Dragon Festival 2006

Description
From the GuildWars official website:

June 30, 2006 7:00 GMT – July 5, 2006 7:00 GMT

In the spirit of celebration, adventurers on the continent of Cantha are cordially invited to the Dragon Festival, a summer festival with all the trimmings!

''After the destruction wrought by the Jade Wind, the newly crowned Emperor Hanjai (the eldest son of the assassinated emperor) oversaw the settlement of Shing Jea Island and the expansion of Kaineng City. The following summer, Emperor Hanjai dedicated a new Dragon Festival to commemorate the survival of the Empire of the Dragon.''

''Participants in the Dragon Festival can join in fun carnival-type games (Whack-A-Worm, anyone?), play new mini-missions and special PvP gameplay, undertake unique quests, and collect Asian-flavored treats such as red bean cakes and rice wine. Ceremonial Dragon Masks will be awarded to those players who are able to collect enough globes filled with the Jade Wind essence that changed Cantha two hundred years ago. The conclusion of the Dragon Festival will be marked with surprises true Canthans won't want to miss.''

Taking place in and around the Shing Jea Monastery on June 30, 2006 at 7:00 GMT and running through July 5, 2006 at 7:00 GMT, the Dragon Festival is an exclusive weekend event for Guild Wars Factions players.

A Special Note about the Dragon Masks
This was added to the description on 4th of July

From the GuildWars official website:

''The ceremonial Dragon Mask will be awarded to players who possess 250 Jade Wind Orbs beginning the final day of the Dragon Festival and continuing for one week beyond that date. The first day that masks are available will be a special portion of the on-going live event. That special day begins at 07:00 GMT (08:00 BST, 09:00 CEST) on July 4th, and ends at 07:00 GMT (08:00 BST, 09:00 CEST) on July 5th. Please note that a special Jade Wind Orb collector, Imperial Supply Master Kagno, will remain in Shing Jea Monastery for one week after the conclusion of the Dragon Festival. So while the orbs will not longer drop after July 5th at 07:00 GMT (08:00 BST; 09:00 CEST), you will continue to have the opportunity to exchange the orbs for a mask for up to a week afterwards.''

''Each Dragon Mask is customized for the player who turns in the orbs. Therefore, if you wish more than one of your characters to have a mask, that character must present the 250 orbs so that the mask will be customized for him or her. And please note that while technically it is possible to give, trade, or sell a mask, customized items cannot be equipped by anyone except the character for whom it was customized. Even a newly-made character with exactly the same name will not be able to equip those previously-customized items.''

''So remember: Collect orbs through the early morning of the 5th, and redeem the orbs with the collector by July 11th. We know you will want to sport the latest in Canthan fashion statements: The Dragon Festival Ceremonial Dragon Mask!''

It should however be noted that the addition of the Festival Hat NPC means that any characters created subsequently to the Dragon festival can also obtain a Dragon Mask. Likewise should the festival be repeated in 2007 players will not need to collect a hat per character in order for all characters to receive the hat.

In Game Announcement
There are two different titles for this (same) announcement, one on the days before the event, and one on the days the event is taking place.

Pre-Event Title: Dragon Celebration Coming! Event Days Title: Dragon Celebration is Here!

''Join us in the Shing Jea Monastery of Cantha for a historic event that will run from 7:00 GMT on June 30 to 7:00 GMT on July 5th. You'll enjoy games, mini-missions, unique quests, treats of all kinds, and special PvP gameplay, too. And don't miss the special finale! See www.guildwars.com for more information.''

Update - Wednesday, June 28 2006
Attention fellow citizens of Cantha,

On behalf of Emperor Kisu, it is my pleasure to announce this year's Dragon Festival, a five-day celebration of games, dance, drink, and revelry, where we commemorate the dawning of the Age of the Dragon and all those who helped to rebuild our great lands after the Jade Wind. Throughout the duration of the festival, citizens of our great empire convene at Shing Jea Monastery to socialize with others, partake in carnival activities, and amass collections of Jade Wind Orbs to be redeemed for special prizes. Fans of sport can flex their muscles in the Dragon Arena, where battle prowess and longevity are recognized and rewarded.

