#charr of AWOL

[foefire-flame]

<- guy who can only maks lore essays at 3am before he passes out

Leo's stubborn reluctance to engage in the part of charr culture that easily accepts death and killing as a show of strength is because he *did* kill before. His warband's first big assignment after leaving the Fahrar was to hunt down a charr that had gone AWOL while being suspected of taking an important magical artifact with him. Orders were to obtain the relic by any means necessary, and to cut down any resistance. Leo managed to catch up to him faster than the rest of his warband since he knew the area better, when Leo caught up to the suspect he bargained with him. He refused to let go of the artifact, so Leo fought him. When it came to deal the killing blow, he hesitated. He saw the fear in the man's eyes, and he questioned why, there was no full story, he didn't know the other side. When his warband finally caught up with him, his legionnaire threatened to make him a gladium if he didn't finish the job, so he did. They returned the artifact back to the citadel while Leo stayed with the body. He was told all his life that mercy is a sign of weakness, hesitating is a fault, loyalty to the legions, loss will be a part of life. He was told that winning a battle is a sign of strength, glory in a kill, thrill in battle. And yet despite the countless years he was picked on for being "too gentle" It was cutting short a life on questionable orders that he felt his weakest. There was no strength to be gained from such an act.

From that point on Leo, with as much as he could, refused to throw away any more lives, refused to continue the cycle he was born in. He wouldn't leave the legions though, he would change them. He never killed for a higher position, he never acted without mercy. It didn't matter how long it took for him to start climbing the ladder of leadership while holding onto the ideals that outcasted him from his own society, it didn't matter if they never came as long as he held on. His jadedness towards the legion's way of life only continued the older he got and the more experienced in battle he became. In a way the personal story beginning with nearly his entire warband dying was truly the straw to break the camal's back. More expendable lives lost in a grander battle against ghosts who suffer the same soldiers fate. The Charr and the Ascalonian ghosts are made for each other in that way, they would never admit to being a mirror, but they are.

Leo is pretty much a huge black sheep within legion charr society but he's been hardened by that and instead of being Disheartened he only grows more stubborn as time goes on. Which is good bc otherwise he would've gone crazy. Of course its hard to entirely avoid death within the legions, pretty much impossible. He just does his best to personally choose mercy and had refrained from having his warband make any brash decisions that could end with them being lost to an avoidable fight.... Mr Leo the man that you are .....

[commanderhorncleaver]

Trying to read up on as much Gaius lore as I can. Gaius having been a Gladium ks really interesting especially since he ends up becoming the Pact Commander later! In terms of interaction, Leo was never a Gladium, but he was a mere foot soldier nearly his whole life and he was always looked upon them more favorably than he should, just another streak added to his already existing empathy for things hes told he shouldnt feel that way for re: Ascalonian Ghosts. And often found himself conversing/spending speaking with them more then his own warband or ranked charr, as long as they were friendly enough to accept it. So! How would Gaius react if he was approached by Leo just for conversation? Especially if he had already known about the rumors of Leo being a bit of an outcast for being "Too soft" (Refusing to kill to gain ranking, especially if he can avoid it in missions, being too merciful) and spending more time with ghosts than charr? Since he grew up in the black citadel despite being Blood!🤔

(Oop realized this was a bit long, but im down for any sort of interaction even if its conflict! Im also adding a soft invite if this is too long and you would rather head to dms thats totally okay too! I love talking ocs, Gaius seems so cool from what Ive learned abt him) 🫡

FIRST OF ALL, I DO NOT MIND RUNNING LONG-- however this response is gonna run long too, and if you do wanna message on dms I'm more than fine.

I think it largely depends on when in the timeline of the game Gaius would learn about Leo, for the question of how he might respond to being addressed, and the like? Because Gaius has a very funny habit of attempting to "adopt" younger soldiers to "help get them on the right track"-- and where Gaius was indeed a gladium, he didn't much respect any gladium who wasn't actively trying to get back into active duty. He had this interestingly conflicting thing where even AS a gladium himself, he spent as much time as possible sleeping with ranked soldiers so he didn't have to be in the gladium's canton.

Gaius is/was very big on the idea of doing whatever it is one can to contribute as much as possible to their legion: he himself is not particularly capable in most Iron-typical subjects, but he's a great strategist, and takes his job so seriously it kind of works out because he's sort of allowed to do what he wants insofar as... he didn't have a warband for a long time and was mostly just overseeing engineer bands: with mostly paperwork and drills, he was allowed to be a justicier of sorts, doling out punishment for gladium and awols. He was proud of this.

SO the big thing to consider I think is like. How much is Leo willing to put up with some almost 50 year old trying to figure out a lesson plan in "being a better asset to my legion?"

Despite how insanely unflattering this description is, I don't think Gaius would actually find what Leo's up to as hugely disgraceful. I don't think he'd have ADVICE, but this is somebody trying to solve one of the Big Problems Iron (and the Legions at large) are dealing with: the ghosts. He might struggle to understand the point Leo's coming from, with empathy, but this is something more than worth the investment of attention. To note, Gaius circa Ghosts of Ascalon did not personally advocate for the Ebonhawke Treaty, he was adamantly "fuck the humans," however he did A) understand exactly the circumstances and issues as the charr are in the middle of a war on three fronts, and B) he will support his Imperator first and foremost--again, at this time.

