[Atomisk]

We now have a guide to the campaign up and running. You can find it in this thread. Enjoy!

Another summary update: http://www.guildwars...&postcount=1847

Borx said:

Just to keep you from going through the steps other people have already figured out, here's a quick recap.

http://www.guildwars.../shining_blade/ was updated with a new poster covering the torn one with a QR code that contained plain text. The text read "Midnight clouds will part. The second symbol will reveal its Face like a hidden moon. /stnarytothtaed" which led to http://www.guildwars.../stnarytothtaed.

The previously mentioned page contained an image with something written in Old Ascalonian runes (http://wiki.guildwar...guages_of_Tyria) that read "Blade".

Later on the Facebook page was updated with a new image containing a QR code that contained plain text which stated "Create one from two. Unity Resolve Liberty. /neeuqsiamlas" which led to http://www.guildwars.com/neeuqsiamlas.

That page contained an image that in Old Ascalonian runes read Camp. Which led to http://www.guildwars.com/bladecamp which contained another image which had a hidden URL in it leading to http://www.guildwars.com/warinkryta.

In the mean time there was an update to GW that added a Shining Blade camp (the one form the /bladecamp screenshot). An NPC also appeared in ToA named Salma. And that leads us up to the point we're at (or were when I started typing this).


http://www.guildwars.com/neeuqsiamlas/

Arghore said:

Thanks to Bigwig we now have a summary of the events as they unfolded, i hope he will keep this upto date, so people that dont frequent GW2guru, and dont feel the need to read through 2000+ post, can get upto speed by reading this summary ...

http://huntersinsigh...y-vs-dismantle/

The flyer below was passed out at the GDC convention by Regina Buenaobra. Thanks to Wrath of Dragons for scanning this for us.

Source

JR said:

The barcode gives you this URL:

http://www.guildwars.com/white_mantle/

For reference, it's a QR Code. If you crop it out of the flyer and put it through an online barcode reader you get the URL.

The barcode on the color version is just an inverted version of the one on the paper flyer, and has no significance.

Source for the image:

<center><img src="flyer.jpg"><!--March 16 --></center>

Not sure what significance the date has.

Anyone have any speculation/opinions?

Edited by Atomisk, 05 April 2010 - 06:03 PM.
Added a campaign summary.

[TedTheShred]

Very, very interesting marketing campaign.

Looks to be based on the Obey Giant.

The company behind Obey Giant put together posters very similar to this flier:

Example 1 - Kind of reminds me of the Eye of Janthir
Example 2

**Edit**

I made a little guess, that if guildwars.com/white_mantle led somewhere, that it stands to reason there are other flyers.

Well I've found one so far:

Shining Blade

Edited by TedTheShred, 20 March 2010 - 11:29 PM.

[Konig Des Todes]

Well we know the White Mantle survives after the civil war:

The Movement of the World said:

However, Kryta is not un-assailed—secret agents of the White Mantle still fight for their unseen gods, and the Centaurs, displaced across the continent, are flooding into human territory, fighting over every scrap of land. Kryta is a war zone with a few safe-havens, a land where humans must fight for their security—and their future.

But given that the image is from the GW1 site, I'm rather tending to think that specifically is a modified GW1 concept art of the White Mantle. Also given the style, it looks like one of the older works compared to the GW2 (the Prophecies and the GW2 artwork look completely different).

Edit:
Maybe not a GW1 thing, given what Ted said. Also, Ted, the first link doesn't work for me.

[TedTheShred]

I think I've fixed my link.

[Geroui]

Dismantle sounds funny, since they are dissing the white mantle...heh.....I'll stop now.

As for the white mantle, I look forward to meeting their remnants in GW2 possibly, crushing their skulls, taking their armor, and wearing it on my Norn. :P

[Konig Des Todes]

That'll be one tight fit.

Tried a variety of urls but didn't get anything. Also tried the GW2 site, nothing.

Edited by Konig Des Todes, 20 March 2010 - 11:38 PM.

[TedTheShred]

I recommend either renaming this thread, spinning it off into Tyrian Assembly, or both. This may in fact be the seeds of an ARG-Style marketing campaign. If it is, we would need somewhere to discuss it.

I've checked the Barcodes on each of the sites, but they do not lead to anywhere new, just back to themselves. The source codes on the sites also don't indicate anything other than March 16th.

It's also interesting that they're in the Guild Wars 1 website, and not Guild Wars 2 if they're intended to be teases for GW2. Perhaps they foreshadow some kind of upcoming events in GW1, more bridges between the game.