There will be no shortage of engaging entertainment, so we hope you make the journey to our lush island and join us in revelry.

Update - Thursday, June 29 2006
The Dragon Festival has begun! Characters who wish to receive their Ceremonial Dragon Mask must collect 250 Jade Wind Orbs, which can be earned by undertaking quests, competing in the Dragon Arena, or taking part in the festival games. Emperor Kisu will honor us by appearing at the Shing Jea Monastery (Dragon Festival 2006) every 2 hours on the final day of the festival to reward those who have gathered 250 orbs. If you cannot attend the final day of the festival, take heart! The emperor has stationed an Imperial Supplymaster at the monastery, who will stay for a few days after the festival’s end to give Dragon Helms to those who have gathered their 250 orbs.

News - Friday, June 30, 2006
Dragon Festival Begins!

The Dragon Festival has begun, and players now are seeing a lantern-bedecked Shing Jea Monastery in a whole new light. NPC's are inviting visitors to participate in a novel form of PvP, to undertake new quests, and to try their hand at various carnival games. There are new wares in the collectors' stores, and a special event memento – a dragon mask – can be obtained from Emperor Kisu himself. You may have read some of the event details a few days ago. But that was really only the tip of the rice cake as to what you will experience now, on Shing Jea Island, during The Dragon Festival. Come join us in the celebration!

Update - Wednesday, July 5th 2006
Attention fellow citizens of Cantha,


 * On behalf of Emperor Kisu, I extend warm thanks to all those who fought for the empire during the past few days. Though the Dragon Festival is a time of celebration for us, this year's holiday was marred by violence spurred on by demonic outsiders. It was only through the efforts of those willing to lay their lives down for the empire that the portals that spawned these vile beasts were torn asunder.


 * Let these past events serve as a reminder: no matter what adversities threaten to dismantle the Dragon Empire, we shall endure.


 * This marks the end of this year's Dragon Festival. Go in peace and prosperity. Long live the emperor!

- Captain Leifei

Quests/Missions
Imperial Guard Hanso - Shing Jea Monastery
 * The Rampaging Yetis
 * The Shrine of Maat
 * A Strange Request
 * Darkness at Kaitan

Captain Rujiyo - Shing Jea Monastery
 * Haiju Lagoon (Mission)
 * Jaya Bluffs (Mission)
 * Tsumei Village (Mission)
 * Tsumei Village (Mission 2)
 * Seitung Harbor (Mission)
 * Seitung Harbor (Mission 2)
 * Shing Jea Monastery (Mission)

Note: Completing all four quests from Imperial Guard Hanso will reward a total of 240 Jade Wind Orbs. Additionally, each completion of the Rift Mission rewards 50 Jade Wind Orbs for the Haiju Lagoon and Jaya Bluffs, with a 75 Jade Wind Orb reward for Tsumei Village and Seitung Harbour.

Titles

 * Account-based
 * Lucky - Tickets won in games of chance.
 * Unlucky - Games of chance lost.

Items

 * Dragon Mask
 * Jade Wind Orb
 * Festival Prize
 * Festival Ticket
 * Red Bean Cake
 * Bottle of Rice Wine

Areas

 * Shing Jea Monastery (Dragon Festival 2006)
 * Dragon Arena
 * Kaineng Center

Minigames
To access the mini-games, talk to the Monastery Keeper in Shing Jea Monastery (Dragon Festival 2006) near the storage. All games require Festival Tickets that may be purchased for 15 gold a piece.
 * Rings of Fortune
 * Nine Rings
 * Dragon Nest

The Emperor's Visits
On the last day, every two hours the emperor will visit Shing Jea Monastery. He will begin walking from Linnok Courtyard, and stop near the storage. Immediately when he stops, Honsu will announce the Emperor, Kisu, and Kisu himself will make a few comments. After he is done, your orbs are automatically exchanged for a dragon mask. You need only be in the district at the right time for your mask to be awarded. The Imperial Supplymaster will remain after the 5th of July to exchange masks for those who did not get to see the Emperor.