FOR THE SAKE OF NOT RAMBLING ON FOREVER, I THINK IT'S A VERY INTERESTING CONCEPT, THE TWO OF THEM TALKING, AND BEFORE I CLOSE OFF, I DO WANT YOU TO KNOW: Gaius' daughter (born after IBS) has the exact same mission: I imagine her revenant magic allows her to literally channel the ghosts of the dead, including those of Ascalonians, giving them their memories and such for an extended period of time. Currently (as in when they first discover this ability of hers) they do not have an idea on how to refine or how she can make this permanent.

[mistfallengw2]

Further design notes on Aurelia's design (and some backstory infodump)

[previous notes on non-armor design changes here (not entirely up to date)]

(Everything under read more because it's a lot of screens and text oops)

Legions, before 1320 AE Her gear changed often during her 12 years of active service, especially since she tinkered in armorsmithing as a hobby, but this one was more or less her favored setup: simple design that protects while still allowing movement + lots of spiked parts to ram into enemies, especially the helm's horn that compliments her own.

Mists, 1320-1324 AE Long story short, Aurelia ended up in the Mists while fighting the first wave of branded that followed the creation of the Brand, specifically after smashing assorted human artifacts while trying to take down a big branded griffon. After dealing the killing blow, she then wandered the Mists for ??? (time in the Mists is weird), hoping to find a way out while injured and failing not to panic, till she stumbled upon the spirit of a certain crystalline dragon. A pitifully short fight later, Glint admitted she saw something in the charr, then offered her the powers of a dragon to do what had to be done: go back to Tyria and finish the wounded Kralkatorrik.

When Aurelia accepted, desperate to get out of there and see her family again (if they were still alive), she was given one of the dragon's facets, which bound itself to her damaged armor and magically transmuted it (golden and crimson, reflecting her own aura, with the facet itself in the center), as well as granting her a direct connection with Glint's spirits and her draconic powers.

Still, before Aurelia could go and do her task, she needed to hone her powers as fast as possible. Initially a hard deal because Aurelia had never used magic in her life, but it seemed to proceed well... until it backfired spectacularly. Glint's cryptic words whenever she inquired about her family had made her worry grow too much, far beyond making meditation hard, and when it was time for her to try and make her very first rift, it spat her out in buttmist nowhere, as her focus was elsewhere (she had unknowingly aimed for the Domain of the Lost, where most of her warband was). She tried to follow Glint's instructions, but other voices had accidentally entered her mind, and subsequent attempts to go back to where she started went progressively worse as she messed up again and again, stumbling in other places until she ended up in a forgotten corner of the Mists, where [data corrupted], something no mortal mind was ever meant to witness.

Against all odds, Aurelia managed to escape, thoroughly traumatized and wounded deeply by what she had experienced, but the facet had stopped working like before and turned dim, having taken the brunt of the corruption while shielding her. Aurelia struggled to contact the real Glint again, but she only found her echo to add to the others in her head. Still on the brink of corruption, she wandered aimlessly, fighting her way through fractal after fractal, her mind slipping away as her armor turned darker and darker, facet's powers and her memories fading as any thoughts beyond survival became drowned out by the constant whispers of echoes. It was a long time spent in that nothingness before she realized she had gotten stuck in an anomaly fractal for who knows how long.

Vigil, 1324 AE After popping out of the Mists thanks to a friend's "sacrifice", she had no memory of what happened in the Mists beyond having had it rough. Farm shenanigans happened, remembers some of what happened to her, then found out what happened to her warband and that her son was AWOL, so she pulled herself back together in hopes of finding him. Powers came and went, got a bit better after she got used to the constant voices in her head. After a brief stay in the Black Citadel to sort out some Legions' matters, she officially joined the Vigil and became a Crusader, relying on some old friends there, including Almorra. Thankfully an exception to the uniform code was allowed: Aurelia just can't separate herself from that weird enchanted chest piece with the glowy thing, mostly because she feels safer and overall better when wearing it... but especially because, even if she leaves it locked in a chest somewhere, it just reappears in her close proximity. The fact that it forms itself around her torso is just a nice added bonus.

Orr campaign, 1325 AE Very glad to find out that Adamas was alive and well in Lion's Arch and working for another Order, very much not glad that she didn't get to enjoy their reunion before a whole other dragon started wrecking stuff too close for comfort. Not too keen on the whole Pact Commander role for herself because she's not used to being in a leadership position of any sort, but trusts Trahearne and she'll do what she has to. Some memories start coming back thanks to a new friend's help, but while she's not that eager to rediscover more, it does seem to make her powers a bit more reliable, and killing a dragon helps a bit too. Swapped the pauldrons for something lighter and more flexible.

