Guwaru

Guwaru
CurrentAs a Commander
Title	King of Spirits Great Spirit
Hometown	Forest of Spirits
Current Residence	Forest of Spirits
Gender	Male
Race	Spirit
Emblem	Tree
Affiliations	Adversary Orchid Spirits of Maple World Black Mage (formerly) Ephenia (formerly)
Minions	Spirits of Maple World
Enemies	Black Mage Magnus Ephenia Luminous (formerly)
Status	Alive
Name (Other Servers)
KoreaMS	구와르 (Guwaru)
JapanMS	グワル (Guwaru)
ChinaMS	古瓦洛 (Guwaru)
TaiwanMS	庫瓦勒 (Guwaru)
MapleSEA	Guwaru
Voice Actors
GlobalMS	Robbie Daymond
KoreaMS	Sangbaek Kim

“A world without desire is a world at peace.”

― Guwaru

Guwaru is a Great Spirit of Maple World, known also as the King of Spirits, and a former Commander of the Black Mage.

Story (Post-Remaster)

Note: Guwaru's storyline was remastered under the KMS story team's new continuity in the Milestone Update.

King of Spirits

As the King of Spirits, Guwaru was responsible for protecting the many spirits of Maple World, and his connection to the world itself allowed him to feel the suffering of the natural world at the hands of human greed and selfishness. Guwaru was in close correspondence to Ephenia the Fairy Queen, who had been enraptured by the pure ideals of the White Mage. Over time, however, the darkness inside Ephenia's heart grew as human poachers continued kidnapping fairies and defiling their resting places. Ephenia soon grew to believe that the White Mage's words - the ultimate light can only be found in the ultimate darkness - meant that she needed to destroy humans in order to create a better world for fairies.

Becoming a Commander

After the Black Mage attacked Alicia and Rhinne, sealing them away, the balance of the world began shifting towards darkness with the Transcendent of Life and Transcendent of Time weakened. As Guwaru's existence was heavily intertwined with the world itself, the world's imbalance caused him to grow corrupted by evil, turning him into a minion of the Black Mage against his will. Guwaru became the Black Mage's final Commander, resulting in the corruption of the spirits across Maple World. During the final battle at the Temple of Time, Guwaru stood in the way of Luminous and challenged him to a duel. Suddenly, however, Magnus appeared and attacked him from behind before stealing the gemstone embedded inside Guwaru, which contained his powers.

Ellin Forest

Despite his body being destroyed by Magnus, Guwaru manifested once again, as his existence was tied to Maple World itself. Though he had lost his powers to Magnus, Guwaru's rebirth - alongside the Black Mage's sealing - allowed him to be freed of his corruption. Centuries in the future, Luminous investigated a Temporal Gate that had appeared in Ludibrium, through which he entered Ellin Forest of the past. In the Forest of Spirits, Luminous fought through Guwaru's Vestiges and soon encountered Guwaru himself. Surprised, he asked Guwaru how he was still alive, as he had believed that Magnus had killed him during the final battle. Guwaru explained that he could not be killed, as he was a part of the world itself. Luminous asked him where the Black Mage was, but Guwaru merely replied that he neither knew nor cared.

When Luminous asked Guwaru whether he was still a Commander, Guwaru explained that when Magnus had destroyed his body, it had severed the Black Mage's hold on his mind, meaning that he was no longer loyal to the Black Mage. He told Luminous that in many ways, he was the same Guwaru whom Luminous had encountered on the battlefield, but in many ways, he was not. He then added that he sensed the Black Mage within Luminous, who explained that he had absorbed a trace of the Black Mage's darkness. Guwaru noted that the light and darkness within Luminous were resonating, which was something that he had never seen before in all his existence. As Luminous felt too similar to the Black Mage, Guwaru asked if they were related. Luminous admitted that he had darkness within him, but he claimed that he surely couldn't be as similar to the Black Mage as Guwaru claimed. Guwaru told him to believe what he wanted and asked Luminous to leave him, as he needed to continue his work.

