#c: logan thackeray

[ascalonianlightbringer]

curuniel replied to this post:

Fun fact Logan used to be a mercenary, of a somewhat rough kind. Much less of a fancy boy before he got his current job. So I'm not surprised that extrajudicial murder wasn't fully off the cards.

Huh! On the one hand, I wouldn't have ever imagined that background from the personal story. On the other, he does often seem frustrated by the constraints of Krytan society and his position, so it makes a certain kind of sense.

Like, in the noble storyline, the bandit situation does get resolved through formal channels and traditions, but Logan is super gung-ho about backing up the PC in trial by combat, and he does mutter about taking things into his own hands if they don't work out this way. And in the commoner story, he's the one who rushes into a fight with a ton of Ministry guards while Anise urges caution. So "no, you can't just try and murder him, we've got to lure him out so we can actually kill him" isn't necessarily out of character for him even given the other storylines. And it also makes sense that he'd bother less with the fancy captain persona when the hero who rescued him is an ex-bandit from the streets.

[anghraine]

Stuff about my version of the GW2 PC, not in dossier format:

- Her full name is Althea Fairchild and she’s a young Ascalonian noblewoman who has spent most of her life in Divinity’s Reach.

- She’s the younger child of Minister Ailoda Langmar of Divinity’s Reach [ambient dialogue here] and Lord Edmund Fairchild of Ebonhawke.

- Edmund has been dead for some time, but Althea has maintained close ties to her Ebonhawke relatives—especially Edmund’s twin sister, Lady Elwin Fairchild—and is fiercely proud of them and the city.

- The Fairchilds—including Althea—are proud to trace their lineage back to Lady Irene Fairchild, a mesmer in the Ascalon Vanguard who survived the Searing, led refugees to Kryta, and eventually fought in the Ebon Vanguard alongside Gwen Thackeray.

- Ailoda’s family, meanwhile, descends from a niece of Captain Samantha Langmar who joined the refugees fleeing over the Shiverpeaks. The Langmars have received Krytan positions and occasionally intermarried with Krytans, but those spouses were largely assimilated into the Ascalonian community in Rurikton, and the Rurikton Langmars regard themselves as Ascalonian.

- Apart from her father’s death, Althea lived a largely sheltered and frivolous life in Divinity’s Reach until the apparent death of her older sister, Sergeant Deborah Fairchild of the Seraph, in a mysterious centaur ambush. Ailoda was devastated and Althea, with unexpected competence, took charge while burying her own grief. This continued for several months until a friend of the Langmars, Countess Anise, interceded and began Althea’s training as a mesmer.

- About a year later, the “real” story begins with Althea heading out of the city in order to get a taste of the real world before going to help her family in Ebonhawke.

Per the game, she finds Shaemoor under siege by centaurs etc and rushes to help Captain Logan Thackeray—mostly because it’s The Right Thing To Do, but part of her gets a kick out of the knowledge that she, a Langmar, is fighting alongside the descendant and heir of Gwen Thackeray, right hand and successor of the original Captain Langmar. But before long, the bond between them is much more about their own friendship and his older-brotherly mentorship of her than anything their ancestors did.

- It becomes particularly strong as they investigate the ambush that led to Deborah’s apparent death. Ultimately, they’re able to find Deborah and others of her company, free them from captivity, and bring them home.

- Althea’s not a Separatist nor fond of Separatists, but she is intensely Ascalonian in her identity and sympathies, and loathes the Charr despite intellectually understanding the necessity of working with them against the dragons.

- Much later, she does actually go to Ebonhawke, bond with her Fairchild relatives, and fight throughout the Fields of Ruin to defend the city and their people. She becomes more accustomed to interacting with Charr who aren’t always the enemy, but still resents them, even while the clock ticks down until she’s set to meet her mentor in the Order of Whispers.

[redwoodrroad]

Wait has anyone asked about Eridunis yet? Tell me about the boy please!

not until now! i’d be happy to, thank you so much!!

B A S I C S

full name: Eridunis Thackeray Hypericum (i feel like he would take some last names because now he has a family!)

gender: boy

sexuality (girls whats my weakness): men!

pronouns: he/him

family: orphan :( and then Logan sort of socially adopts him at…. 20….. and then he marries Arkus and gains a family with Dragon’s Watch

birthplace: somewhere in Divinity’s Reach or possibly Queensdale, but he’s dropped off in the Salma District pretty immediately

job: Pact Commander! and house husband, sometimes

phobias: small, enclosed spaces, walls coming alive, and feeling like he’s dreaming and can’t wake up

guilty pleasures: PDA lol–he sort of doesn’t like it, but when he can get away with holding hands or smooching without people seeing, it’s like a shot of adrenaline. also pastries

M O R A L S

morality alignment?: probably neutral good like Arkus–he wants to do the right thing, but the right thing might not always align with the law

sins- lust/greed/gluttony/sloth/pride/envy/wrath i think these two are pretty evenly matched for him, but he definitely gets very… passionate… when things go wrong or if Arkus is hurt; otherwise, he’s learned that he can hold himself in high regard now because of his status

virtues- chastity/charity/diligence/humility/kindness/patience/justice he knows what’s right and wrong so he’ll follow through!! and he also comes from nothing so he gives where he can

T H I S - O R - T H A T

introvert/extrovert: extrovert mostly! he doesn’t like parties, but he does like being around people! sometimes he just needs a break

organized/disorganized: he’s sort of both… he keeps his home very organized, but his inventory is not

close minded/open-minded: open-minded for sure

calm/anxious: anxious :( but where he frets over decisions before he makes them, he’s calm afterwards!

disagreeable/agreeable: it depends… he originally was pretty disagreeable (like in the heart of maguuma) but he’s mellowed out since then; now he’s open to other voices

cautious/reckless: very cautious after being reckless for years starting out

patient/impatient: patient for the most part… sometimes he has a short fuse

outspoken/reserved: very outspoken! he’s only reserved when it comes to his personal life

leader/follower: big leader!

empathetic/unemphatic: super empathetic

optimistic/pessimistic: huge pessimist :(

traditional/modern: modern!

hard-working/lazy: super hard-working

R E L A T I O N S H I P S

otp: married to Arkus

ot3: Arkus and Canach lol but sometimes he and Arkus summon Joko from the underworld to hang out lmao

brotp: well it would be SOME PEOPLE who are NO LONGER WITH US, right now it’s probably Taimi. or Logan but he’s more of a fotnp (fatherly one true uh non-pairing)

notp: anyone… else… who isn’t Arkus lol

thank you again ;u;

[diegoricol]

Diego Ricol Freyre recomienda:Diego Ricol recomienda: Ganadores Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year

El concurso Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year ha hecho públicos los resultados de su concurso que, organizado por el Royal Observatory Greenwich junto al Insight Investment y la revista BBC Sky at Night, es sin duda uno de los certámenes de fotografía astronómica más importantes del mundo. Por eso, podemos considerar que las bellas imágenes ganadoras de esta décima edición (cuyos finalistas ya os mostramos) que os vamos a enseñar son las más destacadas de este fascinante género en el presente año.