Season 1 and 2, 1326-27 AE Being constantly busy is nice, because you can't think about your own trauma when you gotta prevent or fix trauma-causing events, right? Right? All the stuff with Glint's aspects charges her armor up and makes her memory clear up more. However, visiting Glint's lair sure was a trip for her, one she could have done without, given what she remembered afterwards. At least she's convinced herself to make and wear charr armor again, which feels a bit like the "home" she'll never have again. Small progress, but having her son by her side and a growing support net does help her stabilize.

Heart of Thorns, 1328 AE When Aurelia touched Aurene's egg for the first time, her armor had reacted and... turned slightly lighter? Not that she had time to really understand what was happening, busy as she was being chased through the jungle by a murdertree. Maybe it's the contact with Exalted stuff that's inherently linked to Glint and the egg being Glint's own, but her powers did get more reliable after all that, so she's not complaining. Also, uh, when did her pauldrons become "part" of the chest piece?

Season 3, 1329 AE Swapped out damaged parts of her armor, went for matching colors to her chest piece. When Aurene hatched, Aurelia's armor reacted again... and again she didn't get the chance to figure it out right away, but it seemed just another case of it lighting up a shade. The bond with the dragon hatchling opened a clearing in her mind, and the more time she spends with her, the better she feels, the more stable her powers seem to become. Might also be all that unstable magic she's coming in contact with, but she doesn't turn crazed like other people do (seeing weird luminous things was quickly resolved and does not count), so it's fine.

Path of Fire, 1330 AE

By the time Aurelia leaves for the desert, her armor had shifted to a slightly lighter color again (she had to repair/remake her armor periodically anyway), and the facet was glowing brighter. In the fight with Balthazar where she died, his sword easily tore through the enchanted metal and shattered the facet. When she came back to life, the armor was inert and severely damaged, but to her surprise, her powers were not tied to the facet or armor, but her own and strong like before (actually stronger, as dying removed some of the corruption). She repaired it as she could before setting out to slay a god and save Aurene, but she left the hollow space where the facet used to be untouched.

Season 4, 1330-32 AE When Aurelia had drawn on Aurene's powers during the final fight with Balthazar, a small crystal had formed itself in the facet's place, and she kept it, thinking it was a shard of the original facet. After a few days, while Aurelia was repairing and upgrading her armor (it wasn't enchanted anymore, so she went all in and used orichalcum as well), the crystal started glowing blue. To humor herself and the curious voices in her head, she tried placing it in the breastplate's empty slot, and to her surprise it bound itself to it. The whole armor slowly became enchanted by the new facet, turning stronger than normal despite not being indestructible, at least until Aurene ascended. She does start wearing a shawl occasionally, be it to hide the facet's glow or to have more shielding from the weather.

IBS and onwards, 1332+ AE Turns out that Aurelia had apparently been slowly enchanting the gear she crafted/repaired (ask her skyscale how she found out that could happen). She doesn't know since when, since it was excess magic latching onto things, but she has now figured out how to willingly channel magic into her gear, so now her armor is almost as shiny as Aurene. She can also do more things with it thanks to Aurene's magic, even on the go!

-

Casual Overall she gets little proper downtime so she's more often than not in armor, but she's been enjoying more "multicultural" clothes since coming back from the Mists. She particularly likes comfy shirts that leave her guns arms out or have wide sleeves, but she will wear anything as long as it doesn't feel too tight and restrictive (and still allows her to carry the facet comfortably).

---

Assorted notes

- The original facet only served as a conduit for Glint's magic, as without help Aurelia (or any mortal) wouldn't have survived the sheer amount of it, especially since she wasn't magically trained at all.

- After enduring the corruption, the facet pretty much acted as a "life support" against its effects, filtering it out just enough to allow Aurelia to recover from what happened when she was corrupted. The anomaly fractal's own "nature" actually helped her survive the worst part of the process, as there was still a chance of succumbing to the corruption anyway or being killed if she stumbled in the wrong place in that state.

- Her memories faded and became blocked off entirely during her time in the Mists post-corruption (became progressively more like how in a dream you can't remember most of your real memories, then stayed like that other than random bursts of remembrance and awareness in the anomaly fractal) due to the trauma and the corruption's influence. For the first few days out of the Mists she barely knew her name (also as a result of her escape, was exhausted to the point of acting nearly feral), then they slowly came back to her as she made the effort and the corruption was cleansed. With the exclusion of what her mind couldn't process at all (mostly things that happened while she was on the brink of corruption), by EoD she remembered pretty much everything of her life, while what happened in the Mists pre-[data corrupted] is still a bit dubious even with Aurene's help due to its inherent mistfuckery and the limitations of Aurelia's own understanding at the time.

- The corruption also irreversibly messed with her powers, specifically not allowing her to create traversable portals to the Mists. She can create ones in the superficial layers of the Mists (the ones used in attacks), but anything beyond that spits her back (as if the Mists rejected her) and gives her a very unpleasant feeling close to pain (partially works on others as well, and she uses it tactically at times). She can traverse other portals just fine, although being in the Mists does give her anxiety.

