#Glory of Tyria

[bigsnaff]

I've said this before on my old old deleted blog somewhere I think, but I personally think that (most) of the in-game renders of the elder dragons are not reflective of their actual sizes.

They're constantly likened to natural disasters in and of themselves. Heaps of old concept art of them depicting them dormant and indiscernible from mountains. Kralkatorrik described as a hurricane. Zhaitan literally shoving an entire nation to the surface of the ocean. You could argue that Mordremoth is technically the size the entirety of the Maguuma Jungle itself.

The in-game renders are considerably scaled back versions of the elder dragons -- both because of the limitations of the game itself and because depicting them as anything larger than they're shown isn't really conducive to, uh, lag-free gameplay. I think the only models that really accurately depict their sizes, or at least close to it, is the mostly concealed Primordus in LWS3 and the entire Dragonfall map of Kralkatorrik.

Not that this is something I see argued or anything. But if I'm trying to envision them accurately, then the creature blowing off the bow of the Glory of Tyria when the Pact flies into Arah isn't the modest version of Zhaitan we see in game, but it's a mountain hurling across the sky.

[nocte-argentea]

I did some exploring after the Dragon's End meta

Y'all. All the airships around the battlefield have actual people on them. Two of them are simply Pact airships, but the others?

I found Sunspears, Awakened, Aetherblades and Corsairs all around us! (the awakened ship doesn't have collision so be careful). There's also what looks like The Glory of Tyria (or the same model) high in the sky, but I couldn't reach that one.

And the most surprising...

Tixx is there to lend a hand!

I love this game and the details, man.

[kogarashi-art]

And here is my third Sketchbox project, done with the first box I received. Yes, I did my characters out of order. Oh well.

This is Tyria Lavellan, my canon Inquisitor from Dragon Age Inquisition. This box involved a thin tracing/sketching paper, a set of sketching pencils, and a few fineliner markers. I thought the colors reminded me of Tyria, so I decided to draw her with morning glories and then use the paper's translucency to ink them on a separate sheet, hence why there's a pencil sketch and lineart. The angle stumped me (have I mentioned I'm self-taught?) but overall I'm happy with it.

[konig-varorson]

Lost Chinese Lore: Balthazar, the god who is more than just rage

Preface

Last year, I began a project to dig through the Guild Wars 1 websites of all the languages, mostly hoping to recover trailers that were lost to time (mostly successfully too). I also found some lore articles that weren't available to western audiences. Such articles were known to exist - mainly lore on Abaddon for Nightfall, fan translations here and here - and those were later (mostly?) canonized by ArenaNet in Guild Wars 2.

Recently, I shared a translation of the lore article on Lyssa, Abaddon, and Dwayna. At first I thought that would be the end of it, as the9.com's pages for Balthazar, Grenth, and Melnadru weren't saved by web.archive.org. Luckily, with some assistance, I found another site that basically re-published every article by the9, including those three. And thus, today I bring to you the article on Balthazr. Similar to Dwayna, this has a story that is almost completely new, and pretty much is a sequel to her Scriptures story. It's also the second canonical GW1-era case of Balthazar having anger issues, alongside Kaolai's story.

Disclaimer: While there is overlap  with canon lore, there is no guarantee this is all canon as well. China  is known to have had alterations to the story to account for regulations  in that nation, so it is unclear how much of this is expanded canon or  simply reworked for China and thus non-canon.

For those who would like to see the original text and do their own translation: https://web.archive.org/web/20070410043135/http://gw.the9.com/news/main/58229.shtml

Translated Text

Faith and Gods in the Battle - The God of War and the God of Fire

About Balthazar

Balthazar is the god of war and fire in the world of Guild Wars (GW) and possesses unspeakable power. He symbolizes courage, strength, boldness and conquest. He is a hot-tempered god, and in most cases, even the other gods try to avoid head-on conflicts with him, because Balthazar is terrifying when angry.

