Storyline (Eye of the North)

Backstory
From GWEN and Now, an article from the fansite kit:


 * "Time marches on. Six years have passed since the events in Guild Wars Prophecies, since the Searing blazed across Ascalon."
 * "Chroniclers in Lion's Arch have compiled a report on the state of all Tyrian races and nations, both familiar and recently discovered. Enter now the setting for the upcoming Guild Wars: Eye of the North."

Ascalon

 * "The mighty kingdom of Ascalon has seen better days, humbled under the relentless assault of the Charr. Brave heroes have slowed, but not stemmed, the invading hordes. A large military force under the command of King Adelbern continues to defend the nation from incursion. Several years ago, the king and a group of heroes struck down the Titan gods of the Charr. However, with his forces declining, the king now fights a war of attrition, his army driven farther and farther south by the enemy."
 * "In these dire times, a brave cadre of Ascalonians has chosen to take the fight to the Charr, striking into their homeland. These units-many of which are made up of humans who've escaped Charr enslavement-have slipped behind (and, in some cases, broken through) the Charr lines. They are now establishing advanced bases deep in Charr territory where they harry the invaders and divert supplies and troops away from Ascalon."

Charr

 * "The Charr were rocked by the death of their gods. For years, Charr legions were commanded by the Shaman caste, who claimed authority on behalf of the Titans the Charr worshiped. When human heroes, alongside King Adelbern, proved these beings were all-too mortal, this created havoc at the very top of the Charr hierarchy. Individual Charr and even entire warbands broke away from orthodoxy, but each heretical uprising has been crushed by the religious establishment."
 * "Even now there is dissension among the Charr. While the Shaman are ever determined to crush human resistance in Ascalon, they are equally alert to the rebels and heretics in their own ranks."

Kryta

 * "The White Mantle also suffered losses when the veil of godhood was lifted from their so-called deities, exposing them as a front for powerful, yet mortal creatures. In the wake of this revelation, Kryta fell into civil war, with the Shining Blade attempting to restore the old royal family to power."
 * "Despite their casualties, the heavily entrenched White Mantle remain a formidable foe. Unable to match them directly with military might, the Shining Blade has sent agents across Tyria seeking new weapons and allies to turn the tide of battle. Each side has vowed to bring peace to Kryta no matter the cost."

Deldrimor Dwarves

 * "King Jalis Ironhammer has restored order to the Shiverpeaks, scattering the Stone Summit forces and rooting them out of Sorrow’s Furnace. Now, Inspired by the recovery of the Tome of Rubicon, the Deldrimor Dwarves have turned their attention once more to the Depths, the vast underground regions that lie beneath Tyria. The tome foretells of a final conflict between the Great Dwarf, the embodiment of the Dwarven race, and the Great Destroyer, a creature of vast destructive power and limitless evil."

The Depths

 * "The Dwarves have provided limited information about the mysteries they have uncovered beneath the earth. Initial reports describe an immense, interconnected, underground complex the Dwarves call "the Depths of Tyria." The Depths are a combination of natural caves and excavations by the Dwarves and other subterranean races housing structures left behind by previous civilizations that date back to a time before the arrival of humans in Tyria."
 * "The Depths are connected by a series of magical gateways that allow swift travel through miles of earth and stone. These gateways were created by creatures known as the Asura. Little is known of this race as its members have not been spotted on the surface in ages, but legends suggest that they are diminutive creatures with large eyes and long ears. The Dwarves also ascribe great magical power and extreme intelligence to these mysterious beings."

The North

 * "The Dwarves have also fully explored along the entire length of the Shiverpeak mountain range, even into the Far Shiverpeaks north of civilized lands. King Jalis himself accompanied a small expedition into these lands to meet with leaders of the Norn-a race long-known to the Dwarves of old."
 * "These towering half-giants look generally human in appearance but have limited interest in the affairs of races beyond the mountains. Fiercely independent, the Norn are not organized into a single nation. Instead, they place immense value on individual prowess and skill in battle. The most famous hunters among their race establish homesteads that become havens of safety, but no single Norn rules, nor seeks to rule. Both genders hunt and fight, and physical strength is, perhaps, the most highly regarded trait in a mate."
 * "The Norn revere animal spirits. The great animals of the North-Wolf, Eagle, Owl, and Raven-each have an associated spirit, but the greatest of these is Bear-with whom all Norn share a special link. The Dwarves report that Norn are capable of "becoming the bear," shape-shifting into the towering aspect of a bear. This form grants them even greater combat prowess-if one can imagine that. Whether these reports are true or merely tall tales passed on to traveling explorers has yet to be confirmed."