La primera la que ya habéis visto, ‘Transport the Soul’ del estadounidense Brad Goldpaint que se ha llevado el título honorífico de “Astronomy Photographer of the Year” y un premio de diez mil libras en metálico. Una imagen tomada en Moab (Utah), y que muestra “una majestuosa composición de inmensas formaciones de rocas rojas con la gloriosa Vía Láctea a la derecha y la galaxia Andrómeda a la izquierda”.

La foto fue elegida por el jurado entre los 134 finalistas escogidos de las 4.200 entradas presentadas de fotógrafos de 91 países (tanto profesionales como aficionados). La razón, que “es emblemática de todo lo que significa ser un astrofotógrafo; El equilibrio entre la luz y la oscuridad, las texturas y tonos contrastantes de la tierra y el cielo y el solitario fotógrafo bajo un dosel estrellado de impresionante belleza”.

‘Great Autumn Morning’ de Fabian Dalpiaz. Ganador del premio especial “2018 Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year”.

Claro que esta no es la única foto destacada como vais a poder ver a continuación, ya que hay un montón de bellas imágenes de esta disciplina tan fascinante que nos conecta con el misterio del Universo. Por ejemplo, en la categoría de astrofotógrafos jóvenes donde el italiano Fabian Dalpiaz, se hizo con solo quince años con el primer premio por la fotografía de arriba donde un meteorito pasa sobre un bonito paisaje otoñal.

En cuanto a la participación española, destacar la victoria de Jordi Delpeix Borrell en categoría “Our Moon” con su foto de la luna titulada ‘Colores invertidos en el límite entre el Mar de la Serenidad y el Mar de la Tranquilidad’. También para Raul Villaverde Fraile y César Blanco, subcampeón y accésit (respectivamente) en categoría “Galaxies”.

‘Colores invertidos en el límite entre el Mar de la Serenidad y el Mar de la Tranquilidad’ de Delpeix Borrell. Ganador en categoría “Our Moon” del 2018 Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year.

Como es habitual, todas las imágenes ganadoras pueden verse en un libro editado sobre el concurso así como una exposición montada al efecto que ya está abierta al público en el Museo Marítimo Nacional de Greenwich hasta el cinco de mayo de 2019. Y ya sin más, felicitamos a los ganadores y os dejamos con las imágenes premiadas:

Ganador absoluto “Astronomy Photographer of the Year”

Brad Goldpaint (EE.UU) con la foto ‘Transport the Soul‘:

Categoría “Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year”

Ganador: Fabian Dalpiaz (Italia) con ‘Great Autumn Morning’:

Subcampeón: Logan Nicholson (Australia) con ‘The Eta Carinae Nebula’:

Accésit: Thea Hutchinson (Reino Unido) con ‘Inverted Sun’:

Accésit: Casper Kentish (Reino Unido) con ‘First Impressions’:

Accésit: Davy van der Hoeven (Holanda) con ‘A Valley on the Moon’:

Categoría “People and Space”

Brad Goldpaint (EE.UU) con ‘Transport the Soul‘:

Subcampeón: Andrew Whyte (Reino Unido) con ‘Living Space’:

Accésit: Mark McNeill (Reino Unido) con ‘Me versus the Galaxy’:

Categoría “Aurorae”

Ganador: Nicolas Lefaudeux (Francia) con ‘Speeding on the Aurora lane’:

Subcampeón: Matthew James Turner (Reino Unido) con ‘Castlerigg Stone Circle’:

Accésit: Mikkel Beiter (Dinamarca) con ‘Aurorascape’:

Categoría “Galaxies”

Ganador: Steven Mohr (Australia) con ‘NGC 3521, Mysterious Galaxy’:

Subcampeón: Raul Villaverde Fraile (España) con ‘From Mirach’:

Accésit: César Blanco (España) con ‘Fireworks Galaxy NGC 6939 – SN 2017 EAW’:

Categoría “Our Moon”

Ganador: Jordi Delpeix Borrell (España) con ‘Inverted Colours of the boundary between Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquilitatis’:

Subcampeón: Peter Ward (Australia) con ‘Earth Shine’:

Accésit: László Francsics (Hungría) con ‘From the Dark Side’:

Categoría “Our sun”

Ganador: Nicolas Lefaudeux (Francia) con ‘Sun King, Little King, and God of War’:

Subcampeón: Stuart Green (Reino Unido) con ‘Coloured Eruptive Prominence’:

Accésit: Haiyang Zong (China) con ‘AR2673’:

Categoría “Planets, Comets and Asteroids”

Ganador: Martin Lewis (Reino Unido) con ‘The Grace of Venus’:

Subcampeón: Martin Lewis (Reino Unido) con ‘Parade of the Planets’:

Accésit: Gerald Rhemann (Austria) con ‘Comet C/2016 R2 Panstarrs the blue carbon monoxide comet’:

Categoría “Skyscapes”

Ganador: Ferenc Szémár (Hungría) con ‘Circumpolar’:

Subcampeón: Chuanjin Su (China) con ‘Eclipsed Moon Trail’:

Accésit: Ruslan Merzlyakov (Letonia) con ‘Midnight Glow over Limfjord’:

Categoría “Stars and Nebulae”

Ganador: Mario Cogo (Italia) con ‘Corona Australis Dust Complex’:

Subcampeón: Mario Cogo (Italia) con ‘Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula’:

Accésit: Rolf Wahl Olsen (Dinamarca) con ‘Thackeray’s Globules in Narrowband Colour’:

Premio especial “The Sir Patrick Moore prize for Best Newcomer”

Tianhong Li (China) con la foto ‘Galaxy Curtain Call Performance‘:

Categoría especial “Robotic Scope”

Damian Peach (Reino Unido) con la foto ‘Two Comets with the Pleiades‘:

Más información | The Royal Observatory Greenwich

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[thegloober]

The winning photos of Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 contest are out of this world

Winners of the 2018 Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest have just been announced. This is the tenth year of the competition, and just like before, the winning images didn’t disappoint. The judges had a difficult task of selecting 31 out of 4,200 images from 91 countries. But the selected best of the best will take your breath away.

The 2018 Astronomy Photographer of the Year is run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, in association with Insight Investment and BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Professional photographers, as well as the amateurs, submitted their work, competing in nine categories:

People and Space

Aurorae

Galaxies

Our Moon

Our Sun

Planets, Comets and Asteroids

Skyscapes

Stars and nebulae

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Additionally, there are two special prizes: The Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer and the Robotic Scope prize.

American photographer Brad Goldpaint was selected as the overall winner for his photo titled “Transport the Soul.” He received the main prize of £10,000 (around $13,000) for his stunning photo, while the winners of subcategories won £1,500 (around $1,950).

