#tyria times

[tyriatimes]

The End of the Dragon Cycle: The Start of Something New?

Issue 01 | Editorial | 18 Colossus 1337 AE

All at once, Tyrians far and wide seemed to heave a collective sigh of relief with the close of the Elder Dragon Cycle. Many believed this was the start of an era of peace; a sign of better, calmer days to come. Nations near and far healed old, unresolved wounds, reopening borders once thought to be permanently closed.

Then the attacks started.

On what was an otherwise unremarkable day, horrid, fleshy beings wreaked havoc indiscriminately on communities large and small across all of Tyria. Some described them as beings turned inside out, their innards on full display as though their skin had been peeled.

Distrust and animosity brewed, with some blaming the disappearance of the Wizard's Tower from its vigilant post over the shores of Garenhoff months prior.

A vacant night sky above the shores of Garenhoff.

Garenhoff, a small port town once protected by the wizard Isgarren and his guardian elementals, stands abandoned in the wake of the tower's disappearance. Streets once teeming with curious tourists lie silent in the aftermath, save the mournful sobs and pleas of its remaining residents.

The town's leader, Mayor Manrin, refused an interview, but could be overheard fretting to Town Guard Plesci about the lack of protection and his reputation. Along with the tower, most of the elementals who patrolled the town vanished, leaving residents vulnerable and afraid.

"The mayor claimed that he made regular visits to the castle; but after the tower disappeared, we learned the truth," Lasha, born and raised in Garenhoff, said. "Now, we feel lost."

Little is known about Isgarren beyond his name. "[He] is a grand wizard, but beyond that, most know very little," Lasha confirmed. Other residents were too distraught to comment, eyes fixed on the sky as though thought alone could will the tower back into existence.

"Everything we thought we knew turned out to be wrong. The castle was the anchor around which this town revolved; but it turns out, we were not important to Isgarren," Lasha said. "He abandoned us."

Lasha, lifelong Garenhoff resident, overlooking Wizard's Fief.

Elementals did more than just keep the townspeople safe; they were diligent laborers, hauling heavy shipments from the docks up steep pathways to the surrounding shops and homes. Trade has come to a complete standstill in their absence, forcing residents to negotiate private deals with surrounding farms to ward off starvation.

A once popular local inn bears a "Closed Permanently" sign on its barred door. Many Tyrians have fond memories of being served by elementals there, the inn's primary attraction and a large source of its income. The former innkeeper could not be found for comment.

Though most residents seem to share an unshakeable loyalty and devotion to the wizard Isgarren and his tower, a select few have had their doubts due to mysterious disappearances of townsfolk over the years.

"My friend's sister left to harvest strawberries and never came home," one small boy near the docks said before being ushered home.

Most of Garenhoff's residents assume their friends and loved ones simply received an invitation to the Wizard's Tower and saw no reason to return. Many seemed to hope this would one day be their fate as well, but such dreams are now mourned along with the wizard and his tower.

A town forever changed by an all-powerful presence left in shambles stands on the cusp of a new era with a chance to redefine itself as more than host to something beyond its comprehension. But its residents and leaders seem frozen in terror and grief, adamantly holding onto hope that the Wizard's Tower will return.

"It's been up in the sky as long as I've been alive," a young boy commented. "I hope it comes back one day."

The Garenhoff docks in a standstill.

Though the attacks by otherworldly creatures have since subsided, Tyrians can't help but wonder if this is an ill omen of worse things to come.

While much remains unclear, one thing is certain: The Commander is inexplicably absent. A sometimes controversial figure, their presence is almost expected at the center of any noteworthy event.

Those closest to the Commander declined to comment on their whereabouts.

Whether these flesh beings or the Wizard's Tower will return remains to be seen. For now, Tyrians attempt to pick up the pieces of their lives once more, grieving the hopes and loved ones lost.

By Kailithe

[red-wood-reaper]

How well has Achlys been with adjusting to normal life gain? How do other charr view him and how does he believe they view him?

I feel as of JW He is fairly well adjusted? He's gotten enough time to get used to how he looks, how he sees himself and how other people view him. With the acceptance of the Awakened by other groups I think he's probably seen as fairly 'normal' for those raised from the dead in some fashion. He doesn't view himself as badly as he did when he first regained his own will.

Fresh after the death of Zhaitan however? I can't imagine a lot of other Charr who would have seen him would have been so ready to get friendly with him? He's a lot like those other walking corpses shambling around Orr, but he does have a certain light in his eyes. A lot of them would probably stay away- especially if they have had bad experiences with Risen - though some might be willing to talk to him.

He was picked up by the Priory as one point as he was traveling through Orr, so some of the Charr working there would at view him as an oddity possibly, and be more open to interacting with him to study him more than anything.

Over the years though I think other Charr would just kinda get used to him tbh.

For how he thinks other Charr view him? That's something he was fully panicking on at first. He's catastrophizing, thinking hes got to be some kind of abomination and that he's gonna be attacked by everyone who meets him. That there's no possible way he'd be able to return to Ascalon, or have some semblance of a normal life ever again.

This is actually the perfect excuse to post this scene I've had swimming around in my brain for a while now regarding this:

Overall it's def rough for him at first but with time it gets better and he heals, learning to accept himself.

[what-the-flux]

Some choice screens from the EU Pride March! I went "stealth mode" and took an unknown alt, Vhaltos Inkflint sporting trans and demi flag colors (same as myself). I joined late and dipped early cuz my computer just can't handle it right now, oops.

Bonus cape and wing appreciation shot!

