for their freedom, the crew informed our heroes that someone in Rata Sum was making these weapons. The crew flees before the Peacekeepers arrive and their captain vows that they will not be forgotten nor forgiven.

Those that stayed behind as others journeyed to Rata Sum, our heroes took to investigating the strange new Dredge weapons including the ley-imbued weight that was brought back. After finding out it was of Dwarven make there was a sudden reaction that cracked and fragmented the weight and released what magic was held inside creating hostile ley elementals.A battle was fought as a much larger elemental would form using pieces of the weight itself to bludgeon them until it was defeated. Afterwards the weight was nothing more than fragments of stone. With many wounded our heroes realized that these weapons using raw magic was something they haven't seen before and what potential danger they could bring to their lands.

Days later our heroes heard rumors of an abandoned mine in Lornar's Pass showing Dredge activity. Upon arrival they came across injured Lionguard that had been ambushed after investigating screams and strange noises coming from inside the mine. Some Lionguard managed to escape but members of their squad were taken, including their squad leader.Our heroes planned a rescue using two separate groups. The first was led by Ganthet, a Charr ranger. They fought their way through Skritt and familiar mercenaries from the Rata Sum docks days ago. This led them to finding the last of the Norn prisoners locked away deep in the mine.The second group was led by Khorthall, a Guardian, who battled through Dredge and came across a large strange machine consisting of Dwarven and Asuran technology. There they found Lieutenant Syk who had killed the captured squad leader, having ripped away his very essence of life which empowered the machine.Both groups came together to put a stop to Syk and rescue the other captured Lionguard. Through sheer force they faced against Syk and the power of the machine, having managed to slay him. Before they embraced victory, the machine released a blast of magic causing the mines to collapse, forcing our heroes to escape the destruction. The prisoners and remaining Lionguard were rescued and our heroes returned to the Guardholme to celebrate. But this was not over yet...

After victory in Lornar's Pass, things have been peaceful for our heroes. A wedding was celebrated along with the Festival of the Four Winds. A gathering took place with food and drink until an Asura named Zed came from Rata Sum seeking out our heroes.Zed explained that he was sending the weapons, which he explained were meant to be tools and equipment, to another Asura named Glyn. He informed them they were to be used for simple experiments and research. It turns out he had no idea Glyn weaponized these and were given to the Dredge.Before Zed could give anymore information he was suddenly assassinated by the mercenary crew captain who followed Zed. Him and his crew would then ambush our heroes for revenge. After our heroes made quick work of them, the captain and some of his crew escaped by stealing the stable mounts. All that was found on Zed's body was a map of the Shiverpeaks and an 'X' marking a location in Timberline Falls.Our heroes found it best to follow this map and end this threat as now the very place they come to share drinks and call home has been threatened. It wouldn’t be long until the Guardholme itself becomes a target in the future.

Days later, our heroes set out to Timberline Falls, the map leading to the village of Balddistead. There they saw Dredge and airships manned by mercenaries. They also saw the villagers captured and bound as the location was being used as a base camp. At its center they saw a meeting of the mercenary captain Marek, The Dredge general Torlok and finally the Asura Glyn.Our heroes kept hidden and listened as an argument between Torlok and Glyn arose. Eventually Glyn slayed the general as if he were a mere pawn on the spot. This caused an uproar of the Dredge followers leading to a civil skirmish. Mercenaries fired down at the Dredge from the airships in advantage as the Dredge began to retreat and flee. This gave our heroes time to free the captured villagers amongst the chaos.Being spotted by one of the airships, our heroes avoided cannon fire while Marek and Glyn set off to escape. They managed to board and claim the attacking airship, defeating the mercenaries manning it. However their victory fell short when a volley of cannon fire from the other airships soared towards them.It was then Hathra, a mysterious Raven Shaman, summoned a wall of magic as a barrier against the attack but it wouldn't hold for another. It wasn't until an eruption from the nearby mountain shook the land around them. The ground shattered and burst forth a massive Spirit of the Wild, Wurm, which destroyed one of the attacking airships in its maw as the others escaped with Glyn and Marek.Wurm retreated to the ground, giving the heroes a chance to finally leave and bring along a surviving Asura named Briggs, a mercenary hiding amongst their ship. Briggs offered to tell our heroes who Glyn was and her goals for the price of his own safety. Our heroes agreed and journeyed back to the Guardholme.

