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The Deepsworn Covenant

The Largos—an ancient, amphibious species of clandestine killers renowned for their deadly hunting abilities and their mystery. Compelled to quests of perfection, they order their lives by discipline and honor, the pursuit of challenges, and terror. Hailing from the Unending Ocean, it is said that when they are seen, something dies. For eons, the Largos served as dispassionate protectors of the Deep Sea.While the surface world vanquished the Elder Dragons and preserved Tyria from the brink of annihilation, the Largos have long fought a different threat… one which has grown hungrier allegedly due to the slow, persistent seep of terrible power into the darkest waters. At a time when Tyria has thought to find peace, another terror looms; in time it will overtake the seas and if not stopped consume all the world from below.

"To successfully track prey, you must first know it as you would thyself."

Durance of Suffering

“You’re willing to answer a few questions?”“The answers are mine to give. Or not. It all depends on what you wish to know.”

A flurry of blades, a trail of bodies to lure out larger prey, creatures cut with precision. Nothing else stirs beneath the waves but a predator of high caliber awaiting a challenge.Silent, secretive, and secluded, the Largos are a people spoken of primarily in sailor’s tales or antique Priory manuscripts. No other race has left such a minimal footprint on the world. Their society is relatively unknown to most of Tyria as most historical records predate human arrival; however, it appears that they prefer it this way as they pride themselves on remaining unseen. They are a valorous society that prides itself on skill, vigilance, and proficiency in combat, bound by honor, efficient kills, and the Concordat of the Tethyos Houses.

The surface knew little of the myriad horrors of the Deep Sea.When the great dragon abandoned the ocean in favor of humanity, the Largos remained steadfast. Loath to admit their futility against the encroaching nightmares of the deep, they fought, with more and more consumed each passing night. Eventually they were overwhelmed, and for the first time in their known history, the Largos were forced to retreat from an enemy. The horrors would go on to engulf the great Largos houses in shadow. Eons of ancient civilization disappeared without a trace.Amid the turmoil, the Largos were scattered throughout the vast oceans, while great confusion cursed those of which circumstance brought near. Offended by the departure of the dragon in favor of an alien species, sorrowed by the loss of their homes, and embarrassed by the failures of their own kin, the Largos quarreled with one another, each perpetuating blame onto kin for this great embarrassment, and blades were drawn against family and friends.Warriors fell away from the great Compact that bound them. The largos entered into civil war that lasted for years, and it appeared the proud race was on the verge of becoming an extinct civilization. Until a group of insightful elders realized who the forsaken ones were and preached the truth of their sacrifices to the Largos. The ironic truth was that in hubris the great race had fallen to self-destruction just like the land-dwellers they believed to be meritless, and an unpayable debt was owed.To rebuild their great civilization, in humility and discipline the Tidesworn Conclave was formed (a council founded by the elder Largos of the remaining lesser houses) and organized those who pledged oath to the ears of their lost saviors into disciples, and they would be separated into task forces called Covenants.

“This hunt ... is over.”
— The Unseen Hunter, alleged to stalk the Brisban Wildlands

Establishing the Covenants

“Your names. They sound similar to Orrian. Is there a connection?”“Despite my exile ... I am not willing to disclose such information.”“Why were you exiled?”“I heralded the songs of those long fallen.”

Nothing is more valued in Largos society than their communal honor. To the individual, this discipline–which they call “eternas”–guides a Largos through day-to-day living. Without it, a Largos is nothing, perhaps no better than a krait, against which their rivalry runs deep. Yet some have found the largos to be equally as vicious and predatory as the serpents they contend with, if they survive the encounter. The Largos nevertheless are the antithesis of the krait. Instead of conquering the waters they reside in, they coexist secretively with other aquatic races through relative non-interaction.

With there being great dissent among the Largos, rule was established to secure the enforcement of the Conclave's edicts. Their most elite hunters composed the first Covenant, called Mhagistravos, which the elders charged with keeping those of various houses and customs from feuding with one another as well as serve as the personal bodyguard to the Conclave. Alongside them, Khapteyvos was founded as a penitentiary to incarcerate and re-socialize Largos of tarnished eternas that had been seized and condemned by the Mhagistravos to servile imprisonment. From these branched additional Covenants— Ataraxia of Khapteyvos, a group of disciplined research and salvage "volunteers" who would rebuild Largos enclaves; and Juratus of Mhagistravos, adventurous disciples of the Tethyos Compact giving oath to seek out those spread across the ocean and rescue them from peril.The Juratus embarked on hundreds of expeditions across the ocean and rescued many stranded Largos from the far reaches of the Tyrian seas. While their legend grew, however, nightmares continually poured in from the south making it more and more difficult to journey. Travel grew perilous, and food became scarcer. Eventually separated and stranded by monstrosities, the Covenant fought valiantly but most were devoured.With the Conclave loath to admit failure, the Juratus Covenant was abolished under the pretense of errored steps, and the fate of the Covenant was kept secret for a time thereafter. Eventually word got out as ideas previously thought outlandish became pervasive over time—if the Largos were to survive, they must embrace change. To prevent uprisings, the Conclave altered the Mhagistravos in their purpose to oppress the Largos people forcing dissenters into prisons to distract and distance them from the Conclave. Refocusing on domestic threats instead of far and wide ones, the remnants of the Juratus were reformed into the Crimson Tide Covenant, the closest thing to a Largos army.Khapteyvos underwent a transformation of its own, in which rose a surrogate elder who claimed to have discovered a way to divert the nightmares, and in reforming the prisoners into fierce, "last resort" warriors, Khapteyvos was renamed to the Covenant of the Torrent. Mhagistravos became the Covenant of the Crossed Tridents which in addition to its previous functionality worked to secure Largos secrets from "unworthy ears." Ataraxia however would act independently, though the liberating efforts of the Largos came to an end stranding unknown populations in the deep sea.

