Ghosts of Ascalon book announced

The first original Guild Wars novel is coming Summer 2010

Posted on Feb 23, 2010 - 3:11pm EST

ArenaNet are proud to announce Ghosts of Ascalon, the first original Guild Wars novel! Written by acclaimed fantasy authors Matt Forbeck and Jeff Grubb, Ghosts of Ascalon sets the stage for the release of the highly anticipated Guild Wars 2 MMO.

Two hundred fifty years ago, Ascalon burned.

Desperate to defend his land from advancing hordes of bestial charr, King Adelbern summoned the all-powerful Foefire to repel the invaders. But magic can be a double-edged sword—the Foefire burned both charr and human alike. While the charr corpses smoldered, the slain Ascalonians rose again, transformed by their king's rage into ghostly protectors and charged with guarding the realm—forever. The once mighty kingdom became a haunted shadow of its former glory.

Centuries later, the descendants of Ascalon, exiled to the nation of Kryta, are besieged on all sides. To save humankind, Queen Jennah seeks to negotiate a treaty with the hated charr. One obstacle remains. The charr legions won't sign the truce until their most prized possession, the Claw of the Khan-Ur, is returned from the ruins of fallen Ascalon.

Now, a mismatched band of adventurers, each plagued by ghosts of their own, sets forth into a haunted, war-torn land to retrieve the Claw. Without the artifact, there is no hope for peace between humans and charr--but the undead king who rules Ascalon won't give it up easily, and not everyone wants peace!

Scheduled for release in North America and Europe in the summer of 2010, Ghosts of Ascalon takes place in the dangerous land of Tyria, the setting of Guild Wars. A mismatched band of adventurers, each plagued by ghosts from their pasts, journeys into the haunted, war-torn kingdom of Ascalon to retrieve a sacred relic that holds the promise of peace between humanity and their ancestral enemies, the savage charr. But not everyone wants peace, and the undead king who rules Ascalon won’t give it up easily!

In Guild Wars, one of the best-selling fantasy role-playing franchises of all time, players adventured through an epic storyline that spanned three continents or faced off against each other in head-to-head combat. Ghosts of Ascalon takes place in the same era as the upcoming Guild Wars 2, hundreds of years after the events of the original Guild Wars series. The sweeping storyline, richly imagined setting and dramatic characters will appeal to both fantasy readers and fans of Guild Wars alike.