The next day at the Guardholme, Briggs tells our heroes that Glyn was an Inquest researcher of ley line magic. She believed that the ley lines of Tyria were in chaos, blaming the Elder Dragons, Human Gods and the races that abuse it. She learned of a way to sap ley magic from physical and magical beings. She has been experimenting with this method using Dwarven and Asuran technology on specific targets now being the Spirits of the Wild.Hathra said that the Spirits are in great danger from this threat and in her meditation has heard their cries for aid like Wurm. Yet they do not know where Glyn has taken her remaining forces and must be ready for when they attack next so as to keep the other Spirits safe.Weeks went by and a small group of the Guardholme took to a hunting trip. High up on Hangrammr Climb they suddenly saw an airship crashing down into the forest below. They found a single survivor in the wreckage, one of Glyn's mercenaries yet before they planned on what to do they were interrupted.A mysterious Norn dressed in black had approached them. The survivor tells our heroes that he was the one who brought down the airship. The Norn asked our heroes to hand the survivor over. Yet as the conversation grew tense, our heroes realized they were surrounded by Sons of Svanir. As a fight was about to spark one of our heroes, Teraj of the Bloodpaws, took to being a distraction with a volley of pistol fire for the rest to escape with the survivor.They fled back to the Guardholme where other members of the Bloodpaws awaited sharing a drink. Once they were informed about Teraj her brother, Koleburn, rallied the members and to rescue Teraj on their own and to take care of this mysterious threat, one that our heroes will see again in the future.Our heroes remained to interrogate the survivor who eventually told them of Glyn's location in Frostgorge Sound, having found information about a Spirit of the Wild that resides there, Whale, and plans to take its magic to further her plans.

The Spirit of Whale was said to be the oldest and strongest of all the Spirits of the Wild, hidden away from Tyria. Hathra knew the spirit was in danger and quickly led our heroes to Frostgorge Sound.Our heroes found the airship that housed Glyn and her remaining forces. The airship was outfitted with a familiar machine they recognized previously in the mines of Syk's defeat. They watched it pulse a brilliant light that focused into the deep waters of the Watchful Fjord where the hidden shrine of Whale rested below. It was the last connection to the spirit now being sapped of its magic.Through quick planning, our heroes called the aid of a nearby Pact settlement for their catapults and supplies. Others would seek out the aid of the Spirits of the Wild, convincing Minotaur and Otter to help them. Through means of launching themselves onto the airship with the catapults, our heroes boarded the airship for the final fight. What remaining mercenaries fought against them being led by Captain Marek himself. With vengeance for Zed, Alberto himself was the one to cut the captain in two.They fought towards the airship command where they would finally come face to face with Glyn and the last of the mercenaries. They charged forward, clashing blades and during the chaos the airship itself would begin to rise higher, having taken hold of Whale to leech it from the Mists and into the world of Tyria.Before all seemed to be lost, the aid of Minotaur and Otter came to their final stand. One group faced off Glyn while another moved to the ship’s engine room to stop the machine. As Glyn was on death's door, she quickly blew the engines and sent the airship in free fall. The blast had severed the machine's grip on Whale but now they had to save themselves. It was Hathra who conjured what magic she had into a shielded dome around our heroes but couldn’t shield herself. As the airship crashed everyone awoke amongst the wreckage yet Hathra didn’t survive.Peace finally came to the Shiverpeak mountains once more, our heroes sharing a drink at the Guardhome and ready for what comes next.

The forgotten Relics of the Wild, powerful artifacts created by the four Great Spirits to aid the Norn in their exodus when fleeing south. Tales of their deeds were told through story and myth, but no one had ever seen or touched these relics. That was until an elder of the Guardholme, Valhir, a mighty warrior, showed our heroes the truth.

The relics of the wild were indeed real and Valhir had visions that something malicious wanted to use the relics for wrong. Being lost throughout many years, the Guardholme rose to the challenge of finding the relics. Without a clear place to start, Valhir revealed that he wielded the relic known as the Claws of Bear, a pair of daggers that granted stamina and strength to their wielder. The Claws were offered to our heroes, to aid them in the hunt for the other three as each relic shared a magical bond that could be used to find one another.

The first relic to reveal itself was the Howl of Wolf, a powerful war horn that could shake the very ground when used. It led them south of Lornar's Pass to a long forgotten shrine of Wolf where they came across a mysterious man shrouded in black robes. They realized he was the same Norn that brought down the aetherblade airship sometime ago and he too was seeking the relics for his own gain. He was the malicious threat that was foretold in these visions.He escaped through the shadows, realizing he was outnumbered but our heroes would know they would see him again. The Howl of Wolf became revealed to them with the aid of Wolf himself and the Claws of Bear they had, earning the right to take up the second relic.

