Gods of Tyria

The Old Gods
The canonical Gods of Tyria are the five gods who in the theology of humans and other advanced races created the world of Tyria. They are:
 * Balthazar: God of war and fire
 * Dwayna: Goddess of life and air
 * Grenth: God of death and ice, defeated Dhuum to obtain this position
 * Lyssa: Twin goddess of beauty and illusion.
 * Melandru: Goddess of nature and earth

They are also known as the "Old Gods" as they left the world of Tyria about a thousand years ago.

The Old Gods in the Game
The presence of the Old Gods can be felt in the present day in the game in two major ways:
 * Teams competing in the Global Tournament and winning the Hall of Heroes for their territory will bring the Favor of the Gods to their territory. This will open up interaction with the avatars of these Gods.
 * If a territory has Favor, then players in the PvE campaign can interact with the avatars of the Gods at any non-mission god's statue. The avatars can bestow blessings, give quests and even grant access to the Realms of the Gods. See God's statue for full details.

The History of the Old Gods in Tyria
According to legend, the Old Gods lived on Tyria while creating it. They made their homes in the city of Arah in the area known as Orr. It is implied that Dhuum was God of Death at this time, but was overthrown by Grenth sometime later.

In the year 1 BE, the Old Gods represented by Abaddon gifted all sentient races with the gift of magic, but it was abused as each race tried to use this gift to destroy the other. After a plea from King Doric, the Gods sealed away the power to control all of magic in the Bloodstones and shortly after Abaddon attempted to usurp control of Tyria from the other gods. After his defeat they left Tyria for good and went into the Rift in an event known as the Exodus of the Gods.

See also here.

The Lore of the Old Gods
Outside of their history in Tyria, the Old Gods have a greater history and lore. Some of the known plots are:
 * The constant war between Balthazar and his half-brother Menzies in the Fissure of Woe.
 * The demon infestation that plagues the Underworld, the realm of Grenth.
 * The defeat of Dhuum, the previous god of death, by Grenth.
 * Wintersday.
 * The exile of Abaddon, former god of water and knowledge.

A new Goddess
At the conclusion of the Guild Wars Nightfall campaign, the Goddess of Truth was created. See Goddess of Truth for more details.