The Kingdom of Ascalon

Once, Ascalon was a beautiful, fertile land of rolling green countryside and magnificent cities. Her people were viewed as a bit grim by their neighbours, but this was perhaps to be expected, given their never-ending war against the Charr. Indeed, it was their unfailing vigilance, their Great Northern Wall and the blood they shed each year to defend it that had protected not only Ascalon, but also Kryta and Orr through the ages.

Then came the invasion, and with it, the Searing.

Anyone alive today will remember the day the lands of Ascalon were blasted and torn with magic fire. Whole cities and guilds were destroyed in the Searing, and the might of Ascalon was shattered. Now the Great Northern Wall lies broken, and the Charr have overrun much of the kingdom, defiling it with their unholy shrines, killing those who stand in their way.

The survival of Ascalon hinges on but a single remaining corner of the fallen kingdom—the capital city of Rin. In the final years of the last Guild War, the people of Rin looked to a soldier named Adelbern, a simple man of humble origins, who rallied the people with his courage and cunning and steeled them not only against the guilds of Orr and Kryta but also against the terrors of the Charr.

The sudden destruction of most of the kingdom during the Searing has taken much of the fight out of the man now known as King Adelbern. He has become stubborn and set in his ways, afraid of losing what little he has left. But in his son Rurik, the people see a leader with the courage to perhaps help them reclaim their fallen kingdom.

The survivors of Ascalon live in a state of constant warfare, using hit-and-run tactics and the remnants of the Great Wall to prevent any significant advances by the Charr into their territory. King Adelbern has circled the wagons, so to speak, content to simply defend what Ascalon has left and live to fight another day. Prince Rurik, on the other hand, is far more daring than his father thinks is wise, and has even suggested that the time may be coming to launch an offensive against the Charr.

Already the rumbling of the winds of change can be heard in the streets. People are frightened. They wonder what will become of them. Some even wonder aloud if Adelbern has lost what it takes to steer Ascalon back from the brink. They wish to see the prince step up and take command of the kingdom. Perhaps under his guidance, the people of Ascalon will live on to see another golden age.
http://eu.guildwars.com/gameplay/tyria/the_human_kingdoms/