#gw2 oc lore

[immortal-elements]

New Ardenn lore dropped!

(Art credit goes to Commanderthalys)

Well, some Ardenn, some Daxos, eventually some of all my warband! Trying to actually be semi lore-accurate and give my characters better motivations and story. (Also, lowkey, while the storyline starts shortly after gw1, I hc a lot of settled charr civilization to be a lot more akin to gw2. Which is to say dedicated buildings for various things, (taverns, libraries, armories, etc) rather than what we see in gw1, which is mostly tents...)(also, anytime that Daxos is talking, it's in a sort of charr sign language, )(I'm also really damn rusty at writing, and I'm editing this exactly none prior to posting it, so...)

Ardenn and her brother, Daxos, were born as twins in 1103AE. While Ardenn was a more frail charr, Daxos was born blind and mute, so the two as cubs stuck together to help eachother. With the death of the Titan's still fresh in charr history, and the mistrust against the Flame Legion and the Shaman caste are ongoing, the majority of flame legion control remains. Due to the fact they disallowed females from joining warbands, the two would eventually be separated as Daxos went to train for joining the legions and Ardenn was relegated to domestic work. She worked as a tailor under the tutelage of Bathea Flamebringer.

One day, as Ardenn was stitching up a soldier's uniform, the unfairness of it all began to hit her. The two had hardly ever been separated, but now he's out training for war while she sits and sews. In her rage she tapped into something primal within herself: fire, and burnt the clothes to cinders. Ardenn tried and failed to hide this from Bathea, who understood all too well. Wanting to protect Ardenn, she forbade Ardenn from using magic, and took her to see Era Breakrazor, who trained her in secret as part of Kalla's army. Ardenn takes the name Flameweave in honor of her mentor, Bathea Flamebringer.

1113AE, Ardenn and Daxos are finally reunited, and Ardenn is exuberant about being able to fight just like her brother. Anytime that they could get away from prying eyes, the two would spar to a standstill. During a particularly rough match, Ardenn managed to land a solid blow on him with her sword, and sliced a solid gash into his side. Panicking, Ardenn taps into fire once again to cauterize the wound, and in doing so revealed that secret to her brother.

When it came time for Daxos to join a legion, he went out with Ardenn to share a drink at the tavern. It was at this tavern that they were approached by a flame legion recruiter, who had his eye on Daxos. Ardenn is unaware of Kalla's true purpose in gathering an army, and in a brash moment she urges her brother to join, this might finally be her chance to learn magic!

After much arguing back and forth, Daxos joined the Burning warband as Daxos Burningeye, having impressed the legionaire, Harkon Burningsoul with his uncanny mastery of a battlefield, willingness to follow orders, and inability to talk back, the perfect soldier. Daxos continuted to help Ardenn learn magic, sneaking her spellbooks and scrolls whenever he could, (though he was only sometimes successful. What? All books are the same when you can't see the cover! Sometimes a cookbook feels just like a spellbook, sometimes the spell you learn is how to make a bitchin jambalaya.)

Fast forward, 1116AE, Kalla Scorchrazor is gearing up for the rebellion against the flame legion, recruiting more and more charr to her cause. Ardenn and Daxos are fated to meet on the battlefield at the Plains of Golghein as foes. Harkon gave the order, and Daxos charged her, knocking Ardenn to the floor and bringing his warhammer down on her, but Ardenn only narrowly dodged out of the way. Knowing Daxos better than anyone, Ardenn stood up as silently as she could, moving about the brute stealthily, and crept up behind him. When she was within striking distance, she called out his name, "Daxos, we shouldn't fight, this isn't right! I'm sorry for what I did to you, for how I took advantage of you, but this isn't how it should turn out!"

