Kryta · Lion's Arch
Karka swarm Lion's Arch and Southsun Cove is found
A migration of monstrous karka assaults Lion's Arch, and in driving them back Tyria's adventurers discover the new island of Southsun Cove — exposing the Consortium's schemes there.
The first beat of the Living World opened when a wave of karka — heavily armoured, crab-like creatures — surged out of the deep and battered Lion's Arch. The city's defenders and visiting adventurers repelled the swarm and tracked it back to its source, uncovering the previously unknown island of Southsun Cove.
The expedition revealed the hand of the Consortium, a profiteering company whose reckless exploitation of the island had stirred the karka and trapped settlers in predatory contracts. The episode introduced figures such as Inspector Ellen Kiel of the Lionguard, setting the stage for the upheaval Scarlet Briar would soon bring to Tyria.