Warriors and elementalists who are proficient in fire magic are the most loyal servants and worshipers of Balthazar. They believe that Balthazar can not only bring them strength, but also victory. Those generals and guild leaders who believed in Balthazar saw the prayer ceremony to him before the battle as an essential part of winning, and if they could get his blessing, they would control the war. In addition, monks also believe in the power of Balthazar. They receive power from the goddess Dwayna to redeem Tyrians, and at the same time receive power from Balthazar to punish sin.

Compared to the other gods, Balthazar is often seen on Tyria, so many people have seen his face. He has a terrifying appearance: his body is in a state of eternal burning and he holds a huge greatsword in his hand, which is long enough to plunge from the sky to the ground. He also wears the world's strongest armor, making him even more invincible. In addition, two dogs follow him, their names are "Glory" and "Splendor," and they are extremely loyal to Balthazar, making them very reliable assistants.

Worshipers of Balthazar

There are not too many restrictions on the worshipers of Balthazar, and almost everyone who needs to go into battle will pray devoutly for the blessing of Balthazar. Therefore, in the world of Guild Wars (GW), across almost every inch of land one can easily find many worshipers of Balthazar.

There have been many people who have benefited from Balthazar in the guild warfare. He does not often intervene in earthly battles, but will not lose the opportunity to make those who defy the gods suffer. In certain crucial battles, he appeared at critical moments and brought victory through his power and determination, thus turning the tide of war. On the battlefield, when people hear the loud thunder from far away, they will think that it is the roar of Balthazar and this thunder will inspire the warriors to fight bravely for victory.

There are many famous worshipers of Balthazar in the world of GW, such as the warrior Devona of Ascalon. The most devoted worshipers of Balthazar have high demands on themselves. They devote a great deal of time every day to the painstaking training, strengthening themselves both physically and spiritually. Sometimes, they demand more spiritually than physically and those who have great strength but lack mental fortitude are considered unqualified "Balthazar worshipers". A true warrior must be able to ignore death, whether it is the enemy's or his own.

The Story of Balthazar

The battle raged on.The soldiers' armor were worn and tattered, and their morale was in decline. In that moment, Balthazar, the god of war and fire, appeared in front of the soldiers. His voice was like a thunderclap that shook the whole earth: "My soldiers, take up your weapons! Do not be afraid and do not hesitate. Victory is at hand, show your courage!" In an instant, hundreds of flames were reflected from his greatsword and surrounded the exhausted soldiers. The soldiers received the flame of courage and guided by the indescribable power and threw themselves into the battlefield without fear, and the enemy began to crumble.

While peace was precious and hard to come by, a prophecy began to circulate that disaster would return in 25 years. Legend has it that the volcano is going to erupt due to the exasperation of Balthazar, and the thick flames will turn everything to ashes. If they wanted to stop this, people had to climb to the top of the highest volcano, chop off the head of the fierce gargoyle hovering there and throw it into the crater.

Finally, the prophecy came to pass. In order to stop the disaster, the leaders began to send the strongest warriors to the volcano's summit. None of them came back alive. In despair, the aged king had solemnly promised to the world: "If anyone can kill the gargoyle and stop the disaster, I will personally give him the throne." At this, a soft young girl came up to the king and said gently, "I'll go kill it." Looking at Lina's weak appearance, people scoffed at her words. However, Lina said in a calm and determined voice: "I will come back to get my crown!" And then set out on the road to the top of the volcano.

On the crater of the volcano, the horrible gargoyle who saw Lina could not hide his mockery of her. "The warriors who are several times stronger than you and have superior sword skills have failed, and you alone can kill me?" But before the words finished leaving its mouth, Lina had already picked up a filled bucket and ran towards the gargoyle, throwing the water on its head. The young girl was not afraid of the gargoyle, who was struggling madly with pain, and raised her knife to slash. The gargoyle's head was chopped off, and at that moment from the gargoyle's severed neck slowly rose the dazzling image of the god of war, Balthazar. "For a long time many people have tried, but so far only you have successfully passed my test. You have become a great warrior with your unwavering courage and wisdom, and this is my favor to you." And so the prophecy came to an end, and Lina was crowned queen.

