Charr

The land north of Ascalon’s protective Great Northern Wall is occupied by a savage race of beasts known as the Charr.

To the Charr, flame is the physical representation of their gods. In order to keep the gods happy, they must first fulfill their obligation to the flame. To that end, the Charr have constructed a series of sacred buildings known as Flame Temples. On raised platforms, these bestial creatures have inscribed huge circular runes, which define and magically feed the sacred fires. Further defining the ring are pillars of pure obsidian or carved sandstone, sculpted to depict the faces of the mysterious creatures the Charr worship. Between these pillars, in the very center of each of these temples, are the ever-burning Sacred Flames. The Charr believe that as long as the flames are burning, the gods are pleased. If the flames go out, then the Charr have failed in their duties and will be punished by the gods.

Each temple has its own fire, which is tended at all times by four Charr Flame Keepers. The Flame Keepers have only one job—to keep the Sacred Flame burning. This is the most prestigious position a Charr can occupy; only the strongest, most capable Charr can take this honor, and all other Charr bow to the Flame Keepers.

In addition to the temples, whenever a large Charr warband travels anywhere, they take with them a bronze brazier, lit at a Flame Temple by the Sacred Flame. These braziers are placed upon palanquins, which are then carried from location to location by four Charr Flame Carriers. Each night when they make camp, the Flame Carriers erect a flammable effigy in the shape of one of their gods, then ignite it and let it burn till daylight.

Humans learned quickly how to read the flame sign: if the flame is lit, the Charr camp is occupied. If the flame is out, the Charr have moved on.

- The Guild Wars Manuscript (Flame/Gold Legion)

Overview  

The Charr's homeland is nearly all of Eastern Tyria. Through time the Charr have become a rough and rugged race. The Charr had a long history of worshiping the gods that their Shaman's told them of. When the Charr people found out the Shamans were tricking them into worshiping false gods for control over the people, the Charr were quick to act. Once the Shamans of the Flame legion were silenced the Charr denounced all Gods. All Charr Legions (with the exception of the Flame Legion) still worship no God. The Charr are a warrior race. They are trained, nearly from birth, to be warriors. A Charr cub is only raised by its respective parents for a short time, and once that time is up they are taken away from their parents. Once the cubs have been taken from their Parents they are enrolled in a "Fahrar Camp", which is like an academy or school. Here they are taught to fight and to have loyalty to their respective legion's. The cubs eventually fall into

warbands as they age and their training comes to an end. Loyalty to ones warband is of the utmost importance. Not respecting the chain of command and the history of ones warband can lead to exile. Honor and respect are everything to the Charr. If a Charr does not respect his/her chain of command and chooses instead to leave and become independent, they will become what is known as a 'gladium'. A gladium is one without honor, and is therefor seen as less than dirt in the eyes of the Charr people.
 
In a recent interview with the developers of Guild Wars 2 it was revealed that players who played a Charr character would have to select a Legion to pledge their allegiance to. Each legion is something like a different society with different customs and traditions but with roughly the same set of values. The player at the character creation screen will have to choose one of these legions (if the player chooses to play as a Charr). And the legion they select will effect their characters background story but not their abilities. 
 
The four legions are:

• Blood - Warriors of the Blood Legion are known for their ferocity and skill in traditional combat.
• Ash - Warriors of the Ash Legion are taught to use stealth and subterfuge. They use their cunning to win battles before they begin.
• Iron - Warriors of the Iron Legion are known for their use of technology in battle. The Iron Legion has ignited the industrial revolution and mastered metalwork, cannons, and guns.

• Flame (Gold Legion)
  

 
The Flame legion as of now however is not selectable by players. It has been listed as the only "outcast" clan out of the four due to the legions history of betrayal and deceit that leave the clan disgraced and hated among the other Charr legions.