#I miss trahearne :(

[arcanespood]

"Marshal of the Pact Trahearne"

[the-elven-star]

It's been a long time since I've drawn a Marshal...

[cait-sith]

Day 9: Growth

Better look at Mordremoth in the background under the cut!

[vannahgw2]

Was listening to Nevermind by Fosterthepeople and made me very...hmm inspired but sad

[i-mybrunettelady]

commander week day 7 - aurene

goodbye, champion. may you be the commander again. set after eod. commander: alysannyra ainsaph.

The day Aurene goes to sleep, they’re all here on the cliff to watch her go. Not the Zephyrites; not Vlast, and certainly not Glint or Kralkatorrik. Them, the mortals, the people she gathered along the way, and the people she calls family now. Or so Nyra likes to think, and it’s not like she can ask yet again without feeling like a broken record. 

The day Aurene is the last Elder Dragon alive, Alysannyra Ainsaph - the Commander, the Dragonslayer, the Champion of Aurene - sits on the cliff that she’s camped on for a while now, teary eyed as she watches the dragon she raised from hatching disappear into fine mist yet again. 

And she’s been tasked to keep the world safe in Aurene’s absence. And she will, but for the time being, she’s allowed to grieve and she’s allowed to put that part of her life to rest and the people Aurene calls family - Trahearne, her father, and Caithe, her Voice - are by her side. Trahearne helped make her legacy as the slayer of dragons. Caithe helped make her legacy as the mother of an Elder Dragon. 

Nyra buries her face in her hands as the last of the crystalline mist falls by and she cries to the dying light of day. She made Aurene promise to come back while she’s still alive. 

“Maybe not as an Elder Dragon,” Aurene said. “But I will come back to see you all.” 

Nyra holds her to it. It gives her hope. So now, in the face of that, she’s allowed to grieve the part of her life that’s ending. 

Maybe it’s not that lonely at the helm of the world. 

[mileroos]

.

.marshal.commander.

[mabaki]

Trahearne Warmup

[icebrooding]

I saw someone make a comment that Trahearne looks like a 'suburban dad'.... and while I can't understand why, it did put the cursed image of him in Dad Clothes into my mind. And I'm making that your problem now.

[asterroses]

im gonna throw up

[nocte-argentea]

Good evening I am once again having feelings about Trahearne

No one is surprised, more at 8

[straywyvern]

3 in the morning missing Trahearne and wishing That Part of Heart of Thorns never happened so my Commander could be happy again frfr

[troonwolf]

Does Braham ever get over himself and stop blaming you for Eir and shit? He was my fave buddy and he’s depressing me rn

The Commander basically doesn’t have friends and it makes me sad.

They could have also made people a little more upset when you fucking DIE. Like damn let me wake up with Taimi bawling over me or something

Commander does not get enough respect :(

[dragonsdonthelpmycrisiseither]

I mean he fakes being level-headed so well he fooled the entire fandom.

I had this in my audiobits folder saved as “trahearne language pls.mp3″

[mordremrose]

“I’m not him.” The words were choked, strangled even. Caithe set aside the journal she was writing in, and turned to see Bloom. “Who?” She asked, even if she already knew who he was talking about. “Trahearne.” Bloom muttered, his massive form slowly shuffling forward. “I’m not- I tried, but I can’t—“ He paused and a low rumble rattled the lower portion of his strange form, the plates of bark rising in agitation. His tail lashed and his hands dragged over his face. His palms caught on the spines along half his face and he winced. “I know you all see him. In me. You want me to be him.” Bloom seemed to deflate, sinking down to the ground. All of his limbs folded inwards, curling around his torso and Caithe swore she saw him tremble. “But I can’t. I can’t, I’m sorry—“ “Bloom.” Caithe spoke gently, standing up and coming closer. His eyes were squeezed closed, she noted. He didn’t open them to look at her, until she reached out and laid her palm on his massive front limb— paw? She still wasn’t sure. “Bloom. Look at me. Please?” She repeated, gently as she could manage. Caithe was not a woman well versed in being a comforting figure, in being someone who offered their shoulder to one in need. But Bloom needed her. He chose to come to her, about this. She could only imagine the courage it must’ve taken him to trust her with this, after everything. Slowly, Bloom opened his eyes and leaned down, so his massive head was closer to her. He still curled his arms in around himself, clawed fingers making grooves in the thicker bark along his arms. Now Caithe could see the tears welling up in his golden eyes, and her heart ached. She could see her brother in his face, or perhaps she merely imagined she could. But his eyes, glowing amber in a way that made part of her mind want to vanish and hide away from his gaze... that was not Trahearne. And it never would be. “I’m sorry, Bloom.” She murmured, stepping towards his face. “For making you believe you had to be him.” Caithe hesitated before she reached out, gentle as she wiped away the tears at the corners of his bad eye. It was a little easier for her to avoid the massive thorns along his cheek and jaw, she told herself, but Bloom leaned into her touch and she knew it wasn’t that simple. “It is cruel, to expect you to be a man you have never met.” Caithe muttered. “You cannot choose to be someone you are not.” Briefly, unexpectedly, a memory surged in her mind- a memory of Trahearne saying something similar to her once, years ago.