[prismaticaurene]

The first blighting tree is small and sickly, born far from the depths of the Maguuma Jungle, long before the Dragon wakes. After all, it doesn’t need to be big. Not for what it was made for. Not empowered now as far to the south,  The Glory of Tyria knocks Zhaitan from its perch and the dragon’s magic sinks into the bones of the planet itself.

Caithe makes a mistake, you see, in not burning the body of her fallen sister. She couldn’t have known what would happen next. --- Wynne dies, and for almost twenty years, her soul remained in the Domain of the Lost-- taking the form of the Grove, choked out of life and magic by Mordrem vines. It's not a pleasant place, and she's not in a place where she can pull herself out of it, like the Commander will. Instead, Mordremoth tears her out-- fracturing her identity as he does (the name Wynne no longer fitting comfortably) -- to watch him destroy the world. She's no longer connected to the Dream. Her siblings think her dead. (The Dragon, knowing that she told Caithe the truth, deals one last blow-- and takes from her her voice, so that she can never do that again.) It's by luck that she finds a Priory squad in the Silverwastes. It's by persistence that she makes her way up the ranks, still hoping to find a way to stop Mordremoth. She can't. And when the Call happens, she knows that there's no way she can keep her own mind. The Dragon has its claws in her still. Magister Hestia (self-named after a post-Searing Ascalonian Saint who took up the fire magic that destroyed her people to learn to protect them) locks herself in a High Security vault in the depths of the Priory, so that when she turns-- she cant harm anyone else. (A good thing too -- if she hadn't, the Commander would have found an unfathomably powerful Mordrem Wyvern guarding Trahearne (guarding her brother-- her first friend.)) ...And then the Dragon dies. It takes her ages to regain herself, and longer to start to return to humanoid form. Her co-workers are sympathetic, though they don't know the details of who she was. It's hard for them to help. It ends up being a Lightbringer that helps her-- a Norn named Sigyn with remnants of Jormag's corruption scarring her face that comes to her. She understands, after all, what being corrupted does to you. What others see when they look at you and see that. She's there when it becomes clear that not all of the surviving Mordrem will be accepted back into the Grove. That they can't go home. (That Hestia will never be able to go home.) --

[CLICK] [TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:  PROJECTOR SHOWS A MORDREM WOMAN SITTING IN A CHAIR. SHE TAPS THE TABLE IDLY WITH CLAWED FINGERS, NOT LOOKING AT THE CAMERA. DESCRIPTION MATCHES WITH THE RECORDS OF THE DECEASED FIRSTBORN WYNNE, NOW MAGISTER HESTIA ] [THE MAGISTER CLICKS A BUTTON, AND A TEXT-TO-SPEECH RECORDING PLAYS]

HESTIA:

It started with an idea. I never gave any thought to what I would do after Mordremoth fell. I never thought we’d win. But we’re here, and I can’t go home. My connection to the Dream is gone. The world thinks I’m dead. The dragon’s corruption remains part of me. And I’m not the only one. The remnants of the Pact and the up and coming Dragon’s Watch have already turned to look at Primordus and Jormag. We unfortunate many have been left in the lurch. Dragon corruption has never had an After. There’s no support for us here. The Exalted, inspired by Glint’s compassion, have been a blessing. They’ve kept watch over the Auric Basin for centuries. They’ve offered us a place to set up base camp. They call it 'Gilded Hollow'. Taffi thinks it’s perfect–though any chance she has to study magic in new places is perfect. Lightbringer Frostseer agrees with me though. This place, this haven– if we can make a home for those who have been displaced and exiled–

I’m not a historian. I don’t know what I am. But helping people, recording their stories– maybe I can figure out what to do next. 

[TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: THE MAGISTER PAUSES HERE, STARING AT THE RECORDER BEFORE CLICKING OFF THE TEXT-TO SPEECH.]

[CLICK. RECORDING ENDS]

(Later, she will lead Defiant Heart, the guild that protects the settlement of Gilded Hollow, becoming a champion of Aurene and a world renown blacksmith. It'll take time and therapy to get there first.)

