#bhuer goreblade

[skaald-of-the-hearth-fires]

Y'all I've always thought it was hilarious what Anet did to warbands.

So. you have Rytlock, who in Edge of Destiny said he had "about a dozen" brothers and sisters each. so including himself, that's 25 in a warband. The wiki says a warband is 6-25 members, so Rytlock was on the high end, and average would probably be 12-18 members.

and then every warband in the game proceeds to have BARELY 6.

you have 5 options to choose from for a sparring partner. Rox's old warband had 6 members (or maybe 7). We've still never met more than one of Rytlock's 'bandmates. Almorra gets one 'bandmate mentioned by name.

most charr in the entire game, including top-ranking tribunes and imperators, are not with their warbands, do not talk about their warbands, do not go places with their warbands. Tribune Bhuer Goreblade shows up with a small handful of 'bandmates in the charr level 10 story.

You do not see groups of 12-18 charr warbands roaming around Ascalon with fascinating life stories and 'bandmate dynamics and mourning the latest one(s) who died, with mementos, with stories about how 'my sparring partner saved my life' and 'this member of the warband whom I know least of all my bandmates would die for me and they proved it last week' and 'Im unhappy with bandmate X but I would kill for them' or 'bandmates Y and Z obviously love each other. wanna join the betting pool?' and the legionnaire who confides in you about their tough decisions of who they're picking to be their second/replacement. All within the same warband.

Not even one warband like this. Much less the multiple that charr culture deserves.

Even in IBS, the, at least half-way, charr-centric story, our main focus warband is Ryland's Steel warband. Who has, predictably, 6 members. And like 10 fresh-faced, unnamed recruits who have 0 history or dynamic with the Main Cast. even the 6 named members, who have vibes and character and a bit of a dynamic, are stupid shallow. (and tbf they didn't have time to explore it much, but really?)

We do not see Bangar's 'bandmates. We do not see Rytlock's 'bandmates. We do not hear anything about Almorra's old 'bandmates. We do not see Ember Doomforge's 'bandmates. We do not see Smodur's 'bandmates. We do not see Malice's 'bandmates. We do not see Efram's 'bandmates.

We see a lot of 'cubs this' (with Rytlock and with Efram), I heard a lot of speculation about 'cubs that' in fandom spaces, we see a lot of 'ohoho relationship/mating drama' (from Rytlock/Crecia and also Almorra/Bangar). We do NOT see ANYTHING about warbands, supposedly the building-blocks of charr society.

Even the charr player's old warband is mostly disbanded/defected to Dominion.

I have yet to see any real warband dynamics in canon.

Even in the books! Rytlock's 24 'bandmates are fair game because they're offscreen. And Anet has consistently refused to show any of them. Even Rytlock's dynamic with Crecia is pretty much just "we're old exes" and never "we grew up together. we fought together. our bonds are deeper than those of biology, than the fact we have a cub. I stabbed you once and you knew I didn't mean it because we are 'bandmates." Sure, Crecia mentions once "ohoho we used to see the ice elementals here as cubs."

But in the books! Sea of Sorrows for instance! iirc the majority of Sykax's warband is unnamed! Ember Doomforge, again, no mentions of warband! Rytlock nor Malice nor Almorra talk about inter-warband relations!

we never see any warbands larger than 6 members.

And this is all because, OBVIOUSLY, who wants to come up with 12-18 whole characters when it's just the one who's relevant to the story? Coming up with 6 is hard enough it only happens in special occasions. which doesn't include the legit actual player character.

(the player character, whose warband is decimated to TWO flaming members (including yourself!!) in the tutorial, and! yay! fun lorebuilding! you get to rebuild the warband. this adds a flaming total of TWO members. now you're at flaming four. FLAMING FANTASTIC. the player-flaming-character gets FOUR 'bandmates. this is atrocious!! and tbf if you compile all the options across all the branches you might end up in the (low end, probably) of 12-18. which is fair!)

but like. I do sympathize. I really do. characters are hard. names especially! which would be the bare minimum yknow. have an 18-member warband with zero dialogue but! they do have names! that wander around Ascalon. not even an event chain just average-sized warband representation PLEASE.

like. I did it myself. I invented a warband and I BARELY got them to 6 members. I had name, gender, profession for each of them. they were minor characters so they didn't even get the development that Ryland's Steel got. names, professions and the vibes from that. I felt so bad for only giving them 6 bc I was reinforcing the stereotype!!

but, so, uhhhh

I have been handed an OC. from a friend. who has given me full creative license to write abt them in my story.

I gave him 23 'bandmates. They all have names and genders. They're split up into who is whose sparring partner and who bunks with whom. That is all.

I also get VibesTM from each member's name. I'm slowly building relationship maps. (mostly just. from character A's PoV, ranking who they are closest with. Then doing it from Character B's PoV. it's WILDLY fascinating.) I have three charr 'bandmates who have their own little niche, they three are besties, they're each other's sparring partners and bunkmates and everybody (main relevant characters at least) knows them as 'those three'. and I know their names. none of the characters I'm writing about know them very well (relative to the rest of the warband ofc. ofc each one would DIE for them and probably knows their struggles and combat strengths and weak points and so on. but I haven't invented any of those yet) and that's all. I don't have a single bit of info about them except that and the vibes of each name. but hey!!!! WARBAND DYNAMICS MY BELOVED!?!!

[bhuerracus]

hi im new on tumblr... i wanted to see what the gw2 fandom is like and its MASSIVE on here wow! so here, have my ship. they changed my life. erracus the wise and bhuer goreblade. bhuerracus...

[the-blazing-light]

"Son of fire and ruin, destinied for conquest, now claims to be a savior?"