Dr. Melanie Vandenbrouck, Curator of Art at Royal Museums Greenwich and judge for the competition, said that picking just 31 winners from the 134 shortlisted images was “fiendishly difficult:”

“With a competition that keeps on flourishing over the years, the growing community of amateur astrophotographers have time after time surprised us with technically accomplished, playfully imaginative and astoundingly beautiful images that sit at the intersection of art and science. This year did not disappoint. Their mesmerising, often astonishing photographs, show us the exquisite complexity of space, and movingly convey our place in the universe. And to see our young winners compete with seasoned photographers in their skill, imagination, and aesthetic sense, remains the greatest reward of all.”

The winning photos will be exhibited in the National Maritime Museum from 24 October 2018, so don’t miss it if you’re in London. But for all of you living far (like I do), here are the winning images from all categories. I’m sure you’ll enjoy them!

People and Space

© Brad Goldpaint (USA) – Transport the Soul Category winner and overall winner Nikon D810 camera, 14 mm f/4.0 lens, ISO 2500, 20-second exposure

© Andrew Whyte (UK) – Living Space Runner-up Sony ILCE-7S camera, 28-mm f/2 lens, ISO 6400, 15-second exposure

© Mark McNeill (UK) – Me versus the Galaxy Highly commended Nikon D810 camera, 20-mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 5000, 10-second exposure

Aurorae

© Nicolas Lefaudeux (France) – Speeding on the Aurora lane Winner Sony ILCE-7S2 camera, 20-mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 2000, 3.2-second exposure

© Matthew James Turner (UK) – Castlerigg Stone Circle Runner-up Sony ILCE-7R camera, 22-mm f/4 lens, ISO 1000, 30-second exposure

© Mikkel Beiter (Denmark) – Aurorascape Highly commended Canon EOS 5DS R camera, 17-mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 2000, 8-second exposure

Galaxies

© Steven Mohr (Australia) – NGC 3521, Mysterious Galaxy Winner Planewave CDK 12.5 telescope, Astrodon Gen II LRGB, Baarder H lens at 2541 mm f/8, Astro Physics 900 mount, SBIG STXL-11000 camera, Luminance: 33 x 1200 seconds [11hrs], H: 12 x 1200 seconds [4hrs], Red-Green-Blue: 450 x 12–18 seconds

© Raul Villaverde Fraile (Spain) – From Mirach Runner-up Takahashi FSQ 106ED telescope, Idas lps 2-inch lens, SkyWatcher Nq6pro mount, Canon 6D camera, 414-mm f/3.9 lens, ISO 1600, 24x30x400″ exposure

© César Blanco (Spain) – Fireworks Galaxy NGC 6939 Highly commended Takahashi FSQ 106 ED telescope, LRGB Baader filters, ORION ATLAS EQ-G mount, QSI 583ws camera, 530-mm f/5 lens, 36 hours 30 mins exposure

Our Moon

© Jordi Delpeix Borrell (Spain) – Inverted Colours of the boundary between Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquilitatis Winner Celestron 14 telescope, Sky-Watcher NEQ6 Pro mount, ZWO ASI 224MC camera, 4,200-mm f/12 lens, multiple 20ms exposures

© Peter Ward (Australia) – Earth Shine Runner-up Takahashi FSQ85 telescope, Losmandy Starlapse mount, Canon 5D Mark IV camera, 500-mm f/5 lens, 9 exposures ranging from ISO 100 to 900, 150 2-seconds through to 1/4000th second exposures

© László Francsics (Hungary) – From the Dark Side Highly commended Homemade 250-mm f/4 Carbon Newton telescope, f/11, 250/1000 mirror lens, Skywatcher EQ6 mount, ZWO ASI 174 MM camera, 6250 mm f/4 lens increased to f/11, multiple 1/200-second exposures

Our Sun

© Nicolas Lefaudeux (France) – Sun King, Little King, and God of War Winner AF-S NIKKOR 105-mm f/1.4E ED lens, Nikon D810 camera on an untracked tripod, 105 mm f/1.4 lens, ISO 64, multiple exposures of 0.3-second, 0.6-second and 1.3-second

© Stuart Green (UK) – Coloured Eruptive Prominence Runner-up Home-built telescope based on iStar Optical 150mm f/10 lens, double stacked hydrogen-alpha filter at 5250 mm, Sky-Watcher EQ6 Pro mount, Basler acA1920-155um camera, 150-mm f/35 lens, multiple 0.006-second exposures as an AVI

© Haiyang Zong (China) – AR2673 Highly commended Sky-Watcher DOB10 GOTO telescope, Optolong R Filter, QHY5III290M camera, 3,600-mm f/4.7 lens, ISO 160, 0.7ms exposure

Planets, Comets and Asteroids

© Martin Lewis (UK) – The Grace of Venus Winner Home-built 444-mm Dobsonian reflecting telescope, Astronomik 807nm IR filter, Home-built Equatorial tracking platform, ZWO ASI174MM camera, 12.4-m f/28 lens, 6msec frame time, 5.3sec total exposure duration

© Martin Lewis (UK) – Parade of the Planets Runner-up Home-built 444-mm Dobsonian Newtonian reflector telescope (Mercury used 222-mm Dobsonian), various IR filters for Uranus, Neptune, Mercury, Saturn (L). UV filter for Venus, home-built Equatorial Platform, ZWO ASI174MC/ASI174MM/ ASI290MM camera, various focal lengths f/12 to f/36, various exposures

© Gerald Rhemann (Austria) – Comet C/2016 R2 Panstarrs the blue carbon monoxide comet Highly commended ASA 12-inch (300 mm) Astrograph telescope at f/3.62, ASA DDM 85 telescope mount, ASI ZWO 1600 MC colour CCD camera, exposure: RGB composite, 4.6-hours total exposure

Skyscapes

© Ferenc Szémár (Hungary) – Circumpolar Winner Minolta 80–200 f/2.8 telescope, tripod, Sony SLT-A99V camera, 135-mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 640, 50 x 300-second exposures

© Chuanjin Su (China) – Eclipsed Moon Trail Runner-up Sony ILCE-7RM2 camera, 17-mm f/4 lens, ISO 100, 950 x 15-seconds

© Ruslan Merzlyakov (Latvia) – Midnight Glow over Limfjord Highly commended Canon EOS 6D camera, 14-mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 400, 10-second exposure

Stars and nebulae

© Mario Cogo (Italy) – Corona Australis Dust Complex Winner Takahashi FSQ 106 ED telescope, Astro-Physics 1200 GTO mount, Canon EOS 6D Cooling CDS Mod camera, 530-mm f/5 lens, ISO 1600, total 6-hours exposure

© Mario Cogo (Italy) – Rigel and the Witch Head Nebula Runner-up Takahashi FSQ 106 ED telescope, Astro-Physics 1200 GTO mount, Canon EOS 6D Cooling CDS Mod camera, 383-mm f/3.6 lens, ISO 1600, 1, 3 and 6 min, total 5 Hours exposure