“You are not as cruel as you pretend to be Caithe. I think we both know that.” He said, his voice calm but sad. Caithe pretended to ignore him. “…I miss Wynne too, you know. And Riannoc as well. It is okay to mourn, Caithe.” “I don’t need a lecture, Trahearne.” “I am not here to lecture you.” Trahearne’s hand came to rest on her hand, steadying her grip on the vial of poison she was preparing. “Aife told me about Faolain leaving the Grove. I promise you, Caithe, you are not alone. You do not have to harden your heart. You do not have to be someone you are not.”

She had yanked her hand away from him back then, snarled something about not needing him to tell her who she was, and stormed off, not ready to confront her feelings, never mind share them. Caithe took a deep breath, letting her hand simply rest against Bloom’s cheek. “You do not have to be someone you are not, Bloom. Just because you do not know who that is yet, does not mean that you have to pretend.” She said, meeting his eyes. “I am sorry, Bloom, truly, that we… that our expectations—“ She shook her head. “We have made you feel this way. It isn’t fair to you. And for that, I can only offer my apologies, and try to do better.” Caithe hesitated. This was where her knowledge faltered. Was this when she offered a comforting hug? Could she hug Bloom? His size certainly made it questionable, and the pain he has described to Taimi made her wonder if a hug would even feel pleasant in his situation, or if it would just be another reminder of how out of place he was among the rest of Dragon’s Watch. Between Bloom and the Commander... she had a life time of apologies ahead of her, and not the kind that hugs would be enough to bridge the gap. “Caithe.” Bloom muttered, and even though he spoke quietly, she could still feel the depth of his voice in her chest while standing this close. “Yes?” “Thank you.”

[i-mybrunettelady]

He likes looking cool alongside his wife and also making her laugh

[lady-quen]

On Mael and the Dream - lore exploration

I've been hanging around the Grove and listening to NPC dialogue which got me thinking about sylvari and the Dream (though, to be honest, when am I not thinking about that lately..)

As a Soundless not by choice ever since his revival, Mael misses the connection quite a bit - thankfully Aurene fills some of that void with the Champion-Scion bond. Essentially, going from Dreamer to suddenly and traumatically severed, Mael feels like a part of his own ability to feel emotion was ripped away, and struggles with friendship, seeing that "missing piece" everywhere and as though none of his relationships can truly feel "right" anymore. He describes the visions he sees in his sleep as "being submerged in dark water with chain and weight at his feet" - knowing there are voices calling out to him but being unable to hear them.

Coupled with the loss of Trahearne, he feels like he might genuinely be unable to feel love again, and becomes extremely emotionally secluded behind his mask of snarky humor. The overwhelming absence of the Dream tricks him into thinking that relationships with other races cannot ever be as "deep and true" as those between sylvari, leading to quite the mental crisis as he learns to adjust to the abrupt change with the help of the party, the Soundless community, and Aurene.

He seeks out an audience with the Pale Tree as soon as his duties afford him the time, but is ultimately told he cannot be helped, since the Dream is a part of the magic domain of Mind and Mael's own innate magic was replaced along with his life force. The Mother herself was unable to see anything beyond the point of his death, and initially believed him tragically deceased.

Mael then confesses he no longer feels worthy of Caladbolg, especially now when he is closer to a lich than sylvari - some form of cruel joke considering Mazdak the Accursed's role in the death of Riannoc, as well as the lich's eventual demise at Mael's own hands. Having ended two between Mazdak and Joko, the Lichslayer had now become the very monster he once hunted - the original harbinger of death to the sylvari. The Pale Tree however only responds that though she may no longer see him, she would always love him, and that death was as much a part of life as anything - that there was a reason why events had gone the way they had, and how she ultimately still trusts him as her child, no matter how changed. Though still struggling, he promises to hold onto the sword until a new Knight of the Thorn rises, a full circle from originally recovering the blade.

In a sense, fearing his own corruption through his twisted magic, he is glad his experiences could not affect the rest of the sylvari. As for Caladbolg itself - despite how much he feels giving it up to be the right thing to do, it's the only connection to Trahearne he still has, and so he decides he would only process the grief of parting with it once again if the Mother called for it. For now, it remained his to safekeep, just like his dearheart's memory.

During his own personal journey of self-reflection, the Soundless of the Weeping Isle play a notable role. At first, Maelmordha expresses how he finds it difficult to fathom why one might choose to separate oneself from the Dream willingly, which comes across as highly offensive to the Isle's villagers - a rare fumble from the usually open-minded Dawnborn. Still, a total separation is unheard of among sylvari, even those who had deliberately meditated years to quieten the connection - having it happen so suddenly and so wholly nearly broke the Commander's already troubled mind. Spending time learning about the Soundless' reasoning and ways of life with Eona as his mentor was an important step in improving the Commander's mental health.

It takes time, but he learns to open up again and accept the fact his emotions aren't broken, he just needs time to relearn them and accept himself as he is.