Ardenn dropped her sword as Daxos turned to face her, his expression softened under his battle scars. He goes to embrace his sister, but his ears twitch; the subtle sound of metal sliding against leather, rushed footsteps! He grabs Ardenn by the arm and throws her to the ground, raising his hammer to catch her would-be assailant; a flame legion warrior, and threw him to the side. Now a turncoat from the flame legion, he found himself in quite the bind, with only one option saving both himself and his sister, surrender. He grabs Ardenn and runs towards the fight, towards Kalla's rebellion. The two siblings fight their way side by side, Daxos cleaving through Flame Legion while Ardenn protected her brother from the rebels, until they are cornered by Kalla and her Razor warband. The flame legion was on it's last legs, the remaining commanding officers had issued a surrender, which Kalla graciously accepted, but that still left her the problem of these two twins. Ardenn explained the whole ordeal, while Daxos corroborated her story. Kalla pondered this for a while, Ardenn had acted of her own self-interest with little regard for her brother, and Daxos had joined the oppressors at her behest. Daxos was a fiercely loyal soldier, while Ardenn was still a petulant child. She took them prisoner until a decision could be made with them.

After Kalla's assassination, Imperator Ironstrike assumed control of the situation with the two charr. A plan for punishment was made. These two couldn't serve the legions, with their loyalties as twisted as they were, but death or exile was too severe for the crime. A fool's errand, perhaps, would be perfect. Forge Ironstrike had heard of mysterious happenings to the west, and sent the two to investigate, deep into the Maguuma Jungle.

1132AE, their journey had taken them through the Shiverpeaks, through Kryta, until they finally reached the jungle. The path ahead was treacherous, it seemed like the very jungle wanted them dead, but the two persisted. Ardenn became very adept at foraging, learning that fire had more than a few uses in the wild, and learning that she was attuned to more than just fire. All the elements coursed through her, she just needed to tap into them and hone them. The two stumbled across the city of Tarir. Magical golden constructs and wellsprings of magic the likes of which never before seen! They couldn't understand the etchings, or discern the purpose of this place, nor did they want to sully it with their presence.

Continuing south, they found a cave system, as well as an asuran civilization, Rata Novus. The Asura are studying the flow of magic here, as one explains to Ardenn, but the mechanics of how or why go right over her head. They make note of this, but continue on their way. While the jungle above them was vicious, the caves they were traversing were equally dangerous, as they found out when one misstep caused the floor beneath them to crumble, and they found themselves suspended in one of the largest magical leylines they had ever seen. The effects were nauseating and immediate, hallucinations, visions of beyond the material plane, nightmares from the mists, tangled and danced behind their eyes. Ardenn felt like she was being pulled apart, soul ripped from her body before being mashed back together, only wrong. In a moment of lucidity, she grabbed hold of the cave wall, and pulled herself and Daxos to safety.

Wracked with visions and sickness, the two drifted between death and life. So much magic had driven the two of them to the brink of sanity. Out of desperation, and wanting escape, Ardenn plunged a dagger into her eye... but she missed? The dagger had struck true to where her head was a second ago, and she didn't remember moving, but sure enough she had gotten out of the way. After some more experimenting, she wanted to put her theory to the test. She asked Daxos to spar with her, for old times sake, and reluctantly he obliged. He raised his hammer to strike, and brought it down on her, it made contact, and he could hear the telltale sound of flesh and bone being crushed, but then his hammer hit the ground as though it passed right through her! Hearing a twig snap behind him, he spun around and swung, and again made contact, but his hammer went right through her? How was this possible? The thought was cut short as he felt a sword go straight through his gut. Clearly, whatever magic had affected Ardenn had not affected Daxos in the same way, and Ardenn had gone too far.

The next few days were a delirious haze, she patched Daxos up as best as she could. Every ounce of healing magic she learned was unable to help him, his wound could be healed but he was still fading fast. Pulling every ounce of magic she could, from herself and from the leylines, she channeled lightning, (enough to trip Rata Novan energy sensors), everything she could into one paw, further, into one claw. Plunging this claw into Daxos's heart, electrifying it, and after several agonizing moments, restarting it. Daxos would live, barely. Whatever magic had affected Ardenn rendered her unable to die, at least by unnatural means, but it would seem that Daxos was still quite susceptible. The two crazed charr begin their journey back to Ascalon.

Fast forward again, 1320AE, approximately 200 years after that. Separation from the leyline energy had allowed them to regain most of their lucidity, but it's effects still lingered. Ardenn and Daxos return to Ascalon, unaware of how much time has passed, unaware that by all accounts they should be dead now. They ask to see Imperator Ironstrike, to report back in, and are met with only concerned stares. "Imperator Ironstrike has been dead for 2 centuries!"