© Rolf Wahl Olsen (Denmark) – Thackeray’s Globules in Narrowband Colour Highly commended Homebuilt 12.5-inch f/4 Serrurier Truss Newtonian telescope, Losmandy G-11 mount, QSI 683wsg-8 camera, 1,450-mm 12.5” f/4 lens, 14 hours and 40 minute exposure

Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year

© Fabian Dalpiaz (Italy – aged 15) – Great Autumn Morning Winner Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera, 50-mm panorama f/2.0 lens, ISO 6400, 8-second exposure

© Logan Nicholson (Australia – aged 13) – The Eta Carinae Nebula Runner-up Takahashi MT-160 telescope, f/4.8 reducer for MT-160, Celestron CGEM mount, Canon EOS 700D camera, 776-mm f/4.8 lens, ISO 800, 12 x 5 minute exposures

© Thea Hutchinson (UK – aged 11) – Inverted Sun Highly commended Lunt LS60 telescope, Celestron CGE Pro mount, ZWO ASI174MM camera, 1250 (500-mm with x2.5 Powermate) f/21 (f/8.3 x 2.5) lens, 2000 frames best 20% retained

© Casper Kentish (UK – aged 8) – First Impressions Highly commended SkyWatcher Skyliner 200 p, SkyWatcher 25mm wide angle, Dobsonian mount, Apple iPad 5th generation, 3.3-mm f/2.4 lens, ISO 250, 1/17-second exposure

© Davy van der Hoeven (Netherlands – aged 10) – A Valley on the Moon… Highly commended Celestron C11 Schmidt Cassegrain telescope, Baader red filter, SkyWatcher NEQ6 mount, Imaging Resource DMK21 camera, 2,700-mm f/10 lens, 1/300-second exposure

Sir Patrick Moore Prize for Best Newcomer

© Tianhong Li (China) – Galaxy Curtain Call Performance Winner Nikon D810A camera, 35-mm f/2 lens; sky: ISO 1250, 16 x 60-second exposures, total 16 pictures; ground: ISO 640, 4 x 120-second exposures, total 4 pictures

Robotic scope

© Damian Peach (UK) – Two Comets with the Pleiades Winner Takahashi FSQ106 telescope at 106 mm, Paramount ME mount, SBIG STL-11000M camera, 530-mm f/5 lens, exposure: four LRGB frames, each frame 30 minutes each

Source: https://bloghyped.com/the-winning-photos-of-astronomy-photographer-of-the-year-2018-contest-are-out-of-this-world/

[ascalonianlightbringer]

I'm working through the personal story with my paladin Guardian, and I'd forgotten how much fun it is to do missions with Logan as a Guardian. For one, I like him, and for another, it feels like we're unkillable gods.

[ascalonianlightbringer]

I like Logan Thackeray, in some ways perhaps more than he deserves. I mean, there are definitely things I genuinely like about him as written, but also, I’m willing to do quite a bit of mental work with him and play up elements of his character and background that I find intriguing but underwritten, like his perception of Rytlock taking Sohothin as an act of looting.

We don’t hear a lot about that, but it comes up in their confrontation in Lion’s Arch, and could be a factor in why Eir thinks finding Sohothin’s sister-sword for Logan would help patch things up between them. Maybe (depending on when Rytlock acquired it, which I don’t recall atm) it’s something that always bothered Logan, and he’s the kind of person who prefers to busy himself with action rather than process the things that are troubling him, especially when personal relationships are involved.

Regardless of when his grudge originated, though, it comes tumbling out when he's already tense and pressured and Rytlock threatens him. The scornful emphasis on "this Charr" and the resentful "looted from Ascalon"—yeah, I think there's potentially a lot more going on in his head than just defensiveness over Snaff.

Unfortunately, it doesn't really go anywhere, but in my head, the Ascalonian legacy matters more to Logan than we ever really see, and it's definitely something they have to navigate later on.

[ascalonianlightbringer]

I took Gwen through "The Accusation," the follow-up to "The Fall of Falcon Company."

I talked a little here about wishing human PCs could be something other than totally uncritical Queen Jennah stans (it's not like plenty of human NPCs don't have issues with her!). In my head, if not on the screen, Gwen's street origin/revolutionary crowd has left her with very little investment in the status quo and she theoretically opposes royalty and (especially) aristocracy. But she doesn't want Jennah replaced by another (worse) monarch and the person/people plotting against the queen are responsible for the death or suffering of Gwen's sister, so for now, okay.

Anyway. Gwen enters the royal court for the first time in her life to find Logan just arrived, and Queen Jennah attended by Minister Arton, Countess Anise (problematic fave!!!), and Minister Caudecus. Given that Caudecus is the ultimate villain of the noble storyline ... hmm.

We jump into the cut scene and actually see Jennah for the first time:

(Hope the throne room isn't drafty!)

The character design shows its age a bit, though I like the patterning on the gold overlay, and the neck piece. I also really like that she looks like a GW1 Krytan—I like that Ascalonians got less white in GW2, but Krytans got wayyyy lighter and I've always found it uncomfortable.

Right, back to the story. Jennah and Logan talk Very Normally about the treason and not about Logan's undying passion for her, and Gwen tells her about Tervelan's confession, without even naming the minister in question. Arton, who is elderly and seems pretty nice, immediately guesses the accused minister must be him and goes under voluntary house arrest.

Also, I want his robe.

Enter Anise, whom Gwen briefly met in the street arc. Anise was introduced back then as the head of the Shining Blade—the group that helped save Kryta back in GW1 and seems an elite bodyguard for Jennah these days—and apparently keeps track of everything, since she recalls that a random sergeant transferred out of Falcon Company, back in the day. Logan knows where the guy is currently patrolling, so he sends Gwen off to question the sergeant while he stays and protects Jennah.

You can actually talk to Jennah herself afterwards, deferentially. She's actually pretty upset because Arton has always served both her and her father with every appearance of loyalty (as I recall, not something that could be said of all her ministers). The charm response was the more neutral ("Captain Thackeray and Countess Anise will ensure your safety"), so I went with that.

Anise remarks that accusing a minister in front of the queen is not only bold, as she knew Gwen is, but fearless. Gwen says, "Not fearless. Determined." Sounds about right!

Caudecus also has a dialogue option, but just kind of whines about all the commotion. Yeah, I've got my eye on him.

Meanwhile, in conversation with Logan, Gwen grimly assures him that if this sergeant knows anything, she'll get him to talk.

That's my girl :)

[ascalonianlightbringer]

Now that Gwen is 80, I've gone through the ... uh, level 10 personal story. She's from the streets (where Althea is an aristocrat) and it's probably the most compelling of the starting human storylines for me.

Gwen is a former street kid (implied to be an ex-bandit) who got out at some point, but was still trying to help her old friends. But when push came to shove, she decided that she couldn't let innocent civilians get killed to protect a bandit friend who refused to make better choices even when given the opportunity. So when given the choice, she elected to leave him "safely" in hiding to go save the city, and he got discovered by the bandit leader and brutally killed.