Cleansing the Colossus

Over the centuries, the lesser spirits of Maple World which had been born of Guwaru were freed of their corruption after the Black Mage was sealed away. However, the Black Mage's return resulted in the darkness manifesting once again in them, causing them to huddle together and fuse into the Stone Colossus. Feeling responsible for the Colossus' creation, Guwaru traveled inside its heart, where he began battling against a Tarantulus branded by Damien in order to keep the corruption inside the heart from worsening. An Alliance member began working alongside Valerie of the Nautilus to investigate the Stone Colossus, leading them to find Guwaru using his spirit energy to shield it from the Tarantulus. The Alliance member quickly defeated the Tarantulus, after which Guwaru thanked them for their help, realizing that they hadn't come to harm the Colossus. Valerie then asked him who he was, to which he introduced himself by name, causing her to quickly realize that he was a Commander of the Black Mage. Valerie was surprised to meet Guwaru, believing that he had disappeared long ago. She demanded to know whether he was the one responsible for corrupting the Colossus' heart, though Guwaru pointed out that she herself had seen him trying to protect it.

Realizing that he had a point, Valerie asked him whether he had betrayed the Black Mage, to which Guwaru told her that he couldn't have betrayed the Black Mage when he had never followed him willingly in the first place, asking whether she had thought that he was simply a corrupted Great Spirit. Valerie replied that the only thing they knew about him was that he had grown corrupted and joined the Black Mage, unleashing evil spirits upon the world until his disappearance after the Black Mage's sealing. Guwaru admitted that while he had become a servant of the Black Mage, it had all happened against his own will. He explained that he had been born from nature, and that amongst the spirits, he was considered the Great Spirit, though not even he had been able to escape the influence of the Transcendents. He revealed that as the Transcendent of Life and the Transcendent of Time had gradually lost their power, the corrupted Transcendent of Light's power had grown in turn, shifting the balance of the world towards darkness. As his existence was tied to the world itself, the shifting balance had caused him, in turn, to grow corrupted as well, becoming a servant of the Black Mage in the process.

The Alliance member realized that Guwaru hadn't wanted to become a Commander, to which he told them that while he had memories of his time as a Commander, it all felt like a distant dream to him. He explained that though he had come to his senses after the Black Mage had been sealed away, his power had been stolen by Magnus, who had plotted to take it from the very beginning. He told the Alliance member that he had spent centuries recovering his power, though he hadn't yet fully regained his abilities, which was why he had barely been able to protect the Stone Colossus. Valerie noted that his story made sense, though she then asked why he had been trying to protect the Colossus, wondering whether it was atonement for his time as a Commander. Guwaru admitted that it was his fault that the Colossus had been corrupted by the Black Mage's power in the first place, revealing that the Colossus was comprised of countless smaller spirits which had fused together into a large entity.

He explained that he had given the Colossus his spirit power so that it could move, which made it his child, in a sense. Because the Colossus had been made of spirits that had come from him, however, the Black Mage's influence on him had also resulted in darkness corrupting the spirits that made up the Colossus. Fearing that such a large being would wreak havoc on the world if corrupted, Guwaru explained that he had been trying to cleanse the darkness upon it, though the Tarantulus inside its heart had made it difficult for him to do so, as he had been exerting all his power into halting the spread of the corruption, even as the creature's power had grown after the Black Mage's seal had broken. With the creature defeated, however, Guwaru used his power to restore the Colossus' heart back to its original state. Though unable to do anything about the spirits which had already been corrupted, Guwaru told them that eradicating them would ensure that the Colossus would remain safe. Having finished his word, Guwaru also told them that he would leave the Colossus, promising that they would not need to worry about him losing himself to the Black Mage again. He then revealed that the Black Mage didn't seem interested in growing his power, and that while he didn't know the Black Mage's true plan, he suspected that there was something going on beyond just Maple World itself. He asked the Alliance member and Valerie to take care, adding that he hoped to help them someday in the future.

Siege of Heliseum

During the Alliance's joint attack with the Nova to retake Heliseum, the heroes of the Alliance confronted Magnus at Tyrant's Castle and defeated him. Magnus soon lost control of Guwaru's power, allowing it to flow back into him on Maple World.