[cinalilli]

battlefield wedding

a birthday gift for the-goblin-cat featuring his characters and mine at Cherise and Neville's wedding, or at least the official version after the slap-dash pirates-of-the-carribean style 2-second ceremony aboard The Glory of Tyria, with Zhaitan literally over the horizon (features a bonus excerpt of Elmindreda "Mindy" Endimyon, Neville's ex) stay tuned for a youtube link, a few bonus assets, and a written accompanying story.

[i-mybrunettelady]

1, 6, 13 & 15 for Trammander ⚔🌱

1, 7, 11, and 22 for Elion 🔥🦁

For the 🌶🌶🌶 asks! 😏

spicy asks good <3

trammander

6. Any place they absolutely would not have sex?

a temple and anywhere in public. for them, sex is for the bedroom only - or for when you're alone, anyhow. especially for nyra, who's very careful about who she lets see her scars and in what manner of (un)dress.

q1. Are there any names they like to be called in bed/names they call their partner? Any names they wouldn’t use/can’t stand?

i don't think they're the types for pet names in general, although does trahearne's lyss count as a pet name if it's a nickname only he uses? they both laugh at baby, sweetheart, darling (though she doesn't mind dear heart.)

one thing i will say is that when she's domming, nyra doesn't like any titles used for her. she has enough of them in her job already. she doesn't need another for when she's having sex.

13. Morning vs evening sex���do they have a preference?

she's whatever about the time, but he prefers morning sex before he gets to work because he does work a lot still, only not in pact business. although, there is something about early evening horny things in billiard rooms for nyra, and has been ever since she was a teen and had her first sexual experiences.

15. Describe their favorite sexual encounter.

for trahearne, it's their first time having sex after zhaitan fell, where the airship crew of the glory of tyria cleared the top floor just for them to do it and everyone else was like... 'sure.' for nyra, it's when they had sex for the first time after their reunion in the eye of the north during icebrood saga, when she was injured by bangar's arrow.

elion

q1. Are there any names they like to be called in bed/names they call their partner? Any names they wouldn’t use/can’t stand?

el calls liv daddy when he's subbing, and he himself prefers sir when he's domming. granted, he doesn't sub for anyone but liv, but like. it's what he likes. on his end, liv accepts daddy willingly, has grown to be quite turned on by it, and just doesn't do any insults whatsoever for himself or his partner. he's a soft dom.

7. Are they into (consensual) pain during sex? Either giving or receiving

girl,, el is one kinky mofo, you bet he's into pain,,, i wouldn't call him a masochist, but he does like his sex to err on the side of pain. liv isn't, but painplay isn't huge for el, so he doesn't really need it to get off. he also prefers receiving pain to giving it, but he just likes the sensation of it.

11. Are they attracted to anyone (specific person or just negative qualities) they really shouldn’t be?

liv: was attracted to rytlock, who is of a much higher station and also his half-sister's on and off boyfriend. he's also the uncle to a cub of rytlock's, by his sister dana. that being said, he's also attracted to domineering personalities, for better or for worse.

el: the whole thing with cadeyrn is the one that sticks out, bc they were just so bad for each other, and ended with el slitting cadeyrn's throat, so like,,, does this count?

22. Favorite thing/part about sex—intimacy, role-playing, etc.

liv: intimacy, for sure. he likes the softness it allows him to show his partners, and he loves making people feel good and feel loved, and in return, he feels good too! he's a service top :)

el: experimentation. like many things in life, sex is new ways of discovering the world, and much less offensive one than live experimentation. he has such fun with sex, has few things he isn't willing to try, and it's just another way for him to flex his curiosity muscles for sure :>

[kp2brukgaming]

@saclarclay​

jdlaksjda totally get u, cannach is also my reason of living in HoT hahaha i love him since s2 :D (i didnt get the southsun event :'( ) also sorry to reply in post, im in the mood for rambles, i hope u dont mind!

its just such a let down the story kinda just... write trahearne out of the story. it would be so much better if he survived the crash, the we can see him either getting the brunt of the pact's destruction, like, not only held accountable, but also stripped of his rank, getting the hate from half of the surviving pact, AND trying hard making up for it.