She was horrified and grief-stricken, so she and Logan plotted together to avenge her friend through, uh, extrajudicial murder. The plan worked like a charm and that's the happy ending, I guess. One less crime lord on the streets of Divinity's Reach! I figure Logan and Anise owe Gwen a favor and could shell out for a mourning outfit.

[ascalonianlightbringer]

Last time in the eternal PC!Gwen Velazquez recaps-with-headcanons, the headcanon detoured into an approximation of fic!

After the Order sent Gwen and Tybalt to go home and recuperate/maintain cover stories, they headed out towards Lion's Arch. Tybalt made some awkward overtures of friendship to Gwen, who finally snapped when the subject of Ascalon came up. But he took it astoundingly well, and even offered to take her to visit the plains of Ashford, where her ancestors were civilians before the Searing. Gwen accepted and conceded that she doesn't blame or hate him personally. Tybalt freely said he doesn't hate her, either.

Baby steps!

Seriously, though, one of the reasons I wanted to lean into the level gaps between the Order of Whispers missions is to give Gwen and Tybalt more time and space to establish their dynamic.

So. They shake hands/paw and part ways in Lion's Arch, Tybalt heading back to Order headquarters where he used to do his paper-pushing, and Gwen returning to Divinity's Reach. It's afternoon by then and she knows she needs to appear to live a normal life, so she keeps her lunch appointment with her sister Deborah, now restored to prestige among the Seraph after her year of enslavement.

They've been gradually rebuilding their relationship since Gwen liberated Deborah and the remnants of her company. They don't agree on everything (Gwen still doesn't care for Queen Jennah, or monarchs), but they can talk through things more productively these days. She doesn't particularly like lying to Deborah again, but she can't tell her about the Order of Whispers, and she skillfully manages to focus attention on Deborah's life and what she can say about her own.

After Tervelan's betrayal, Deborah isn't as uncritical of the Seraph as she used to be, while Logan backing Gwen in tough spots has made Gwen a bit more tolerant, so they have a perfectly cordial, quiet conversation in which Deborah admits to not being exactly content among the Seraph, even though she's helping people the way she wanted. Gwen doesn't push her, but she's glad to see her thinking a bit more deeply about these things than was always the case in the past.

Gwen has already convinced Deborah that she's entirely free of the bandit life, but she does have to fib about how she's mostly spending her time. She also admits, without really trying to suppress excitement, that she knows someone with business in Ashford who offered to take her to see Ascalon and she's heading out tomorrow. She'll tell Deborah everything afterwards, etc. Deborah is intrigued and excited, though not as intensely as Gwen, and tells her to be careful. She's heard a lot.

Gwen: I will. [She pauses, then smiles.] And I trust Lyssa to do the rest. She's always helped me.

Deborah: That's true. But you can never take the gods' favor for granted. May Lyssa continue to smile on you, and Balthazar protect you and your friend.

Gwen nearly says "He's not my friend" but decides not to complicate things. She can't really see Balthazar protecting Tybalt, anyway, though he can take care of himself. For one uneasy moment, since she's always been deeply pious, she wonders what the gods think of her traipsing around in the Order with a Charr. Lyssa, she feels, would understand putting a pleasant face on things to do what must be done for the world, and Lyssa is her patron. Still, it's not like Gwen doesn't worship the others, too. Does Balthazar understand?

For the moment, she dismisses the concern and simply thanks Deborah. They embrace before Deborah goes back to the barracks. Things are better on the Velazquez front! (That Velazquez front, anyway.)

Gwen also makes sure she sees Logan before she goes. They find a private location (if he weren't obsessed with Jennah, Gwen is about 70% sure his people would suspect something was going on between them) and Gwen uses her mesmeric abilities to obscure what they say. Since he already knows she's in the Order, she can be a little more open.

He congratulates her on success with Lady Demmi's escape, and with more than a little glee, tells her that Caudecus looked like he had a particularly severe case of indigestion when Logan last saw him.

Gwen: :D

She admits that her mentor is a Charr and that it's difficult, but she's determined to make it work, and he seems decent enough. Logan commends her for that and wishes her luck. She also tells him she's going to Ascalon the next day with said mentor, and she's never been before.

Logan, also Ascalonian, gets why it's fraught for her—in some ways more than Deborah, who rooted herself firmly in Kryta after their parents' deaths in the war for Ascalon. He warns her about just how indiscriminate Separatists, Flame Legion, ghosts, etc are, but also encourages her to find what joy she can in seeing it with her own eyes while sticking close to her Charr friend.

Gwen, again, stops herself from saying "my Order mentor, not my friend." She just says that won't be a problem; she knows the danger and Tybalt has been kind to her.

Logan: "They can be, in their way."

Gwen blinks, not expecting this from such a source. "Really? How do you know?"

Logan says, "I ... had a Charr friend, myself." He glances away. "Once. You saw him in Lion's Arch."

Even Gwen stares at him incredulously. "The one in your guild? The Charr who looted Prince Rurik's sword?!"

"It was a long time ago," says Logan. "I never liked that, I just ... well, none of that's important now. But you say your friend is trusted by your Order? That takes some doing. You should be able to trust him, too."

"He's not my friend," she finally admits. "But I do think I can trust him. I'm sure I'll see you again soon, and please, let me know if something important comes up. The Order doesn't expect me to abandon Kryta."

"I'll let you know if anything urgent happens," he says. "Go with the gods, Gwen, and do our people proud."

Coming from him, the heir of the namesake she idolizes, and the mentor who helped her plot and carry out the killing of her friend's murderer, who's had her back at every turn, that kind of faith still means a great deal.

"I will," she promises.

With that, she goes back to her fairly humble but at least watertight residence in the Salma District, paid for with a stipend from the Seraph she received after saving Falcon Company. She's proud, but not so proud that she'd reject the chance to reliably have a roof over her head. She sleeps deeply despite some confusing, troubled dreams about her parents and something to do with a Charr, maybe Tybalt.

She's not one to let dreams stop her. She twists her growing hair into a ponytail, puts on the most practical, unobtrusive clothes she owns, arms herself with her swords, and uses nearly the last of her month's savings to travel back to Lion's Arch to meet up with Tybalt.

Never mind, she tells herself. Ascalon awaits.

[ascalonianlightbringer]

I followed up the culmination of Gwen's Orders of Tyria arc (Order of Whispers, baby!) with the next phase of the story, the beginning of the best Order of Whispers arc.

So this was all about Gwen meeting Destiny's Edge, Logan's old guild who failed against an Elder Dragon when, iirc, Logan left at a particularly pivotal moment to save Queen Jennah. While this is a kind of boring motivation, given how Extra every other member of Destiny's Edge is, I may be alone in sympathizing with him? Also, if I'm remembering the backstory right, the domino effect of Jennah's survival at that moment was a pretty big deal.

But onto the story. Gwen began by—HEY, OLD LION'S ARCH!!!

Okay, I know it's now accessible outside of old story instances, but I haven't gotten the achievement for that, and I always forget that we get a great view of it in this scene.

