This guide was made to analyze and interpret the many examples of architecture in the Guild Wars: Prophecies world, attempting to give them a builder and a purpose. Though, it must be clarified that we will probably never know for certain the ownership and intended function of every structure in Guild Wars. And, indeed, that very mysterious quality is just one of the chief reasons why Guild Wars is such an amazing game. This guide will eventually grow into a collection of various ideas by contributors (you), not just myself, each building and point open to active, friendly debate.
This guide is subject to being updated often and by no means should my opinions or the opinions of others be interpreted as “fact.” Most of the time, we can only speculate.
All discussions should relate to architecture found in Prophecies Tyria (Pre/Post Searing Ascalon, Shiverpeaks, Kryta, Maguuma, Crystal Desert, and Ring of Fire Islands). The discussions should also hold back and not go into areas beyond what the main guide has included thus far. This enables a more straightforward and orderly approach to discussion, allowing for time to discuss each area until we move on to the next, instead of jumping around randomly from area to area. If you should wish to comment on a previously discussed area, go ahead, but clarify in detail what, in particular, example(s) of architecture it is you wish to discuss. Including a picture would also help.
If you especially have anything you would like to add to this guide, or debate, especially if you have concrete evidence to back up your opinions, please share! I would only ask that you keep this post concerned with the overall
architecture found in Tyria. If you wish to go into more detail about examples of architecture in each area, go ahead. I, the creator of the guide, may scan quickly through certain areas, but feel free to point something in particular out that you see and wish to discuss more on. So, if you want to discuss specific features of the Catacombs (say, the room of the bottomless pit), go right on ahead.
If, on the other hand, you want to talk about civilizations or any other subject outside of the realm of architecture, search for, or start a different post.
Also, please do not discuss architecture in areas of Tyria or the rest of the Guild Wars world which the guide has not covered already.
Source identification (for your use and mine): Guild Wars Manuscripts (GWM), In-Game Dialogue (IGD), In-Game Observable (IGO) (note that IGO does not always have to be noted, but is the obvious, default source of architectural information), and Dictionary Definition (DEF).
So, let’s begin.
Ascalon (Pre-Searing)
Date Range: Beginning in 100 BE (settlements officially become “Ascalon”) and comes to an end in 1070 AE (GWM).
Cultural Inhabitants: Primarily Ascalonians and Charr
Characteristics: Ascalonians were viewed as “grim” by their neighbors. They were also unfailingly vigilant, though they suffer from a seemingly never-ending war with the Charr. (GWM)
(Speculation from this point on)
Interpretation: Ascalon is a sad story. Here you have a capable people who are under the dark cloud of war. One may wonder what Ascalon would look like without the threat of war. No doubt they’d be capable of building some pretty incredible cities. Ascalon architecture is, perhaps, the easiest to interpret compared to other samples of architecture across Tyria. As it is, most of their resources in Ascalon are devoted to defense. The whole countryside is covered in
ruins of past structures, probably abandoned and then scrapped in favor of reinforcing the Great Northern Wall (as of 898 AE), leaving a lack of development in the region (which is probably why Ascalon City is so small). It could also be that invasions by rival guilds from Kryta and Orr caused the destruction, and/or the wandering groups of bandits.
Ascalon City has many near-identical buildings within it. Some have towers, others do not. The in-game description reads, “The largest city in the kingdom, Ascalon City is known for its beautiful architecture, numerous libraries, and bountiful shops. Because it is where many noble families make their home, it tends to receive the largest number of visitors and has become the cultural center of Ascalon.” So, these buildings, though they look very similar to each other, serve as different purposes. We might have inns, libraries, homes, shops, restaurants, and any other town functions. We can’t distinguish between them, however.
Outside of Ascalon City, primarily in the Northlands in Pre-Searing, are
these massive ruins. Fortunately, as they are ruins, we are able to peek into the internal structure, and we can see that these buildings contained multiple floors (up to four, it looks like). These buildings could perform any number of functions, though they look more like cathedrals than anything else, except for the fact they have multiple stories, whereas cathedrals are typically made up of a central, open sanctuary. The number of these ruins would also appear to discredit the idea of them each being a cathedral, though with the five gods, each might have had a cathedral built completely devoted to him/her. Perhaps some of these structures therefore are cathedrals (we’ll see one confirmed to be a cathedral in Post Searing during the Fort Ranik mission).