OR make him mordremoth's thrall since the beginning. make him intentionally destroy the whole fleet while cackling like scarlet did. and the whole HoT is dedicated in fighting him who has been crowned as mordremoth's numero uno champion and his army. itd be very ironic that the beloved son, the first of sylvari, is mordremoth strongest minion.

it would make so much more interesting story than hiding him from the narrative and killed him in meaningless way. i dont mind him dying, its just written in such a disappointing way, with abrupt ending. just explosion and egg. no further closing speech or anything, just... ends with egg.

both scenarios also (imo) beneficial for both trahearne's fans *and* trahearne's haters. fans got to see what hes capable of in full glory (either to redeem himself or being ruthless dragon champion), and haters got to see him got his comeuppance (either made to answer to his blunder or die by our hands). its such a win win i cant believe its not what happened ;w;

and about eir's death, im half expected she would die protecting braham. preferably weapons drawn and stand tall. "im sorry, son, i was never good mother to you. at least let me be a good shield for the last time" something like that. sure its tropey, or 'cliche'. but that would be so badass. and tragic. and it strengthens bond between the two.

while at it, maybe expand more about nightmare court lore and malyck. malyck my vagabond tree where are you baby? ;w;

s2 is not perfect, sure, but it has proper build up, which never got delivered in the expansion's story. its like being stood up in a date, and i somehow still waiting even until 5 minutes to closing hour while the waiters are giving me pitying looks when im finally got up and left after ordering take outs. (ps: the take out is very delish even when eaten with all the tears and snot)

on the side note,

i can understand why trahearne just come at the dragon weapon drawn. not only that he ran out of time, the camp resolve destroyed, he's also at the position where if he pulls back, it means mordremoth push further into tyria than he already did --- possibly even to the main cities. so he flew with the pact on airship, thinking they'd get air supperiority (since that works with zhaitan).

he didnt expect the whole jungle swallow the fleet whole. i think no one expect the jungle to just *rise up* like that and half of sylvaris soldier stabbing them in the back.

[eparch]

Blossom in glory...even in hell (x)

Scillareth, my most villainous salad, a Pact Commander who has taken her goal of uniting the races of Tyria several steps further than necessary

[commanderhorncleaver]

🖊 for Gloryana!

You're actually already privy to a lot of this, but Glory is intended to be a very Korra-like character. She's self-assured, arrogant, and proud, but also extremely capable. She struggles with learning not because she's bad at it, but because she's so used to grasping things immediately that she kind of spirals and throws herself at things haphazardly anytime she struggles.

For the folk whose characters' I've sort of intertwined Gaius with, Glory is sort of raised alongside a number of post-Eod cubs, but because Gaius refuses to put her in the fahrar+she spends half the year with Efram in Flame, she winds up being rather poorly socialized outside of these cubs (Luma, Falx, Perry when they're around+Vita and Galvar/Prisca, who are older siblings).

It's a common source of contention between her and Gaius as she ages, the fact that he's very adamant about what he believes her role to be. She gets that, but she doesn't see why she can't also be a soldier and a leader and have all the respect that he does. Being raised with him growing in prestige even post his active commander life--and with Efram, literal imperator of Flame--she doesn't really see a lot of his struggle to be respected within the Iron when he returned post-IBS. All she knows is Gaius Horncleaver, former commander of the pact, savior of Tyria and the world, who for some reason retired and has managed to help so many disenfranchised soldiers that the other legions have followed in his steps with HGO.

I'd have to expand/revise this, but I'm considering this now not as "send her to the Mists" but this is now when Glory's sent out into the world to experience it for the first time.

[the-blazing-light]

1, 3, 16, 23, 25 for Arengar! (@commanderhorncleaver)

Thank you for the ask! ;w;

1. What memory would your OC rather just forget?

"We're charr. We don't do regret. We make choices, and we own them. Good or bad. We win, we take the glory; we lose, we take the shame."

