Optimus Caliph

Optimus Caliph was one of the high-ranking mursaat, and possibly their leader, during the previous titan invasion of 1072 AE. He was in support of sacrificing magically potent mortals, identified as the Chosen, on the bloodstones to keep the Door of Komalie shut and prevent the titans from coming through. Optimus, Lazarus the Dire, and Mercia the Smug were responsible for kidnapping White Mantle founder Saul D'Alessio for reeducation after saving Kryta from the charr invasion, and leaving Confessor Dorian as Saul's successor, thus ensuring the continuation of the White Mantle's tyranny in Kryta.

Optimus lost his life alongside many other mursaat while protecting the Door of Komalie from the Chosen heroes' assault on the Onyx Gate, moments before Vizier Khilbron unleashed the titans from the Door of Komalie to fulfill the Flameseeker Prophecies and ensure the mursaat race's doom.

Biography

Early years

Saul D'Alessio is taken by the mursaat.

Optimus was a high-ranking mursaat, and possibly their leader, by the time of the human-charr conflict. He was terrified of the Flameseeker Prophecies of the dragon Glint which foretold of the mursaat's downfall. Although the younger generations idolized the ambitions of Optimus and his ilk to become the dominant race of Tyria, some of the elders disagreed with the idea and were worried that risking exposure and waging war against the other races would be to court the mursaat's extinction.

The younger mursaat researcher Manikaz felt that Optimus and the older mursaat were holding him back when he tried to become their equal. Although Optimus viewed Manikaz's breakthroughs with the bloodstones as a boon, Manikaz was warned not to overreach and beg for favor or he would risk displeasing the caliph.

Optimus participated in the battle in Kryta alongside Lazarus the Dire and Mercia the Smug by coming to the aid of Saul D'Alessio's White Mantle squad who had prayed for help upon being overwhelmed by charr forces in a daring assassination attempt. After providing their aid to the grateful humans by exterminating the attacking charr, however, the mursaat trio slew most of the "unworthy" White Mantle in the squad because they had seen the mursaat's true form. When Saul protested this massacre caused by his "Unseen Ones," the three mursaat kidnapped him and took him to the Bastion of the Penitent to be reeducated. They left Confessor Dorian and the other surviving White Mantle zealots to continue the worship of the Unseen Ones and the secret sacrifices of the Chosen atop the bloodstones in order to prevent the Flameseeker Prophecies from coming true.

Optimus eventually relocated to the Ring of Fire to keep the Door of Komalie leading to the Foundry of Failed Creations, the titans' place of origin, shut. The Chosen heroes, alongside their Shining Blade and Deldrimor dwarf allies, successfully assaulted the Komalie fortress in 1072 AE. Optimus fought alongside Mercia, Sarlic the Judge, and Willa the Unpleasant as the last line of mursaat defense when the Heroes and their allies breached the Komalie site at Abaddon's Mouth. All the mursaat at the Ring of Fire ultimately fell, unable to prevent the titans from being unleashed by Vizier Khilbron to wreak havoc on the rest of their kind across Tyria.

Legacy

While exploring Bava Nisos and the Mistburned Barrens in 1338 AE, the Pact Commander came across surviving mursaat writings, which referenced the troubled history of the mursaat and growing dissatisfaction among some mursaat towards Optimus and his council, as well as tormented mursaat ghosts complaining about the actions of their leadership. Using the information provided by the writings and the ghosts, the Commander was able to piece together the final tumultous days of the mursaat and their growing desperation before their downfall.

Trivia

• Optimus means "highest" in Latin. Caliph is the Romanised form of the Arabic word خليفة (ḵalīfa) and خليف (ḵalīf) which mean "successor" or "representative;" the word was used to describe the leader of the Muslim nation. Thus, Optimus Caliph roughly translates to "highest successor," "highest representative," or "highest ruler."
• Caliph's Steps on Ember Bay is likely named after him.

References

The Guild Wars Wiki has an article on Optimus Caliph.