This period where you can exchange for the mask is quite short. Immediately afterwards is a mini-game. A group of Grasps will attack the monastery with The Fury leading them. Everybody in the monastery must collect Celestial Charges and bring them to a nearby Imperial Sorcerer. These sorcerers stand around in various places around the monastery, and when you pick up an orb, yellow flares on your map will indicate their location. For every charge delivered, Cantha scores a point. For every person caught by a grasp, the grasps score a point.

The Grasp: Grasps will hunt out those who are holding Celestial Charges, much like the Grenth minions did at the winter festival 2005. If one of them touch you while you are holding a celestial charge, you will instantly die. Do not worry, you will be resurrected soon! To avoid the grasps, it is good to do a few things in certain situations. A) Drop the charge when they come near. They will wander away to find someone else. When they are a safe distance, pick it up again and run. B) Only pick up a charge if there are no grasps around. Also, make sure there are no grasps in between you and the particular Imperial Sorcerer you are targeting. Often times there will be an alternative Sorcerer you can reach safely. C) Finally, to better fulfill A and B, keep an eye on the map and look for moving green triangles. They are the grasps, and you should never pick up a charge with one in your aggro circle. The Grasps sometimes will touch a charge laying at it's spawn point, thus  they will destroy it and the enemies will gain 1 point.  The best way to avoid this it to quickly pick up the charge, then drop it right away. Additionally, grasps seem to run faster than normal. Eating a red bean cake will put you up to their speed.

Note: These deaths do not count as real deaths and will not affect your Survivor title.

The mini-game will last 15 minutes. After which, fireworks will go off, and Festival Prizes will spawn randomly for roughly 15 minutes. In the spirit of the festival, be kind to your neighbor and try to make sure everybody gets at least one prize. If the Canthans lose the mini-game, then the Grasps will run around the outpost killing every player they can get their hands on. If you find yourself in such a district, the simplest way to avoid death is to move to another, hopefully more successful, district.

After this period of Festival Prize spawning, the emperor will take his leave. The Emperor's visit lasts about 40-45 minutes, which means his next visit will be in an hour and 15 minutes after he leaves.