This quote from Bangar is actually one of my favorite ones in the entire game and the one I mention a lot in regards to Arengar, since he's definitely got the same point of view. He doesn't really agonize over his choices, even if they were bad, he just takes it where he left off and tries to fix what happened, intent on learning from his mistakes this time. Point being, he doesn't really have memories he'd want to forget, good or bad, happy or painful, he feels like all of them constitute who he is now, even if it hurts to remember it's still important to him all the same.

3. What is your OC's fatal flaw? Are they aware of this flaw?

One of the main things about Arengar is that he's stubborn, which is both his strength and a fatal flaw, and he's slowly learning to recognize it. He's rigid, if he picked a path to go down he will follow it to the bitter end and is extremely hard to convince otherwise or make some adjustments to his plan, he dislikes change and will stubbornly follow the directive he set for himself despite all odds. It showed the best in his relationship with Aurene which was very rocky, it took a lot of time for Arengar to accept Aurene as an ally and become her champion, instead of treating her like a ticking bomb that can go off at any second: for someone who made it his life duty killing dragons and protecting Tyria of them, the idea of having to now not only stop doing that but also raise and nurture one was not easy to accept to say the least. This is also a reason why initially he empatizes a lot with Bangar and general distrust of legions' to Aurene, having to fight beside the granddaughter of Kralkatorrik, dragon that branded swaths of his homeland took him a lot of time and development to adjust to.

16. What is your OC's pain tolerance like?

As it might be expected from a Blood Legion charr, pretty high. Arengar's been a frontline soldier his entire life, at some point you just learn to accept pain as a part of it and push through it, even to an extent that left him with permanent injuries.

23. What emotion is the hardest for your OC to process? How about express?

More or less any negative emotion that ain't anger, growing up wanting to be a legion soldier worthy of respect, Arengar got a tendency of repressing emotions, pushing all his fears, pains and concerns down until it all bursts open, and down the line with becoming the Commander he couldn't let himself get down and process his grief and sadness either, feeling responsible for giving people that image of a perfect Commander leading them into battle, someone always confident and ready to take on any challenge, be a pillar of stability and courage, which has certainly taken a toll on his mental health. He's got a lot of trouble showing vunerability, asking for help or support instead of letting it all just boil alone.

25. What is your favorite thing about your OC?

Ironically enough, actually his stubbornness as well. His willingness to go against the flow and push against all odds, do absolutely anything he has to in order to do what he thinks is right. He will see what fate has in store for him and for the world and just toss it all aside, fight it until his dying breath, because as long as you're alive you're the only one who can decide your destiny and change it as you see fit.

[dasozelotvonnebenan]

Wait did I ever make a post here about Caladbolg things or was that on discord? I can't find it when searching my blog but also when does one ever.

Anyways all commanders get a piece of the broken sword after HoT. They all go on their own little adventures to reforge it. Fittingly enough there are five reforged caladbolg weapons in the game.

Yorg makes it a greatsword again. Restores it as best he can to it's former glory. It itself is a legend and it is here to tell it's tale. Through it Trahearnes work will not be forgotten.

Posh makes it into a scepter. Caladbolg is an object of powerful magic, fueled by the hands that held it. Through it Trahearnes work can go on.

Ruck makes it into a shield. Caladbolg had been forged to protect Tyria, and now it has been reforged to continue that duty. Through it Trahearnes achievements will endure.

Aluen makes it into sword. Caladbolg had allowed them to drive back the dragon threat and now it will carry that momentum. Through it Trahearnes death can be avenged.

Fenquin makes it into a dagger. Caladbolg had been shattered as a sacrifice. Through it that sacrifice is given power.

Valoop makes it into a seed and plants at her lost friends feet. He had grown in Caladbolgs light and now Caladbolg will grow in his soil. Through it Trahearne will live on.