Some thoughts about Arengar that have been cooking in my head for a while, and about the importance of blood for charr in general.

Blood and family is a big theme in Arengar's story, because even though charr parents don't participate in raising their children and we're told that, to quote Bangar, "charr don't have sons", it's shown time and time again that your lineage matters quite a lot and reflects the way you're treated and seen in your legion: an entire chapter of personal story for charr being entirely dedicated to who your father is/was, despite him not participating in your upbringing, you're still the one on whose shoulders it falls, in some cases, to respond to your father's wrongdoings or even kill your father if you choose that option during one of the possible story missions. Ryland's entire conflict is trying to split away from who his parents are, to do something worthwhile himself instead of just living in the shadow of his parents' big names and achievements. And in another case, you can find a statue of charr called Ferro the Butcher in the Black Citadel, father of one of Iron's tribunes, Bhuer Goreblade, who was obsessed with the 'tainted legacy' of his flame shaman grandsire, and after Bhuer was born has volounteered to answer for the crimes of his ancestor so that Bhuer doesn't have to face the same predjudice as him. So while charr don't raise their children, lineage matters a lot to them, even going as far as generations back.

And Arengar's lineage is nothing to scoff at. Grandcub of the Blood Legion imperator, son of a respected Blood warrior who'd fought viciously and became known for her ferocity during the siege of Ebonhawke, he's had a lot to live up to since the day he was born.

He was born to become a model soldier of his legion, heavy expectations of his blood always weighing down on his shoulders. His lineage is that of duality, as while his mother's side of the family are respected, well-known Blood warriors, his father is an ex-Flame shaman, who caused quite a stir when Maja, Arengar's mother, took him into her warband, placing the trust into a shaman who'd turned his back on Flame Legion and claimed to want vengeance on his former comrades. That trust seemed to pay off, as Scorchface, a nickname he'd gotten due to the burn scarring on his head along with black markings on his muzzle, became a loyal and invaluable part of her warband and later on, her lover, resulting in Arengar being born.

So since his birth Arengar had to contend with two very conflicting legacies: that of a renowned, respected warrior, pride of her Legion and her father, the Imperator, and that of a flame shaman seen as dangerous even after proving time and time again his newfound loyalty to Maja, her warband and her legion. Notably though, his loyalties were specifically to her, not to the Blood legion. To the warband and its leader who took him in and trusted him while the rest of the legion saw him as a danger to them and a tratior.

Despite that, Arengar held a lot of pride in his blood, it is reflected even in Arengar's fighting style: being a guardian he combines the martial prowess of a warrior while wielding searing flame, his father's shaman legacy. And even despite his father's reputation, Arengar was still seen as a progidal son, someone with a lot ahead of him, someone destinied to reach great heights within Blood Legion, and his performance in the Fahrar and eagerness to become the best soldier his legion has ever seen has only cemented that. A born conqueror, one to bring glory to the Blood Legion and he intended to do just so.

That is, until an accident and a series of bad decisions led to his warband dying, Arengar being left a sole survivor, a gladium. Still young at the time, filled with ambitions that have been shattered before his eyes and dealing with the pain of losing his warband, becoming a gladium, returning to his legion as a disgraced sole survivor felt like a fate worse than death. Scared, pained and still young, Arengar couldn't find it in him to go back to his legion and face the tribunal, the progidal son of Blood Legion now being a member of the lowest caste, a gladium, the disgraced sole survivor of his warband.

[alta1r1an]

Spill it! Raevik, do you have your eyes on anyone~? (@commanderhorncleaver)

"What? Hm, I usually only have eyes for my target"

He ponders for a moment, looking somewhat bored. "I suppose, if I got to choose a target for 'fun'. Then... some high profile man. A tribune, like Brimstone or Bhuer Goreblade. I could have fun with the ego's on those, comes with their role."

He grins, a practiced grin. "Or maybe someone like that Horncleaver fellow. The things that he would know... among, other qualities that dont hurt.

[brax-was-here]

Bhuer Goreblade - Iron Legion Tribune and Commander of the Adamant Guard of the Black Citadel.

[talk-of-tyria]

Ascalon - The Black Citadel - The Command Core Bhuer Goreblade: Erracus! Where in the flames is my flathead screwdriver? The little one! Erracus the Wise: Same place I ALWAYS put it, Tribune. On your desk. It’s probably under all that junk. Bhuer Goreblade: You’re lucky I tolerate your insubordination, Erracus. I could kick you into the Bane for less than that! Erracus the Wise: And I’d kick your tail! You may not be a cub, but I’d whup you all the same, haha! And then salute you. Sir! Bhuer Goreblade: Haha! Keep on thinking that, if it keeps you organizing my stuff. At ease!

[shiverpeakstraveler]

Just Like Fire Chp 3

Once again returning to Ascalon, Liana is informed of a Blood Legion training facility and hatchery falling under attack by the Flame Legion, and is sent by Rytlock to aid a charr ranger Rox in reclaiming it. Upon arriving, though, she finds the hatchery under attack by a group composing of Flame Legion and Dredge-just like the one that had attacked Cragstead.

Once Liana was able to get her bearings together, she hastily made her way back to the Black Citadel, not even bothering to slow down as she jumped between asuran waygates to reach the charr capital. Her mind was racing as she struggled to remain calm, trying not to think of what possible danger her father might be in the hands of his captors.

He's going to be fine, Liana, relax! she thought as she began the climb up to the Imperator's Core once more, Dad's been through rougher scraps! He's probably fighting his way to freedom right now!

But what if he's not? What if something terrible has happened to him?

"-talk about that later. I've got a mission for you. You're aware of the refugee situation."