Black Heaven

After the battle of Black Heaven, Orchid came to realize that the Black Mage had manipulated events for centuries in his favor, including the events which had led to Lotus' death. Furious, Orchid vowed to take revenge on the Black Mage. As she had lost her Wing Master powers that the Black Mage had given her, Orchid sought out Guwaru in the Forest of Spirits, where she asked him to give back her original powers as a Spirit of Darkness. Guwaru agreed to help her, but only on the condition that she lend her strength to the Adversary at the final battle. Guwaru also gave her a mask to hide her identity from those who would take revenge on her, which would not only hide her aura, but would also allow her to communicate with him.

Limina

Note: The Limina storyline was remastered under the KMS story team's new continuity in the NEXT Update. In-between the Milestone Update and the NEXT Update, Guwaru's role in the Limina storyline adhered to the pre-remaster version.

At the Labyrinth of Suffering, Orchid helped the Adversary defeat Hilla. She then told them about her deal with Guwaru, after which Guwaru's spirit manifested from Orchid's mask and told the Adversary that Orchid was telling the truth, to which the surprised Adversary asked him whether he was the one who had given Orchid back her power. Guwaru revealed that he hadn't bestowed his power upon her, but rather, he had merely shown her some of the powers that spirits could use, as she would need it to aid them in the final battle against the Black Mage. He revealed that only the Adversary had the power to escape the Path of Destiny that the Black Mage had set, and that they needed to destroy the labyrinth and face the Black Mage. The Adversary suddenly noticed that the Labyrinth Core was glowing and wondered whether it was because Hilla had been defeated. Guwaru explained that the core contained the power of the Transcendents, and that it could not be destroyed through normal means. He revealed that only the power of the Adversary could destroy the core, to which the Adversary paused. Orchid asked them why they were hesitating, believing that it was because they still didn't trust her. Frustrated, she attempted to use her powers to destroy the core herself, though her attack did no damage.

Guwaru told Orchid that just as he had said, the power of the Transcendents could not be damaged through normal attacks, causing Orchid to note in frustration that she couldn't avenge Lotus with her own power. Guwaru then told the Adversary that the great power to bend causality had been granted only to them, though the Adversary replied that they had no idea how they could draw out that power for themselves. Guwaru told them that they already knew the answer and asked them what it was that drove them. He explained that for himself, he had fought with great willpower centuries ago, driven by his desire to protect nature. However, he added that he lacked a sense of direction, as he himself had been a product of nature as well, and that it was for that very reason why he had become a minion of the Black Mage as the shifting balance of the Transcendents had shifted his own balance as well. He then asked Orchid what drove her, to which she explained that in the past, she had originally only wanted to have ignorant bliss and fun, as she had been too naive to know what was precious to her and what wasn't. However, she revealed that what motivated her now was vengeance, as she would do whatever it took to avenge Lotus' death.

Guwaru then asked the Adversary what drove them, to which they began thinking back to their journey. They admitted that there were still too many things for them to know for sure, though they noted that what they wanted most was to protect the lives of their loved ones, their own life, and the world itself, and that they knew for certain that they would sacrifice their own life if they had to. Guwaru told the Adversary that risking their own life was a powerful drive, and that it would certainly be enough to draw out the power of the Adversary. By focusing on their strong determination, the Adversary summoned a small portion of the Seal Stone's power, shattering the Labyrinth Core and collapsing the labyrinth to reveal Limina, a cascade of waterfalls. Immediately, Tana's necklace which Neinheart had given them earlier began shining, with Guwaru recognizing the red jewel as an anti-magic stone. However, he noted that there was something different contained inside it, to which the Adversary revealed that it had belonged to Tana. Orchid recognized Tana as the Transcendent of Light and wondered whether the necklace was responding to the presence of its owner.