Ardenn goes and looks up the report on their mission, and what she read shocked her. "We haven't received a report from the expedition in 35 years, Ardenn Flameweave and Daxos Burningeye are presumed dead. End of report."

"Well, how about that! Guess we're supposed to be dead! Yet here I stand! We could make use of this!" said Ardenn. "I know, I'll start my own warband, but first I'd have to get the rank of Legionnaire. Shouldn't be too hard, just have to pick the right fight." Going into a tavern, spilling a drink on just the right charr, and taking the fight outside was all easy enough, but she had to utterly humiliate her mark, and make sure the right people were watching.

Legionnaire Urvan Steelbane was the perfect target. Uncaring of his warband, easily angered, and full of pride. He was at the tavern discussing battle plans with Tribune Rytlock Brimstone. Ardenn slammed a few tankards of ale, then drunkenly stumbled into Urvan, spilling a mug of elonian firewine all over him. Urvan grabbed her by the collar and threw a punch, but Ardenn caught it. He had taken the bait, and step 1 was complete. Rytlock pulled the two outside and told them to settle it there, Urvan readied his hammer while Ardenn drunkenly fumbled with her sword. She could beat Urvan easily while armed, she had over 200 years of experience fighting, but she needed to disgrace him. Urvan made the first move, striking low, Ardenn moved her sword to block, and let herself get disarmed, her sword landing in the dirt 10 meters away. Rotating around the charr, she grabbed his arm and pulled it behind his back, while kicking one of his feet out from under him. Knocking him to the ground, with one foot planted squarely on his head, she reached into her boot and pulled out a dagger and held it to his throat. Rytlock laughed, having never seen a more decisive duel, he dismissed Urvan and appointed Ardenn as a legionaire.

With that, Ardenn reintegrated herself into charr society, and began to form her own warband, the Fire warband. Ardenn slightly changes her name to Fireweave while Daxos changes his to be Blindfire. Ardenn keeps the knowledge of their immortality a secret, revealing it only to her warbandmates. She had the magic to prove it, to back it up, so they believed her, and she promised to make each of them immortal too if they blindly follow her. She brainwashed most of them, ritually blinding all the males in her warband. Immortality had cursed her and her brother, and those that seek it should bear the same curse as well.

And, that's about when the personal story starts. Like, I'm retconning a bit of the first portion of personal story, cuz in the Blood legion story you do kick the shit out of Urvan and take his spot, I just think this fits better. Anyways, here's a little blurb about each of her 7 other warband members.

Musicia Firesong. She's a spacy mesmer bard. She never really seems like she's mentally present, always appearing lost in thought, humming a haunting melody. She makes up half the espionage team, infiltrating by bedeviling and beguiling. Nobody notices her sneaking in when they are all enraptured by her melodies.

Geist Banefire. She's the necromancer of the party. Always willing to break a law on magic, or dig up a corpse if need be, she specializes in interrogation. Dead men may tell no tales, but they can answer questions when asked, and the threat of "Tell me what I need to know, or I'll kill you and find out anyways" usually works wonders.

Bruscia Firefang, the ranger of the group. She's the scout for the group, often times going several days ahead of the group to surveil the area. She specializes in survival. She one time spent a month in Draconis Mons living off the land, (and totally not because A Henge Away from Home is an annoying achievement).

Narsus Ghostfire, the thief. Specializing in subterfuge, he makes up the other half of the espionage team, sneaking in and eliminating anyone he needs. He was a petty burglar, (hehe, a cat burglar), but his signature calling card made him all too easy to track down for Ardenn. A thief with a penchant for flair, but will resort to brute force if needed.

Gwyllion Gearfire, the group's engineer. From shrapnel bombs to flashbangs, Gwyllion knows how to make it all. She excels at demolition, always having the right bomb for the job. She may have lost a leg to one of her own landmines, but that just meant that she got to engineer herself a new and better one, with more knives and guns in it.

Agitus Soulfire, the revenant. Agitus wasn't recruited by Ardenn, per se, but when Kalla's spirit saw Ardenn still walking around Black Citadel, looking not a day older than when she had last saw her, she wouldn't shut up until Agitus joined the Fire warband. He is the group's archaeologist, often times having just the right spirit to ask to get the answers he needs.