- The friendly being bound to the anomaly fractal was ultimately the one who managed to send her back to Tyria. While she had gotten better in there to the point of coherency and relatively frequent awareness, her escape had taken a lot out of them both, and she only "remembers" flashes of her time in there and that she misses whoever they were.

- Rytlock is still the first revenant by technicality, as Aurelia only had Glint's powers in the Mists and then didn't have the full array of rev powers until Aurene hatched. In a way, she was a failed first attempt.

- While it was a very necessary crutch during the initial times after getting out of the Mists, later Aurelia only used the blindfold on occasions when the voices get too loud and confusionary for her to handle (echo-migraine). She also doesn't use helms anymore.

- The new facet is a mix of Aurene's magic and her own, which is why she has much more control over it compared to Glint's facet.

- While the corruption is like 99.99% gone thanks to the bond with Aurene filtering it away, it still has left a mark on Aurelia. Whether Aurene was ever aware of what it originated from or not, she only mentioned it in a vague comparison to the Dragonvoid. P****a is the first to openly notice it and be quietly unnerved by it, but she didn't mention it again.

- With the last upgrade of her armor and the link with Aurene strengthening after her ascension, she is able to summon crystalline wings fully on her own (just for gliding, requires a lot of concentration/magic). While they still show some of the lingering corruption and its damages in their opaqueness, they shine with her aura (first pic). If she had been able to do it at any point before then, they would have shown the corruption far more heavily (second pic).

[alta1r1an]

Since I got to do the Charr ps with Raevik again, did the AWOL branch of it.

It got me thinking of the Charr legal system, and the way that it seems to apparently be left to the chain of command alot? So in the case of Vallus the enaction of justice was left down to the Legionnaire.

So much so that there basically isn't any prescribed punishment that the legionnaire needs to stay within range of? Sure there seems to be some expectation of arena combat but Emer was allowed to basically come up with whatever she pleased (which, in this case was giving Vallus a humiliating death)

Then, Charr are apparently allowed to step in. because your player character does. But it's interesting to me that justice is somewhat contained in the little units of their warbands and grouped warbands of their centurions (those have a name prob, cohorts?)

Though, there obv is still also legality executed in the name of the legions. Like Ryt's court martial and the likes. Or the Charr in scourgejaw, one of em guilty of tax evasion.

Idk, it's... interesting to me how charr society is structured. Especially because there is still some pressure from down to up because lower ranks can just take a role with lethal force. Wonder if there is some legal consequence if afterwards you dont appear up to the task?

[axe-trio-commanders]

Official character list

Zori Sunblade

She/her, Charr, ranger-soulbeast, first commander (pact ommander, commander of tyria), one of Aurene's champions. Raised ash legion, then joined the priory before becoming full-time pact commander up until events in LWS3/PoF required someone else to take charge. Incredibly empathetic, wants very badly to rest but unable to shake the feeling of responsibility for Tyria's wellbeing. Very small by charr standards. Orange. Good at leatherworking and huntsman crafting

Seremnis

She/her, Sylvari, necromancer/reaver(as of certain EoD events), second pact commander (young lich of elona, commander of elona), Aurene's other champion. Night bloom, was very close with several firstborns in saplinghood, joined order of whispers, went somewhat awol to participate in lws1, lws2 and then HoT events, took over commander position for Zori (kind of sort of willingly) after certain lws3/pof events, resolved to be co-commanders a bit after zori's return, in lws4. Still figuring out her place and worth outside of her Wyld Hunt. Specific brand of necromancy allows her to return to shroud instead of dying, rending her effectively immortal, though still very, very low-damage (tends to bait enemies into attacking her, very, very high pain tolerance as a result of this). Very good chef. Very passionately not a fan of (most) dragons and gods. Small.

Enkkioh

She/her, Asura, warrior-spellbreaker-bladesworn, third commander (commander of cantha), wayfinder. Grew up mostly normal in rata sum, except that she decided to adopt a very-far-from-home charr cub as a sister and would not take criticism about that. Banned from Rata Sum soon after graduating from Synergetics due to an altercation with a councillor over her sister, joined the vigil immediately after. The only one to canonically experience the personal story dungeon storyline. Also the primary protagonist for most of lws1 plot. Involved in the background of remaining story (excepting some shenanigans post-HoT and mid-LWS4) up to icebrood saga, where she officially joined dragon's watch and was promoted to official commander soon after. All 3 commanders act as co-commanders in EoD, after which zori is going to try very very hard to retire from the position and rest (she will not succeed). Canonical SoTo wayfinder (and bonking-isgarren-with-a-cardboard-tube-er). Enjoys researching and developing weaponry- equally a fan of learning magic and weaponry from other cultures and races in orcdsr to also incorporate it (as respectfully as she can manage) into her design. Huge fan of trahearne and the pale reavers. Bites.