Liana glanced up immediately when she heard Rytlock's voice. The Blood Tribune was speaking to a young female charr with sandy brown fur and a dark red mane. Going by her armor and choice of weaponry, the charr was a ranger like Liana, although the human couldn't find a pet by her side. Nearby was a large group of charr officials seeming to be discussing the threat of the dredge and Flame Legion alliance. She recognized a few of the members present, such as Imperator Smodur the Unflinching, Tribunes Torga Desertgrave of Ash and Bhuer Goreblade of Iron, as well as Mia Kindleshot, whom Liana vaguely remembered from a party a year ago at Minister Caudecus' estate that resulted in said Minister being relocated to the palace 'for his safety'.

"Yes, Tribune," the charr replied, her grip on the short bow in her hands tightening,  "I heard the Flame Legion have been mobilizing in northern Diessa Plateau."

"You heard right," Rytlock growled, "They're mucking with our assets up there, and it's singeing my fur. I need you to secure that hatchery we discussed. You think you can handle that?"

"Yes, Tribune. I'll leave right away."

"Good. Take any support you can find. You're likely to need it."

"Yes, Tribune!" the charr exclaimed before leaving to go gather supplies for the mission.

Maybe now I can see what Sourpuss wants, Liana thought before clearing her throat loudly.

Rytlock immediately turned to face her, the anger present across his face seeming to have fade away slightly.

"Commander, welcome. Unfortunately, this is a private defense quorum. Of course, if you have time, I would ask a favor of you."

"Well, I did say I'd come back after I took care of something for Whitebear like you asked," she replied, "I've got a report from the Wayfarer Foothills."

"Where? Oh, yeah. That norn kid," he grumbled, snarling slightly as he recalled the guardian, "You went with him? How'd that turn out?"

"Better than expected. We managed to take back his homestead, but things are rough over there."

"Things are rough everywhere. You want a taste of it? I've got a soldier who could use some back-up. Name's Rox. I just gave her a mission to protect some Blood Legion assets. What do you say?"

"Sure, I'm game. Just tell me where I need to go."

"The North Nolan hatchery is in Diessa Plateau. Just outside the citadel's northern gate. The hatchery is northwest of the town. Go quickly. Rox'll be heading there soon."

"You got it. Catch you later, Rytlock," Liana acknowledged before hurrying off to look for Rox.

She soon found her gathering a few extra weapons, among them what looked to be a greatsword as well as a few daggers.

"You Rox?"

The charr immediately turned around, her muzzle twisting slightly in a frown as she gave the human a critical eye. "Depends on who's asking."

"I'm Liana Rohland," she replied, extending a hand out to her, "Tribune Brimstone asked me to give you a hand with your mission. Something about a hatchery?"

Rox's frown immediately became a grimace as took ahold of her hand and gave it a shake. "You'd be correct. It's under attack by the Flame Legion and the terrible things they're doing sicken me. Those poor defenseless baby devourers won't be able to stand a chance."

Devourers were scorpion-like arachnids with two tails, capable of thriving in arid and humid climates. Some were even able to grow to gargantuan sizes and for awhile were used by the charr as siege mounts. Nowadays, they were commonly the preferred pet of many a charr ranger. As intimidating and dangerous as they were, Liana couldn't help but admit to having a certain fondness for them.

"If it's one thing I'm good at, it's bashing Flame Legion skulls in," Liana proclaimed, cracking her knuckles, "How does one get to the hatchery, then?"

"Head out the northern gate of the Black Citadel into Diessa Plateau. That's Nolan. Just go northwest of the town, you'll find the hatchery. You can't miss it."

"Thanks! Erm....if it's alright to ask, why is this hatchery such an important asset?"

"It's one of the largest Blood Legion hatcheries and training facilities," Rox explained as she hauled herself off the ground, "We've got a lot of resources invested in it. If it were compromised, it would be a terrible loss."

"If it's so important, why isn't Rytlock sending other soldiers with you?"

"Blood Legion personnel are stretched thin protecting the citadel and preparing for war. Besides, I know a test when I see one!"

The statement caused Liana to raise a brow in surprise. "A test?"

Rox nodded with enthusiasm. "Tribune Brimstone wants to see if I'm resourceful. I'm trying out for his warband, you know?"

"His warband?"

"Yeah. I lost my warband in a mining explosion. I'm gladium. Does that bother you?"

Gladium were charr who lost their warband, and considered the lowest of the low in charr society. Usually the last one left standing or the one to turn coward, gladium would either try to find a new warband to call home, or find their place outside of charr society.

"Doesn't bother me a bit," Liana responded, "As long as you'll have my back out there, I'll have yours."

"Good to know," Rox rumbled slightly before glancing down at Nyla, who was looking at the charr from behind the human ranger, "Interesting pet you've got there. You don't really see alot of tigers these days."

Liana puffed up her chest slightly and rested a hand on Nyla's head. "I've had Nyla ever since she was a cub. Bit of a long story, really."

"I'd be happy to listen to it sometime," the charr chuckled, "Right now, though, we've got a hatchery that needs our help. Bring a friend if you can."

"I'll see if I can. Meet you there."

The North Nolan Hatchery was in as much disarray as Cragstead had been in. Dredge and Flame Legion were popping out of the woodwork in what seemed like never-ending waves, and Liana's ears were ringing with the cacophony of sonic weaponry echoing throughout the hatchery.

"Rah! We've got to do something! Those sonic devices are hurting the devourers!" Rox snarled as she glanced over from behind their hiding spot at the large cluster of hatchlings rendered immobile by sonic emitters.

Liana gritted her teeth as she stashed her bow away, quickly reaching for the greatsword strapped to her back. "Do what you can to cover me. I'll go try and smash the emitters and see if we can get the little guys to help us fight."