Axius Tomefire, the guardian of the group. He's the groups historian. Even while blinded, he's found a way to use his firebrand powers to read books by merely touching them. Whenever he isn't poring over tomes, to become the closest thing to "all-knowing" in his soon-to-be immortal life, he is burning his way across the battlefield in righteous fire. A giant flaming juggernaut in the streets, but a bookworm in the sheets.

[mistfallengw2]

How do charr hands function? Here's my headcanon (with drawings!)

So I made this poll earlier today and I ended up making some sketches to explain how I headcanon charr hands and their supposedly retractable yet too big claws. The idea is that both the game and the books are partially right: claws can be big (not as big as the models), and they're semi-retractable (so fully-fluffy paws). [Disclaimer: I am bad at anatomical drawings and did not try to make them super accurate :')]

Basically charr fingers are made of three phalanges, but functionally they're just two, with the 2nd and 3rd being much shorter and sort of "merging" with the claw itself, which is mostly supported by the 3rd and starts very close to the knuckle between them. The palm is covered almost entirely by a skin pad/paw pad, which usually extends to the first phalanx of each finger, and the fingertips are covered by pads as well.

The claws are semi-retractile, though the exact range of motion depends on the individual's genetics (claw size and shape + hand anatomy) and preferences (how much they trim the claw). The ability to retract their claws is managed by specialized extra tendons and muscles in the hand's structure, and they can lock the claw in place or move it, even while the fingers are bent, though with some limitation at the extremes of movement. While the claw at rest will stay at a "safe" angle, the claw's bed can shift on the cartilage structure when pulled, sliding back into a "sheathed" position or be pushed outwards. [note: I was too scared to go too far with the "x-ray" sketches and probably the claws could go a bit further back in the finger lol]

Ancestrally, this system kept the claws from always digging into the ground and losing sharpness when running on all fours, while still allowing for extra grip when necessary (similar to cheetahs) and the use when fighting or taking down prey. During the evolutionary transition in which charr started walking upright most of the time and using tools, it lost some of its ancestral necessity and functionality. However, instead of turning into something vestigial, charr evolved the ability of controlling each claw's movement independently from the rest of the finger, allowing for greater precision, fine motor skills and dexterity.

The pad grants grip and softer manipulation of items, while the claw handles movements finer and more precise than the pad allows, and other races find it complex, fascinating or a bit freaky. Some say that charr are as dexterous than humans, if not more, which is quite an accomplishment for creatures with such big hands.

That said, variety is huge among charr. Some have stubby paws with big, wide claws, while others have long, slender fingers with narrow claws.

Claws are still used as a natural weapon by many soldiers, but it's totally not uncommon for charr to file their claws down or keep them blunt, as there's a huge variety of reasons for not wanting sharp knives on one's fingers (job requirements, handling of delicate materials, safer interactions with cubs or creatures with softer skin, personal preference, etc), and some even keep their claws at different lengths for specific uses.

That said, claws can't be trimmed beyond the quick without bleeding or potential damage, and since it extends out of the sheath it's not possible for a charr to fully sheath their claws. Claws grow quite fast to make up for the daily wear and tear, so upkeep must be done regularly, as trimming too much might temporarily impact coordination. Declawing can happen during combat or following injury, and those affected might wear prosthetics/fake claws to make up for it.

[kheprriverse]

Finally finished this doodle! Hydahlla and her strange (dragon) children.

[lady-quen]

Shadowbinder

Diabolist magic affords more control over raw occult energy than flesh and bone, utilizing one's own soul as a conduit in a volatile dance of suppression and release. The Commander's conjured wings reflect those of his beloved mount Safiyah.

[wyldblunt]

warming up with my new revenant. he's so dumb. his skull is so empty and every demon in a ten mile radius was like "it's free real estate!!!"

[manasurge]

VSartparty drawings finally finished o|-< Sorry the first 4 are so rough, I was using the art party drawings as my test subjects to help me narrow down a few choice brushes to use for lineart in the future, and unfortunately the first four took the brunt of it all. I'LL DRAW YOUR OTHER OCs BETTER LATER I PROMISE!!!! ANYWAYS as per tradition, tag me with the usernames I am missing from here! (ACK I KNOW I'm following a few owners of the missing OCs links here, but my sleeping pill is kicking in and I'm now out of time to search rn lsjflsfk. So sorry!) Suulea - @ratasum Mouul - @hawkepockets Teela - @commanderthalys Rare Frog Species - @ryuu2049 Harley Vuong - @antariies Malva the Furnace - @nyoka-gorefell Constance Deerheart - Huntress Arlena - @gwtoomanyalts Sparrow Dragonheart - Wet Gunk - @ecunderbase Magiscientist Kudo - @wisp-enclosure Rosie la Rose - Rhianwen Deathbloom - @violentnornography

[entering--hyperspace]

Instead of working on important lore writing, I did this.