<3333

Okay, back to the story for real. Gwen went over to talk to Logan, who was suspicious and telling her to stay close. Gwen responded that she doubted Caithe was plotting an ambush (fair enough; I wouldn't put it beyond Caithe after playing the level 10 sylvari story, but it didn't suit her goals in this case). I do find it pretty funny to imagine Logan keeping Gwen (who is maybe 5'5") close as like ... an emotional support spy?

It turned out that Caithe had sent her message to all the former members of Destiny's Edge, and Logan was pissed about the inclusion of one member in particular: Rytlock, the Charr member.

In one sense, this isn't surprising. But I don't actually remember why Logan is mad at Rytlock specifically. I know they were good friends and that factors into Rytlock's anger at Logan, I get why everyone feels Logan abandoned them and got a friend killed, I get why Logan feels none of them understand what went into his choice or fully grasps the consequences. But he does seem very specifically angry at Rytlock. He tells Caithe he wouldn't have come if he'd known "this Charr" was going to be there, which has always made me wonder if at some level, part of his anger is cultural as well as personal. More on that in a bit.

Rytlock was angry as well, but in a more controlled and contemptuous way—Logan definitely seemed the more hotheaded of the two. Still, Rytlock definitely upped the ante by saying he should just gut Logan (...). It's hard not to think of the Charr NPC who goes on about how all Charr cubs are taught to skin every human they meet. That's horrifying, but in a Charr context, Rytlock talking about gutting Logan while not actually harming him would probably seem pretty cool and collected.

Logan's response was not only furious but one of his more iconic moments, if you ask me:

[Logan: Gut me? With what? That human-made sword you looted from Ascalon? I've had enough! We're done here.]

I can't screencap how Logan's VA says this, but I think the delivery definitely stresses "looted from Ascalon" and sounds genuinely outraged about it.

I do think Logan is defensive here, but it's intriguing that it's his kneejerk response under pressure, and presumably how he really feels about Rytlock taking Sohothin. To Logan, it's an act of looting and conquest in the land where Logan's ancestors lived for hundreds of years. #valid

And I mean, he's a direct descendant of the girl who defied the subjugation the Charr tried to inflict on her and refused to be driven out of Ascalon as so many were, instead turning herself into a woman the Charr themselves feared. Not even Pyre Fierceshot, her eventual friend, really seemed to care about how many thousands of innocent people got killed in a single day or who they were, but Gwen Thackeray made sure the Charr remembered her name.

That is part of Logan's legacy, and given this response, I've always wondered if he feels it in some way. He and Rytlock were close once, but maybe even at their best, there was a strain of resentment that Logan probably couldn't have expressed even to himself, but which comes out here.

The fact that saving Jennah also saved Ebonhawke if I'm recalling correctly, the last stronghold of the Ascalonians in Ascalon, besieged for over 200 years after being established by Gwen, is weirdly understated in all this. In fact, I'm not sure anyone at any point brings up Logan's contribution to the survival of Ebonhawke and, consequently, the survival of his people in Ascalon proper. Maybe the game doesn't want us to think about GW1 too hard wrt this particular conflict, or really wants Logan's motives to be All About Jennah, but as a GW1 veteran, it's kind of impossible not to think about it with Logan's emphasis on "this Charr" and "Ascalon."

Anyway, that's my headcanon and I'm sticking to it.

As for the other members, my Gwen also saw Zojja the Asura, who blamed the leadership(?) of Eir the Norn more than Logan, which is also interesting. Zojja, too, was done with the whole thing and left. Caithe and Eir seemed by far the most reasonable, pleasant, and down-to-earth of the group (kind of funny considering the hardcore and clearly troubled Caithe of the sylvari story) and briefly talked through their discouragement at the failure to reunite. Eir had some plan to bring Logan and Rytlock together, which iirc ends in disaster in the Ascalonian Catacombs dungeon.

I imagine that my Gwen's response to all this was 1000% Team Logan, especially with the specter of Ascalon hanging over his conflict with Rytlock. She might even be uncomfortably so for Logan, perhaps? You know how sometimes someone is so fervently on your side that you almost second-guess yourself, even though you normally trust them? I imagine that's how Logan would feel. And Gwen has her own Ebonhawke hang-ups because her parents died for it, so Logan's actions contributing to its survival would ensure she is very intensely on his side.

I imagine she was pretty neutral on Zojja and Eir, while she understood Caithe's slightly underhanded way of bringing everyone together—Gwen can be pretty underhanded herself—but didn't much appreciate it in the circumstances.

So at this point, she kind of uncritically resents Rytlock and supports Logan, she has reservations about Caithe, while she's meh about Eir and Zojja. Clearly a recipe for group unity!

Gwen and Logan had a brief chat afterward—Logan was still principally angry at Rytlock, though also frustrated and a bit self-pitying with regard to everyone. But when Gwen told him they just needed time, Logan quite rightly responded, "Time is one thing we don't have, my friend," but admitted he needed to cool off. I think that would seem very reasonable to Gwen and only encourage her to jump into the Order of Whispers wholeheartedly while he's figuring out what to do next.

And what should show up in my mailbox but a letter about apples :D

[ascalonianlightbringer]

I got around to the finale of "The Orders of Tyria" after finishing "Speaker of the Dead." This doubled as Gwen's induction into the Order of Whispers as an initiate.

The basic plan was to use an illusion of Queen Jennah to draw Kellach out, tricking him into revealing himself and then giving him a chance to surrender, but defeating him if he refused. This in no way addressed Gwen's earlier concern that he'd drag undead through every town on the way to Divinity's Reach in order to get to Jennah (or "Jennah"), but lalala.

Gwen talked to Logan first, who was predictably on edge about the queen. Gwen had the option to reply "the gods will watch over us," which I kind of like for Gwen, who I've always imagined as unexpectedly devout, and who would be more concerned about Logan, Ihan, and herself than Jennah, anyway. But I ran through the alternate option as well, where you can ask about Logan's incredibly obvious feelings for Jennah. He insisted, "She is Kryta."

I do think it's interesting that his devotion to Kryta and his love for Jennah have essentially fused into one thing, or at least are so joined up that they feed into each other (in a way that strikes me as ... not completely healthy, but still, intriguing).

Gwen also talked to Anise, my problematic fave, who explained that she was there to make the illusion of Jennah seem authentic and also explained what the Shining Blade is. I remember helping them out in GW1, so no surprises there.

Ihan was also there and pointedly reminded Gwen that the Whispers agents are "Our agents, my friend. You're a member of the Order of Whispers now. We all work as one."

Aww, Gwen and Ihan are friends! And look, I love the Order of Whispers so much. I seem to remember the Whispers arc going rather quickly, but I'd happily wander around scheming and sneaking with them for a long time. My people!

Logan wanted an assurance that they'd keep Jennah safe and Ihan promised "on the honor of our Order." They have honor in their own way, which I also love. The combination of skulduggery and dedication to a purely noble goal is just ... they could not be more catered to appeal to me (their vibe actually reminds me a little of my beloved Rogue One).