The charr proceeded to nod as she reached for an arrow in her quiver. "Watch yourself. Those emitters pack quite the punch."

Liana made a sound of acknowledgement before leaping out from their hiding place, darting about as fire and sonic vibrations began to rain down upon her while Rox began to pick off the attackers. Each shattered emitter brought at least three or four angry devourer hatchlings lashing out at the invading forces, barbs and venom flying through the air. Before she had a chance to shatter the last sonic emitter, Liana found herself being knocked off her feet by a well-aimed blast of flame.

Shit! Shit! Shit! she swore silently as she proceeded to roll around, attempting to smother the flames. Once the fire had died down, she glanced around wildly for the source, her gaze locking down on a Flame shaman flanked by a few dredge oscillators.

"Show no mercy!" the shaman barked with a laugh, another fireball beginning to form in his hands.

Liana gritted her teeth as she grappled for her sword-swearing in several languages under her breath-when a sound like thunder shattered through the air. The shaman let out a howl of pain as he clawed desperately at a sticky substance that clung to his fur, a pungent smell wafting through the air.

Buckshot and lye? Only person I know who uses that is-!

"For the Legions!"

Liana immediately snapped her head behind her just in time to see a female charr leap over her, driving the butt of her rifle into the shaman's face. Three more charr came bounding in after her, the air immediately filled with pistol fire and the clanking sound of turrets activating. The leader of the charge-a charr sporting the fur and markings akin to that of a snow leopard and golden eyes-pulled back for a moment to haul the human ranger back to her feet.

"You're not sleeping on the job, are you, Commander?" the charr said with a smirk, "This party is just getting started!"

Liana couldn't help but grin as she leapt back into the fray. "You're a sight for sore eyes, Liviana! I didn't know you were in the neighborhood!"

"I wasn't. I was paying the warband a visit when we caught wind of these soft claws attacking the hatchery.  Jumped to the closest waypoint we could get to and hightailed it here."

"Either way, the help is definitely appreciated! Let's send these louts crawling back to wherever they came from!"

The arrival of Liviana and her warband turned the odds around in favor of the two rangers, and it wasn't long before the hatchery was cleared. As soon as the fighting died down, Rox quickly made her way over to a wounded charr sporting the colors of the Blood Legion.

"You there. I'm here on Tribune Brimstone's orders," she exclaimed as she started to tend to his injuries, "Report!"

"Sithio Quicklash of the Lash Warband," the charr responded with a grunt, wincing slightly as Rox examined his wounds, "We had no warning. They came out of the ground before we could sound the alarm. Dredge and Flame Legion."

"Your warband?"

"Was stationed here, yeah. Some are dead, but the others barricaded themselves behind the south gate. Here's the key. The invaders were in pursuit. We have to-!"

"You're wounded," Rox interrupts him, "You stay here and warn away anyone else who comes. We'll go."

"Yeah, we've got this, Sithio," Liana adds, giving the charr a reassuring look, "Besides, the hatchlings are going to need someone to protect them while we press forward."

Liviana soon approached the three, slinging her rifle over her shoulder. "Hatchery is secure for now. I'll have Cimmara and Luccia stay behind to give our friend here some back up while we head for the training grounds."

"Good idea, Vivi. We could definitely use a hand," Liana replied before turning to face the ranger beside her, "Rox, this is Liviana Gearseeker, Centurion of the Seeker warband and Warmaster in the Vigil. Liviana, this is Rox. I'm helping her complete a task for Tribune Brimstone."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, soldier," Liviana greeted respectively, offering the gladium a salute, "I'll be honest, I'm surprised you didn't have backup. This isn't really a mission that can be pulled off by two people."

Rox pulled herself to full height as she returned the salute. "I'm trying out for Tribune Brimstone's warband. This is without a doubt a test he wants me to complete."

Liviana proceeded to let out a low whistle, clearly impressed. "The Stone warband, eh? That's not an easy one to get into. You and your pet will need all the luck you can get."

Confusion spread across the younger charr's face. "Pet? I'm sorry, but I don't have a pet."

"Well, it looks like you do now," the engineer replied, pointing to something behind Rox.

Both Liana and Rox spun around to find a pale white devourer hatchling standing near the charr ranger, chittering slightly as it stared up at Rox, as if awaiting a command.

"Burn my hide," Rox growled before waving the hatchling off, "Shoo! Go back to your nest!"

More chittering, although the devourer seems content with ignoring that specific order as it began to circle around the charr.

"Listen. I can't take care of you right now."

Even more chittering.

"Oh, for rust's sake. Shoo! Git! I don't want another pet!"

Liana had to clap her hand over her mouth in attempt to hold back the burst of laughter bubbling up inside of her.  "Hate to tell you, Rox, but I think you've been adopted."

Rox let loose a grumbling noise before turning her attention towards the training area. "We better get going. The longer these bastards are lurking around here, the more damage they'll be able to cause."

"All too true. Lead the way, Rox," Liviana rumbled, "Time to send these softclaws running. Reeva! You're with me and the Commander!"

"You got it, Boss!"

The quartet immediately began their charge towards the training grounds, Rox having to stop every once in awhile in attempt to shoo the devourer hatchling away to no avail. As soon as they reached the gate, the charr ranger began to unlock it with the key Sithio had given them, only to freeze as if she had been dunked in ice water, a snarl tugging at her muzzle.

"Something's not right. Do you smell that?"

Liana began to sniff at the air, her nose wrinkling in disgust. "It reeks of sulfur around here."

"That means Flame Legion," Rox growled as she undid the lock and threw the gate open, "They're near. Be sure to stay close."