The surprised Adversary realized that Tana must be close by, with Guwaru adding that the Black Mage must be there as well. He warned the Adversary that the Black Mage would soon create the Genesis Crux, explaining that it was a seed from which the new world would blossom and replace what came before. He explained that the Adversary would need to destroy the Genesis Crux, as the Genesis Ritual would not stop otherwise. Just then, several Alliance soldiers found the Adversary, with Orchid quickly pulling her hood up to hide her face peeking out from the shattered mask. The Alliance soldiers were relieved to find the Adversary and explained that with communications back online, everyone had been ordered to return back to the fleet immediately in preparation for the final assault. Suddenly, Orchid spoke up and told the Adversary that they couldn't leave, as they had barely managed to make it as far as they had. She asked them whether they were truly going to turn back when it was their destiny to face the Black Mage, after which she told the Alliance soldiers to leave without them. Recognizing Orchid as a dangerous foe, the Alliance soldiers prepared to stand off against her, to which an unconcerned Orchid reminded the Adversary that only they had the power to defeat the Black Mage, and that everyone else who couldn't help would only get in the way. However, Guwaru then spoke up and told Orchid that she was wrong, as everyone's collective determination was needed to defeat the Black Mage.

The Adversary then asked the Alliance soldiers to return back and inform the Alliance that Orchid was on their side. They also explained that they were planning to go with her to face the Black Mage themselves, for which the soldiers reluctantly agreed before Orchid used her power to teleport them back to the White Spear. The Adversary and Orchid then proceeded to move ahead, following the trail of red light from Tana's necklace leading to the Genesis Crux. As they made their way past the waterfalls, Guwaru warned them that he was sensing pure Erdas up ahead. They soon discovered several strange monsters, which Guwaru explained were primordial creatures which had sprung from the raw power of creation. He added that though the creatures had no egos, they would instinctively attack anyone attempting to scale up the waterfalls. Soon after, Guard Captain Darknell and the Elite Bosses appeared to stop them from reaching the Genesis Crux. Realizing that they had little time, Orchid teleported herself and the Adversary to the top and ordered them to reach the Genesis Crux while she handled the Elite Bosses, claiming that they needed to save their strength for the final battle. She also gave them her mask, claiming that Guwaru's power would mask their presence from the Elite Bosses.

Though the Adversary was worried about Orchid, Guwaru assured them that she would be fine, as she was stronger than before. The Adversary was surprised, as they had believed that Orchid couldn't use her powers without Lotus. Guwaru told the Adversary that they were correct, and that Orchid was instead drawing out her original Spirit of Darkness powers. However, he revealed that since Orchid now had a human body, the cost of using her spirit powers in such a way was her lifespan, adding that perhaps there may even be a greater cost than that. As she fought them, the Adversary defeated the other three Elite Bosses as they scaled up the waterfall before finally reaching the Genesis Crux at the top. Guwaru told the Adversary that they could still avoid the worst by destroying it before the Genesis Ritual began. Just as he spoke, however, Darknell appeared and congratulated them for reaching the top. As he struck the Adversary with his blade, Guwaru used his spirit powers to create a shield around the Adversary, blocking Darknell's surprise attack before it could reach them. With the magic in the mask fading, Guwaru told the Adversary that he had something to say before the connection severed. He explained that mortals were always wandering, adding that even he had made a wrong choice and regretted it once. Because of this, he urged the Adversary to make the right choice, and to not be confused on their true goal. He then asked them to step off the Path and save the world before disappearing. Following the Black Mage's defeat, the Alliance met with Guwaru in order to find out where Orchid had gone after the battle. However, Guwaru refused to cooperate with the Alliance, leading them to send a task force to find and capture Orchid.

Story (Pre-Remaster)

King of Spirits

As the King of Spirits, Guwaru was responsible for protecting the many spirits of Maple World, and his connection to the world itself allowed him to feel the suffering of the natural world at the hands of human greed and selfishness. Guwaru was in close correspondence to Ephenia the Fairy Queen, who had been enraptured by the pure ideals of the White Mage. Over time, however, the darkness inside Ephenia's heart grew as human poachers continued kidnapping fairies and defiling their resting places. Ephenia soon grew to believe that the White Mage's words - the ultimate light can only be found in the ultimate darkness - meant that she needed to destroy humans in order to create a better world for fairies.