Ihan also explained that the bombs planted around the room fused Charr and Asura technology. I suspect Gwen was a bit "... :\" about using Charr tech, but she's a pragmatic creature at the end of the day, so I imagine she covered it up with a smile and carried on (a bandit infiltration episode in Brisban Wildlands revealed that her personality is "Captivating," which is fun to imagine).

And then Kellach showed up, apparently by traveling through the sewer system or something like that. Like with Tervelan, you could tell he'd gone wrong by the grime on his Seraph armor:

I'm curious if it's always a code for corruption, but I guess I'll see.

Kellach addressed the fake Jennah as "my beloved queen" (...) and insisted he wasn't going to hurt her, he just needed to, you know, bathe in her blood. I am unsure how this was supposed to happen without hurting her, but he was obviously not all that rational at this point. Upon being told to surrender and that he'd been tricked, he lost his shit and declared he'd kill us all, backed by Risen materializing out of nowhere.

The fight wasn't difficult, especially since Gwen, Ihan, Anise, and Logan managed to lure Kellach + minions into the range of the bombs. But it wasn't a particularly happy victory, given that he started by trying to figure out how to save Kryta from the Risen, and in the end, there was nothing to do but kill him like a rabid dog. Even Gwen said, "Poor Kellach," and I'm inclined to imagine she actually did.

Logan, meanwhile, was pretty shaken:

I bet it does.

Ihan, meanwhile, continued to be super encouraging:

The Order certainly seems a very pleasant crowd. It makes a certain sense, though—they need to be able to get along with anyone.

TYBALT TYBALT TYBALT TYBALT

Er, I mean, I definitely haven't forgotten so much that I've forgotten my favorite Charr ever. I realize this isn't a high bar, but for as much as I dislike mainstream Charr culture and most of their actions over the last 250 years and more, I remember that Tybalt was easily one of my favorite characters in the game.

I really like this moment—the expression, her resolve, the slight bittersweet quality of her rapport with Ihan just as he was about to leave. I seem to recall that Althea did run into him again at some point, but I'm still a bit sad to see him withdraw from major character status.

Then back to Logan! Gwen immediately picked up on how rattled he was and it turned out he'd had an epiphany of sorts. He conceded that maybe defending Jennah wasn't the best long-term use of his abilities, since nobody (including Jennah) is safe as long as the dragons are out there.

Better late than never, I say.

There is a genuine pathos to this for me. I know lots of people dislike him, but idk, I'm really fond of him despite everything.

Gwen loyally assured him that it's possible to come back from mistakes, which are part of being human (...and lbr, also Asura, Charr, sylvari, Norn...). Logan has decided to meet with his old friend Caithe after all of this. Kellach achieved something, anyway!

The cut scene concludes with a cheerful "I'll see you in Lion's Arch!" from Gwen, but it's possible to continue the conversation in the dialogue screen after. Logan freely admitted that his feelings for Jennah go beyond duty, and Gwen said (I think sincerely) that "I hope you find a way to be happy together."

I seem to recall that his feelings end up being more or less unrequited, but that's really not the impression from the personal story.

Logan also described Caithe vaguely (after running the sylvari level 10 story not long ago, his description isn't wrong, but falls a bit short of just how hardcore she really is). He thought she might have discovered something about the dragons that might be helpful, so he was willing to meet up again with her in particular, despite seeing the guild as permanently disbanded. Gwen simply told him to let her know if she could help.

I really do love the female human PC + Logan as 100% bros, and I particularly enjoy it with Gwen and Logan, given how far he was willing to go to help her out in the original street storyline. It's just a peak BROTP in my head.

It's also possible to talk to Ihan before he headed out. From him, Gwen found out that the Preceptors of the Order, Halvora, Valenze, and Doern, are aware of her. Ihan concluded, "Your wits are sharp as knives, Initiate. The Preceptors were right about you." The Preceptors, incidentally, are the visible leaders of the Order, answering to the mysterious and unknown Master of Whispers.

He also told her to take notes on Logan's meeting. Seems sketchy to spy on her friend, but that's the name of the game in the Order. Gwen simply said "Noted," which could easily be a careful ambiguity that's very characteristic of her.

Anyway, that was "The Orders of Tyria." When I first started it, I was like "oh yeah, I have to do the whole arc before I get to join up. :\" But I did really enjoy going through it and very much liked the distinct personalities and human-ness of all the representatives.

Next up: Lion's Arch!

[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!

[ascalonianlightbringer]

I was talking a few days ago about my headcanon that my human PC from the streets, Gwen Velazquez, is hostile to the aristocracy and not particularly supportive of the status quo under Queen Jennah, just aware that all current alternatives are worse. And this is definitely difficult to square with the human PC as written in the "Missing Sister" story line, which I just completed.

...it's harder(/impossible) in the next and last racial story line, "The Orders of Tyria." I'm sticking with it anyway, so I'm pretty sure Gwen's eyebrows rose at receiving a letter from Countess Anise beginning:

Gwen: 🔪

Nevertheless, now that I have a little time, onwards to the next phase of the personal story!

It starts by simply striding into the royal court, which Gwen fits into a little better these days:

It turns out there's a situation involving helpless villagers and Orrian undead. Gwen knows enough to exclaim "the dragon's minions!" The three orders of Tyria, which I don't think have yet been mentioned in-game, want to help, but each approaches problems differently and they can't agree on the best approach. The queen has summoned Gwen to act as Advocate of the Crown and make the choice for them.

Jennah does actually ask if Gwen is willing. Obviously it's not mechanically possible to refuse, and the canonical response is very deferential. I imagine Gwen is less "I'm honored to serve Kryta and my queen" and more "I'm honored to serve Kryta and my people."

We found out after the cut-scene conversation that Logan and Anise both recommended Gwen for the task, which is nice. The street origin PC can have a further conversation with Jennah that leads to the queen saying:

Gwen, internally: 🔪🔪🔪

Anyway. Logan, Jennah, and Anise each have their own perspective on the three orders—the militant Vigil, the scholarly Durmand Priory, and the shady Orders of Whispers, all 100% committed to fighting the dragons.

I like how each of their takes reflects their own priorities; Logan is very results-focused, Jennah allows them to operate because of what they do for her people, and Anise has already accumulated information about the Order representatives involved. There's a former Ebon Vanguard member, Hiroki (which works really well for Gwen's Ascalonian angst, as her parents died fighting for the Vanguard as far as she knows). There's the eccentric Priory scholar Josir. And there's the mysterious Ihan, who may or may not explain himself.

And she's off to Lychcroft Mere!

[ascalonianlightbringer]

I finished the "Missing Sister" arc! It was only a single mission and pretty straightforward, but idk, I didn't find it anticlimactic or anything.

So, last time, Gwen gathered information from Tervelan's former messengers and found that a) Minister Arton is likely innocent and b) the survivors would likely be held by a nearby gang who trade in/keep human slaves.