No sooner had Rox said those words did a wave of Flame Legion come crashing towards them, the sound of roaring flame being met with bullets and clashing steel shattering through the air. When the last Flame Legion fell to a ground, a portal similar to the one that had been in Cragstead appeared, revealing a dredge armored and geared similar to the shaman Liana and Braham had fought.

"Surrender, female!" the dredge barked, "You're outnumbered and outgunned!"

A smirk began to form on Rox's face. "I don't think so. I've seen things scarier then you come out of my pet."

Liana couldn't help but laugh. "Think I fought skritt more intimidating than him as well!"

The dredge let out an agitated shout before he began lobbing fireballs-A spellcasting dredge? That's new-at the group. While he lacked the precision and skill that the shamen of Flame possessed, he was still a threat as the four split up to avoid being struck. Liana could hear Reeva shouting curses as she ducked behind an overturned cart. From where she was hunkered down, she could see Liviana and Rox picking off countless numbers of reinforcements, Nyla and the devourer darting about as they attacked their targets. For every one that the two seemed to strike down, it seemed three or four more seem would take their place.

If we can get to the wise-guy calling the shots, we may have a chance to send them on the run. How are we going to get to him though with him lobbing fire around like confetti?

"Commander!"

Liana snapped her attention towards Liviana, the engineer waving her over frantically.

"I think I know how we can turn the tide in our favor," Liviana hissed, holding up a grenade in her hand.

Liana glanced down at the explosive, frowning as she recognized what type it was. "Flash grenades don't work on dredge, though. They're immune to blinding attacks."

"I thought so as well," the engineer growled, "But I accidentally tossed one of these at him and it looked like it might have an affect on him."

"Looks like whatever magic they've been dabbling in robbed them of that immunity," Rox added, "Throw a handful or two at him, and we might be able to get a clear shot at him without worrying about him scorching our hides off."

Liana pondered for a moment before giving the two a nod. "Worth a shot. Let's do this!"

With a howl, Liviana sprung up, lobbing the flash grenades at the dredge spellcaster. A popping sound could be heard, accompanied by several bright flashes that left the dredge stumbling about, disoriented.

Probably regretting the choices leading up to this moment right now, pal Liana thought as she darted out from behind cover, greatsword at the ready as she sprinted towards her target.

The dredge was able to gain focus long enough to see the pommel of the sword strike him between the eyes, the force knocking him flat on his back. Sparks began to fly from his hands as he began to summon another fireball, only for them to die as quickly as they appeared as Liana drove the sword into his chest.

She hardly noticed the remaining forces fleeing as Liviana's warband gave chase, her attention instead focused on the damage that had been left behind. Fallen soldiers of the Blood Legion were scattered around the grounds of the hatchery along with several devourer warbeasts, no doubt all of them had gone down fighting tooth and nail against the invasion that claimed them.

This is just like what happened to Cragstead, if not worse. Spirits, who could have even imagine something like this happening?

"We're too late," Rox growled in frustration, her words tearing Liana from her thoughts as the charr moved to stand beside the human ranger.

Liana grimaced. "Blast it. At least we were able to save Sithio and the hatchlings."

"Look, treadmarks. Footprints. They took some of the workers away, alive."

The human's eyes immediately snapped towards the marks in question on the ground. Whoever had been taken alive definitely put up quite a fight before being dragged off.

More prisoners. Just like Dad. Raven's beak, I hope they're okay...

"I have to secure the hatchery, but then I'm going to track them down. When I find out where they took the prisoners, I'll contact you-Hey, are you alright?"

Liana was torn from her thoughts by Rox's question, turning to see the charr kneeling right next to her, a look of slight concern on her face.

"Wha-? Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine. I'm alright, Rox."

"Are you sure? You look like someone walked across your grave."

Liana bit her lip nervously as she stared up at the charr, her mind racing as struggled to put her thoughts into words.

"I....right before I spoke with you at the Black Citadel, I was returning from helping out with a similar problem in the Shiverpeaks. A homestead had fallen under attack by a group exactly like the one that attacked this hatchery. Prisoners were taken, too.....one of them being my father."

The concern soon turned to sympathy as Rox proceeded to clasp Liana on the shoulder. "I'm sorry....I hope you're able to find him."

"So do I," she replied, biting back the tears that were threatening to escape her, "I mean, he's a tough old cuss, but still."

"Hey, if he's as tough as you, I'm willing to bet he'll be causing some trouble for these skritt heads," Rox said with a grin, "Might be even fighting his way to freedom right now."

Liana couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Wouldn't put it past him. He's not one to back down from a fight."

The two were soon joined by Liviana, rifle shouldered while she carried one of the weapons several of the charr and dredge had been wielding.

"Hatchery seems secure for now. My warband's scouring for stragglers at the moment," the engineer replied before handing the bizarre weapon-a rifle of some sort-to Liana, "Thought you might want to bring this to your colleagues at the Priory. I'm grabbing a few to study myself, but it looks like the Flame Legion and dredge combined their tech together."

Liana took ahold of the rifle and glanced over it with a critical eye. "You're right. My fellow scholars will definitely want to look at this. I'm not sure if I even heard of something like this happening before. An alliance between the two is something new altogether."

"I'll be informing my superiors within the Vigil about this as well. A combined force like this does not bode well, especially with the dragons breathing down our necks."

"Let them know they're taking prisoners as well. If we find out where they're taking them, we'll definitely need Vigil steel in order to spring a rescue."

Liviana nodded grimly before saluting both Liana and Rox as she turned to leave. "I'll be sure to do that. Fight well, Commander. And best of luck joining the Stone Warband, Rox."