My Super Duper important lore thoughts below

Okay so I do think Charr purr but I kinda am basing these graphs off of something that is subconscious. I think they can force themselves to purr if they want to but im going based off them doing so naturally

Rox: Purrs often but is like one of those cats you have to either have your hand under their throat to Feel it rumbling or standing Very Next to them in a quiet room. She is a little relieved by this.

Reeva: PURRS LOUD, ALL THE TIME. Reeva is someone who enjoys life and having fun so I thought itd just be Correct to be one of those cats that Always Purrs. Shes purring when she eats, she purrs when shes fighting, she purrs when she sleeps, Its very endearing to me.

Rytlock: Rytlock is one of those Loud Rumbly purrs, those purrs where when you hear it for the first time youre like "Jesus fucking christ how are you purring that Loud?" But, he purrs very rarely, so I guess when you do hear it its a bit special....

Leo: Leo is a bit of a slightly lower than midpoint, normal Purr volume but leans towards not purring as often. So if anything it also feels nice when you hear him purr arouind you.

Crecia: crecia has both a very low volume purr And tends to not purr that often either? You can definitely hear when she purrs but its a little faint, in a way that is also pretty cute to me.

[astralarias]

So strange I've always been the type To kiss a crooked smile Got the devil in my eye

[commander-henrietta]

Commander Henri

Heehee she's my main,,, a harbinger gremlin

Story !

Henri was a necromancer, alchemist and a student in the college of Dynamics, later becoming an assistant in a lab. She was as snooty and snobby as any other Asura (but even more brilliant, she says), especially passive aggressive and always reminding everyone of her genius. She would always swear up and down that she'd become the boss of everyone in that lab soon.

However, on one unfortunate day, there was an 'accident' at the lab. Some were killed, the rest were injured and escaped. Henri managed to escape as well, only to realize that her entire left arm was missing. It was a long recovery, more mentally than physically. Henri was left-handed and, even as a chaotic Dynamics student, never once anticipated that her pristine lab would end up as nothing but rubble, let alone take her dominant arm with it. Because of this, she was now considered useless, and couldn't get any work anywhere at all.

That 'accident' really bothered her. She was a very diligent and meticulous lab worker and kept things in tip-top shape, how could there be any accident at all? And she (generously) assumed all of the other Asura there were competent. Through some obsessive investigation on her own, and not much to her surprise, the Inquest had targeted the lab. Henri went back to the ruins of that lab and searched for any Inquest hideouts nearby.

Once she found it, she trashed the entire place with her necrotic minions and deadly elixirs. She tore off the arm of a golem, and tuned it into a prosthetic arm. Even if it was a crappy substitute, it still was better than nothing. It made her feel a little better, but she hides the arm by wearing a long sleeve and a full glove. Of course, she trained herself to do things with her other arm. Even while having a prosthetic, there are endless scenarios that could end horribly with it.

Losing her arm gave her a new perspective of things, realizing how quick Asuran society discards you for any little reason, your fault or not. Her Asuran arrogance fizzled out mildly, and she stopped using terms like 'Bookah'. She has a new boundless hatred for the Inquest, and laughs in the face of chaos and danger. She decided to go off on her own, distancing from Rata Sum. That made her perceived as a 'weirdo' and outsider, now that she finds more comfort being with the other races and other outcasted Asura.

With the threat of the Elder Dragons becoming more prominent every day, Henri became a commander in the Pact and later on joins Dragon's Watch even before its creation.

[projektdyad]

Some Random Guild Wars 2 Lore

Drooburt is actually in the game all year round - Well kind of..

Drooburts body can be found in Dry Top if you go look for it, but he makes an appearance for each festival, usually begging for random items or trying to sell you junk!