Becoming a Commander

Guwaru soon met with Ephenia, who asked him to seek out the Black Mage. Though Guwaru was hesitant to meet with someone who sought the destruction of the world, he nevertheless chose to meet with the Black Mage, who promised him that he was planning to create a new, perfect world. Guwaru came to believe in the Black Mage's ideals and grew corrupted by darkness, after which he pledged himself as a Commander. During the final battle at the Temple of Time, Guwaru stood in the way of Luminous and challenged him to a duel. Suddenly, however, Magnus appeared and attacked him from behind before stealing the gemstone embedded inside Guwaru, which contained his powers.

Ellin Forest

Despite his body being destroyed by Magnus, Guwaru manifested once again, as his existence was tied to Maple World itself. Though he had lost his powers to Magnus, Guwaru's rebirth had allowed him to be freed of his corruption. Centuries in the future, Luminous investigated a Temporal Gate that had appeared in Ludibrium, through which he entered Ellin Forest of the past. In the Forest of Spirits, Luminous fought through Guwaru's Vestiges and soon encountered Guwaru himself. Surprised, he asked Guwaru how he was still alive, as he had believed that Magnus had killed him during the final battle. Guwaru explained that he could not be killed, as he was a part of the world itself. Luminous asked him where the Black Mage was, but Guwaru merely replied that he neither knew nor cared.

When Luminous asked Guwaru whether he was still a Commander, Guwaru explained that when Magnus had destroyed his body, it had severed the Black Mage's hold on his mind, meaning that he was no longer loyal to the Black Mage. He told Luminous that in many ways, he was the same Guwaru whom Luminous had encountered on the battlefield, but in many ways, he was not. He then added that he sensed the Black Mage within Luminous, who explained that he had absorbed a trace of the Black Mage's darkness. Guwaru noted that the light and darkness within Luminous were resonating, which was something that he had never seen before in all his existence. As Luminous felt too similar to the Black Mage, Guwaru asked if they were related. Luminous admitted that he had darkness within him, but he claimed that he surely couldn't be as similar to the Black Mage as Guwaru claimed. Guwaru told him to believe what he wanted and asked Luminous to leave him, as he needed to continue his work.

Cleansing the Colossus

With his powers stolen and misused by Magnus, the many lesser spirits that Guwaru had been meant to protect cowered in fear of the corruption to his power. Because of this, these spirits huddled together and fused into the Stone Colossus. In the wake of the Stone Colossus' formation, Chief Tatamo of Leafre summoned a traveler and bridged their minds with Guwaru. Guwaru told them that the Stone Colossus had been created as a result of him being corrupted by the Black Mage and having his powers stolen by Magnus. As he still had not yet regained his full powers, Guwaru asked the traveler to help the Stone Colossus in his place. He then bestowed some of his power onto the traveler, explaining that it would allow them to communicate with the Colossus. After the traveler investigated the Stone Colossus, they learned that dark creatures had come to exist inside his body, which was causing him to grow corrupted. Guwaru then began speaking telepathically to the traveler and asked what they had learned. The traveler explained what the Colossus had said, and Guwaru realized that the Stone Colossus was the fusion of thousands of lesser spirits combined into one large entity.

He explained that when his powers had been abused by Magnus, the lesser spirits had huddled together in fear of Guwaru's corruption. Over time, more and more had grouped together until they had formed the mass that had become the Stone Colossus. Guwaru lamented that it was his own lack of guidance which had caused the lesser spirits to band together in safety. He told the traveler that he was concerned about the corruption inside the Stone Colossus, explaining that the dispersal of the spirits inside him wouldn't matter if the corruption had only affected a few of them, but if all the spirits had been tainted by darkness, it would devastate Maple World. In order to prevent the corruption from growing too strong, Guwaru asked them to purify the Stone Colossus' heart. The traveler then successfully lifted the corruption on the Stone Colossus, which had been caused by Damien.

Siege of Heliseum

During the Alliance's joint attack with the Nova to retake Heliseum, the heroes of the Alliance confronted Magnus at Tyrant's Castle and defeated him. Magnus soon lost control of Guwaru's power, allowing it to flow back into him on Maple World.