Next was the Eyes of Raven, which could be used to reveal the unseen. Our heroes learned that Jhavi Jorasdottir, the great-granddaughter of the Norn hero Jora, had possessed a powerful scepter which contained such a relic. At the time she had become the leader of the Vigil and would not part with such a rare artifact.It took much convincing until Jhavi agreed that she would aid our heroes against this new threat. She informed them of rumors that homesteads and Norn villages throughout the Shiverpeak Mountains were being visited by a dark stranger cloaked in shadow. The description matched the necromancer from before and likely was not a coincidence that he too was searching for the relics and wherever he went, fear and danger followed in his wake.

The last relic was the Hide of Snow Leopard, a cloak that granted its wearer true invisibility. The Guardholme sought out a Snow Leopard Shaman said to be rumored to know of its location. Yet on their hunt, they came across the cloaked man again. They soon learned that he called himself the Flayer, a name told in haunting stories of the past about a Norn necromancer that had become a wicked lich and sought power over death itself.Knowing our heroes had the relics he sought out, it was revealed he was able to vanish and appear at will. Our heroes managed to escape but learned that this lich would eventually find them and track them back to the Guardholme.

Our heroes prepared for the Flayer, having gathered three of the four relics to use against him. Soon he would arrive with his army of minions made of bone and flesh with hulking abominations and boneskinners.The fight, harsh and lasting, seemed lost with the strange powers the Flayer controlled. It was until Valhir sensed something about the lich and gave his own life to rid the Flayer of the Hide of Snow Leopard that he secretly wielded.With Valhir's sacrifice, our heroes used the power of all the relics to free the many souls of past kin that the Lich had captured and used from ages past that fueled his own power. He was now able to bleed, able to be killed. Knowing this, he fled from the battle as a group of able heroes chased him to the top of a mountain pass where he was defeated and swept away by a sudden avalanche.

After the bittersweet victory, a pyre was made to honor the fallen Valhir as the Claws of Bear, the Howl of Wolf and the Hide of Snow Leopard were put upon his pyre to honor his sacrifice. The Eye of Raven would be returned to Jhavi who will protect the remaining Relic of the Wild.The Guardholme would forever remember their fallen kin and once more be ready for the dangers that threaten their lands and the Spirits of the Wild.

It began when our heroes received visions through dreams and nightmares, someone or something calling out to their aid far south in the lands of Cantha. They decided to journey there by airship and set sail from Seitung Province to the nearby isles they saw in these visions. They found that it has become a place for trade and within the marketplace, they spotted the Spirit of Fox.Our curious heroes followed the Spirit which led them to an old shrine. After many attempts to communicate with the silent Spirit, it fled following the arrival of a new face. A Shaman of Fox known as Melandra who is said to have been chasing the Spirit in hopes to help protect it from an evil she called 'The Hunger'. Upon hearing this, a darkness overtook all of their minds causing them to suddenly fall unconscious.Later they awoke, aided by Melandra who has informed them they have been marked by this Demon, unsure as to how or why. But right now they had to help Fox by repairing their shrine, a piece being a jade tablet that was shattered in two. The Guardholme thought these were what the visions warned them of and decided to aid this Shaman and Fox.

Our Heroes journeyed to the Shing Jea Monastery. They met a companion, Aijana, to guide them through the lands and spoke of how this would be where they could find information about mending jade.One group overheard a professor lecturing his students on jade and how there were resources to mend fractured pieces. Another group took to the local noodle vendors, speaking with locals and aristocrats. One overheard children playing, acting as Canthan animal spirits, learning that there was not only Fox but also Crane, White Tiger, Wallow and Turtle.The third group found themselves in a library and happened upon a book that spoke of ‘Dark Spirits’. But they were interrupted by an intruder that stalked them in the shadows, the Hunger revealing itself and nearly attacking them before they were found by Melandra, escaping the dark room.They all came together to share knowledge and learned they could mend the tablet in the laboratories of New Kaineng, but not just anyone could wander inside. Aijana said they would require special documentation and they sent word to William, a once pirate who had means to forge such documents in Lion's Arch.