[myriad-lights]

is this anything. Glaisne Nightwalker, tormented little bastard.

Revenant OCs are so fun :)

[lackluster-draws]

Luka's reaper shroud.

[beetleboyoart]

‘I itch all the time. Deep beneath my skin, where the bone sits, enshrouded in flesh, I feel it.’ - Hive, MAG032

———

To be consumed by what loves you, to give pieces of yourself,

To be a home.

Sing to me your hymns of woe.

———

A little bit about Rhys for those who don’t know. Rhys is an undead treant he struggles with concentration on using necrotic magic to keep himself alive while his body slowly crumbles away. Since he is an undead Treant his insides are hollow making it a home for unwanted guests, which slowly becomes wanted. Rhys has a hive living in the sick, hollowed and crushed cavern of his chest. They sing to him but not in ways of words, but hum their sickly sweet tune, telling him he is beautiful telling him he is loved. Even though they slowly consume his body, to be fully consumed from what loves him.

[mistfallengw2]

This is about to get rambly, but I headcanon that queerness is a completely normal fact of life in Tyria and that no one really bats an eye about whatever floats your boat, be it gender identity or who you want relationships with.

Labels are just vague descriptors for those who want to say “that specific thing” in fewer words. To an average person in Tyria it's like finding out there's a word specifically for “person who eats just vanilla and chocolate ice cream” and just going “oh cool that's me”, but they're rarely used in general conversation unless that becomes the topic of discussion and thus not known by many. Due to it being so normal, there might still be some general genuine ignorance about queer identities one hasn't experienced within their own social bubble, but it's not seen a big deal, while actually "challenging" others' existence is seen as a pretty scummy thing to do.

That said, of course different races and cultures had their own words for certain things and slightly different points of view: charr and asura are more culturally used to temporary/open relationships and even polyamory, due to their societal structure and lack of "marriage" in the human sense of the word; humans and charr are under societal pressure to procreate no matter who you're sharing beds with, because of their wartime circumstances; gender matters little in general, and gender-based discrimination is a thing only in specific instances/communities, usually in more "traditional" settings and often in negative ways, like the Sons of Svanir and the old Flame Legion; humans are the ones who most obsess about marriage, though often for reasons beyond simple romance; norn don't care who wants to smooch/marry who, as long as they're worthy of each other; sylvari are still relatively new to life, so they've been the more open ones so far; etc.

Also also, I headcanon that the Tyria Pride event is a minor festival that originated in Lion's Arch not long after its first reconstruction under Cobiah Marriner.

It's not known how it started exactly, but at first it was just a “let's celebrate different races working together as one" kind of event, rowdy, very pirate-y and held in the taverns and ships across town with little fanfare and plenty of drinking, and it became a recurring thing. Then, smaller celebrations of love started getting lumped in as couples (especially mixed ones, as Lion's Arch was the first place that officially recognized them) chose to get married at the same time of those events, and eventually it evolved and consolidated into an annual event sponsored by the city.

As the event grew in popularity, even non-residents wanted to join the celebrations, but only in recent decades it turned into a march across Tyria. First it started as independent groups in major cities (primarily Rata Sum, Hoelbrak and Divinity's Reach) organized themselves to follow merchant routes towards Lion's Arch, as their journeys evolved into smaller celebrations of their own before the big one at their destination. While unofficial, the numbers of participants in these extra marches swelled each and every year, and eventually they were counted as part of the event by most. Then, after the treaty was stipulated between the Legions and Ebonhawke, a big collective effort was made to connect all of those marches into a single one and extend it so that the event could start in the human city, and it got consolidated after the Pact's victory against Zhaitan proved once more the strength of all races working together.

Tyria Pride is still a minor festival by Tyrian standards, but even if not all can join the weeks of marching and partying across Tyria, it remains the biggest celebration of love in all of its forms and across all barriers.

[lady-quen]

"NO! You cannot roast a hotdog over the Commander's personal portal to hell!"

"For the hundredth time it's NOT a portal to hell, Taimi!"

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

[ Tideturners AU - Grand High Sovereign Ruju ]

Champion of the [REDACTED]

"Neither of us will live to see the world that emerges once this one is gone. Our purpose ends here, burning in a distant land where no one will remember our names."

"Now, step forward. Show me your resolve... And I will show you mine."