In this episode, "Liberation," Logan shows up to help her "investigate" the bandit camp. They briefly talk over who the real mastermind of the whole plot must be. Gwen concludes that it's got to be someone with "money, power, and ambition," which unfortunately describes a large portion of the Ministry.

Logan, a bit confusingly, remarks that the plot weakened the Seraph, pushed public opinion against the queen, and "almost worked." I mean ... it did work, unless the mastermind was hoping for an even greater impact than it had. But I get the impression that it's only piece in the larger maneuvering.

Gwen: "I want to see if these bandits have any answers, and, if Dwayna is smiling on us, find my sister."

<3

I like the reference to Dwayna, too!

Outside the cut scene, Logan makes a melancholy remark about people turning on each other instead of working together—"if we can't trust each other, we can't possibly face the dragons." True, though some people have some pretty solid reasons for not trusting each other. For one, the Ministry folk are Just That Sketchy. Gwen points out that there are always villains, and that's why heroes need to step up, which he seems to find comforting. He assures her that her deeds for Kryta won't be forgotten.

There's not a lot of subtlety in the mission objectives. In the next part, Gwen and Logan stroll in and attack the bandits. It's not a difficult fight (least of all with Logan along). They do manage to question one bandit about who was behind it at all; she says it was (gasp!) Minister Caudecus, but gloated we'd never prove it and died.

Well, no surprise there.

Afterwards, there are a handful of clearly battered prisoners in the remains of Seraph armor (one may or may not have lost an eye). Their conversation is kind of quietly horrifying.

I think this would be particularly difficult for Gwen (rather than my aristocratic human, Althea) to hear, given my headcanon that she and Deborah fought over Deborah joining the Seraph and were estranged before this happened. And then, to make the pain even sharper, it's immediately followed by the second prisoner assuring Gwen that Deborah always said her family wouldn't forget her. So despite everything (including torture, apparently!!), Deborah held out faith that Gwen would come through for her. ;_; but also <333

Anyway, the last prisoner is a slender blonde woman in worn clothes. Deborah!

Deborah is coughing and unsure if she's dreaming or not at the sight of Gwen. Logan assures her that she's safe now and asks for her account of what happened. Deborah basically recaps what they already knew between coughs and Gwen tells her the nightmare is over and they're going back to Divinity's Reach together. Deborah thanks Gwen and Logan and insists they're both heroes. Logan, however, gives all the credit to Gwen.

It's possible to talk to Deborah afterwards, though only briefly, with the usual personality options. The ferocity option seemed the most appropriate for Gwen: "It's all right, Deb. I'm here now. Those bandits will never threaten you again." Logan will also talk a little, though only to say the Seraph will look after the injured soldiers and give them a hero's welcome in DR. Gwen replies, "We'll never forget what you did for us today."

So that's "Missing Sister"! Despite a certain amount of predictability, I think it's genuinely heartwarming, the villains are suitably loathsome, and the consequences of what happened were actually pretty severe.

I wish there was more continuity with the storylines—Deborah's in pretty bad shape at this point and I've always wondered how she gets from here to my vague memory of encountering her much later. But I understand that bringing her into the other storylines would be a pain when some PCs don't have a Deborah backstory, and at least there's a possibility of meeting her again.

My only gripes with "Liberation" itself are pretty limited. The use of ethnicity to generate Deborah's appearance doesn't really follow from the greater diversity of GW2—Ascalonian NPCs can look like any RL ethnicity in GW2, but Ascalonian Deborah is automatically a light-skinned white person like in GW1.

Also, your family's ethnic/cultural background has zero effect on anything other than Deborah's appearance, despite it seeming like it'd be a pertinent a lot of times. Like when Charr refer to Adelbern as "your king," it seems like a Canthan PC would be ??????? Meanwhile, I recall that in Ebonhawke, you're basically forced to act like you have no cultural ties to them and are a neutral party, even though Ascalonian PCs are very unlikely to be neutral about it. I know it'd probably be a pain to incorporate, but I do wish it were a bigger deal. I'd honestly prefer a more consequential cultural option in character creation instead of the social class option, for as much fun as I'm having with the street origin—I just think the human cultures are richer and more interesting.

Nevertheless, "Missing Sister" is definitely my favorite of the backstories and I really enjoyed revisiting it and seeing Deborah again. And it's also fun to headcanon what the consequences might be for Gwen and Deborah and their differences before Gwen gets caught up in the Order storyline.

[ascalonianlightbringer]

I figured I'd wrap up the "The Fall of Falcon Company" section of the Missing Sister storyline with Gwen, my chronomancer.

Last time, she chose to bring Logan in rather than confronting her dead sister's corrupt commander alone. So this part begins with visiting Logan and telling him about Tervelan's betrayal. I was a bit surprised that Logan seemed genuinely incredulous at this—presumably less because he likes Tervelan (who is a nasty little rat of a man) than at the idea of any Seraph captain betraying Kryta.

Still, he agreed to talk to Tervelan about it. Gwen and Logan met up at the monastery, this time with a mix of very chilly and very warm receptions from the local Seraph.

One of the unfriendly lieutenants snapped out, "Did you two come in a golden carriage?" Their assumption that city folk all live in luxury continues to clash with Gwen's actual history of growing up homeless on the streets, though I'm not sure that will ever affect the story again. But in-story, one of her best friends just ended up dismembered for crossing a bandit gang in Divinity's Reach and another close friend left the gang for being insufficiently revolutionary and got the hell out of Dodge. I'm pretty sure Gwen's reaction to the idea that she's some pampered child of privilege is a mixture of bewilderment and smothered rage.

Anyway, the other half of the Seraph were very evidently hoping that Logan was there to replace Tervelan. Nope! And in fact, Logan even gave Tervelan the chance to voluntarily come in for questioning instead of starting an immediate fight. Tervelan refused and ordered/bribed his Seraph to kill both Logan and Gwen.

Tangent: most of the Seraph captains are quite glossy and shiny, even the ones who are very far from the capital. But Tervelan's uniform (while otherwise standard) is dull and off-color. It's a nice bit of detail.

Logan had another interesting character moment when the Seraph were ordered to attack. He responded sharply, "I will show no mercy to anyone who turns against Kryta for gold or who protects a traitor like Tervelan." It's not surprising in the circumstances, but again, he's a bit more hardcore than I remembered him.

In the event, some of the soldiers actually did refuse to follow orders—about half.

The fight with Tervelan was pretty easy, though protracted because he kept running away and using his soldiers to cover for him. But eventually Logan and Gwen fought him into a corner and he surrendered. He admitted that he'd betrayed Falcon Company on behalf of "some politician" signing himself "Minister Arton" who wanted to make Queen Jennah look incompetent—Arton is one of her trusted advisors—and who bribed him with resources for the rest of his command. So he wasn't trying to betray Kryta as a whole, just selling out a particular company for a bribe and remarkably callous about it. Still an asshole, for sure.

(Yep.)

Now it's time to warn the queen!