Both rangers bid her farewell before they began to head back to check on Sithio, who Liana could tell had managed to get on his feet and was able to walk around from where he stood.

"By the way," Rox exclaimed, stopping in her track and staring at Liana with a raised brow, "Why was she calling you 'Commander'? I don't recall the Durmond Priory having such a rank in their order."

Liana bit her lip slightly, avoiding eye contact with the charr. "It's.....It's a bit of a long story. One I promise to share once we find out where those prisoners are."

Rox let out a hm sound as she glanced her over, a frown tugging at her muzzle. After what seemed like an hour she proceeded to shrug before continuing on her way.

"Alright, then. I'll be holding you to that. Till then, I'll contact you once I find out where they're taking everyone," she stated before glancing down at the devourer hatchling still tailing after her, " Right now, I need to find this guy something to eat."

"Sounds like a good idea. Catch you later, Rox."

Liana watched both the charr and devourer dart off towards the direction of the hatchery before continuing on her way towards Sithio, mind racing with numerous questions.

First Cragstead, now this hatchery. What are they after? What are they hoping to achieve?

She paused for a moment to glance down at the hybrid tech she clutched in her hands.

What-or Who, even-convinced the dredge and the Flame Legion to join forces in the first place?

[skaald-of-the-hearth-fires]

DoF:RefTE chapter ten - Ghostbore Musket

Dreams of Freedom: Reforging the Edge

Chapter ten: Ghostbore Musket | (AO3 link)

Tribune Rytlock Brimstone is about to tear his fur out. Scattered on his desk are various books, scrolls, parchments, copies of ancient documents, and his own handwritten notes and analyses. A thick journal of his efforts lies in the corner of Rytlock’s office, thrown in frustration.

Nothing.

No leads on the ghosts, Sohothin, or the Foefire.

The ghosts created by the Foefire are unique, as far as Rytlock can tell. There is no research on how to dispel them, unlike other sorts of ghosts.

That’s probably because I’m the leading researcher.

Fancy that, a Blood Legion Tribune being a lead scholar in any subject other than war… terrain, supply lines, troop morale, death, campaign planning, and, of course, the quickest ways to personally kill anything under the sun, lead armies, head up battles, establish sieges, and be flexible enough to respond to new threats or circumstances.

Well, his research probably falls under the category of “campaign planning.” Or “threat responsiveness.”

The ghosts themselves? Inscrutable. The sword that cast the Foefire? Unreachable. The twin of that sword?

Rytlock has run every discoverable magical test on Sohothin that might possibly interact well with the flaming sword’s magic. Possibly there are more, but they are beyond his skill (which is none), and spellcasters willing to cast more complex spells for him have busy schedules.

Rytlock also has a busy schedule.

They don’t often line up.

Nothing.

No leads on a way to deal with the dragon minions or the rebellious Flame Legion, either.

Rytlock grips the armrests of his chair, claws digging into the leather, and shoves himself up.

The charr need a breakthrough. Ascalon won’t survive otherwise. He stomps to the window overlooking the Black Citadel. The charr had conquered Ascalon, defeated the humans, destroyed their cities, and rebuilt on top of them, yet somehow the humans are still winning.

Unacceptable.

He has their sword and access to all modern research, and yet a dead human from over two centuries ago - !

Rytlock shakes his fist in the direction of Ascalon City. Still in ruins after two hundred and fifty years, haunted by hordes of ghosts and the human king Adelbern himself, the charr hadn’t bothered to rebuild it.

Magdaer, twin to Sohothin, also lies within the crypts of Ascalon City, so close and yet so far. Disturbing the ghosts there would be a last resort, an unwise risk made out of desperation. Taking a force large enough to fight through the city would leave the Black Citadel unacceptably weakened. Not even counting the fact that the ghosts would retaliate. Harshly.

They’d barely held off the latest siege on Smokestead, led by a minor duke of the king’s estate. A siege led by the king himself?

Rytlock itches to get his hands on Magdaer - perhaps the spells and magical tests would reveal something on it - or perhaps just having it would yield some insight - but it is too risky.

Not now.

Perhaps fifty years ago, or a hundred, when the charr were stronger…

Knock knock.

Rytlock turns. “Enter.”

Erracus, Tribune Bhuer’s assistant, pokes her head in. “Tribune Bhuer has something you might like to hear.”

Bhuer is Iron Legion, the soldiers of artillery and weapon design and maintenance. Perhaps Iron had made some innovation that would help against the dragon minions or Flame Legion. Or perhaps it’s unrelated entirely.

Rytlock needs a break from the books anyway. He follows Erracus across the hall to Tribune Bhuer’s office.

Bhuer is grinning from ear to ear. “Look at these plans, Rytlock. I got word from the maker last night that there’s a working prototype.”

Rytlock studies the blueprints. He gets the general idea - a specialized rifle of some sort - but he doesn’t know most of the Iron Legion’s internal telemetry. “What is it?”

“The maker calls it the Ghostbore Musket. Good for fighting against ghosts. Reminds me of your sword, actually.”

Rytlock flicks an ear and his eyes narrow. "Really? A fire-based weapon?"

"Oh no, no, nothing like that. It's charr tech, very little magic - it stops the ghosts from reforming."

"Oh." Rytlock relaxes slightly. Not a challenge or… replacement for Sohothin, then. It would just commoditize one of the sword's useful side effects. “Do you know for how long?"

“Supposedly for weeks.”

Rytlock’s eyes widen. His tail twitches. “That’s marvelous indeed. Who came up with this?”

“I believe you’ve met him. Vargok Hellforge, of the Forge Warband. He’s a legionnaire now, too.”

“Ah, the soldier with the flamethrower.” Likewise, flamethrowers are no threat to Rytlock's fame as the Sohothin-wielding charr.

