Dwayna's Heart
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Dwayna's Heart is a star in the night sky above Tyria. It is the one star that never wavers or alters its place. By finding the altitude of that star—how high it is in the sky in relation to the horizon—you can tell if you are north or south of center (center being Arah).[1]
Notes[edit]
- Dwayna's Heart seems to be the Guild Wars universe's equivalent of the North Star.
- As of 1220 AE, the astrolabe was used to determine latitude, with the sextant being in common use by 1229 to determine longitude based on the time difference from the central meridian in Rata Sum.
References[edit]
- ^ "Chapter 4", Sea of Sorrows by Ree Soesbee:
- "This lets you see how far apart the stars are, and how high over the horizon. With that, you can measure them against the height of the sun to tell your ship's latitude. Latitude," he said, noting Cobiah's confused stare, "is the measurement of how far north or south you are at sea. To use the astrolabe, you must look along this line"—he indicated a straight slice of brass that spun through the center—"and sight either the sun or Dwayna's Heart. That's the one star in the sky that never wavers or alters its place. By finding the altitude of that star—how high it is in the sky in relation to the horizon—you can tell if you are north or south of center. Center being Arah, you see?"
- "Arah?" Cobiah asked.
- "Arah is the city at the heart of ancient Orr. The city that the gods themselves created, at the center of the world. We judge everything's location by its distance north or south of Arah. When the astrolabe was invented, Arah was still alive and well, with a thriving society and a prominent armada of ships. The Orrian people were seafarers..." The old pilot cleared his throat and left off tale-telling to finish his thought. "Ahem, sorry, not important, not important.
- "So, we find out how far north or south we are. We go to Cantha by heading steadily south and earing west when we find the Canthan coast. We find Lion's Arch by heading north and bearing east when we see Kryta. North and south by the stars." Damran tapped the instrument proudly. "The captain will take our latitude at Malchor's Fingers so he knows how far into Orr we've gone. That way, he'll know how far we'll have to go to come back out. You see?"