The Cycle Turns

 * "The human lands of Kryta and Ascalon have suffered major reversals over the past six years. At the same time, the appearance of new races and additional threats has further destabilized these war-torn lands. The dour Dwarves, in particular, view all of these troubles as signs and portents of a great conflict yet to come. They believe the cycle of the world is turning toward a final confrontation, and that neither Dwarf nor human will be spared as the cycle turns."
 * "Questions remain unanswered by these reports, though, and new threats may yet be discovered in the years to come. Still, the fact remains that humanity, and all of Tyria, has been altered forever by the events of the Searing, and the world has yet to fully recover from that blow."
 * "Time marches on."

Act 1
Violent earthquakes take place throughout Tyria, Cantha and Elona, most notably near the main cities where vast cracks in the ground open up nearby. The players are sent to investigate these crevasses and inside discover a group of dwarves, led by Ogden Stonehealer and an Asura named Vekk. However, hot on their trail are numerous groups of Destroyers, which turn out to be the source of the nearby earthquakes. The group, along with the players, flee through the tunnels away from the Destroyers in the hope of finding a way out. Their wish is granted and they discover an Asuran portal which takes them away from the underground tunnels and to the Far Shiverpeaks.

Once there, the group meet Jora, a Norn female hunting the Nornbear. While reluctant to help them herself, she tells the players that there are other humans at the Eye of the North who may be able to help them. The players make their way there where, amongst other humans, they find Gwen, a victim of the Searing in Ascalon. She shows the players the Hall of Monuments with its Scrying Pool. When the players look inside, they see a vision of a Destroyer and the group realises that the Great Destroyer and his army are a huge threat to the world that needs to be dispatched of. Because their forces are too small to fight the Destroyers alone, they come to the conclusion that they need to recruit more people to help in their fight. Here, the story splits three ways:


 * Ogden goes to rally the Norn into helping them fight the Destroyers.
 * Vekk travels back to his homelands to try and get the Asura on their side.
 * Gwen goes to the Charr Homelands to find the Ebon Vanguard and enlist their help in the fight.

Hunting The Nornbear
The players and Ogden meet Jora again. They decide to help her in her quest to find the Nornbear, so that she might help them in rallying the Norn against the Destroyers. Jora refuses help, but tells the players to seek Gunnar Poundfist if they want the Norns' aid. On the way there, the party encounters the Nornbear, and attempts to slay it, but it escapes. When the party meets Gunnar, he tells them to hunt the Nornbear again and advises them to get help from yet another Norn. He suggests Sif Shadowhunter, one of the best Norn hunters alive.

Sif decides to aid the party in their hunt for the Nornbear. It isn't long before they it and Jora, who has been tracking it. However, it flees before anyone can do any serious damage. Sif suggests to Jora that they contact the wolf spirit for help. After agreeing to contact the Wolf, Jora reveals to the party that the Nornbear is, in fact, her brother, Svanir. The two were hunting together and happened upon an ancient power; it cursed Jora so she could no longer become the bear, but to Svanir, it did the opposite, trasforming him into the Nornbear. The players agree to help her lift the curse on her family by killing Svanir.

Jora, Sif, and the players travel to the Shrine of the Wolf Spirit where they recieve the Wolf spirit's blessing and use its abilities to aid in tracking down Svanir. After escaping a few times, the group finally corners the Nornbear and badly wounds it, leaving Jora to finish it and lift the curse on her family. Jora is grateful and agrees to help the party, although she admits that she will not be able to convince all the Norn. She informs the party that Olaf Olafson is a great hero amongst the Norn and might be able to help the players in convincing the Norn to aid them in fighting the Destroyers.

Act 3
Act 3 will involve fighting the Great Destroyer.