“Perhaps. I’m not familiar with him personally - yet, at least. Seems quite your style if he does, though! He’s an excellent engineer regardless. I’ll certainly be taking an interest in him. I think we all should.”

“Smodur’s eye, yes!” Rytlock growls. “With that kind of an advantage over the ghosts, we could focus on the dragon minions!”

“And the Flame Legion,” Bhuer rumbles dangerously.

That brings Rytlock up short. “Smodur’s eye, the Flame Legion are probably nervous as grawl right now. They’ll want to put a stop to that weapon as soon as possible."

"Well, we can't let that happen," Bhuer grins. "We'll keep it under wraps as long as possible… and then keep it under guard."

Rytlock nods. "Dragon minions and ghosts might be mindless, but the Flame will fight back. Adapt tactics.”

“Yeah,” Bhuer grumbles. “They’re no strangers to sabotage, either.”

“That’s your problem,” Rytlock jibes. “Your machines can be destroyed. Iron can melt. The instincts of a battle-trained Blood Legion charr? Unsurpassable.”

Bhuer flicks an ear. “You gotta get up close for that. Flame’d singe your fur right off, and kill you too, without blinking. You do that if you want, Iron Legion will shoot safely from the back lines.”

“Cowards.”

“Idiots.”

Knock knock.

Bhuer shoots Rytlock a grin. “Enter,” he calls.

The rust-furred Iron Legion not-gladium soldier enters, holding a rifle instead of a flamethrower. His warband remain outside the door, staring wide-eyed. His very small warband. Rytlock narrows his eyes. Nine? What kind of a ‘band is that?

“Ah,” Bhuer says, clearly delighted. “Here’s my new up-and-comer now. I was just telling Tribune Brimstone about you. Nothing good, of course.”

Rytlock rolls his eyes and speaks to Hellforge. “Don’t you believe it, soldier. In fact, Tribune Goreblade was bragging about some special weapons project you’re heading up.”

Hellforge nods at Rytlock nervously and addresses Bhuer. “I have an update on that, sir. I’ve built a working prototype of my Ghostbore Musket. I’ve also arranged a weapons test.”

“Very good,” Bhuer muses.

“B-but, there’s a problem, sir,” Hellforge adds. “I’ve seen the Flame Legion twice inside the Citadel. First, they were after my plans, and then they showed up at the scrapyard to ambush me. They want my weapon, and they want me dead.”

Hm, a scrapper. A diamond in the rough, then. And even the Flame Legion knows it.

Bhuer snarls. “Flame? Inside the Citadel? Grr. That steams my ears. How did they find out about your weapon design?”

Rytlock interjects; “I told you, Bhuer, the Flame commanders are nervous. If this musket makes ghosts take longer to reform, we’ll need less troops to fight them.” He’s speaking as much to Hellforge as he is to Bhuer, of course. This guy needs some Blood training. “If that happens, Smodur will allocate more soldiers against the Flame Legion, and we’ll finally wipe them out. Mind if I watch the weapon tests?”

Bhuer grins. "Sure. Just stay behind the gun this time, Brimstone." That gets a snort out of Hellforge. Bhuer goes on, "and I'll invite Tribune Desertgrave, too. She'll want to see this."

It means something that Bhuer had let Rytlock in on this before letting the Ash Legion in.

Inter-Legion politics are always complicated.

At least the ghosts will get taken care of. And the Flame Legion. Then they can focus on the dragon minions.

The test is at Duke Barradin's old estate - still filthy with ghosts, of course, just staying out of their way for now. Rytlock grins toothily. The tide is about to change.

~oOoOo~

Duke Barradin's estate had once been a sprawling villa from the time of humanity in Ascalon. The duke had been buried beneath it when he died fighting the last charr invasion, and his ghost had lived on - in a manner of speaking - down in the crypt until it collapsed two days ago.

The weapons test in the ruins of the estate follows all the usual protocols and is, in fact, relatively boring.

That's always good news, of course. At one point Hellforge even comments to one of his 'bandmates that he still has both paws attached. Other than that, the warband seems strangely subdued. That may be due to being babysat by three Tribunes, of course.

Rytlock's mind wanders to the Battle of Smokestead two days ago. Although Barradin's ghost essence can't have re-formed already, Rytlock finds himself wondering what the ancient human will do now that his crypt has collapsed.

The other ancient human ghosts - possibly in life they were soldiers, servants, or family - are in the process of getting lured out and slaughtered by the test of the Ghostbore Musket. The ghosts fall quickly, quicker even than Sohothin can do it, so that's significant progress for the Legions.

While Hellforge confers with Bhuer, Rytlock envisions sweeping the plains of Ascalon with fire that puts ghosts down for weeks. That Musket will work wonders in the hands of Rytlock's Blood Legion warbands.

Suddenly, he realizes Hellforge is speaking to him. "Tribune Brimstone, would you like to accompany us further into the ruins? We could compare the musket against your sword."

Rytlock frowns. Sohothin is special, and while it's uniqueness can't be diminished by another weapon dispersing ghosts for longer, the idea that it could be in direct competition with Sohothin like that… it's not really a mindset he wants to encourage. "Not now. The important thing is that this is technology we can replicate and equip soldiers with en masse. And… nothing personal, Legionnaire… I may have fought beside you once before, but I haven't seen your inventions yet. I'd prefer to start with one that's tried and true."

"Hm," Hellforge says. "Alright, sir…" he turns away.

Rytlock's tail twitches. "You have something to say, Legionnaire?"

"Oh!" Hellforge doesn't seem to want to answer, but he won't refuse a direct request from a Tribune. "I - er - well, you seemed pretty impressed with Scorchy, too. Uh, my flamethrower."