William was joined by other heroes who met his friend, Fryda, a once pirate turned lionguard. She could not forge such documents due to the risk of this new alliance between Tyria and Cantha but she did have other ideas.They were to meet with ‘The Skull Swagger King’, a Kingpin of the Lion’s Arch undermarket who had ways of acquiring such documents. After delving into the underbelly of Lion's Arch, a meeting was made.This ‘Skull Swagger King’ ended up being none other than Eric, a Norn mercenary who our heroes met in the past involving stolen wyvern eggs leading to the chaos of two adult wyverns causing havoc throughout the Shiverpeak Mountains.With rising tension between our heroes and Eric’s band of pirates, it came to him asking them to help hunt a Leviathan Broodmother. The task was dangerous as Broodmothers were known to be powerful and massive sea monsters, luckily they had Eric’s crew to help them, or so they thought.

The next day our heroes prepared to join Eric and his crew. Tensions were still high, paired with hunting this legendary creature and doing it for a man they did not trust due to the past.After sailing beyond Lion’s Arch, they came to an island where Eric had been luring the broodmother and had a plan with the aid of our heroes. It didn’t take long for a Leviathan to arrive and with two other manned ships joined by cannons on the island shore, it was a battle to be had.However there was no battle when the Leviathan charged the ship our heroes braced upon as Eric escaped to the safety of the island using rocket boots and gliders. Thinking they were betrayed and left for dead, all our heroes could do was watch as the beast breached the water and sunk their vessel but not before being peppered and killed by cannonfire.Our heroes survived, swimming to the island where a grinning Eric and his crew waited. This was no broodmother, this was but a regular leviathan that he had been hunting for ambergris, having no need of their help but instead to prank them. Before things got too heated, he provided forged documentation for their friends in Cantha and proved he was a man of his word.

Time passed and our heroes received the documents, prompting them to begin their journey into New Kaineng, a city of exotic towers, jade technology and winding moats, and arrived at one of the jade labs.After brief suspicion from security, the contracts gave them passage as a visitor's tour. They were led to the control room where workers and technicians paid them no mind. With some charming banter, one of the technicians offered to mend their tablet into a machine made to repair jade.Things didn’t last however when loud banging sounds and odd flickers of light filled the room. The technician at the controls became a mindless puppet as other workers began to become frantic and mad. As our heroes intervened, they were met with the Hunger. Grotesque arms reached out of the technician’s mouths, the floor opened up as hands grabbed at their feet, the weapons they carried becoming limbs as laughter filled the room.Sonje, a holosmith, was the one to raise her weapon and fire at the controls power supply that would lead to an explosion but it was all just an illusion. Another hallucination they all shared as the jade tablet was restored.

Once our heroes returned to the isles, the locals were fearful. There were rumors that a terrifying beast had come to the island within the nearby village. The shaman said the Hunger must have finally arrived and that our heroes keep it at bay to give her time to find Fox.Arriving at the village, they did not find the Hunger but instead the Spirit of White Tiger. He was distrustful and ferocious yet he did not attack but told them to stop hunting Fox and aiding the enemy. Questions filled their minds about what this spirit meant of aiding the enemy but from afar the echoing cry of Fox was heard. Tiger did not hesitate, charging past our heroes who quickly followed and realized the betrayal. They found Fox and Melandra using the tablet as a weapon to capture Fox.A battle was had when Melandra revealed herself to be a Revenant adorned in armor of jade technology. Her skill and battle prowess surpassed them yet Tiger soon intervened. The Hunger then revealed itself as it had been possessing Melandra all along.Our heroes managed to escape with Fox but watched as the Hunger devoured the Spirit of White Tiger. Our beaten heroes managed to flee from the isles by ship and knew that this threat was unlike any they've seen.

Across the vast sea, our heroes sail to Seitung Province, healing their wounds. It was quiet, a night of loss and realization that the Hunger had taken a Spirit of the Wild. As the sun soon set, Fox awoke and finally spoke to our heroes.The night was full of conversation, learning of this Spirit and the lands they came from. Our heroes realized it was not Fox calling to them in their dreams but Raven himself who heard the cries of Fox from afar and sent our heroes to help.As the night continued, another spirit came to them out at sea, massive and powerful, the Spirit of Turtle. The remarkable sight of both Fox and Turtle leaning towards one another, mere feet from the ship and the sea surface was a moment never before witnessed by any Norn until Turtle resumed its course beneath the waves and beyond the horizon.At dawn, our heroes reached the lands of Seitung Province. Fox said it will remain close as the Hunger was still out there. A plan of action was formed, if this entity was one who feeds on magical spirits, perhaps a form of bait could be had to lure it out. Until then, our heroes in Tyria were about to have their own journey.