[brightwingedbat]

Time for more random thoughts of my Charr ocs, had the idea while listening to Power Paladin's Ride the Distant Storm

This time involves Galvar and Allius at perhaps around 15-17, off doing some studying while listening to radio (because that's a thing according to EoD now)

And they just start singing along to one song, with Galvar starting off:

"Chaos and justice-" The guardian-in-training begins.

"...to ride the distant storm." A surprising quiet response from the elementalist.

Galvar grins as Allius actually starts joining him. "Wielding the magic-!"

"Hear the ancient force." The elementalist's voice heightens, more confidence.

"Glory and bloodshed-!"

"Towards a distant sky!" Allius starts smiling as he lets loose with the song he loves.

"Demons and goblins!"

"Fall by the might of the golden liiiiiight!" Allius' voice draws out and loudens much more than he usually does, he must be enjoying this.

But then a deep charr girl's voice. "Bravo there, you two!"

Galvar and Allius both immediately freeze up, eyes turning to the sound.

Vita, leaning on the door frame and clapping her paws up to the side. A smug grin on her face. "Didn't know you had a set of lungs on you like that, Allius."

If his fur was not already a rusty red colour, Allius' face and ears would sure be glowing red right now. He meekly covers his palms over his face as he turns away.

Galvar's ears have a slight blush to them as he pats his paw behind his neck. "Uh... Vita, how long were you standing there?"

"I heard the entire thing. You sure you two don't wanna be Tyria's next upcoming music band?" She says amidst a chuckle.

Galvar glances over to the heavily embarrassed cousin of his. The red furred charr has his chin on the desk and tail curled below him. The brother shrugs to his sister. "I doubt that's likely given..."

"Aw, what a shame. After that show of vocals I think Allius would do great as a main singer." Vita grins, teasing her brother is fun, but so rare she gets a chance to catch Allius out like this.

The shy charr mutters a whine, closing himself off further.

Galvar shakes his head, but he can't help but smile at all of this. "Alright, I think that's enough at his expense. We've got studying to do anyhow."

"Yeah, yeah. You go be bookworms, I've got more weapon training to do. See ya!" Vita waves a paw as she leaves the two alone to their studying.

Poor Allius takes a while to get back into it, despite Galvar's attempts to console him, knowing what it's like to be a victim of the sister's taunts.

[archesa]

Surprise gift for the Wintersday prompt 👀

Thank lot!! 😁 I hesitated a bit between two stories but the first one I considered would fit better for another prompt (and only in a certain AU) soooo... Hope you'll enjoy this one!

Content warning : fluff, mutual pinning, it's requited they're just idiots! 🥰

Sapphire and gold

Caer Aval stood proud and radiant over the Strait. Colourful lanterns and garlands of evergreen and holly hanged from the spirals of thorns illuminated by the constant pulse of the orb — the soldiers had insisted on decorating and he saw no reason to oppose it, even if, with the risen all but subdued, and the purification already showing its effects on the shores of the archipelago, most of them were given leave for the holiday — and a scent of mulled wine arose in plumes from the mess hall where the soldiers remaining on guard duty had gathered for the eve.

Trahearne considered joining them, but renounced, in fear the arrival of their superior would spoil their cheerful mood, and after a short midnight stroll to the prow of the Glory of Tyria — still moored for repair thus offering an incomparable view on the shore and beyond it the distant heights of the Vizier's tower — he returned to his quarters, enjoying the calm of his room, the warmth of the hearth and the quiet yet constant company of his cats.

The kettle he had placed on the stove just started whistling when a knock on the door interrupted his solitary evening. He removed the pot from the fire and curiously headed to the door where an asura all but crumbling under the weight of a box almost as big as he was waited on the threshold.

“Merry Wintersday, Marshal!”, they saluted. “The post just arrived, the men are opening their gifts and there’s this one for you.”

The package was not very neatly wrapped — creases on the expensive paper betraying the sender’s efforts and ultimate failure at an elaborate folding, yet the motif and the and the ribbon, gold trimmed satin of a rich sapphire colour, was tastefully chosen and carefully assorted.

Trahearne thanked the messenger and offered them a drink they politely declined before heading back to their companions.