Black Heaven

After the battle of Black Heaven, Orchid came to realize that the Black Mage had manipulated events for centuries in his favor, including the events which had led to Lotus' death. Furious, Orchid vowed to take revenge on the Black Mage. As she had lost her Wing Master powers that the Black Mage had given her, Orchid sought out Guwaru in the Forest of Spirits, where she asked him to give back her original powers as a Spirit of Darkness. Guwaru agreed to help her, but only on the condition that she lend her strength to the Adversary at the final battle. Guwaru also gave her a mask to hide her identity from those who would take revenge on her, which would not only hide her aura, but would also allow her to communicate with him.

Limina

At the Labyrinth of Suffering, Orchid helped the Adversary defeat Hilla. She then told them about her deal with Guwaru, after which Guwaru's spirit manifested from Orchid's mask and told the Adversary that they were the deciding factor in the final battle. Just then, the Labyrinth Core began to glow and the Adversary asked if it was because of Hilla's defeat. Guwaru explained that the core contained the power of the Transcendents, and that the Adversary had been chosen to end it all. He then instructed them to use the power of the Adversary to destroy the core. The Adversary attempted to muster the same determination that had allowed them to defeat Hilla, but found that they were unable to call forth the divine power. Frustrated, Orchid told Guwaru that she had known all along that the Adversary was weak and used her power to destroy the core herself. Orchid then shattered her mask, severing communications with Guwaru, and decided that she would defeat the Black Mage herself. As she teleported away, the labyrinth collapsed and left behind a cascade of waterfalls filled with strange monsters that attacked them. Though the connection was fading, the Adversary contacted Guwaru with the mask and asked whether the Black Mage had sent the strange monsters. Guwaru explained that the creatures had sprung from the raw power of creation, and that they would recognize the Adversary as an intruder while in Limina. As the Adversary fought past the monsters, they took care to hide from the Erda Surge that occasionally washed away all the monsters.

After reaching the base of the waterfall, they began scaling it as they asked Guwaru how Orchid had destroyed the Labyrinth Core. Guwaru explained that she hadn't destroyed the core, but rather, she had merely compressed it into a different space with her gravity powers. The Adversary was surprised that she had done it without her Wing Master powers, to which Guwaru explained that she was eating away at her own life force in order to forcibly channel her original powers as a Spirit of Darkness in her human form. The Adversary then asked whether anyone besides themselves had the power to defeat the Black Mage, pointing out that Orchid had managed to destroy the Labyrinth Core, even without the divine power. Guwaru explained that it wasn't possible for anyone else to face the Black Mage, and though Orchid didn't want to believe it, he knew that she would come to realize it when she actually faced the Black Mage herself. Guwaru told them that the Black Mage was planning to create the Genesis Crux, a seed from which the new world would blossom and replace the original three. As the power of the mask faded, Guwaru warned them that only the power of the Adversary could allow them to step off the Path and destroy the Genesis Crux, after which his voice faded away.

NPC

Luminous Tutorial

Guwaru
Location	Cutscenes

Ellin Forest (Luminous Quest)

Guwaru
Quests involved	[Luminous] Guwaru from Beyond [Luminous] A Piece of Past
Location	Queensheart Forest

Stone Colossus

Inside the Stone Colossus 3

Guwaru
Quests involved	[Stone Colossus] Colossal Clean Up 7
Location	Inside the Stone Colossus 3

Limina

World's Sorrow 2

Guwaru
Location	World's Sorrow 2

World's Sorrow Midpoint 1

Guwaru
Location	World's Sorrow Midpoint 1

Gallery

• 
  Artwork of Guwaru
• 
  NPC Portrait of Guwaru

Trivia

• In the original Explorer Alliance storyline, Guwaru sends the Alliance a warning that the Black Mage's return is imminent by sending a piece of driftwood containing his mark. The driftwood summons Guwaru's Vestiges, which the Explorer defeats before bringing the driftwood to Athena Pierce, who purifies it and learns about Guwaru's warning.
• The Shade storybook released during the Milestone event revealed Sino to be a Great Spirit like Guwaru. It is currently unknown whether Sino's position as a Great Spirit is similar in capacity to Guwaru's role on Maple World, and whether the shifting balance of the Transcendents on Grandis has affected her as well.