#tyrias library

[gw2characteroftheday]

I think I'm gonna start doing weekly art and writing showcases too.

I saw that tyrias library stopped posting (big sad they were my biggest hype man when I wrote my pirate saga), so I'll just fill that niche instead

[kehideni]

IDK if i ever flaunted all my characters in GW2... probably not.

Anyone interested? No? Too bad you're getting one HAHH

The main boi himself, my first ever character and main:

The Commander - Beasteye Denalien

This has been is 'mog for years now, i think he owns it very well. Hint of Ash Legion identity with the hood, and a whole lot of survivalist, dragon killer, ranger in the rest of the gear.

Chronologically the second is my warrior:

Wherever there is a Denalien there is a Lethupan. Beastclaw Lethupan was my first pvp alt who's since been downgraded into my legendary gear crafter. Artificer and Weaponsmith. He used to have his own fashion too, but i felt as my assigned crafter he should don the whole legy gear himself as showoff.

Third i wanna show off is my current pvp guardian:

Blackbeast Adrien is the only support i use. I use him as a condi dps in pve (raaaaarely, really rarely) but most often he is my go to in pvp as a support core guardian.

Fourth is the newest addition to the roster:

My cosplay character: Six Eared Macaque. I almost made him a necromancer because of the shroud ability but that would be my 3rd necromancer and also the only ability Macaque shares with necromancer *IS* the shroud. So this guy ended up being a thief for thieves can port, use staff and spear both (yes i know necromancer can too but necro staff is not martialarts-y like it is for thief) and Macaque is also more known for his sneakyness which is very thief like and thieves can go invisible so...

Fifth is the only human i have who is an elementalist:

Belle Thebeauty started out as a joke between me and my brother. He made a Beast lookalike and i made a Beauty lookalike that we both ended up using as our bank characters hahh... Ironically i placed all my ingame lorebooks on her so she is kinda fullfilling her dream as a living library as well.

Sixth is my halloween bag farmer:

Beastslain Daelin is a cruel joke on World of Warcraft's Daelin Proudmoore. If there was a shaman class in GW2, i'd have made him that, but the next best thing was making him a flame legion charr that's a necromancer. Essencially the joke is becoming the thing he hates the most. A "savage" monster.

Seventh is my only sylvari, Rúzsa.

He simply started out as a plant joke (hungarian joke, Rúzsa sounds similar to Rózsa which means rose.) Made him a revenant because at the time that was the only profession i haven't tried yet. Now he is my main condi dps for pve use.

Eight is Luna Shadowbeast

Thief and the account's jewelcrafter and tailor. She was simply made for me to try out thief and when i learned that thief is not my playstyle she retired as a crafter.

Ninth is another reference character:

My first asura and first engineer: Mikron Ojeneus. He is a reference to this guy:

Bet ya'all didn't know that Gizmo's real name in the DC Universe is Mikron Ojeneus. Hahahh

Tenth is a challenge character, that [RnR] made me do:

The rule was set specifically to me

i could not make the character a charr

it must be a condi character (because i am so set on being a power dps)

i must randomise it's looks and not change it

i must not use mounts

His name is Den Ecromancer which is a play on my screen name. Since RnR is inactive yet again, he became a "discover core tyria using only the turtle mount" character. Rules are: i'm only allowed to use the turtle mount and only can get off it if the discovery is impossible to do with it. There are very few objectives in core tyria that you can't do with turtle turns out.

Eleventh is my token mesmer i made only so i'd have a mesmer too:

Corva Beastmuzzle is currently collecting dust, awaiting a role for her. She is also a homage to my first cat, Happy who died last christmas. Her fur pattern is identical to that of Happy's.

Twelveth character is a clone character to my main

Not Denalien is a ranger, that is a clone to Beasteye Denalien. He exists because Arenanet sometimes retroactively messes up the repeatable storymode, making it impossible to record with Beasteye Denalien. That's when i use this guy to record the story, and it was this guy i used to record the OG Denalien's personal story.

And lastly, my thirteenth character

Huba Swiftbeast, my elementalist. He only exists because one day i was bored and i wanted another character :3 He was a roleplay character, that i ended up not using because as it turns out i'm not much of a roleplayer :D hahh

[lornteeleaf]

From the mists stepped a creature, wisps of eternal magic clinging to it. Time and possibility themselves bend and snapped to make space for them in the reality of the material world. And with them, they brought on a wispered breath a name, barely heard by the surrounding members of the Astral Ward. As they broke down, right where they had entered this world, the gash in the mists, bleeding magic as a wound does blood, closed behind them. Dagda was first by their side, gathering into her Arms up what might have once been a human woman, a face revealed as their mask disintegrated.

This is The esteemed Archmage Erebos. She is a Mage with the Astral Ward, thou she is not allowed to go out there and risk her life fighting cryptis or other threats to Tyrias safety. She is carefully kept from Danger by the Wizard's Court, but she doesn't mind much. Libraries and Laboratories suit her far better than battlefields, as she learned in the mists from whence she came.

Or at least thats what she knows. That she fell from the mists, right into Amnitas one Day. Everything before that is quite vague in her head, as Isgarren explained thats a common occurence in people who spend long stretches of time in the mists, as much as time can be defined there.

There are a few things from before that she does remember more clearly. The face of a young woman, redhaired and sage eyed, pain on her face. A Mountain with a library inside, a machine, a suit, a portal. A name etched so deeply into her mind it stayed with her: Iowey.

yes so what if I'm just absolutely obsessed with this character??? SOTO really went : " Oh yeah fractals are basically pockets of different realities and endless possibilities" and i was supposed to not go absolutely wild with her backstory?? was i supposed to not take the endless possibilities for heartbreakingly angsty scenes this gives me???

Anyways, yes sometimes i just log onto her to stare at her for a while. Or put her next to other characters in the Homestead and stare at them for a while...

[madame-cookie]

Cadivostellus (he/him) Rank: Legendary

Cadivostellus is the oldest Sylvari member of the Astral Ward. He has long-since forgotten the exact nature of the tree from which his pod bloomed, other than that he was the sole survivor, and recalls meeting Mabon shortly afterwards.

He is a powerful Mage of the Celestial, and a dedicated scholar for the Astral Ward. He routinely makes visits to the surface of Tyria in search of rare magical texts, or artifacts with magical inscriptions. Understanding and applying the magic within the glyphs and symbols they come across is how Cadivostellus has served the Ward for years.

He has a cheery personality that is somewhat unbecoming of his reputation as a ruthless and lethal defender of Amnytas. He is often walking around the library and talking with himself or anyone who will listen about the nature of his interests.

His fascination with the heavens is passionate and true. And no matter where his mission has taken him, Cadivostellus will always find the time to lay back and watch the stars go by above.

[mysticforger]

A little Before and After

A milestone post to which I was looking forward too ever since I started! I now have four edits done and I really enjoy doing them. Here are the before and after for the four images already online. Let's start with my favorite boy!

Jojo

My first edit, the one that started my new hyperfixation. On the picture as actually the tree that gave birth to him (wow, this is so weird to say honestly). During the first months in the Maguuma Jungle he found out he had an unhealthy relationship towards Mordrem, which made him question the reason why he was on Tyria in the first place. Why he was allowed to be here still.

I mostly just changed the lightning and added a shadow underneath the tree and underneath Jojo. I also added some lightning on him because he deserves it.

Thravi

I probably took the longest time thus far with an edit. I removed some of the lights near her left arm, and also toned down some of the green. I darkened the area near her hand to enhance the glow showing around it. She is also opening portals to literal hell, so... I could've gone harder on the dark thing!

I also heightened some of the glow on her leaves. Loving the fact that even though she is now corrupted by the Kryptis, during the nights there is a hint of what she was (vibrant blue with hints of green).

Altrados

This is one where I maybe went harder than I should, but it is closer to her backstory than the original somehow. The first backstory I wrote for her was one where the tattoos would turn into literal fragments of the night sky, and she would grow in size. In that form, she could actually let the tattoo take her over and Altrados would change into an avatar of the night sky (much like the druid. Guess what build she still has to this day!). Letting her wield Astralaria is just... /cheffskiss. Love.

Dallas

I think this one hit me different. Dallas is the one character that changed the most. I used the most kits on her out of all my characters! And after every kit, she looked more like me.

Her backstory also changed a lot, and for some quests I found myself in the library more and more. But I just went through those quest bits mindlessly clicking through the pages. Why? I'm hella dyslectic! And so Dallas wasn't actually reading the books as well. She would literally grab the book, go to the person giving her the quest and throwing the book down at the desk like "here, read yourself.".

[meeeeeeese]

Because why not, here's Rugan's arbitrary ranking of each bastion in Amnytas:

1: The Bastion of the Obscure

In the top spot we have the Bastion of the Obscure, a place filled with mysteries and dangerous research what's not to love about it? As one NPC who's name I forget says "The Bastion of the Obscure creates knowledge" And Rugan, being an engineer who's always looking to improve his craft, really vibes with that.

2: The Bastion of Knowledge

It's got a big-ass library filled with likely more knowledge than anywhere else on Tyria, what more is there to say?

3: The Bastion of Nature

while it's focus of life isn't exactly Rugan's thing, it's by far the prettiest Bastion and He can appreciate a good view

4: The Bastion of Strength

While Rugan definitely appreciates the straightforward approach and focus on Battle magic, it's, too spellcraft focused for him. And besides, it's where [story event redacted for spoilers] happens, so it has some bad memories

5: The Bastion of The Celestial

Some of the systems they use to record the stars are impressive, he hasn't really gotten a good introduction to it as during his stay in Amnytas so far it's been fully taken over by the Kryptis, so it ranks low mostly by default

6: The Bastion of Balance

Sorry Lyhr, but Rugan's spent a decade worrying about the balance of Tyria, so this bastion loses by default. Honestly his eye twitches a bit when someone brings up the word balance. This Bastion's focus on debate doesn't score it any points either.

[resonatingfern]

If you see me reblogging on @tyrias-library again it’s a test. To see if I have time again finally. I genuinely don’t know the state of fic anymore here since I’ve been so out of the loop.

[ravens-lodge]

HI!

Finally a post about my ocs If you're ever curious about my art and characters feel free to send an ask or something

Just a bit of background or little interesting bits about my characters, some are still a WIP and a lot of backgrounds and stuff will change around since this is where I just dump some info I’m working with until im satisfied lol

Name: Cyn (in game: Cynidic) Race: Human (male) Relationship: Trahearne Profession: Necromancer Notes: Priory scholar, retired Pact Commander, member of Dragons watch Originally the Pact Commander until giving that title and responsibility to Vrixsif after the death of Trahearne. He continued to stay apart of the group and help fight against the threat of the elder dragons but had begun to distance himself from everyone, leading to his biggest regret in becoming one of Jormags champions along side Ryland, although his corruption wasn't as strong. He was freed from jormags grasp on his mind before the dragons final fight and was found under the rubble alive with injuries to his arm and part of his face was rebranded by Aurene. After the defeat of Jormag and Primordus he has stepped away to continue his studies at the Durmand Priory library. 

oc tag: cyn

Name: Kyrus Fane  (in game: Kyrus Fane) (usually my main) Race: Human (male) Relationship: Verriks (its complicated, a slow burn since end end of pof) Profession: Thief, Deadeye/specter Notes: Bounty hunter, ex-Whispers agent, a loose member of dragons watch who soon became commander, Wayfinder Great at getting in and out of places without a trace, as well as getting information that he really shouldn't know. A Krytan nuisance and thorn in Logans side before he was asked that him and his small group help in the fight against Zhiatan, he agreed and stayed along side Cyn and Vricsif since, he would lend his daggers and rifle but staying distant from any sort of big team leading role as he preferred to do most of his work solo. Since Cyn left and despite his reluctance at first, he has become someone the group tends to look towards when Vrixsif isn't around to help smooth things over and stepped away after injuries. Shares the “commander” role/title with Vrixsif but hate’s being referred to as such.

oc tag: kyrus

Name: Verriks  (in game: Verriks) Race: Human (male) (Not from this Tyria) Relationship: Kyrus (its complicated, a slow burn since end end of pof) Profession: Revenant Notes: Dragons watch member, a skilled weapon/armoursmith He doesnt talk much about his past to others or where he’s from, only that he was found in the mists by Rytlock but the two haven’t said much about their time together while there. Verriks has helped out the commander and Rytlock whenever he can since. A big part in the PoF storyline with commander Vrixsif and Kyrus and during the fight against Balthazar. (Usually stays out of the main issues the commanders face but ended up with Kyrus in during SotO)

Name: Vrixsif Hrafsdottir  (in game: Vrixsif) Race: Norn (female) Relationship: Braham Profession: Thief, Deadeye/Specter Notes: Pact Commander, member/leader of Dragon's Watch, Champion of Aurene She and her sister Vivrein were were born to an owl Havroun mother and a raven shaman father. After slaying Issormir, cutting down Svanir and proving herself she was recruited into the order of whispers and soon undercover as a vigil member, and rising up in ranks. She soon met with an old acquaintance, Cyn, who she befriended during her short time gathering information from the priory. From there her future became mixed with the pact and was someone others relied on. She became pact commander when Cyn handed the responsibly over after Trehearnes death. She's been with Dragons Watch and by aurenes side since. Has been taking it easy back in the shiverpeaks after receiving serious injuries during the fight against the void and soo-won

oc tag: vrixsif

Name: Vivrein Hrafsdottir  (in game: Vivrein)  Race: Norn (female) Profession: Elementalist Notes: Traveler, Wanderer Left her home behind after hearing a call in her mind to head north, deeper into the far shiverpeaks. She stayed and helped the Kodan in the Bitterfrost and Bjora marches where she has lived most of her life. She had been trying to track Jormag and Drakkar until she was met with the Commander, Vrixsif, (during Icebrood saga), reuniting with her sister after many years and helping to take down the dragon together. oc tag: vivrein

Name: Morbrek  (in game: Morbrek) Race: Sylvari (male) Profession: Elementalist Notes: Vigil member

Laithian’s and Vennric’s pod twin, tallest of the three(wip)

oc tag: morbrek

Name: Vennric  (in game: Vennric) Race: Sylvari (male) Profession: Thief Notes: Whispers agent, ( AU Pact Commander, member/leader of Dragon's Watch, Champion of Aurene (wip)

Morbek’s and Laithian’s pod triplet (background wip, still needs to be edited)

oc tag: vennric

Name: Laithian  (in game: Laithian) Race: Sylvari (male) Profession: Warrior Notes: Vigil captain

Morbek’s and Vennric’s pod triplet (wip)

oc tag: laithian

Name: Dee  (in game: De Doss) Race: Asura (female) Profession: engineer Notes: Dynamics researcher Passionate about her work with portals and gates as well as the mists. Inspired and deep into the works of past researchers and engineers, she has taken over an old lab after some research on its whereabouts, she’s usually in there trying to fix an old mist gate or messing around with new gadgets and tools. A friend of Dion’s

Name: Dion (in game: Dion Venn) Race: Human appearance (Usually Male) Profession: Engineer Notes: A human like entity from the mists, his first interaction in years was with Dee, stepping out from the mists into Tyria from the broken gate in her lab. Spends most of his time with Dee, some days he disappears for hours only to be back at her side ready to help with whatever she needs. Questionable morals and mannerisms but has been under a watchful eye from Dee since he arrived. Has his own little lab room in a corner with permission from Dee He never removes his helmet

Name: Niev  (in game: Vricsif) Race: Sylvari (female) Relationship: Garrick Freysson Profession: Mesmer, Mirage Notes: Traveler, born from a different tree Niev is a sylvari who emerged from a secluded tree in the shiver peaks. She wandered through the snow for weeks only to be found by a norn, Garrick, on his long hunts up north. He helped her get her bearings after being nearly frozen stiff and after a few days she was fully ready to travel and experience the world she had seen in her dreams.

oc tag: niev

Name: Garrick freysson  (in game: Krivvis) Race: Norn (male) Relationship: Niev Profession: Ranger Notes: Hunter, Traveler A strong hunter and an amazing chef, although young he was respected greatly as a hunter by many He found Niev almost frozen solid deep in the shiver peaks on one of his long trips, after helping her, he brought her back to hoelbrak for extra care. He made a promise to her about her dream to explore all of tyria, it was something he had wanted to do but never had the reason until now, with an interesting new friend.

oc tag: garrick

Name: Viksion  (in game: Viksion) Race: Asura (male) Profession: Mesmer Notes: Inquest assassin Wants to watch the world burn. His hatred for most living on Tyria is painfully well known amongst those who've worked with him, especially to those he tried to use as test subjects. He was forcefully persuaded into the inquest by an old colleague and suffered under their heel after trying to leave when he was suppose to be used in a new experiment. Doesn't like to talk about himself much.

oc tag: viksion

Name: Evea rune (in game: Evearune) Race: Human (female) Profession: Elementalist Notes: Wanderer She has a habit of stumbling upon major events across Tryia by coincidence. She is usually deep in the study of any old book she can get her hands on, magic the gods and the elements are all she can focus on. Resolutely seeking something.

Name: Syvia Bloodgrace  (in game: Syvia Bloodgrace) Race: Charr (female) Relationship: Vivric Mistriven Profession: Necromancer Notes: Priory explorer (wip)

Name: Vivric Mistriven  (in game: Vivric) Race: Charr (female) Relationship: Syvia Bloodgrace Profession: Revenant Notes: Mercenary, Whispers lightbringer (wip)

oc tag: vivric

Name: Aenya  (in game: Gothic priestess)

Race: Human (female) Profession: Guardian Notes: Priestess of Grenth (wip)

oc tag: aenya

[kerra-and-company]

🖊 + Nisha!

For sure for sure, ty!! :D

🖊 - Nisha's gotten at least a couple things written/published (something fictional, short, and aimed at children, and the first part of the history xe's trying to write down of a bunch of Tyria's major events in the past 10-ish years) by the time EoD starts. Xe eventually gives the library in Arborstone a couple of copies of the historical one, upon request of one of the librarians.

[the-mystic-dragon]

so i completed the main arborstone masteries while i was out doing various activities in cantha. i didn't go back into arborstone each time to look at the changes, but i've been going back there more since i'm doing a couple of the collections in there

and i discovered A WHOLE LIBRARY?? IT'S BEAUTIFUL THERE'S EVEN PERSONAL STORY NPCS THERE IT JUST MAKES ME GO ;-; our progression through the story and how we've come to this point so far. i mean, we're in freaking cantha right now and to see these core-tyria npcs here just brings back memories of simpler times when the commander was just a simple traveler helping out people in need

[khorren]

Since I've retconned my Canthan gals...

Aesa - Age 30 time of EoD

Works within Xunlai Jade as an engineer, tinkerer, inventor. She loves “old-timey” tech (modern charr style gadgets), as she calls it, and her team is researching ways to improve it with Jade Tech. Loves holo dramas. Has built way too many unofficial zip lines across the city. Regularly goes to high places to watch the neon fish.

Astrid - Age 26 at the time of EoD

Works in Ministry of Archives in New Kaineng, and has a keen interest in assisting school kids with research projects. She’s part of a team who does an outreach program to kids in Seitung Province and makes sure they have age-appropriate reading material. Every month she boats over to the Seitung Harbor for a book swap. While there she checks in with her grandparents that still live there.

When the borders opened up she took passage to Tyria to see the fabled Durmand Priory library.

Astrid and Aesa’s paternal grandfather was born in a remote village north of the Jade Sea in what’s now called Great Turtle Highlands.

Their ancestors fled to the hills when the Ministry of Purity came into power and tried to chase out all non-humans from Cantha. 11 years after the Ministry of Purity went into hiding, the grandfather's family moved from the remote hills to Seitung along with some other villagers.

Seitung was a peaceful and prosperous life for the family, and a few years before Aesa was born, the parents moved to New Kaineng City.

The grandparents are still alive and witnessed the events of the borders being re-opened when the Commander crash-landed there.

[the-elven-star]

Evie is now a heart NPC/part of a string of quests. What does that involve? 😄

The first thing that came to my mind. This is a task where you will have to drink alcohol and dance with everyone. The second is where it is necessary to fight with her. Although she can still give a task to search libraries in search of unknown places in Tyria.

Although she will become so. Further along the plot of my story, she will cease to be the main character and will sit all day playing games and giving various tasks.

But this is very far away

[ascalonianlightbringer]

I wrapped up the finale of the "Speaker of the Dead" phase of "The Orders of Tyria," complete with a very important choice!

When Gwen reached the Salma District, Josir was still agitated about the possible loss of Queen Jennah, "the last of the royal line." Ihan hinted that she's not, actually (????? is this ever explained?), but that she is critical to the peace with the Charr.

I think that's the most urgent point for Gwen. Her parents were fervent Ascalonian partisans who left her and Deborah with their grandfather to go fight against the Charr in the Fields of Ruin, which is where they died. Deborah resented it (all the more after they ended up on the streets), and though proud of their people, became committed to Kryta. But Gwen is more sympathetic to their parents and Ebonhawke looms large for her. So the possibility of losing it would have a particular oomph for her—she accepts the peace, painful though its concessions may be, because it means the survival of Ebonhawke and human Ascalon, but also because it makes her parents' choice and deaths mean something.

Hiroki, meanwhile, remarked that Kryta would lose hope without Queen Jennah. Maaaaybe? There's a lot of dissent tbh.

Logan, predictably, wanted to rush off to protect Jennah, but Gwen quite justifiably pointed out that they can't just think of Jennah's welfare. If Kellach leads his army to Divinity's Reach, he'll devastate every town from Lion's Arch to Divinity's Reach. IIRC, none of the orders' plans actually account for this in the end, but it's been a long time.

Yeah, I know. Everyone knows.

This time, at any rate, each order had a plan. Hiroki wanted to go in with brute force, Josir wanted to neutralize the threat with the Priory's enchantment, and Ihan wanted to lure Kellach into a trap. Each order also wanted Gwen to formally join their ranks, which Logan strongly encouraged: "You've been a boon to Kryta, but you can do more with one of the orders."

Since the orders are working to fight the dragons and not specifically concerned with Kryta, I feel like this actually represents character growth for him.

He gave a rundown of each order, including the hilariously in-character line "I have no use for libraries," and a kind of tepid "They certainly know a lot of secrets" about the Order of Whispers. He's such a Vigil type that it's honestly funny to see him trying to be neutral.

But as one might guess from the user name, Gwen chose the Order of Whispers!

[knight-of-the-thorn]

a prompt for you, should you choose to accept it: “i kept it from you, but this knowledge will get you killed!” -kerra-and-company

A very old one for you today, This has been finished for ages but apparently I was nervous to post it at the time!

I really like Caithe, I think she’s an incredibly interesting and nuanced character, but god did Arceidai had really complicated feelings towards her after Trahearne died.

This short piece takes place during LWS3 Out of Shadows, during the story step “A Shadows Deeds” _____________________________________________________________ Suffice to say, she was the last person Arceidai wanted to see.

They’d been avoiding Caithe since they left the jungle. It hadn’t been hard, she had been making herself scarce, but it had still been quite deliberate on their part. But she was here now, investigating the same thing as them. Whatever the odds of that were, Arceidai hated that it was even in the realm of possibilities.

“Theitia asked after me while I was in the Grove.” And there it was. One of many things they did NOT want to talk about. “The wardens said you two have been exchanging letters for some time now.”

“Mmm hmmm.” They kept their focus on pulling bloodstone shards out of the earth.

“After everything that she’s done, are you sure that’s the best idea?” She sounded tentative.

“I don’t remember the discussion where we decided that my mail was any of your business.” 

“See? That’s exactly what I’m talking about Arceidai! She’s dangerous, you know that better than anyone. I’ve done the exact same thing, and I know how it feels but you need to trust me, you are going to get yourself-”

“Oh, trust you! So I’m supposed to trust you now!” Arceidai stood up abruptly. “That is absolutely rich coming from you of all people.”

Caithe grimaced and sighed. “You’re upset with me. And you have every right to be.”

“Upset with you? I can’t possibly imagine why you’d think that.” They rolled their eyes and shouldered their way past her as the cavern shuddered again. “This should be enough bloodstone. Let’s head back up to the platform.”

“Will you please just let me speak before we go any further?” 

Arceidai kept their back turned to her as she spoke, but they stopped their march. “What else is there to say?”

“I can't take back what happened, but I can tell you I know what I did was wrong and I'm sorry.” She sounded genuinely remorseful. That wasn’t the level of vulnerability they were used to from her. “My Wyld Hunt, Mordremoth's voice...they were tearing at each other and sometimes I didn't know which was which. I was very confused, and I felt like the only person I could trust was me.”

“The only person you could trust.” They echoed, almost laughing as they turned sharply to face her.”You want to know the worst part about all this? I never doubted for a second that the egg was safe with you because I trusted you. But this isn’t just because of the egg. This is because I don’t particularly like being lied to, this is because nothing I knew about myself was ever true, this is because there is no one left that I know I can actually trust, not even the ONE PERSON I thought would always be on the same side as me!” 

“We’re still on the same side-” She tried to interrupt.

“You LEFT ME Caithe.” They hissed, not done with their tyraid. “I thought that we were a team. You and Tr- You were my family. I wanted to be just like you! And no matter what happened, what secrets you kept, what means you justified with ends, I believed that you would never do anything to hurt me and that we were always going to fight together. Maybe that was stupid, I’ll be the first to admit that I was naïve but I still thought that everything we’d been through counted for- for something. But you still lied to me my entire life! You knew we were going to fight Mordremoth, long before you got the egg, long before you got to the jungle, and you didn't think to tell- tell either of us! You didn't think that was pertinent? That we were going to walk right into a slaughter?”

“It was not a decision I made lightly. You have no idea how much I wished that I could have told anyone about this. I kept it from you because that knowledge would've gotten you killed. It would've gotten all of us killed."

"Trahearne is dead anyways." They said flatly.

Caithe looked like she had been slapped. That was a step too far, and Arceidai knew that the second they said it, but they almost found it hard to care. “Is that what you think? That Trahearne’s death is my fault?”

“I think I shouldn’t have had to run my brother through with his own sword. How you choose to interpret that is something I’ll leave to your discretion.”

“That isn’t fair, and you know it. I understand that you are hurting, but you are not the only person who cared about him so don’t try to pretend that you are. I lost my brother, Arceidai. You have every right to be mad, but don’t put that on me.”

She had a point, and it was incredibly frustrating that she did. “I know, I know that! But if I don’t blame you then who am I supposed to blame, Caithe? If it’s not you, and it’s not Endiena, and it’s not me-” 

She held up a hand for them to stop “Hold on! That human we fought Mordremoth with? What does she have to do with this?”

“Who cares!” Arceidai cried “It isn't anyone’s fault and Mordremoth is dead but that doesn’t make me feel better, so who am I supposed to be angry at!”

 "I don’t know. Sometimes there's no one to be angry at. Sometimes we’re just hurt.”

"And what are we supposed to do then?" 

"If I ever find the answer to that, I'll be sure to tell you first." Caithe sighed.

Arceidai looked away from her, surveying the terrain and shifting their hands uncomfortably. “You did what seemed right in an impossible situation. Rationally I know that.” They paused before adding, with extra emphasis “Rationally.”

“I don’t expect you to forgive me right away. I just want you to think about it.”

“...Okay. Cherry. Let’s just, We have an experiment to complete.I think it best if we focus on that.” Arceidai changed the subject, and raised one of the bloodstone shards to emphasise their point.

Caithe hesitated, then nodded, gesturing to the floating structure. “Right, of course. Lead the way Commander.”

[brax-was-here]

Excerpt - Amaranda’s Journal 1328 AE - Part 12

Ceara has been gone most of the day. She finally returned with the rifle she used against the doppelganger (is that what I call it?) we fought in Lion’s Arch. I asked her what she planned to do with it. She is going to repair it, make it better, and use it as “insurance” against the Nightmare Court and the red hylek. She seemed quite happy to have it in her possession.

We received word today that the Pact launched an attack against Mordremoth and…it didn’t go well. We hear many of the Pacts airships were lost, and many of the soldiers killed or disappeared. What is even more disturbing… sylvari members of the Pact have fallen under the dragon’s sway and turned against their friends. It frightens me to the core of my being learning such a thing has happened. What is to become of us? Will we all fall under control of the beast? What will happen to mother? My understanding is as long as we remain distant from the jungle dragon, his will is weak. But…what if it grows stronger? I cannot bear such thoughts.

Ceara was talking of the ley line that feeds the jungle dragon. If there was a way to stop it, then the dragon could be weakened, and possibly put back to sleep. She spent much time going over notes and calculations, but the answer seems to elude her. She has become very frustrated with herself, blaming herself for all of this. I had to calm her down, which was not easy. I fear these this recent news of the pact loss has put a larger strain on her more so than any of the rest of us sylvari. I hope that she does not decide to do something foolish.

[aerisdraws]

Owl & Raven

My entry for @tyrias-library’s Valentines writing event. The prompt is Soulmates. I hope everyone feels loved, by themselves and others, this Valentine’s season!

Fire and snow. Mountains and valleys. Tradition and innovation.

All of these things complete each other in an eternal cycle. Without one, you could not have the other. No matter how far apart, the two would find each other. The very axis of Life and Death was centered on this principle. Time and space could not withstand the impossible, all-consuming inevitability of fate.

These are how immortal bonds were forged. The great scales of balance would swing, back-and-forth, forever seeking true equilibrium. Occasionally, this pure balance was reached – if only for a second, before the sway of destiny continued.

This unbreakable bond defined everything: from the rise and fall of empires; the life and death of the Dragons; the ebb and flow of money, magic, love, rain… It is what created mortal enemies and destined lovers.

The Norn have a complicated relationship with fate and destiny. On rare occasions it is said that a particular Norn is ‘destined for greatness’… or to fall. Creating one’s own legend, carving their name in stone, is no small task. To give credit to fate for your own blood, sweat and tears would be an insult to any Norn. It is not destiny who decides whose story shall be sung by the skaalds; it is the people… yet one cannot help but wonder what thread binds us all together.

Kàra has gazed up at the stars on many nights, pondering the question. Do these faraway glinting lights hold the answers we seek? Does the past decide the future? She lived a simple life, deep in the snow-capped mountains of the Shiverpeaks: her and her six sisters, along with her parents. They led a secluded life, but Kàra was not one to wander far. Family was everything to her. What point was there in going on grand adventures, if you had none with whom to share it? What did your successes matter, without people to celebrate along your side? She took immense pride in helping raise her sisters and caring for her elders. The biggest adventures for Kàra were her trips to Hoelbrak every few months, to gather supplies her family could not obtain in the wild… and also hair dye. Even hermits have their frivolities.

The teal-haired giantess still remembers the day of her fateful trip to Hoelbrak. Her second sister, Astrid, had told her to keep an eye out for omens. Astrid had always been an odd one, dabbling with death and dreams. She’d taken to practicing reading palms, which had earned her quite a bit of mockery among the nearby villagers – what kind of self-respecting Norn would believe in a story pre-written? It was known, you make your own fate. Still, Kàra kept a lookout for those omens.

Some internal pull, a curiosity, had led the giantess to the Spirit lodges. Her family had a long history with Owl, but since her sacrifice, they turned to Bear. She was going to visit Bear Lodge first, but… when an owl crossed her path and perched itself upon the ice sculpture of Raven, Kàra was compelled to follow. Omen or not, she could visit Bear later.

It was at that moment that the threads of their fate intertwined.

He was sitting at the back, by the fire. A great feast lay on the table nearby, pecked and picked at by the shamans and visitors. This great man, sitting by himself, had one small plate in front of him. What intrigued her about him was that this man was satiating his hunger not with food, but with a book.

He spotted her. She stood out like a sore thumb, a wild animal in a library, tall and dark-skinned with teal hair. She looked about the room and walked as though the walls would close in on her. The raven-haired giant had handled fire before, an untamed and primal force. With a warm smile and a warmer voice, he invited her to join him at his table. So she did. She introduced herself as Kàra Skögul, daughter of the Hermit. He was Thorvald the Ironclad, forgeman and follower of Raven.

Fate was sealed.

From that day forth, Kàra would venture to Hoelbrak not only for supplies, but also to visit him. Over delicious homemade meals, he expanded her world: from reading and writing to tales of lands beyond the snow. Of course any follower of Raven would enjoy teaching, and Kàra was an eager student. In exchange, she told him of her life in the mountains, the stories behind her scars, hunting with her sisters. Thor was an odd one, wearing human clothing, sipping wine from strange nations, and generally being… very unlike other Norn. They were each unique in their own way.

Snow falls, and snow melts. Fire blazes, and smoulders.

In time they were brought onto their own paths, drawn apart. Months would go by without any word from one another, but Kàra knew she would see him before long. Her sisters wondered why she was suddenly so excited to return to Hoelbrak – didn’t Kàra hate crowds? – but she never spoke a word of it.

Their threads wove together, and apart. The wheel turned, as did the seasons.

Kàra returned for supplies.

She returned for stories.

For comfort and help, after her youngest sister was murdered.

For healing when strange new powers overtook her.

And, finally, for a home.

It was not the first time Norn had been through an exodus – but it was a first for her, to be exiled. Banished from her homelands until she won the favour of the Spirits once more.

The threads that bound Kàra and Thorvald together finally united as they swore their loyalty to one another.

With whom better to forge a legend, than one of the greatest smiths?

With whom better to hound glory, than one of the finest huntswomen?