"Ahh, fair point." Rytlock considers. His interest in this soldier is piqued. He's already thinking up ways to implement the Ghostbore technology in Blood Legion ranks.

He side-eyes Torga Desertgrave. The Ash Legion will want to use this tech, too. Might be best to get an in with the maker.

He glances back at Hellforge. "You want me to accompany you?"

"Sir, I'd be honored to have your company on a field test."

Rytlock grins. "Well, when you put it like that… fine. I'll come with you. Heh. It'll be fun."

The kid didn't ask any of the other Tribunes, and for a moment Rytlock wonders why… but there are many reasons. Rytlock is Blood Legion, a legendary frontline fighter and the famous wielder of Sohothin, and they are not. Rytlock had already fought beside Hellforge once, too.

And perhaps… he's simply a fan.

Rytlock doesn't really care. It's just nice, after all, to have someone who's not… afraid of him or Sohothin, but who still has a proper respect. Unlike Logan. Hah. The number of times Logan had tried to take Sohothin from him, 'because it's a human sword' - well, it had gotten them into more scrapes than it got them out of, that's for sure.

They head into the ruins of Barradin's estate, with the goal of stealing a ghost torch from the center, alit with a transparent, sickly-blue flame, to prove the Musket's success.

The Ghostbore Musket in Hellforge's hands takes only three shots to disperse a ghost. Consistently. Ghost after ghost, scattered to the winds.

It’s amazing.

Imagine what it could do inside a Blood Legion cannon? High-powered, long-range, scatter-shot - ooh, or machine-loaded rounds… Rytlock envisions taking out many divisions of ghosts at once… establishing a dead zone around the Citadel… hah, dead-zone… pushing out into Ascalon and claiming it undeniably as charr land at last…

Hellforge's warband is quick, quiet, and efficient as they fight to the center of the ruined estate, ghost essence dispersing in their wake.

Rytlock can't get in more than two swings with Sohothin before his target is annihilated by the Ghostbore Musket, and he finds himself fighting an irrational anger and frustration at the musket's effectiveness compared with the legendary human blade.

Sohothin is undeniably special… and owning it has made Rytlock undeniably special for quite some time. But this is no threat to him, so Rytlock pushes the anxiety aside and battles on in silence, keeping his thoughts to himself.

As promised, Hellforge steals a ghost torch in the center.

Aha, that unlocks his warbandmates’ muzzles. They gather around the torch, exclaiming over it and bragging as Hellforge heads out of the ruins.

One comment catches Rytlock's ears; an older female charr points out with a half-grin, "bet Howl wishes he had one of these muskets, eh?"

The name isn't familiar to Rytlock, but all four of Hellforge's ears droop, and he speaks gravely. "It wasn't the ghosts that got Howl. It was disobedience of a direct order."

There is silence after that as the warband marches out of the ruins, and Hellforge presents the torch to the other two Tribunes as proof of his weapon’s success. Even they exclaim over it and over the Ghostbore Musket.

Clearly neither Iron nor Ash had pushed into a ghost ruin before. At least not with enough competence to spare an eye for ghost tech. Rytlock is more interested in the musket than the torch - it packs a punch while killing ghosts as well as in keeping them dispersed. That… does give it a leg up on Sohothin any day. Not that Rytlock would say so.

Bhuer is gushing, “…exceptional work, Legionnaire. Iron Legion is mighty proud. You’ll get a commendation for this, I promise you.”

Rytlock snorts and butts in. “A commendation… and a roll-out. Blood Legion’s already got ideas how to put your upgrade to use.”

Quite predictably, Torga speaks up immediately. “Hold on, Brimstone. Ash needs that weapon more than your bruisers.”

Bhuer grins at both of them. “Ha! Too bad it’s not your decision. Iron built the weapon, so Iron will make the choice.” Then he turns to Hellforge. “Legionnaire?”

Ooh, game on, Bhuer. The game is clear: three Tribunes fighting for the favor of an unknown scrapper warband. Unconventional, but Rytlock had always thrived on unconventional. At least, if our new favorite legionnaire can handle the attention.

Hellforge frowns, glancing between Rytlock and Torga. “I’d need to see what Blood and Ash have in mind before I decide anything.”

Rytlock’s ear twitches. Inside, though, he’s grinning from ears to ears. This kid knows how to play. This’ll be fun.

[bhuerracus]

ooh you can make pinned posts, so i will make one.

im Monday! this is my GW2 blog, but maybe other stuff will get posted here. i will make another blog if it gets out of hand. i love GW2 for the gameplay, environments, lore, and the Charr. i love werewolf, monstery type characters so Charr are right up my alley. i also love the Sylvari, they are so interesting and cool to me. cant wait to go through the personal story as a Sylvari. my blog is named after my current favorite GW2 ship, bhuer goreblade and erracus the wise.

some random tidbits about me to get to know me:

game development is my primary profession / interest, been doing it for around ten years. i mainly do programming.

furry artist (all my gw2 stuff will go here) but i draw basically anything and everything

passionate gamer, i love to play old games especially and maybe it will leak here. kings field, wizardry, dungeon master, final fantasy, kingdom hearts, sonic the hedgehog, petz, tetris, all kinds of stuff... my favorite console is the PS1.

cartoon connoisseur, i watch most cartoon films that release, even the weird ones that only come out on DVD. i have seen all 40+ scooby doo movies, i wear that with a badge of pride.

i am a transgender woman! i would say i am mostly straight with a bisexual streak for butch women. maybe this is TMI but this is for if you are wondering why my art here is almost nothing but men kissing men hehe.

i use arch linux as a daily driver, ask me if you need help with it!