Back at the Guardholme, Lycan, a Shaman of Raven, talked of mist walking using the nearby Raven Shrine to seek answers from the spirit about this new threat and requested the aid of the other heroes.Arriving at the Shrine, Lycan used his teachings to walk into the Mists yet he was not prepared when some unknown force brought the rest of our heroes into this realm. Raven was there and he warned our heroes that the Hunger was evolving and learning of the world and somehow is able to walk the mists as well.Suddenly the shrine shattered, Raven withdrawing as he told our heroes to flee but it was too late. A manifestation appeared before our heroes of the Hunger who had trapped them in the mists.A battle was hard fought as magic had no effect upon this entity. Physical strikes and weapons passed through it as if through smoke and it seemed the beast had its eyes on the source of this connection, Lycan himself. It grasped Lycan by the arm, pain and corruption digging into him as he was to be devoured yet his allies were there to pull him back.When all seemed lost, a portal opened behind them as a way out of this nightmare. Kristoff, another Shaman of Raven, sensed the danger and aided their escape from the mists. They all managed to do so with Lycan in tow, the Hunger's grasp severed once they crossed the threshold into the physical realm. But it was then our heroes saw the demonic marking that transformed Lycan’s arm into a monstrosity and the grinning maw opening at his palm that spoke its name.

As days passed, patrons were uneasy with having seen what happened to our heroes. Using what Raven told them they also expressed concern for Lycan. Their thoughts didn’t last when shouts and yells were heard inside the lodging.They came across scared patrons, arguments and talks of curses and monsters upon the Guardholme. They turned their attention upon Lycan when his corrupted arm came to light leading to a frantic mob.Chaos ensued when our heroes had to fight off the patrons themselves, a mob full of blame and fear as they accused Lycan of being possessed by the Hunger. Before things continued a cloaked stranger intervened, ridding the mob of its angry leader and sending everyone outside with the exception of our heroes. The stranger revealed themself to be Fryda, the lionguard contact.She had grown curious when overhearing our heroes talking of the dangers coming to the Spirits of the Wild. She wanted to help, offering knowledge through Priory books and scrolls as a way to help Lycan rid the demon that infested his flesh.It led our heroes to learn of an ancient ritual within the fallen city of the Gods that was able to cleanse elder dragon influence and maybe giving a chance to do the same for Lycan. Fryda’s airship awaited them to journey into the risen land of Orr to meet with a Priory contact.

Our heroes boarded the airship to Orr, some of them hesitant to see the cursed land of the risen. After a day's travel, the Captain of the airship signaled the arrival to Fort Trinity.Departing the airship, Haldyssa, a skilled ranger, took the notes given to them to find Researcher Thrixx, a Priory scholar based out in the southern camp. Finding the Asura, Thrixx informed them that an artifact known as a Forgotten Seal was needed for this ritual and that the tall structure nearby known as the Vizier’s Tower may hold such a relic.The gates leading into the tower were locked due to an unbreakable enchantment and required our heroes to climb the tower. They reached an opening into the Vizier's quarters where they found a Forgotten Seal and an altar to be used for the ritual.With the required notes, the artifact and the altar, our heroes prepared a ritual with some hope to cleanse Lycan's blighted arm. Suddenly they saw the arm envelope in shadow, as it took over Lycan's mind who was now lost in a dream. The Hunger now taking control of their friend who lunged at them with instinct to kill.

With the ritual in progress, our heroes find their friend, Lycan, has been taken over by the demon within his arm. They know best to not harm him, the only chance they had was the ritual's completion. Researcher Thrixx directed them to contain their friend within the ritual bounds, but it was not easy.Lycan became stronger, the shadow around his feet thrusting spikes to slash and impale those around him. The bond with his raven became corrupted as well, digging its claws into one of our heroes, Ash, and dragging her off a cliff but was caught by Anki, a crafty engineer. The others did their best to grapple and restrain Lycan who responded with wild attacks ultimately leading to Thrixx’s death.Throughout this, the real Lycan was lost in a dream where he saw his wife, Zelda. She called to him where his blindness was gone, he had vision and would hear the sounds of his newborn daughter inside. Nearly being lured into the threshold of this home, he knew going further would make him lost forever and through his will he broke free and took control of his physical form.Lycan would force the demonic arm into the golden light caused by this ritual, burning away the shadow from his own body, leaving it to pool upon the floor to be free of it. Yet the demonic essence that remained slithered to escape through one of its summoned portals. With little time to think, Anki, Zakauv, Lothane, Saizen and Lycan leapt through into the portal to pursue, unaware what lies beyond.