Ascalonians were, as was stated before, “grim.” Some of the walls bear
elongated faces with open mouths, perhaps an example of this grimness working its way into the architectural realm.
From all this war, many have died, hence the absurdly large catacomb system underground. Parts of the Catacombs, or the entire structure itself, might also have been at one time an above-ground settlement before became buried and was then converted into a
necropolis.
The Great Northern Wall is the paramount example of Ascalon architecture, and as true a candidate as any for a Wonder of the World. I’m not positive, but I’d say that the Great Northern Wall is about 8 stories high at the very least. Thankfully, the wall is only around 3.74 miles long. To put that in perspective, the Great Wall of China is between 2~3 stories and runs for over 4,160 miles.
Most of
the typical Ascalonian residences have stone walls, thatched roofs, and glass windows. The previous picture shows what appears to be a duplex, a single building divided into two houses for each family. Other homes appear meant for a single family. Some of
the smaller buildings (which appear to be made up of a single, small room, probably used as storage sheds) are raised on stone blocks, perhaps to protect again flooding.
These towers may also be found in villages and towns. As they also have a lack of windows, they might be storage towers, holding harvested crops.
Moving along, we have other buildings which stand out, such as
Duke Barradin’s estate and the
black building at the entrance of the catacombs.
These buildings, and even
Ashford Abbey appear to have many similarities with each other. They each have a large, central, arched front entrance and a mirrored left and right side. Barradin’s Estate and the black building in the entrance to the Catacombs both have a window on each side of the entrance. All three buildings also have a shape above their entrances. Barradin’s Estate has a circular stained glass window, the black building has a four-pointed star, and Ashford Abbey has an arched stained glass window. We can’t say which building was built before the others, but it is obvious that they share a common design.
Examples of entertainment architecture is fairly limited, but one stop for Mesmers is
the Actors Stage just outside Ascalon City. Again, the arch is used repeatedly. Ascalonians love their arches. This is the typical Greek/Roman setup, were you have just over a semicircle in seating area. However,
there appears to be a flaw in the design. There are, of course, the best seats in the house aiming toward the stage, but they are few. The majority are aiming at the center of the theater, clear in front of the stage itself. Unless that compass-looking area is the stage, then the design is severely flawed and the audience is going to be complaining about neck issues. It would help if, instead, the stage were to be lowered and made to include the circular compass floor.
Other notable structures to be found throughout Ascalon:
The Ascalon Academy is one of the taller buildings in Ascalon. (
Close-up,
Far Side) It's made up of two bell towers bridged by a skywalk and a large building in-between. The Ascalon Academy is where young, brave recruits in Ascalon City and the surrounding area go to show their prowess and become the soldiers defending the Kingdom of Ascalon. Not just anyone is admitted. It is possible this building includes a barracks, sleeping quarters, training rooms, private rooms/residences for trainers, a dining hall, general room to rest and socialize, and perhaps a library where those magically-inclined may be permitted to study in silence. But regardless of what it contains, overall, it is a grand, stately building, an icon of Ascalon's world-renowned education.
Fort Ranik, on the other hand, is a testament to Ascalon's defense orientation. It's
main building is almost identical to the main part of the Ascalon Academy and would no doubt feature some or most of the same rooms. There are some details of the fort that are difficult to explain, including
this tall tower, which has no windows and, thus, no point through which rangers or magicians could shoot safely from. The entire north face is the same way. Most forts would feature the use of battlements and narrow slits for windows. Apparently, Ascalonians never made extensive use of battlements, which might be one of the reasons why they never won the war with the Charr.