Lovi Leyspark

She/her, Charr, engineer-holosmith. The charr sister enkkioh adopted. Learned synergetics alongside Enkkioh up until leaving a couple years before graduation, intending to see if she'd be more welcome in iron legion. Soon decided she hated it there and left to (steal) make a secret volcano lab in/around fireheart rise, in which she could seclude herself to create weapons and lab-defense systems (equipped with backdoor monitering so she can ensure they're being used responsibly), and also from this base of operations antagonize the local flame legion. (escaped from flame legion as a cub. Her claws are prosthetic- and also a joint design between her and enkkioh, equipped with sensors, programmable transmitters, and small lasers fit for intricate tech work, as well as cloaking capability.) Does research primarily into leyline magic since it's discovery (attempting to coin the term 'leylime' for the type of holed rock commonly found around leyline hubs). Generally rather blunt and brash, but doing pretty okay on average given the circumstances. (...unsure exactly when she starts interacting with dragon's watch, but her and enkkioh remain siblings, besties, and a force for menacing politicians for funsies). Bites as a fear response.

Varza Snapspark

He/him, Charr, guardian-willbender. Lovi's littermate. Grew up in flame, but did not forget his sister, and honestly kind of genuinely hates it there. Officially, acts as a messenger between flame camps and warbands. Unoficially, smuggles as much info (and as many charr) out of flame as he can. Generally tries to keep his identity (and combat abilities) seperated between these two tasks. (Full of anxiety most of the time. Very fast. Cheetah flavored.) Has an emotional-support jackal that is generally compacted into normal dog-size, but is fully capable of becoming a full-sized jackal for doing jackal things.

Strea Starmane

She/her, Charr, elementalist-catalyst. Zori's dame. Olmakhan, excelled primarily in fire magic in youth, causing some tension between her and the rest of the community. This also further spurred a highly adventurous spirit, and she eventually decided to undertake the massive ocean trek to mainland tyria. Discovered a legion warband and (wettest cat alive) Vallus, decided "I will fix him", and proceeded to genuinely try to do so until the warband's leader decided to abandon her to die in the brand.

(This is not the end. Fic ain't written yet tho)

Generally kind, but incredibly stubborn. Refuses to take literally anything lying down, ever.

Amiaza the Sandborn

She/they, Charr, ranger-soulbeast-scourge?. Strea's sister, olmakhan. Soulbonded semi-permanently to a sand lioness named Sandy. Stayed on the isles long after Strea left, gradually self-isolating until she lived alone in the upper forests. Eventuallymleft to explore Elona for a while, where her magic shifted to function closer to a scourge than a rannger, before eventually meandering back to Sandswept Isles.

Still mostly capable of holding a decent conversation despite the self-imposed isolation, should she feel the need to, but very much prefers Creature Vibes.

Valoaukko

He/they, Sylvari, thief-daredevil-specter. Noon-bloom. Was recruited very early on into the astral ward after coming across one of their hunters, genuinely enjoyed being there. Realized something was going Horribly Wrong at the start of HoT, insisted he go to try and help, and proceeded to near-immediately lose himself to the whispers on arrival. Came back to after HoT, significantly altered morphologically, and with absolutely no memories except his name, as well as continuing, significant memory issues. Fought to survive for a year or so in the jungle before sneaking onto a ship of local pirates, and quickly joining the crew. (He very much enjoys the cannons.) Has recently (undecided on how recently) rediscovered the Ward, and has rejoined it, and is still, slowly, re-learning things about the sylvari he used to be...

Regularly steals things, regardless of actual value. Does this out of compulsion, because it's funny, and/or as a physical reminder of someone he's met, enjoyed the company of, and wants to remember. A bit socially stilted, but generally optimistic and exciteable. Doing his best.

Ferret shaped.

Lasca the Blaze

She/her, Charr, warrior-beserker. Grew up in flame legion, smuggled out by Varza. Determined to make a name for herself out of sheer spite,,proceeded to gather a ragtag crew of other misfits and commandeer an aetherblade ship, becoming an airship pirate captain. Regularly takes in new crew members, determined to genuinely earn their loyalty. Enjoys ransacking flame legion camps, inquest bases, consortium operations... really any large entity that's been cruel to someone in her crew. Has never once managed to stockpile funds between ship upgrade and repair, ammenities for the crew, food, entertainment for the crew, cool shiny things, fun treats for the crew... therapy for the crew... incredibly chaotic good vibes. Will fight your primus behind the tyrian-equivalent-of-an-applebees with relatively little provocation. Will bite.

Olirus Quickshot

She/they, Charr, thief-deadeye. Grew up in iron legion, grew somewhat famous for quick and accurate shooting with double-pistols. Decided to join the vigil out of a genuine want to help save Tyria from the elder dragons. Horribly, horribly traumatized by the events of HoT, to the point where they could no longer accurately weild a pistol, and left the vigil. Started using a rifle and focusing on long-range accuracy instead. Managed to find a job guarding prized racing raptors in elona. While on the job, managed to contract a necromantic curse that slowly ate away at the flesh of one arm. Decided to cut her losses there, since she didn't really like the operation much anyways, and left, taking her favorite raptor with her.