“Impressive strength."
"A complete violation of the Tethyos Compact, but impressive nonetheless.”
— Aaminah

Legacy of the Redeemers

“Do your people have leaders?”“Yes. The Humbled, the Harmonious, and the Honored. The Scions. They are those who descended directly from the Originators. Our honor and nobility fall alongside them.”

At the core of modern Largos society are their elder leaders, the Tidesworn Conclave, figures sometimes elected by merit and honor and sometimes dynastically replaced who lead Largos communities on a path to redemption. They best reflect the esteem of their three abyssal, god-like Scions: The Harmonious, Honored, and Humbled, to which are held in esteem and enigma.These entities are said to originate from the deepest depths of the Unending Ocean, and it is believed those that achieve perfection will instrument the epitome of Largos society.To achieve this, all Largos of age adhere to a code called the Tethyos Compact, or Concordat, in which they are ranked based on ever-escalating challenges.

In the aftermath of the Juratus Covenant's fall, an impoverished Largos huntress of unknown origin and name, an alleged sibling to the Herald (leader), learned of her brother's death at the maws of horrors and became determined. Deciding she could no longer idly sit by and hope that her way of life would improve without action, she went to the Conclave with a request to seek new methods and magic from the surface but was ultimately declined. Resolute in her own way and opposing what she felt was "blindness" of the elders, she took a small number of followers and formed her own liberating force, desiring to gain popular support with trophies and renown, ultimately to convince the Conclave to provide aid.As a smaller group, they proved resourceful. Fighting for years, they were successful at infiltrating enemy territories and rescuing stranded kin from many oceanic dangers, able to get in and out unseen and assassinate vital opposing marks. The group quickly grew in strength and like many Tethyos assassins sought greater challenges. But the journey brought their leader to a krait commander who had mysteriously acquired vast power. Caught unprepared, she was ultimately killed, and the krait commander–known as Arnihiluss the Butcher–would execute her followers one by one.Only one follower managed to survive, Aamina al' Bilal. A young aspirant too small for slavery or sacrifice sought revenge, and in defending a quaggan village at a different time, she was encountered and spared by this very same krait. Not realizing this mercy, she hunted and attacked this krait who pitied and toyed with her long enough for quaggans to take notice and call for a group of heroes to drive the krait and his legions away. Indebted to these heroes and, by the laws of the Concordat, to that krait for being "spared", the young Largos fled in shame into the vast ocean.

“The Scions... are listening.”
— Zafir’azim, a lone hunter seen in Snaketail Inlet

Born from Betrayal

“They’re even as variable as the Hylek! It isn’t an insult. They’re a testament to Tyria’s adaptive properties! Include those notes! I didn’t nearly risk my life to be mocked by my own peers.”
— Archon Varinn, Chief Expert of Anomalous Research