Weaving its way through parts of the Ascalonian country is what is probably a Roman-like
aqueduct system. It may appear odd that a country with water so readily available in lakes and rivers would need an aqueduct. But to what cities, baths, and pools these aqueducts fed presents a mystery. One would think the lakes would offer more than enough water for the Ascalonian people. Why they would need to bring in water from the highlands or mountains is curious. However, it could be that Ascalon does not in fact have as lush of a climate as we might be led to believe. Perhaps the rainfall isn't as frequent, and thus, these aqueducts are the main life-givers to the Ascalon area. That could explain why, after the Searing, the land didn't begin to grow lush again, but remained arid. With the aqueducts knocked over and the water flow severed, the rivers and lakes drained and the land was starved. This might also explain Horn Hill and the horn Stormcaller in Post-Searing. If Ascalon did have a water problem, it would make sense to try to satisfy the problem with magic. Note of course that the aqueducts could be doing anything, or even not serving as aqueducts at all. More will be covered on the aqueducts in Post-Searing.
The second to last structure I want to touch on is the
Wizard Tower in Wizard’s Folly. It’s overall appearance is somewhat reflective of the
Ascalon Academy. Principally, there is an almost identical peak structure to these buildings, made up of two connected, small, capped towers at the top of two stone towers that make up the majority of the overall building. There is also a shared “arrow upwards” characteristic, presented by the rooftop in the middle of each tower of the two towers of the Ascalon Academy and the base of the Wizard Tower in Wizard’s Folly. There’s no visible entrance to the Wizard Tower, except, perhaps, the indented areas on the north and south faces of the building. Chains anchor this building to the ground, but why it should need chains is not apparent. It does not appear to be capable of floating away, but perhaps it was at one time, before its base and the surrounding water was frozen. At the start of Elementalist Aziure’s quest for Elementalist primaries and secondaries, she mentions researching water magic. The presence of water-based elementals (Ice Elementals) and the overall presence of snow, ice, and water might suggest that this tower is in some way “tuned” to Water Magic, though that is only speculation. There does appear to be many arched windows in the exterior of the Wizard Tower, but they might only be designs. What material the green-ish section is made out of is unknown, and it doesn’t appear to be reflected in any other Ascalonian architecture.
This stands out like a sore thumb. It’s obviously not Ascalonian. It’s an object from Factions. Though it couldn’t be ruled out that Canthans inspired the construction of this wind mill, it seems a bit far-fetched, and even so, the typical Ascalon building materials should have been implemented, not whatever went in to building what we see. None of the textures match. And as a point: Ascalon runs on water power, which is clearly evident by the two water mills in Lakeside County and Green Hills County. They simply have no need for harnessing wind power, at least in this general area of the kingdom of Ascalon. Wind mills and water mills serve the same purposes. Both can be used to grind, though if there's a river of moving water available, a water mill works just fine, and if not, wind mills are more often used. It could be that that wind mill is helping to pump the water along which we see moving around the nearby estate.
Conclusion: Ascalon is a religious, defense-oriented country. Most of their stone resource is spent in the Great Northern Wall and fortresses like Fort Ranik, leaving little materials for any other stunning constructions. Ultimately, after the failure of the Wall in the Searing, Ascalonians will leave little architectural legacy behind. Only when someone is able to gaze upon the ruins and listen to the mournful echoes of the past will they be able to speculate about what Ascalon truly could have been.
Ascalon (Post-Searing)
Date Range: Following the devastating blow of the Searing in 1070 AE; principally begins in 1072 AE, present day.
Cultural Inhabitants: Remnants of Ascalonians and Charr
Characteristics: “...
the current landscape of Ascalon holds only the ghost of its former glory. Skeletons of grand cathedrals and remnants of whole cities lie broken.... The protective Great Northern Wall is perhaps the most intact structure in the entire kingdom, but the destruction that surrounds it lies in testament to its ultimate failure.” (GWM)
(Speculation from this point on)
Interpretation: If you’re looking for inspiring examples of architecture,
this isn’t the place, to be sure. The above quote from the GWM sums up Post-Searing completely. Most of
the grand examples of architecture identified in Pre-Searing are in pieces. What is left has lost its original purposes and is probably used only for its defensive benefits, or scrapped. Despite that, this “ghost of former glory” holds many interesting bits of architecture, even if they are in utter shambles, which still deserve to be noted and checked into, if only to pay some respects to the original Ascalon architects and builders.
