With the new chapter of Guild Wars 2, the Icebrood Saga, comes a new chunk of story and lore for players. But who are all the characters that will play an important role in the saga?
During the announcement stream, ArenaNet explained that even new players without much background knowledge about Guild Wars 2 can directly dive into the Icebrood Saga as soon as the prologue goes online on September 17.
However, the story underlying the saga is multifaceted and exciting. Here are the main characters you should know.
The Elder Ice Dragon
Who speaks in the trailer? At the center of the Icebrood Saga is the Elder Dragon Jormag, who speaks to us in the new trailer. He lives deep in the Shiverpeak Mountains and commands the element of ice. His awakening caused massive earthquakes in the north that permanently altered the land and led to a portion of the area being flooded by the waters of the cold Northeast Ocean.
He also summoned a tremendous snowstorm that lasted for a full 4 years. The calamities and the march of Jormag’s Icebrood legions have resulted in the Norn being driven from their homeland in the north.
Like all Elder Dragons, Jormag has a dragon aura that corrupts everything around him. And now the dragon is trying to extend his corrupting influence to the south of Tyria.
For several weeks, players might encounter suspicious NPCs in Guild Wars 2 who talk about the glorious deeds of Jormag. They promise power and glory to all who submit to the dragon.
You can watch the trailer here:
Sons of Svanir and Icebrood: What is the difference?
Like other Elder Dragons, Jormag prefers to send his minions into battle to do the dirty work for him. These can be divided into two groups:
- The Sons of Svanir
- The Icebrood
These are the Sons of Svanir: The Cult of the Sons of Svanir consists of normal Norn who have voluntarily pledged their lives to the service of Jormag. They worship him as the highest beast totem, and in return, he grants them more power.
The Sons originated from the Norn hunter Svanir, who set out to Drakkar Lake 250 years ago, along with his sister and a group of hunters, to seek strong prey.
On the ice of Drakkar Lake, the group heard the voice of one of Jormag’s Champions. Drakkar promised the hunters fame, power, and loot. Svanir listened to the whispers of the dragon and was corrupted by him. He became the new Champion of Jormag, the Norn Bear.
The Sons of Svanir continue to worship Jormag and try to fill their ranks with more men who pledge themselves to the dragon. Women are not welcome in the cult.
Among the Norn, however, the cult and its members are not considered evil. They remain a part of society, and NPCs who belong to the cult can be found in the capital of the Norn.
This is the Icebrood: In contrast, there is the Icebrood of Jormag. They are mindless fanatic slaves transformed by the influence of the dragon and have lost their minds. Their ranks consist mainly of Norn and Kodan.
The dragon’s corruption also affects the appearance of the brood. Younger members of the brood are merely covered in ice, but their veins still flow with red blood. The older brood warriors, however, are frozen to their core.
The Strong Sister
Who is Jora? When Svanir first encountered Jormag’s Champion Drakkar 250 years ago, he was not alone. He set out for the lake accompanied by a group of hunters and his sister Jora.
But while Svanir gave himself to the dragon, Jora was horrified and refused to serve Jormag. As punishment, she lost her Norn ability to transform into a bear. To restore her family’s honor, she killed her brother, who had been transformed into the Norn bear.
Due to her “crimes against the dragon,” the Sons of Svanir have a prohibition against accepting female members into their ranks.
Jora also has a descendant: Jhavi Jorasdottir, who is a member of the Order of the Vigil. It is one of the three orders dedicated to fighting the dragons. Perhaps she will play an important role in the Icebrood Saga?
The Whisperer in the Lake
Who is Dakkar? An old acquaintance of Guild Wars veterans. Drakkar is one of the many Champions of Jormag who have received a part of the Elder Dragon’s power and ensure that his corrupting influence continues to spread.
The Champion Drakkar is trapped beneath the ice of a lake named after him. The Norn avoid this lake because they can sense the dark magic that slumbers within it.
Even in his sleeping state, Drakkar is capable of seducing other beings with his whispers and expanding the influence of his master. He was the one who corrupted the hunter Svanir and robbed his sister Jora of the ability to transform into a bear.
In the Icebrood Saga, you will encounter Drakkar in the new areas around the Shiverpeaks. He will be one of the new world bosses wreaking havoc there.
Who else will play a role?
These characters are also important: From a brief teaser, we already can infer that our friend Rytlock Brimstone will play an important role in the Icebrood Saga. In the prologue, there seems to be trouble among the Charr.
The Emperor, the leader of the Charr, refers to Rytlock as his greatest disappointment. This leads to a brawl between the two.
In a chapter focusing on the Norn, our friend Braham must not be missing. He can already be seen in teaser images for the Icebrood Saga. His relationship with the Charr lady Rox has been somewhat tense since the emergence of the Olmakhan in Living World Season 4.
Perhaps this will change in the latest season, which focuses precisely on these two peoples.
More information about the Icebrood Saga can be found here:
