blightingtrees

[blightingtrees]

A list of some of my sylvari headcanons and interpretations of canon, but delivered in extreme hodgepodge style:

- they have human-analogous internal anatomy, meaning that they are plant matter mimicking animal functionalities, inside and out. This is further supported by Mordrem possessing specialized organs such as brains or kidneys (Mordrem Researcher quests) Since the Pale Tree grew on the graves of Ronan's family, she grew her roots into what remained of the bodies, taking nutrients while also learning their anatomy and establishing a scaffolding for the future sylvari. You know how if you bury a body under a tree and later dig up the soil, the roots are shaped like a human? Something similar happened here.

As such, sylvari hardwood skeletal systems are very accurate copies of human skeletons, but soft tissues are more their own thing due to the Pale Tree having less of an accurate frame of reference (since the bodies would have begun to rot) and going with a mix of her knowledge of human anatomy and "instinctive" Mordrem anatomy.

- The wiki states they don't have hearts and a pulse, but relying on purely osmotic gradients for circulation in an ambulatory creature that is stated to have high energy needs and therefore is even unable to rely solely on photosynthesis and other typical plant processes seems implausible, so I changed it to give them some sort of pump organ, positioned more or less in the center of the chest.

- The sylvari don't really have names for their own organs, so they approximate using human vocabulary.

- Sylvari tend to sleep deeper, but can train themselves to have a lighter sleep if required (such as, in dangerous field jobs.) The extra deep sleep sometimes causes nearby sylvari to synchronize their dreams and even "meet" in a hazy dreamscape, a faint remnant of the actual Dream.

- Sylvari sap does not contain platelets, but injury stimulates phloem cells and/or skin cells to swell and constrict, then release a substrate which reacts with certain substances contained within the sap to create a clot-like resin.

- Given enough time, sylvari resin exposed to outside conditions could potentially turn into amber?

- The fact sylvari breathe with their lungs (since they are unable to rely solely on diffusion) implies they possess blood cells and some sort of chromoprotein to carry oxygen? Further supported by the existence of the Mordrem Spleen. Alternatively, they utilize natural magic to speed up diffusion..?

- Sylvari most likely do not possess adaptive immune systems and rely on innate tissue-level strategies to fend off pathogens, like other plants.

- Sylvari awaken with shaper magic, as in the ability to magically and empathically influence other plants. Some specialized Shapers train this ability to use in plant sculpting and architecture, and creating various purposed species such as turret plants. Wardens find it useful to train themselves to read and use other plants as early warning signs for incoming danger. Very rarely, certain sylvari, particularly necromancers, can awaken with little to no shaper magic.

Shaper abilities can be used to alter one's own body, to the point of completely changing one's appearance and even gender if desired, though such a process takes some time. (Perhaps months?)

- Mordremoth, possessing vast amounts of control over plant shaping, can rearrange a sylvari body completely in a matter of hours to days.

- Considering real-life plants rely predominantly on hydraulics rather than electric signaling, logic-ing out an internally consistent and plausible anatomy for ambulatory plants is very difficult (impossible?) thus sylvari must at least possess predominantly electric pathways, essentially mimicking a human nervous system. Many processes would also likely require "it's magic" as an explanation, which makes sense if we consider they are dragon minions, which were probably originally meant to help process and store magic energy at least to some degree.

- Science of sapient walking plants, what the fuck.

- Thank you Tree Mom 🙏

[blightingtrees]

aurene, sweetie, you're doing amazing

[blightingtrees]

Death's Defiant

"He claims he did it to stop Balthazar. I suppose that's a more convenient excuse than most. But no one actually knows what happened. Can we really trust the former Pact Commander's process had been wholly lawful? Regardless, the core point still stands: Can a singular, unaffiliated individual be allowed to hold this much power?"

[blightingtrees]

The Lord's gonna come for your first born son (His hair's on fire and his heart is burning)

[blightingtrees]

run

[blightingtrees]

- Sous-Chef Seimur Oxbone

[blightingtrees]

[blightingtrees]

guild wars is an insane setting because it's a normal fantasy world but also the closest elf analogue that exists is humanity. what people would at first glance assume to be ""elves"" are actually just vaguely humanoid plant monsters made to serve an unbelievably ancient god-dragon that's also a living jungle and also all of the plant people are at maximum 25 years old because their entire species are basically collectively babies in terms of how long they've existed in-universe. also the orcs are giant cat people. the gnomes are rats. the dwarves are normal but also they're steadily going extinct and also all living rock people now. nobody even knows what a horse is

[blightingtrees]

I had this dream the other night where I was playing GW2 and the idea was that Mordremoth came back to be the Biggest Bad and like, repurposed the entire jungle to lift up and form him a new body. It was awesome, ngl, but you had to traverse this Labyrinth to get to him, and I took a wrong turn and saw a portal that was just labeled “Caithe’s Trash Pile”. And immediately I was like, fuck whatever is happening with the story, I’ve got to see this So I went to the portal but nothing happened, and I was SO DISAPPOINTED. I rationalized that it was GOING to be something but they just didn’t code it in, or it was a leftover artifact, but ever since I had that dream I have wanted nothing more than to go to Caithe’s Trash Pile

Here is a mockup of said elusive portal

[blightingtrees]

Maelmordha /ˌmeɪl ˈmɔːrə/ (he/him) - Magister of the Priory, Pact Commander, disgraced Third Knight of Thorn, Champion and Mouth of Aurene, undead lich (1320 AE - 1330 AE - current)

Ah yes, the reference. Hands you the wretched plant (again). I have so much miscellaneous art of him but here's something more organized, at last. Some additional notes below!

Golden blood color

5'10" (178cm)

Pansexual

Soundless as of death

Mostly immortal

Golden eye color, blue when channeling diabolistic magic. Often has sparks of blue inside pupils at rest

Inside of mouth matches glow color, sharp canines

Can still utilize "normal" necromancy, armor and sword glow green at rest, blue when utilizing diabolistic magic

Left arm partially mutated into Vinetooth arm during HoT - rough bark scales, optional claws (trims them short)

Specializes in cryomancy, umbramancy, alysidomancy (forges magic chains from shadows)

Extremely cold flame sourced from the Soul Eater's essence

Consumes magical items through chest mouth

Cursed infernal stigmata manifests over wounds inflicted by Balthazar. Main chest scar utilized as primary conduit

Uses sealing spells to prevent magic from going out of control. New Krytan tattoos read: "Relent, enshrine in chain this sin of mine, I am become mine own cage."

Also has one of the above sealing spells around his neck, it goes under his side leaves.

Controls shades and shadow hounds Sköll and Hati

Can animate corpses using shades

[blightingtrees]

Art trade with @jawlivari!! of Kaiatu! I had so much fun! Thank you so much for letting me draw her🙏

[blightingtrees]

What if Xalath was a champion of each of the Elder Dragons? 🐲

[blightingtrees]

commander: well, we’re here at this brand new location. interesting vibes here. Countess? any thoughts before i head out?

anise: 👁️ 👁️ -beaming advice about local events and points of interest directly into my brain-

[blightingtrees]

has anyone at anet seen a raccoon ever. like in their entire life

[blightingtrees]

me @ me trying to do map completion achievements like

[blightingtrees]

funniest recent guild wars 2 experience happened while in a rift hunting squad. we've got a full squad, 50 people. we get to lake doric and commander calls a 5 minute bio break. everyone goofs off and runs around for 5 minutes. then we wait. 6 minutes. maybe he's getting water, a snack. 10 minutes. someone busts out a harp and plays us some beautiful music. 15 minutes. people start jokingly questioning where commander is. "did he fall in." "is he coming back." "did he die on the shitter." 20 minutes. "oh my god," says one of commander's guildmates. "will locked himself in the bathroom." "what?" "are you joking?" "no, he's in discord right now. he can't get the door open." jokes abound. "dude must have rattled the foundation of the house" "yeah he's never living this one down." 25 minutes. "will is live streaming from the bathroom." "I'm scared to look." "he's got his phone camera on to show us that the door is jammed." 30 minutes. people are getting antsy. "can someone else in the house get the door open?" "no he's home alone." "uh oh lol." "i g2g soon..." 35. our ranks have dwindled. the squad is half gone, half scattered across the map to do tier 1's. our harpist has left. 40. "he's trying to call out the window for help." 45 minutes. "jesus fucking christ," commander says, "fuck." "he's back!" "how was your bathroom break." "I don't even want to do this map now," commander says. "let's not do lake doric right now. let's go to mount maelstrom." there are less than 10 of us left in squad. we dutifully follow him to mount maelstrom. commander goes to map chat. "doing rifts, 3 t1 1 t2 1 t3 on red tag. i locked myself in the bathroom for an hour." ?????? he announces it to the whole map. unprovoked. no one told him to do that. but i guess the people needed to know.

[blightingtrees]

guild wars is an insane setting because it's a normal fantasy world but also the closest elf analogue that exists is humanity. what people would at first glance assume to be ""elves"" are actually just vaguely humanoid plant monsters made to serve an unbelievably ancient god-dragon that's also a living jungle and also all of the plant people are at maximum 25 years old because their entire species are basically collectively babies in terms of how long they've existed in-universe. also the orcs are giant cat people. the gnomes are rats. the dwarves are normal but also they're steadily going extinct and also all living rock people now. nobody even knows what a horse is