Fallen statue

A huge statue of a female warrior wearing a Templar Armor stands in the Arid Sea in Crystal Desert. However it's only an illusion, after approaching the statue it disapears revealing its body toppled down bridging a gap beneath. How is this illusion being maintained? And why?

The statue viewed from the north (travelling from Skyward Reach). The left leg is visibly chipped.

As you approach the statue the illusion is dispelled and we can see the statue toppled.

The statue viewed from the southwest (travelling from Vulture Drifts). From this side we can see the left arm is also missing

Crossing this derelict once-statue bridge grants the adventurer a priviledged view of the surroundings:

The toppled body serving as bridge.

West view.

South view. Somewhere beyond lie the Elonian wastes.

North view.

This illusion can be seen from further south in Elona, in the Desolation:

The statue viewed from the Crystal Overlook.

There are also remains of at least another statue, this time a male:

A male face and a right arm are near the statue site.

 Near the statue, Yannel Brunn a spirit from the ancient people says:

"Long ago, my people lived in a city near here. We came to ascend and succumbed to our own petty squabbles. We fought day and night, brother against brother, until one of our number created weapons that would lay low the mightiest warriors and shake the very earth. Such was their power that they brought our great city down, and my people have become nothing more than a memory. (...) "

Ascalonian alphabet

In Diessa Lowlands, halfway between Nolani Academy and the Ascalonian Foothills exit there's an old map of Tyria hanging from a post.

The map is written in old ascalonian runes. A closer look reveals that some of these runes are used to represent more than one letter. For example T and C use the same rune; A and V also share the same rune; the same happens with U and L; and again with E,F and H.

And yet the canonical ascalonian alphabet matches a single rune per letter so everything can be univocally translatable:

Line 1: ABCDEFGHIJKLM.
Line 2: NOPQRSTUVWXYZ.

There are two possibilities: either the map is written in an alphabet older than the canonical one or it was written by an apprentice scribe, which given the importance associated with such a task, seems to be the least probable possibility.

High in the Shiverpeaks

Here are some of the highest climbable mountains to enjoy the view from in the Shiverpeaks, perhaps all of Tyria.

Anvil Rock

The Anvil Rock.

SE view.

South view.

West view.

NW view.

Beacons Perch

The beacon site.

SE view.

South view.

North view, the stronghold of Beacons Perch.

Spearhead Peak

The Spearhead mountain.

East view.

SE view.

Pre-Searing/Post-Searing around Ascalon

The Ascalon Academy bell towers at the eastern end of town.

The Academy and the archway partially destroyed.

Overview of the northeast river-filled end.

After the Searing and the receding river, it becomes the hub of Ascalon. There's also a portion of inner wall that wasn't there in the Pre-Searing.

North outside wall, and east river wall of Ascalon.

After the Searing the once river wall becomes an outpost wall protecting the new Ascalonian outpost.

Ascalon river entrance.

Later becomes the entrance to the outpost.

The once entrance of Ascalon City.

Lies in ruin abandoned just outside the outpost.

Sir Tydus' spot at the entrance to the Academy.

Amazingly the front arches are still standing.

Overview of the inside of Ascalon City.

The outter wall is almost breached. Also there are two towers that don't match between Pre-Searing and Post-Searing, possibly due to reconstruction.

Prince Rurik's spot. At the back there's a way to north side, past the outter wall.

The way to the outter side no longer exists, and again the two towers seem to have shifted to the side.

Outside Ascalon looking at the two towers.

After the Searing the towers are shifted to the side apparently, outside of the Ascalon perimeter.

Overview of Ascalon City.

On the background the towers shift and the once entrance arch is wider possibly due to ground shifting and structural collapse?

The Ascalon Arena.

Some of the walls went deeper into the ground.

Althea's actors stage.

Its sturdy foundations didn't break, and instead elevated part of the construction when hit during the Searing.

The way into the Breach, blocked by large boulders.

Some huge debris from another portion of the wall, also the way into the breach is now free.

The entrance to Fort Ranik.

The Fort still stands for the most part.