They have now decided to fully retire from fighting of any sort, and are attempting to get into the candy/sweet making buisiness in order to continue to be able to afford food, shelter, raptor feed, and any kind of treatment for her arm... currently still running off of vigil pay, and the pay she got from the raptor facility.

Taggi the Dragonfly

They/them, asura, mesmer-chronomancer. Currently being paid to help Olirus deal with the curse; capable of keeping the rot from spreading further via chronomancy while they search for a more permanent solution. However, they much prefer to use these funds for further researching the various flying insects of Tyria, especially the dragonfly. They are trying to find a link between dragonflies and the Dragons, as well as how to utilize the dragonfly's flight and vision capabalities in order to make themself the Perfect Hunter. Results have... varied. Had been using their insect powers to just outright steal funds for their research before being offered this probably-legal method instead.

(...there's a couple more, I'm just not really sure what I'm doing with their characters yet. To be added later maybe. Along with reference images and links to other things, perhaps...)

[born-in-ascalon]

"See, love of water does run in the family." 

His brother made a face as if his omnomberry pie had traces of risen in it. "Mine limps at best, thank you very much."

"Maybe you Irons just need to start earlier."

Firetwins ended up having their own cubs this year, so it felt only right to send them to the Labyrinthine Cliffs together. Not to mention, Kirruak can now stick to his brother without getting all soggy and wet. All in all, it was a pretty great year for these two.

(I mean, besides me not playing them as much as I'd like to, so poor Scar is delegated to opening a daily chest in the Kaineng JP and that's about it.)

Sequel to Heyday.

Full resolution and short story: https://www.patreon.com/posts/calefaction-70806681

Progress video: https://www.patreon.com/posts/timelapse-70863701

[kerra-and-company]

@thoseofuswhoblossom made some storyverse toons using the beta, and I couldn’t resist doing the same thing, so...ye!

Up top, we’ve got Minei’s birth parents, Najwa and Lynden! They both served as Shining Blade agents under Jennah’s father’s rule, gaining intel on both the charr and the White Mantle (though the second was their main area of expertise). Lynden grew up in Ebonhawke, and Najwa grew up near Fort Salma.

The semi-dramatic sun shot is of Kostya, Ari’s mother. Unlike her daughter, Kostya’s part of the Iron Legion--at least she was, prior to going AWOL around five years after Ari entered the fahrar. Kostya and Ari had enough of a relationship that she still remembers her mother and sometimes misses her. I can’t do this in-game, but the dangly circles in her hair should actually be gears.

[memoirsofratasum]

Protector Tarnn: Bound by Blood

The death of one elder dragon and the rise of another is a sure sign of a change in Tyria. That feeling of hope has returned, but this time with a reassurance that Aurene has our backs if we’re ever pushed against the wall again. While celebrations are happening all over Tyria, from the smallest krewe labs to the largest moot halls, it’s Imperator Bangar Ruinbringer’s All-Legion Rally that is the place to be. Not only is this the first rally held in recent memory, the invite has been extended to non-charr as well. 

The Priory for their part couldn’t resist a presence at such an historical event, though I wonder how much work the magister’s honestly expected to get done verses an excuse to party and unwind. The Blood Legion allowed us to set up camp at The Overlook, right next to where Kralkatorrik once slept. But the only elder dragon’s touch you can see is Aurene’s. The former purple brand has been transformed into a gleaming opal, scattering light over the water. I can’t imagine a more beautiful place in Tyria, and that’s considering the already natural beauty of Grothmar Valley. 

I wonder what this place is like when there isn’t a giant party with half of Tyria in attendance. There is something going on around every corner: marksman challenges, a demolition derby, pit fighting challenges, and even a concert by Metal Legion just across from our camp. All the legions are here, even Flame to manys apprehension, though they seem genuine on returning to the fold. With everything going on, you’d be forgiven for believing the general mood was festive.

But if you pay attention you can feel the tension in the air. Ash and Iron soldiers are stiff and wary and seem unwilling to wander around without a few bandmates in company. Other races, especially humans, are getting pushed around by Blood, even I’ve gotten a very growls and side-eyes. But most disturbingly is the undercurrent of charr supremacy being pushed by Bangar. I lived in Rata Sum before, I know that rhetoric when I hear it. And I’m not just reading too much into it, a few of my Iron buddies expressed how uncomfortable it made them. 

I had fully intended to just keep my head down and head home as soon as the festivities were over. It wasn’t worth it to antagonize one of the more aggressive Tyrian militaries, especially when you’re their guest. But I think most were expecting something to come to a head sooner rather than later, a few asuran merchants even tried hiring me as a caravan guard to get through the mountain pass while the getting was good. But not only was I not at liberty to take outside jobs, reports were coming in that the snow was falling a lot harder than usual for this time of year. A few merchants had arrived with nothing, their products lost over the edge of an icy trail. The Valley was still warm and it was possible that the storm would pass by the time we had to leave, but Sanna was muttering over her instruments and components. She didn’t want to say what it was about the weather that was bothering her until she had more data, but something had her spooked nonetheless.