Transcript

 * Imperial Guard Hanso: Citizens of Cantha, your attention please!
 * Imperial Guard Hanso: I am proud to announce that our honored guest, the emperor of our great Dragon Empire, has arrived!
 * Imperial Guard Hanso: Canthans, Luxons, Kurzicks, and guests from afar, I give you Emperor Kisu!
 * Emperor Kisu: Thank you, thank you for joining us on this day of celebration.
 * Emperor Kisu: I only wish I was here under better circumstances, but the attacks from unknown origin on our lands have cast a dark shadow over our holiday.
 * Emperor Kisu: Despite the perils that have befallen us these last days, we can proudly claim we are winning the battle against this nebulous foe.
 * Emperor Kisu: Cantha has a rich history of overcoming adveristy. Once more we are united against our enemies as a mighty Dragon Empire that cannot be overturned!
 * Emperor Kisu: Two hundred years ago, my ancestor, Emperor Hanjai, gazed upon a fractured Cantha on the verge of collapse.
 * Emperor Kisu: He prayed to the ancients for guidance, to seek a way to reunite his people and restore glory to our troubled lands.
 * Emperor Kisu: His prayers were answered in the form of a mighty celestial dragon that swooped from the heavens and assured him Cantha would rise once more.
 * Emperor Kisu: The inspired Emperor Hanjai poured every ouce of his blood, sweat, and tears into achieving that goal by bringing together our lands, making them safe, and restoring leadership.
 * Emperor Kisu: In honor of the celestial dragon that guided him, Hanjai restored the lands of the Dragon Empire. We celebrate this day as a reminder of the empire's guide and protector.
 * Emperor Kisu: I bequeath a gift to each one of you who has helped protect the empire from the enemy that seeks to destroy us. As protectors of the empire, you honor the dragon spirit.
 * Emperor Kisu: Those who have gathered 250 Jade Wind Orbs, I give you the Dragon Helm. Wear it proudly in honor of the empire and its legacy.
 * Emperor Kisu: I ask you to bow your heads in respect as we pray for the blessings of the celestial dragon.
 * Emperor Kisu: Celestial dragon, figurehead of our great empire, benevolent constellation that watches over us, guides us, and protects us, we beseech you.
 * Emperor Kisu: Cast your blessings once again upon Canthan lands as you did for the great Emperor Hanjai 200 years ago.
 * Emperor Kisu: The dragon has heard the call of the people. Give thanks for the blessing it spreads among us!
 * Emperor Kisu: What treachery is this? The creatures have returned!
 * Emperor Kisu: Do not allow these demons to steal the gifts of the celestial dragon! Stop them!
 * The Fury:Servants of shadow, gather the energy that has fallen from the sky! Our dark master awaits our return with these celestial charges.

During the middle of the game:
 * Emperor Kisu: Cretures of chaos, the Dragon Empire has overcome greater evils than you. We shall send you back to the cursed lands from whence you came!
 * The Fury: The blessings of our master await us, minions of shadow. Do not fail!

If the players win:
 * The Fury: Flee shadow minions! This is a battle we cannot win!
 * Emperor Kisu: The Dragon Empire has once more proven victorious over those who dare oppose it. Cantha endures!
 * Emperor Kisu: Sorcerers, on this holiday I think it fitting we celebrate victory as our anestors have.
 * Emperor Kisu: Canthans young, old, male, and female, let us dance, drink, and celebrate our victory on this most memorable of holidays!
 * Emperor Kisu: Alas my friends, I must leave to tend to pressing matters. I feel our success this day may be fleeting: this is not the last we will see of these wretched shadows.
 * Emperor Kisu: Until we meet again in this life or the next, may the dragon guide you through your days and bless each of you as it has blessed the empire.

Glitches

 * Missions:
 * For the Captain Rujiyo missions, if you had Henchmen in your party when you accepted his Quest, all of the Henchmen would be duplicated at the beginning of the quest. Even if you are killed and press "Leave" in the party menu when you are sent back to the Monastery, the duplicates would not be visually removed from your group list until you leave town.
 * Final Event:
 * In many districts, the emperor did not leave properly after his appearances, resulting in several emperors standing in the same spot. This also occurred with the Imperial Sorcerers in some districts.
 * In several districts, after the emperor's appearance, the minigame did not commence, and thus no fireworks or prizes.
 * In some districts, Grasps failed to despawn as well, making the minigame almost impossible to complete following the next iteration, as there would be double the number of Grasps killing players.
 * At one district at a certain time, if you look closely at one of The Grasp of Insanitys' left over from the mini-games, it appears as though it is talking to a frog.
 * It is possible to force a Grasp to follow a character, much as if it were a pet. If a player was to pick up a Celestial Charge, wait for a Grasp to go after them, then get moved to the festival minigame area, the Grasp would stop at the gate, trying to kill the player.  If the player stood around there long enough, the Charge they were holding would disappear.  Afterwards, the player could go back to the normal area, and the Grasp would then follow the player around, and never attack any players.

Weblinks

 * Official announcement by ArenaNet
 * Information from the Taiwanese website
 * Comprehensive Guide at GuildWarsGuru.com
 * The Gear Trick Comic's "Dragon Festival 06': You had to be there"