Voice (GW2)  

Guild Wars 2 Wikibase™

The Voice is a spiritualist, chosen for their innate, deep connection to Koda and their understanding of his will. A combination of High Priest and record-keeper, the Voice maintains a memorized record of all things of great import that have occurred to the kodan of his Sanctuary, and passes that history down to a successor when he is near his death. Because the Voice is attended by a small staff of shamans, even if he dies prematurely, most of the knowledge will not be lost. However, as the Voice rarely leaves his ritual chambers, it is an extremely uncommon occurrence that the Voice leaves his post from anything but the passing of his Claw – hopefully, after several hundred years of service to their people.

It is the Voice's duty to seek and interpret the will of Koda, and to bring spiritual guidance to the kodan of his Sanctuary. In these things, the Voice is all-knowing and blessed, possessed of supernatural knowledge, authority, and freedom from any error and sin. They can sanction laws, proclaim judgments on a grand scale, and interpret Koda's will in any situation.

Unfortunately, the rituals and pathworking that a Voice must go through in his duties, and the simple fact that their mind is always open to the Mists means that the Voice can become unstable. Only through the will of Koda does a Voice remain grounded and able to do his duty; it is the Claw's logical interpretation of the Voice's mysticism that provides structure and law for the Sanctuary as a whole.

It is rare, but not unheard of, that a Voice might be so completely overcome by the visions that they go insane — a sickness known as the “Rage of Koda.” This is called a “Time of Trial” by the kodan, who believe that it means Koda is personally testing their spirituality and the strength of their Sanctuary. Usually, the Voice dies only a few years after a Time of Trial occurs, as their body shuts down from the strain and the insanity. At that point, the Sanctuary is believed to be purified of all sin, judged and set to order by Koda himself.