[Loken]

Given that the pages are hosted on GW.com and not GW2.com I would agree that it is probably not GW2 related.

Still, I'll keep it in TA for now while we see what develops.

[jayson]

Perhaps it's a new event for the 5th year celebration?

[Joiry]

So, the original shining blade symbol:



The Dismantle leaflet flips the sword and moves the ring/"shine" down around the hilt and shrinks it. That could just be for artistic purposes to fit it to the style of the leaflets.

There is also this image from the GDC slideshow:

http://lh6.ggpht.com...YE/sh_blade.png

The blade is upright, but cutoff by an eye. And the ring has become more of a stylized shine you might expect around a stylized sun.

http://lh5.ggpht.com...UKjWac/conf.PNG

Hat is very similar to the Obey picture, a few other bits, like forearm wrappings. White & gold fairly typical of WM style. Symbol on brooch, doesn't look like the white mantle symbol, but we'll have to wait for part 4 of the slideshow for high rez.

Random urls I tried http://www.guildwars.com/XXX
stone_summit, deldrimor, deldrimor_dwarves, great_dwarf,lions_guard, lions_arch temple_of_tolerance,unseen, unseen_ones, mursaat,seer, ancient_seer, ebon_vanguard,ebonhawke.flame_legion, lich, lich_lord,flameseeker, flameseeker_prohphecies,order_of_whispers,sunspears,ascalons_chosen,flaming_sceptre,flaming_scepter,sons_of_svanir,zaishen,zaishen_order,jade_brotherhood,am_fah,dredge,moletariate

Edited by Joiry, 25 March 2010 - 09:23 PM.
relink images

[Dima]

o im all giddy

[Lady Syve]

This sounds exciting! Let the theorizing begin!

[Konig Des Todes]

@Joiry, looking at the second image, I definably see the resemblance and that may be a GW2 White Mantle concept art. The shining blade one... less so.

[TedTheShred]

Joiry said:

So, the original shining blade symbol:



The Dismantle leaflet flips the sword and moves the ring/"shine" down around the hilt and shrinks it. That could just be for artistic purposes to fit it to the style of the leaflets.

In all likelyhood, the shining blade banner has been modified to more closely resemble this poster: Obey Fist. Again, using the Obey company poster design qualities as a foundation for these propaganda fliers.

Joiry said:

Hat is very similar to the Obey picture, a few other bits, like forearm wrappings. White & gold fairly typical of WM style. Symbol on brooch, doesn't look like the white mantle symbol, but we'll have to wait for part 4 of the slideshow for high rez.

Really really good catch.

Edited by TedTheShred, 21 March 2010 - 02:43 AM.
Fixed misnomer

[Trub]

Quote

heh.
Looks almost like one of those 'foldable' back covers from Mad Magazine ehh?
The Shingblade one looks like the 'Dragon' shaped '2' for GW2...

uh-hmmmmmmm.

[Mister_Smiley]

Just an idea, but what if it has to do with 5th year and those are the new costumes that we are getting?

Also night find, going to be interesting to see what people come up with.

[Daelin Dwin]

My guess is some new 5th anniversary quest chain.

EDIT:

Mister_Smiley said:

Just an idea, but what if it has to do with 5th year and those are the new costumes that we are getting?

Now you mention it, the shoulder robing looks very similar to the Grenth Regalia

Edited by Daelin Dwin, 21 March 2010 - 01:10 AM.

[Mister_Smiley]

To take what i said alittle farther, Maybe a costume of Both the Shining Blade and White Mantle..

Another is the next Gw2 Trailer is going to be from both of them...

[Dutch Sunshine]

Well, Linsey said that she needed to kill someone to continue the story line, IF that plot will be released on the 5th b-day, which I'm 99,999% sure of, and these two prints have to do something with it, then we need to kill either someone of the white mantle or the shining blade. Maybe we need to kill somebody of the mantle, someone important maybe, who wants to overtrown the kingdom of Kryta and grab the power.

I do not know if that should have anything to do with GW2 and actually this whole thought is just speculation on the already speculated collision of the pamflets with the fifth b-day, but if it would be, the question is: Who are we going to kill?

[Mister_Smiley]

Dutch Sunshine said:

Well, Linsey said that she needed to kill someone to continue the story line, IF that plot will be released on the 5th b-day, which I'm 99,999% sure of, and these two prints have to do something with it, then we need to kill either someone of the white mantle or the shining blade. Maybe we need to kill somebody of the mantle, someone important maybe, who wants to overtrown the kingdom of Kryta and grab the power.