The tension did eventually come to a head, but not in the violence expected. Instead of clashes among the tents, Bangar and a slew of warbands just...left. They packed up in the middle of the day for the mountain pass, effectively abandoning Grothmar and the Blood Citadel. That is not something that just goes unnoticed. The commander and Rytlock had been at their heels but the winter storm pushed them back. Bangar’s second is trying to keep people calm and the Blood Legion running, but warbands of Flame, Iron, and Ash were gone as well and the other Imperators are demanding answers and their people back.

The Pact got wrapped up in this somehow. It’s true that Almorra had gone into the mountains to a remote Vigil keep, maybe they thought she could intercept them. Or maybe they saw the non-charr soldiers in the Valley as expendable. Or something else is going on, I really don’t know much. What I do know is that the top brass wants to follow the wayward warbands, it’s only that damn storm holding them back. The Pact was taking volunteers to scout the trail in Shiverpeaks Pass, finding a way through the mountains after initials reports of avalances and elementals appearing on the road.

When stationed at the Priory HQ, one of my duties was patrolling the mountain for lost travellers and keeping the pass clear. With that relevant experience I volunteered and was assigned to one of the later excursions. I showed up for my shift to find it snowing outside the Shiver Gate. The weather was not letting up but despite that the previous squads had scouted some distance in but an avalanche had blocked the trail the commander had previously taken. I met up with the rest of my squad and found that most of the members were old friends of mine, either I was lucky or someone put in a good word. Either way I was glad to work with people I knew and trusted. 

The temperature dropped immediately as soon as passed the gate. My squadmates’ mounts were shivering and had to stay behind with the Blood Legion captains that were manning the entrance. I hadn’t summoned my jackal and I was worried about what deep cold could do to Arkose’s physical formation so I left him be. Trudging on foot, our first obstacle was an ice tunnel that was prone to rolling snowballs. They were too fast and compacted to melt in time, so the only way through was to keep your eyes open and keep to the tunnel walls. 

After the tunnel was a stretch of trail that had previously been reported as being full of ice elementals, but the previous squads seemed to have cleared them out and we reached the burned out bonfire checkpoint without hindrance. This was as far as the squad before us had gotten, the rest of the pass was buried under tons of snow. We had to figure out a better way through. We searched the area and it was decided we would try to climb over the rocks near the avalanche. On the other side we saw what looked like norn architecture, an archway to be precise, and broken down bridges and scaffolding on the cliff walls. I wasn’t able to tell if the damage was from the recent storm or if it has been there for ages. Regardless, we picked our way over the frozen wood and stone until we reached a flat open landing that matched the description by the commander. We climbed down and were going to scout the area when the ground started rumbling.

We were then face to face with a half embedded ice construct. He couldn’t move from the center of the landing, but his arms and his magic had more than enough reach. I was really glad to be in a squad with people I’ve fought alongside before, we stuck together and kept moving. It was a long battle but not the worst I’ve been in. Eventually the construct fell and we were in the clear again. Once we caught our breaths we were able to complete our mission. The landing was actually the edge of a ravine, we could see the otherwise and a possible pathway further into the Shiverpeaks. But between there and here was a broken down bridge. The gap would have been passable by mounts if it wasn’t so cold. A mesmer maybe could get a portal across the gap, but that was a skill our squad was missing so we couldn’t test it. But we did what we came out here to do and managed to get further than the other squads. The trail that was once blocked by the construct was now open so we were able to make it back to the rocks we had climbed before, past the bonfire, and back to the Shiver Gate and the warmth of the Valley. It was almost strange to feel the sun again. I spent the rest of the night writing up my end of the report. If they can figure out how to cross that ravine I’m sure the next squad could make it in even further.

With the Blood Imperator gone awol and half the warbands disappeared, it was even more uncomfortable sticking around the Valley. Instead of tension it was uncertainty, especially from the Flame Legion as their Blood patron might have betrayed everyone’s trust. Sanna and I requested a return to the Priory HQ as soon as possible. It felt like we’d just be in the way. But we’ll keep our ears open as news comes in. I’m interested in seeing where that pass in the mountain leads.

[thirstyforred]

i got one ✋tho im on mobile so that's the only photo I have

Marcius Goretech, the "spare" Tribune of Iron Legion, almost never there when they actually need him

Marcius is the younger brother of Smodur the Unflinching. They ended up in different warbands but bc Marcius insisted on being close with blood relatives, they were in touch for years.

Circa decade before the personal story Marcius decided to move more to the east of Ascalon and became primus for a small fahrar. He also ended up with a cub of his own, Marseille Goretech of Ash Legion, climbing her way up to become a tribune as well. He also adopted a norn kid who was orphaned during the creation of Brand, Namrevlis, better known as the Pact Commander.

Once kids grew up he returned briefly to the Black Citadel, before aiding Pact in Orr with a small collection of warbands under his command. Later in the Maguuma campaign, he made a name for himself as the Commander of West Tarir during the battle for the city.