Up first however, the
newest style of architecture in Ascalon should be noted, which apparently sprung up in wake of the Searing. It is most likely that the Charr erected these during their invasion of Ascalon, as they are more frequently found as
Charr prisons, but
here, they are being used as a camp for Krytan visitors. Not much is used to make them, mostly wood poles sharpened at the ends, lashed together with rope, and then connected with sheets of what is probably animal skin, altogether forming a primitive tent. This demonstrates the sharp decline of architecture for design and aesthetics, in favor of construction purely for practicality, using whatever can be found in this new, harsh environment. In towns and outposts, people appear to be using
these tents. These tents may be restricted to display wares to sell, but they could also be used for makeshift homes as well.
While we are on the subject of Charrchitecture (ha ha),
this flame platform outside of Drascir should be pointed out. The base appears to be made out of brick, with wooden poles also helping to hold the structure together, or merely added for intimidation purposes or simply décor. The central flame cauldron is similar in design to the beacons in the Shiverpeaks (which we’ll get to later).
Among the ruins of Diessa Lowlands can be found
these structures, which appear to be erected shelters, either for human survivors to live in or Charr invaders to live in (which seems the most likely, because these shelters are also found in Rin, after the city was destroyed by a Charr invasion). They are apparently made out of wood scrapped from the wreckage.
This bridge, and the other bridges like it are very likely to have been erected by the Charr invaders, made out, it would seem, of either the same scrapped wood or wood imported from forests elsewhere in the Tyrian world. The main problem discounting the recycling of wood left over in Ascalon from the Searing would be that the wood should be burnt to a crisp, and if that’s the case, it wouldn’t be capable of supporting a whole lot. Still, there is always the possibility that some areas of Ascalon were either sheltered in valleys or spared the full brutality of the Searing. We see areas of ground which still bleed through with grass and flowers. Doubtless, however, such areas were quickly invaded and scrapped for other construction uses.
All that shifting of ground had uncovered what may be
a sewer or irrigation system. You might recognize it as similar to the same channels found around Duke Barradin’s Estate in Pre-Searing. These, however, were not visible at that time. Another difference is the planks of wood that appear to have once been lain across the channel, perhaps acting as a roof to keep out dirt, allowing water to move along in an underground river of sorts. If that is indeed the case, it begs some questions. Irrigation is mainly used to bring water to areas which would normally not receive sufficient amounts naturally (think Egypt with its large-scale irrigation along the Nile River, in what would otherwise have been desert). Could this confirm the idea that Ascalon was artificially lush?
The aqueduct system mentioned in Pre-Searing can still be found around Post-Searing, but it is in a much sorrier shape. If you look carefully, you will see that there are no channels for water, which presents a problem to the idea that this is indeed an aqueduct. Still, there’s always the chance that the water runs through a small tunnel in the aqueduct, and not in an exposed channel.
Here is a map of the aqueduct locations in Post-Searing.
According to the GWM,
the Great Northern Wall is perhaps the most intact structure in Ascalon. That may be true, but it’s in terrible shape, with many gaps allowing easy access into the areas south of the Wall.
Cathedrals can be seen scattered around the countryside, usually found on missions. (Cathedrals:
The Great Northern Wall,
Fort Ranik,
Eastern Frontier)
These monstrous buildings towered upwards for four stories or more. A few of the windows still bear
stained glass. Christian cathedrals in our world had stained glass windows that bore stories from the Bible so that the common people could see them. The same could apply to these windows, which may depict a god, gods, or other religious icons.
The other, architectural landscape of Ascalon is fairly consistent: ruins, columns without anything to support, and bridges. There is a pair of amphitheaters to be found,
one in the Great Northern Wall mission and
the other outside of the Ruins of Surmia outpost. Ruins of forme
Guild Wars Architectural Guide: Prophecies
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