I do not know if that should have anything to do with GW2 and actually this whole thought is just speculation on the already speculated collision of the pamflets with the fifth b-day, but if it would be, the question is: Who are we going to kill?

Good point, its possible that it what it is, we have to team up with the Shining Blade once more to help kill some of the white mantle, but it is also possible that its a two way, where we can chose which side we want. Its kinda like a BMP but with quests.

Edited by Mister_Smiley, 21 March 2010 - 01:45 AM.

[Konig Des Todes]

TedTheShred said:

In all likelyhood, the mantle banner has been modified to more closely resemble this poster: Obey Fist. Again, using the Obey company poster design qualities as a foundation for these propaganda fliers.

You mean the shining blade. The White Mantle hasn't been changed.

Dutch Sunshine said:

Well, Linsey said that she needed to kill someone to continue the story line

Wait, what? When was this said? I try to keep up with all Anet news and such an important piece has slipped me by?

I really do hope she continues the GW1 storyline.

As for the kill someone... *cough mysterious stranger from M.O.X. quests cough*

Dutch Sunshine said:

Who are we going to kill?

Do keep in mind that, according to you, she will have to kill someone. So might not be us doing the killing - probably an ally or some NPC who's supposed to die in the lore, but hasn't yet. I.e., "nothing of importance happens before so and so dies, but after that, other things do"

[Shaft Ed]

I am liking this already.

[Tzu Qui Jinn]

Great stuff, I wonder what is being planned right now.

[Mister_Smiley]

Konig Des Todes said:

You mean the shining blade. The White Mantle hasn't been changed.

Wait, what? When was this said? I try to keep up with all Anet news and such an important piece has slipped me by?

I really do hope she continues the GW1 storyline.

As for the kill someone... *cough mysterious stranger from M.O.X. quests cough*

Do keep in mind that, according to you, she will have to kill someone. So might not be us doing the killing - probably an ally or some NPC who's supposed to die in the lore, but hasn't yet. I.e., "nothing of importance happens before so and so dies, but after that, other things do"

To quote what Linsey said "is working on our next big content update. Hint: imma kill people. *shivers* ooOooOOoooo makes me all tingly."

[Konig Des Todes]

Where was that from? If I may ask.

[Mister_Smiley]

Konig Des Todes said:

Where was that from? If I may ask.

facebook, she post lots and lots of stuff up there, most nothing have to do with GW normally.

Edited by Mister_Smiley, 21 March 2010 - 02:12 AM.

[Joiry]

Huh, I wonder if maybe some of the new "bridging" content in the next year will take the form of the BMPs, but in the a few years in future, rather than the past. That way, if important people are killed off, it wouldn't seem too odd to still see them around in areas where the content takes place.

(Yeah, I know, Rurik and others can still be seen, but in areas that are further "back in time". I doubt new content will add whole full new mission areas.)

I think Future BMPs also allow for better bridging, since it'd be odd to make bridging content that happen in the same year as EotN.

[Dima]

maybe someone from the white mantle found out about salma and want to kill her so she doesn't get in the way of their taking back control of kryta so we have to go and kill that person.

[Plumpsy]

I really hope this is a Guild Wars 2 ARG. I had a blast following the Portal 2 ARG the other week, and it got a ton of attention across the internet.

[Konig Des Todes]

Joiry said:

I doubt new content will add whole full new mission areas.

Actually, they could do this. Add in an NPC here or there, have them take you to an instance in any explorable. Similar to EN, instanced and could even be a "you have to do this in order to get access to that" - for instance, a civil war mission between the Shining Blade/Lionguard and the White Mantle and you have to beat Hell's Precipice before you can access it.

Not every mission has to be post EN as well, there could be missions added to be based between Prophecies, Factions, Nightfall, and EN (between any two - Proph/NF, Proph/EN, Fact/NF, Fact/EN, NF/EN).

Mister_Smiley said:

facebook, she post lots and lots of stuff up there, most nothing have to do with GW normally.

That explains it...

Dima said:

maybe someone from the white mantle found out about salma and want to kill her so she doesn't get in the way of their taking back control of kryta so we have to go and kill that person.

In the lore, there has been a civil war in Kryta since the events of prophecies. That means there have been six wars in which Salma has been taking the throne, and the White Mantle have been attempting to prevent that. So definably "just found out."