Since the conclusion of the first part of the Season 2, a lot of speculation has flown about what might be coming in the second part, particularly when it comes to the Pale Tree’s vision at the finale of Episode 4. Naturally, some of this has petered off in the months since, only to be kickstarted in a big way by the teaser last Tuesday.

While there are of course multiple threads to this speculation, a strong focus has been on the Zephyrites. Episode 1 started, literally, with a bang – on its journey west, the Zephyrite flagship was sabotaged and brought down over Dry Top. Arriving on a different mission in the nick of time, the Slayer of Zhaitan investigated the crash scene along with the biconics, discovering that the culprit was Aerin, a Soundless sylvari who had been last seen gaining permission to join the Zephyrites. Aerin had apparently grown increasingly unstable as the Zephyrites had travelled west, and was now chasing down the Master of Peace.

The heroes caught up to both in the nick of time, revealing three things in the process. First, that Aerin was accompanied and apparently assisted with plant monsters that would later be revealed to be Mordrem. This, combined with his mad ravings, suggested that Aerin had been influenced in his behaviour by the stirring dragon. Second, that Aerin’s objective was an object of great power, that the Master of Peace deemed too powerful for Aerin to handle – and it was this refusal that led Aerin to destroy the Sanctum and attempt to take what he had been denied by force. The Master of Peace did not explain what this was, but sharp-eyed players will have noticed a golden egg-shaped crystal on his back. Third, whatever mission the Zephyrites had was so important to the Master of Peace that it was more important than caring for his people through an uncertain fate.

The Zephyrites since have played little part in the story. While additional crash sites and refugee camps were discovered further into Dry Top, they faded into the background as the investigation focused on Scarlet’s legacy and the growing Mordrem threat. In the Pale Tree’s vision, however, we saw a golden crystal – likely the ‘egg’ – falling into a crystal fortress, which is then besieged by vines and a champion of Mordremoth. In ArenaNet’s teaser/recap video, we see Marjory and Kasmeer in a crystal structure very reminiscent of Dragon’s Lair in Prophecies and the sanctum of Glint’s child protected by the Brotherhood of the Dragon in Eye of the North.

One of the common speculations is that the ‘egg’ is exactly what it looks like – the last of Glint’s unhatched eggs. We saw Glint’s nest of eggs in Prophecies (in fact, disturbing the nest was what triggered Glint to go hostile for the bonus) and in EOTN we saw one of Glint’s children, so there is certainly a precedent for Glint to have children. Certainly, if the Zephyrites found any eggs they believed to be Glint’s, these would be priceless treasures that they would do anything in their power to care for and raise to adulthood.

However, simply hatching a new child of Glint might lack a certain “epic” factor. We already know of at least one child of Glint – has this other child died, been lost to the Zepyhrites, or claimed by Kralkatorrik and transformed into the Shatterer in the process? In Eye of the North, this child was relatively helpless – a newly hatched heir would be a very significant event to the Zephyrites, but a newborn dragon that might not be in any position to influence events for decades as it reaches adulthood is hardly a Tyria-shattering event.

While this is still a very strong speculation, here at GuildMag, we would like to present an alternative:

While its veracity is left in question, the pages of the Zephyrite journal acquired by the Durmand Priory indicate that the Zephyrites visited the site of Glint’s battle with Kralkatorrik. Like the Elder Dragons, albeit without their omnicidal tendencies, Glint had been absorbing magic while she was alive, magic that lingered in her remains after her death at the claws of Kralkatorrik. The Zephyrites sought to recover that magic in order to prevent it from being abused by the less scrupulous. If the journal is to be believed, the Aspect Crystals of wind, sun and lightning are derived from that magic – albeit lesser shards that the Zephyrites are free to supply to visitors. The golden ‘egg’ being transported by the Master of Peace, whatever its nature, is likely a greater reservoir of Glint’s power. In the meantime, while the Zephyrites mourned the loss of Glint at the Bazaar, some of the crash survivors spoke of Glint as if she was still able to influence events in this world or the next.

So, other than an egg, what could it be?

Well, consider this – what could be more important to the Zephyrites than a child of Glint? What if the ‘egg’ contains not Glint’s heir, but Glint herself?

In Edge of Destiny, we see a Glint that is expecting to be killed by Kralkatorrik, whether through prophecy or simply deduction. It stands to reason, then, that she may have made preparations for the event of this death. Could these preparations have included creating a receptacle for her personality and driving animus – her soul – so that if Kralkatorrik was prevented from finding and consuming this receptacle, Glint herself could be resurrected?

After all, the Elder Dragons and their dragon champions are very different in nature to mortals. It is possible that, given enough magic, a dragon can reconstitute a new body and a new life as long as the dragon’s core personality and soul remained intact. Such a large gathering of magic would not likely go unnoticed by the Elder Dragons and any other beings inclined to steal such magic for themselves. Thus, not knowing that Mordremoth might be awakened prematurely, the isolated Maguuma might have seemed a logical place to accomplish this, especially if the Zephyrites had, knowingly or unknowingly, been tapping from Mordremoth’s power in order to gather magic for Glint’s resurrection. Of course, now that Mordremoth is awake, it would surely be drawn to claim that magic for itself, and the site of the resurrection will need to be defended from Mordremoth’s assault.

The ramifications for dragon resurrection are far-reaching. It’s possible, in fact, that this is not the first time Glint has pulled this trick: if the bonus for Dragon’s Lair happened in canon – and a line from her in Edge of Destiny implies it did – then she may have been slain by Tyria’s so-called heroes, to be reconstituted by the Forgotten after they left. In the broader picture, resurrection of dragon champions would explain many gameplay observations. We’ve been told that the Shatterer battle has in fact occurred multiple times (unlike the Marionette battle) with a replacement Shatterer each time – a replacement that may be reconstituted through a similar process. Resurrection of dragon champions could also go some way to explaining how the strengthening of Tequatl the Sunless was an event that actually occurred in late 1326, instead of being a retcon of a single battle that occurred before Zhaitan’s fall: in fact, it’s possible that Zhaitan made its own preparations for the possibility of its death at the Pact’s hands, and the strengthening of Tequatl has come about because it is defending the site of Zhaitan’s rebirth… or is, in fact, the receptacle of Zhaitan’s animus.

By introducing draconic resurrection, ArenaNet could be opening up a wide range of possible storylines for the future. However, by starting with Glint, ArenaNet is able to set this precedent without feeling like they are invalidating past victories by the players – instead, the precedent will be set through the efforts of the players to bring back a valuable ally, beloved by many, with deep ties to Tyria’s past.