He carefully placed the box on the table, earning most curious chirps from Harley, just awakened from his nap and now idly pawing at the end of the ribbon. He untied the bow — only for the grey cat to snatch it from him and run off with it, quickly followed by Leo and Maddy, decided to enjoy their own Wintersday present — and curiously peered inside the box, a rich scent of herbs and spices filling the air as he scoured the content with delight.

Several richly ornamented boxes, each containing a fragrant tea - curious melanges and colourful infusions — a year’s worth of his favorite brew and a dozen phials of the specific kind and colour of ink he used to write his research notes — one that dried quick and was afterwards impossible to wash, thus keeping his notes readable even in the often unforgivingly humid climate of Orr. He smiled, and looked for a card, finding an envelop sealed with golden wax hidden underneath the ink.

The writing was familiar, wide letters and coiling spirals standing starkly, sapphire on golden letterhead paper — her colours...

'Merry Wintersday, dearest friend.'

[kerra-and-company]

Whaaaat's nisha's opinion on Logan? Kerra's opinion of Rama?

Ooh, very good picks, tyty :D

Nisha didn't really get to know Logan at all during the personal story; he was someone xe knew of and knew through other people. Xe knew he was in Destiny's Edge, of course, and the bare bones of that backstory, but I think the first time they were ever face to face was when Logan flew in on the Glory of Tyria during the battle against Zhaitan. Xe gets to see a bit more of him during LWS1 and LWS2, but not a lot--they're mostly just kinda on the same page for a bit. Later into LWS3 was the first time they really interacted, once they started talking about Logan potentially taking the Pact Marshal spot at some point. Nisha stepped into that role when needed and did it well but didn't want to hold it permanently, and Logan needed something away from Jennah (and did legitimately have the skills to succeed in the position as well). The two of them were very very awkward around each other to start with, both because they honestly would have been awkward no matter what and because they both knew a Decent Amount about each other by that point but had never really talked much. They eventually found plenty of common ground, and Logan reminded Nisha a bit of how xe was in xyr early days staying at the Priory. These days, they're good friends, and Nisha would readily fight alongside him any time. Xe's also going to be one of the first people in line to (affectionately) tease him about any- and everything, though.

Kerra respects Rama pretty much right off the bat. He had a bunch of strangers from halfway across the world crash on the beach in his jurisdiction and is doing his best. It helps that her kid Rhi likes him too, for sure, but Kerra would have liked Rama without that; he tries as best he can to do the right thing and is willing to go rogue to do so. In short, they're friends at this point for sure. (Other vaguely relevant info here: Kerra's supreme discomfort on that elevator ride with Minister Li and co. as someone who not only would have definitely picked up on the weird vibes but could sense the emotions of everyone there cannot be understated. If she'd been alone she absolutely would have pulled a Captain America, but she was with Rama and Rhi and thus had to pretend everything was cool. After that, she teaches Rama the hand signals she uses with Dragon's Watch to signal subtly that something's up in situations where it'd be dangerous to say so out loud.)

[aetherblooms]

⚔️⚔️⚔️ lukas >:3

lukas!!! he is a werewolf sylvari (:

for context he is one of two (sometimes three) commanders that split up the story and, during HoT, he joins trahearne on the glory of tyria and after the crash he holds onto broken caladbolg.

they're both captured by mordremoth, and the blade's remaining magic protects him from the dragon's call and keeps him from losing his mind, but his physical form is twisted into a cross between a nightmare hound and a vinetooth. in my head it looks a little like the shadowkeeper from ffxiv, with extra eyes/snouts/teeth/etc

he is 12ft tall and full of incredible bloodlust

(he will also shake hands for treats. dogification-ing himself to cope with being a horrifying beast now.)

following HoT he's trapped in this monstrous form for weeks, possibly months, until yvette and trahearne restore caladbolg and the pale tree recovers enough to transform him back into a person. in the interim, he stalks the heart of maguuma hunting mordrem, assisting the pact and the exalted, and guarding aurene's egg in tarir. (he is very very lonely)