For a time after, Aamina wandered the ocean, knowing that her return to society with these offenses unanswered would dishonor her master and her master’s entire house, but she also held the desire to avenge her. In sharing in the controversial new line of thinking as her master, Aamina would scheme. She self-proclaimed the title Heraldess of a non-existent Covenant faction named ”The Deepsworn Covenant” and would use this to draw in allies. The first of which she found, in the form of a curious, obsidian-eyed kin in the Chukara Sea of Dajkah (the Sandswept Isles), was Aeth al' Shabah. Later, she encountered a reclusive but skilled human, Johnny Stryke, on an abandoned island and convinced him to join her cause. Claiming the island as the Deepsworn's home, the three would continue the work of those who had fallen to the Butcher in secret, as Heralds and Watcher of the Deepsworn.With the help of some questionable cohorts, they amassed a small task force of various surface races for the cause. On the surface, the Deepsworn was purposed to search and rescue, but it was actually a disguise for Aamina to clear her name, and insidiously use her allies to do so, while she kept her dishonor a secret from the rest… Though one Largos who joined them, Nheráiva al' Terastiya, was able to discover the secret. In being of a lowly social status however, Nheráiva calling herself "Nehal" took oath to keep that secret ... for a time.Elsewhere, the Butcher rose in the power to command legions of not only krait but also Risen. He discovered where his quarry had fled and set about seizing its inhabiting Largos and allies to corrupt into his minions for a krait civil war between religious fanatics, unknowing that a powerful threat also lived among the island's waters. The Deepsworn were swarmed, but out of nowhere this powerful entity emerged and forced the krait and undead minions back. Feeling overwhelmed and fearing death, the Heraldess Aamina began to frequently distance herself from the island until it was revealed she broke her oath and abandoned the island’s inhabitants to their fate, enabling the Butcher’s legions to grow even further in number.Despite this, the Deepsworn infiltrated the legions to learn the source of the Risen corrupption and from that found and assassinated the Butcher garnering the attention of the secretive Crossed Tridents and drawing them to the island. This ultimately facilitated an accord with the Conclave. A trophy of the Butcher was presented along with heads from Leviathan beasts, and the original mission of the Deepsworn was discussed. Though controversial, the effectiveness of the group of misfit largos and their allies could not be denied, and with proof presented of their deeds, the Deepsworn Covenant, by the decree of the Conclave, came to exist and would henceforth become recognized as a Covenant of the Tidesworn Conclave (despite their small size), charged with rescue missions and diplomatic relationships with the surface. Their island was recognized as an independent house, but although now respected in their independence, they would be watched curiously from afar…

“You are an interruption. State your business, or become mine...”
— Sayeh al' Rajihd, revered huntress of the Concordat

The Deepsworn Guild

"We aim to share the ways of the dark abyss with those willing ... Take the plunge if you dare... the waters are chilling."

Synopsis

The Deepsworn Covenant, named for their first oaths to find and unite their scattered kin from the deepest depths of peril, is actually the evolution of one of the oldest Covenants of the Tidesworn Conclave.The Covenant resurfaced with the controversial stance of recognizing the collective merits of other races (as surface-dwellers defeated the dragons, a truth that did not go unnoticed by the largos). Led not by elders but instead those of youth and ambition, they were granted clemency by the Conclave in a matter of practicality and diplomacy. They remain honorbound to avenge the stain of ancient failures from Largos legacy, even if it means assimilating outsiders and adopting outsider influences to do so.Because of the Covenant’s successful pursuit and victory over a powerful Krait general seeking to raise an undead army against the sea like a newly risen Tequatl, in a time where the Largos could not deny their vulnerability, the Conclave recognized the Deepsworn as an official Covenant (though under the watchful gaze of the Crossed Tridents). They allowed the Covenant to seek accord with the surface so long as they acted according to the Concordat and revealed only to the worthy their cause and secrets. As there remains considerable prejudice and distain of the land-dwellers among Largos societies, the Deepsworn is given wide freedom to venture wherever they choose and arrange for first contact in any number of foreign disputes.

Purpose

The **Deepsworn Covenant ** is a growing roleplaying guild with a community focus. Our main theme is spreading Largos presence to the roleplaying community along with driving our own shared stories. While Largos are our core focus, the Deepsworn Covenant welcomes non-Largos characters to fully participate in the guild, especially those who share a connection to the seas and/or to the DC mission as we develop through storytelling while operating within the plausible limits of Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 lore.

Experiences to look forward to...

Expect a continually developing Guild Storyline with regular hosting of guild-sponsored events, supplemented by an active community of casual roleplayers—both in-game and on the Guild Discord.There is a lot of freedom here! We encourage members to develop their stories and share them with others through casual play and events. This is not simply a “make a character and follow along like a drone” guild. We want members to have three-dimensional characters that can push relationships and evolve scenarios organically into any number of possibilities! Our members actively roleplay in guild events or through casual RP between members in the guild hall, out in the public game maps, and on Discord!Additionally, at its core, this is still a game, and you are welcome to ask for and provide aid and company to members who wish to do PvE, PvP, raids, WvW, and other avenues.

Disclaimer

This guild is based upon all presently existing Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 lore, reasonably filled in gaps via lore context and developer blogs, and FAN lore that was made by Nile and his group (Click the link to be directed to the original post!), which we dedicate a lot of thanks to for sharing. Largos are the intellectual property of ArenaNet and do not belong to us. Content on this site was gathered from publicly available information and borrowed with permission. Much of what has been established is subject to change depending on game or guild developments made over time.We have also created a compiled, expanded version of Largos lore! This expanded version will help those looking for a more "deeply built" world around the race, to help one better make a Largos character and to better engage with them. This version can be found here:
https://tideborn.carrd.co/

“The thrill of the stalking the ideal prey is what I live for, the pleasure of a kill well-executed.”
— Azzan
"You'd better leave while I still like you. You've seen enough of my secrets."
— Urrahn the Hunter