There’s a lot to figure out about the lore in Guild Wars 2. Unfortunately, little details and hidden gems can bypass you quite quickly if you’re not aware of what happened before, and when it comes to Cantha which is the setting for the Guild Wars 2: End of Dragons expansion, there’s a whole lot that can be overlooked. This is why we’ll cover a few quick details you might not know or could have forgotten.
Cantha’s Significance
Cantha is the oldest of the Tyrian regions and is said to be one of the oldest locations for humans to have settled. In some cases, people even refer to Cantha as the birthplace of humanity, though there is no definitive proof of this. Cantha served as a playable area in Guild Wars Factions until it was isolated and cut off from the rest of Tyria.
Cantha has always been a hub of trade, commerce, and arts. But unfortunately, it has also been a place of great war and strife and much political intrigue. Most notable was the decision by Emperor Usoku to seal off the borders of Cantha and expel all non-humans from its shores, meaning that races like the Charr and Asura were not welcome at all.
Cantha has been sealed off and inaccessible to players, though it is true that trade between the Empire of the Dragon and Lion’s Arch, the hub for players and a massive port city, continued right up until the Rising of Orr. Then, dead Ships, controlled by Zhaitan the Undead Dragon, cut off all sea-based trade routes, and Cantha and the rest of Tyria had their contact effectively severed.
Cantha’s History
Cantha’s most essential parts of its history boil down to two events. The first was the Jade Wind which occurred in the Age of the Dragon. The Jade Wind was a terrible event that decimated the Jade Sea and the Echovald Forest. The Jade Wind resulted directly from Shiro Tagachi and his murderous actions, and it caused huge tsunami-like waves to rear up from the ocean and become solid Jade instantly after.
The surge of the Jade Wind’s power petrified the forests of the Echovald Wilds, where the wildlife was driven crazy by the corrupt magical power. The mighty Jade Wind even captured great Leviathans in its wake, encasing them in the oceans. However, this Dragonjade has become incredibly valuable for the Canthans, as they’ve managed to harness its power into the Jade Tech we see in New Kaineng City today.
The second of the great happenings in Cantha was the return of Shiro Tagachi, who had caused the Jade Wind through the murder of Emperor Angsiyan and his subsequent death. Shiro rose again, not having been fully destroyed before, and began to use his power to raise and corrupt spirits, building an army named the Shiro’ken. It was only with the help of the salt spray Dragon known as Kuunavang and the sacrifice of Master Togo that managed to stop Shiro from decimating the region of Cantha and killing another Emperor.
Significant hostilities occurred between the Kurzicks and Luxons; however, this strife was mainly resolved over time, but tension remains. The Tengu wars were brutal and long-lived, but after the peace accords were signed and until the period of isolation, all seemed well in Cantha.
Cantha and Tyria
While Cantha and Tyria have long been separated, the latter has always remained proud of the Canthan region. The Lunar New Year festival held in Divinity’s Reach is celebrated according to the Canthan calendar and Dragon Festival, known in central Tyria as Dragon Bash. Before the Great Collapse in Divinity’s Reach, there was a whole Canthan district in the human city.
The last people to have had contact with the Canthans were the Zephyrites, who traveled there using their Zephyr Sanctum and traded with the locals. Some Canthan sailors have also washed ashore and have told terrible tales of the Deep Sea Dragon and monsters lurking in the deep.
Cantha’s Main City
New Kaineng City was built upon the ruins of Kaineng City. Kaineng City was once described as a dirty, thief-riddled megalopolis that flourished in the wake of the Jade Wind. Since the Rising of Orr and Zhaitan resulted in Kaingeng City’s obliteration, the city has had to be rebuilt and redesigned. It has become a hub of technology and progress. Despite the order for non-humans to be removed from Cantha by Emperor Usoku, it seems that there are, in fact, other races present in the city. It’s still pretty plagued with conflicts as the Jade Brotherhood now appears to be the main problem for Canthans.