Our heroes in Cantha must form a plan only now they have the Spirit of Fox guiding them. Fox tells of a place where the other spirits gather such as crane, wallow and others. They journey to Echovald Forest, a massive labyrinth of tall trees and old ruins. They would be led to an entrance of an old shrine leading into the depths below.The deeper they went, the more they saw that this shrine was a place where spirits and ghosts lingered. They came to an opening of a cave of water and the shrine that oversees. Fox called to the other Spirits only to have no response which only led to a growing fear.Soon they realized the Hunger had followed them, crawling along the roof of the cave before dropping down to reveal the feral form of Tiger that it devoured. It captured the heroes in a dream state while grabbing Fox yet the spirit used what power it had in the Hunger’s clutches, an echo that freed the heroes from the dreamscape before Fox was devoured.The Hunger offered our heroes to flee but as they raised their blades, ready to fight it accepted their challenge with malicious intent. Portals of shadow were summoned and stepping through them were corrupt Norn Shamans, brought from Tyria who fell to the darkness as Lycan had before. Yet one particular portal had a fleeing dark essence which was shot by a bullet, slaying it as it faded into shadow. Following that shot was Anki, then the rest of the heroes who followed through the portal from Orr. With our heroes reunited, they readied themselves to finally slay the Hunger.

The battle begins, the heroes of the Guardholme finally come face to face with the Hunger. With some of them to hold off the corrupted Shamans, a handful have united to fight against the demon. The Hunger took on a new form, its grotesque shape changing into something larger on all fours, similar to that of a tiger if not for the multitude of arms protruding from its demonic shape.Through the fighting, heroes would be lost in visions as others tried to pierce the body having no effect. The Hunger showed no sign of fear, as if it was toying with them. Yet it was easily distracted when Sonje revealed an idol of Jormag corrupt with magic.The Hunger was distracted in that brief moment and it took a radiant shot of energy from Anki’s weapon. Its jaw was severed, the nightmares it held weakening. It took the final blow by Zakauv’s ax, which changed into a crackling form that enraged just as she did, to cleave right into the monster’s head.Yet the fight was now over from within the corpse of the Hunger broke out a new entity, the true form of the demon. The shadows suddenly engulfed them, taking them to the domain of the Hunger, a realm it controlled. It then revealed itself again in a new form of their nightmares, a form of Jormag made of a grotesque mass of thousands of twisted arms. The battle was just beginning…

Within the realm of the Hunger, they faced the abomination that was Jormag. Floating platforms littered the void around them, each holding a statue of Crane, Tiger and Fox as if imprisoning the Spirits. Our heroes fought their way to these shrines, trying to communicate only to be answered with silence. Anki boldly decided to destroy the stone statue of Tiger, freeing the spirit from its prison.Our heroes soon released Crane and Fox as the Spirits joined the fight against the demon at its center. Crane blessed heroes with flight of spiritual wings, allowing the Norn to soar through the air. Tiger approached Eyja, a Vigil veteran, merging their fury and strength together as she took the spirit’s form. Zakauv’s rage awakened her ax to slice through the hide of the demon. Alberto’s power over shadow and death was challenged, weakening the Norn until he managed to empower himself in the demon’s domain.Through brutality, survival and sheer will our heroes found their victory. However slaying the husk of this dragon did not slay the true demon at its core. Wicked grotesque flesh and a burning red eye emerged. Staring upon them they thought to take up arms again until a rift opened behind it leading to a realm of the unknown. It cursed them all as it was dragged back from where it came. The realm around them shattered and with the help of the freed Spirits, they were brought to the Shiverpeak Mountains. The corrupt shamans and spirits were freed and the demon finally vanquished.

Most of the Guardholme have been away for weeks since their calling to Cantha to face off against this threat. Now days after their return, they rest and heal their wounds and continue on with their lives, some finding solace and others still haunted by what they saw. It will be a long road ahead, some needing to find their way back both in body and in mind.Yet an unlikely visitor came by one day, a familiar face wearing simple leathers and furs carrying a pack made for a long trek. Melandra has found her way to the Guardholme, no longer adorning the false shaman clothing or the wicked jade armor from their last fight. She was freed of the demon’s influence, having survived and found a way to our heroes.With an apology and a token of a wood carving of Fox to adorn the Guardholme itself, she set out on a journey to find herself once more. Our heroes may never see her again, but no words needed to be said for all they knew it was but another one of their kin they had managed to help.