[nice-profession-mechanic]

Peitha: Quickly tell me a warm and fond memory.

Wayfinder: [crying] my precious baby daughter...I used to feed her fish and pet her and give her lots of cuddles and she was perfect and now she's gone.

Peitha: ...Wayfinder, would you like to try that again, or do you think that memory will suffice?

Wayfinder: [sniffle] I'm just so emotional right now [commits incredible Violence to the invading kryptis] and I just found Zojia again. And it's like the third time I've seen "the last mursaat" die, but this one I liked. [Having lived in combat for the last decade the commander can fight while asleep, upside down, underwater or all three at once. Being sad does not diminish the violence inflicted upon their foes]

Peitha: Would you like me to describe my warmest memory instead?

[riotrenegade]

janthir wilds spoilers ig, i’m just kind of stream-of-consciousness rambling about my commander

Gray is having a very interesting time in Janthir. With the dragons gone and his initial mission on Tyria complete he finally has the headspace to process the events that brought him to Tyria in the first place. He didn’t really do it during SoTO and didn’t really do it during Gyala and it’s finally hitting him here, because Janthir and the lowlanders are reminding him of home, of Earth. And it’s fucking killing him.

Nostalgia mixed with grief mixed with joy. The lowlanders look so much like the Ursine of Earth, and the wilds remind him so much of the wilderness, the Midlands and Grunes Tal and Swineland before the disaster. He finds himself sitting silently out in the wilderness, reliving memories of the people he’s lost and dealing with bursts of emotion at inopportune times. He refuses to explain to his peers and withdraws into himself until he can’t hold it in anymore.

Caithe doesn’t know the details of Gray’s past, nobody does really. He came through a portal at the Henge of Denravi, said he was a “Broccan from Earth” when asked, and refused to explain further. And that was that, for twelve years. He never really talked about the details, there was never time or space and he always changed the subject promptly when pressed. Until now. One evening at the homestead, after the first bout with the titans, Caithe finally catches Gray off his guard, sitting and staring at the fire in the hearth. Staring through it. She asks him what the hell is up with him, why he’s been acting so strange since coming to Janthir. And he finally tells her the details. About Earth. Djall. His friends. All of it. Years of adventures and joy and guilt and promises kept and broken, all consumed in an instant. All lost forever, beyond even the Mists.

He tells her how he still relives it all, how the memories are coming back stronger here. How the lowlanders remind him of the Ursine, how every time he looks at Poky, despite himself, he sees someone else in him. How he feels guilty about it, shameful. Poky isn’t him, now isn’t then. How he’s frustrated with himself; how he doesn’t want to keep living in the past but has to remember them, has to keep them in his heart so they aren’t forgotten completely. Not even the dust of the Earth remains. If he doesn’t keep the fire going, no one will. No one will remember them.

Caithe didn’t know any of this. Couldn’t fathom how deep Gray’s emotions ran. This is why he’s been so passionate about saving Tyria, stopping the Dragon Cycle. Because he had already failed once. He couldn’t let another world slip through his grasp, not after he watched the first one literally crumble in front of him.

This puts him into perspective for her. In the dim firelight, looking at his twisted and scarred face drawn into a pensive and sorrowful expression, she sees the weight of not one, but two worlds on this one small broccan’s shoulders. He suddenly looks very small to her. And for the first time since she met him, she sees him crumbling, breaking from the weight of everything he’s been through. He weeps openly, in front of another person, for the first time in twelve years.

[rizardofether]

Tyria Pride Day 2 NA! Fun times there as well!

Extras:

Two wolves at pride what will they do?

GW2tumblr photoshoot, tag yourself!

They had a really good dark urge cosplay in there, also slubling circle in the background.

[mistfallengw2]

Tyria Pride EU - Day 1

[i-mybrunettelady]

It's been years. But the Pact Commander mastery line is finally complete!!!

Now I just need to magic up 9 more for the legendary crafting and my core Tyria masteries are complete!!!!

[meeeeeeese]

Everyone: WOW the wizards are monsters for manifesting fractals where living, feeling people suffer and die. Even if they get useful data out of it!

Me, who's been charging into fractals and massacring the locals for years now, purely because of my lust for gold

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

Flourish AU - Dragonheart Pirkko - Durmond Priory

Champion of the Caustic Elder Dragon

"Lasting change isn't gentle. It's harsh, abrasive, and inescapable. Either we'll adapt or we'll die trying."

"A better world starts with deciding what we're prepared to lose."

[thepinkywarband]

Art party forever, there will never be a shortage of cuties to pick from! ♥

@storm-called @guildwuff2 @bjoras @jynxghoststep @bonethot @primeval-scion-of-the-mists @red-wood-reaper

[shroomlet]

you've opened my eyes to trans mesmers, thank you. it's funny, though, because I think I read your last post as destrey just using his magic to give himself cool hair and eye color!

trans mesmers are fun !! funnily enough destrey got, actual top surgery from asuran surgeons cause he had a scare once where his magic stopped working/got sapped and was just 'fuck it, IM NOT RISKING IT" DFSGNSDFJG

so now most of the time he just glamours himself for more cosmetic things like hair color and sometimes, different 'parts' depending on the Mood if that makes sense c:

[lyhil]

I thought about ftm Caithe for longer than 2 seconds and now I'm in a thought hole about it

[detritusvortex]

tyria pride 2023, NA day 2! can you tell i turned the environment waayy down to see everyone properly

[garlean-empire]

The kiss

[asterroses]

dont know how to take better screenshots but im very proud of these fits