Marcius may seem like a goofball, especially when standing next to Smodur, but he's a good engineer, an even better educator, and an inspiring leader. He picks his own assignments but is very likable, and somewhat popular, especially with the warbands he raised, so until the Charr Civil War, what one of their tribunes is doing was a nonissue within Iron Legion.

He was #1 supporter of Smodur's efforts to become the Khan-Ur. After his assassination, Marcius went a bit AWOL in Drizzlewoods, but once returned by the Pact Commander, he endorsed Mia Kindleshot's as the Imperator. Went the situation within the legions stabilized a bit more Marcius announced that as the brother of Smodur and blood of Khan-Ur, he's taking over that mantle and will fight for the title of Khan-Ur.

Hey anybody got a Tribune? I wanna know your Tribune lore.

Reblog with pics & lore about your Tribunes. I wanna see them.

[evilpol]

So I was bored

And when I'm bored, I usually go to gw2 and take screenshots of my char(r)s. A lot.

Soo...

Well, that's Arren Sharpclaw. he was my first character and I had no idea how to name him.

He's my commander, or at least he was. He left the Pact after HoT, as it's events and especially Trahearne's death seriously shaked his confidence and desire to live.

Arren has gone awol, later on becaming a mercenary and renouncing his surname: his warband spent too much time without him anyway, and in fact Arren felt as a stranger among the legions by that time. They weren't his familly anymore, and he "wasn't a charr"

He returned to aid the Dragon's Watch around the PoF storyline, working with them and the Pact at last, but refusing to take his rank of Commander back, and he actually still does, up to the present day

And well, I love him. I'm awful at playing thief, and especially deadeye, but when did it stopped me after all

[vinetooth-prime]

10 facts on Italah Silvertongue please!

10 Facts about… Italah!

She’s pretty easy to get along with for the most part. A couple of drinks, a few stories later, and you might even have a new friend on hand.

That said, Italah is a fairly crude person. She’s about as polite as one would expect a charr to be and just as bluntly honest.

… About anything but herself. Ask too many personal questions and you might find yourself on her bad side. She doesn’t enjoy talking about herself very much at all and won’t hesitate to literally walk away from a conversation she’s no longer interested in.

Italah struggles with inherent racism regarding humans. It’s not exactly something she’s aware of, however, and as such hasn’t bothered to correct anything in her behavior.

Italah makes it known that she’s not fond of asura. She thinks them all to be far too stuck up for anyone’s good and is unwilling to let anyone change her mind. And their pay is shitty, too.

Italah loves to swim but she hates to be wet. It’s an eternal conundrum…..

She actually really enjoys children & thinks they’re fun. She’s even humored the idea of having her own cub before but since abandoned the idea.

Italah is, first & foremost, a mercenary for hire by the public. Her own welfare takes precedence over many things in her life, including the guild she’d founded.

Italah is technically a gladium, AWOL from the Blood Legion and presumed dead by anyone who’d known her in her service. She’s especially touchy about this and has only ever discussed it with her friend, Siegurd.

Related: Because of this, she avoids hanging around anywhere the High Legions tend to operate & Ascalon in general.

[mistfallengw2]

2, 8 and 17 for Aurelia from the ask game?

Invasive questions about your ocs

2. What kind of person do they think they are? How accurate is that?

Aurelia doesn't think she's necessarily a bad person, but she profoundly doubts herself ("herself" was a mystery to her for a portion of the personal story) and everything she does, wondering if she lost part of herself in the Mists and knowing she's not exactly welcomed in charr society anymore (she was technically a gladium and MIA/AWOL for years, and she saw the disdain towards her back in the Black Citadel). All in all, she only hopes she's half as good of a leader as her late mate would have been in her position, and she usually feels like she's not meeting that nebulous standard she set for herself.

She's not perfect by any means, but her heart is in the right place and those close to her actually think she's doing amazing, or at least better than any of them could have ever done in her position and, especially, situation. In the Mists, Ardea is prouder than "her Auré" could ever imagine.

-

8. How willing are they to tell people that they're the Commander in a non-life threatening situation?

Aurelia doesn't like throwing her title around, so she will always try to avoid it if possible outside of Pact-related stuff. Usually other people will use it first so she can rarely go unnoticed, but she won't say who she is unless it has some relevance to the situation at hand or she knew the weight of her title would get important stuff done faster.

-

17. What are their least "Commander-like" traits? (free to interpretation)

Aurelia is terrible at public relations, which isn't great as the first Commander and de facto face of the Pact. She is not bad at communicating things efficiently and she doesn't mind being at the center of attention when she has a reason to, but the moment she has to be more casually social and engage in conversation, she turns into a bundle of nerves prone to freezing up and fumbling words. Small talk is her bane, revenant echos do everything but help, and boss music starts playing in her head when she's recognized in public by civilians or, worse, fans.

In general, she was never good at interactions with others outside of the Legions' ranks (easy-to-follow etiquette + being as huge as she is often kept others' fangs shut) or comfortably established friendships (she was rarely seen alone in social settings, always with one of her warband or friends), and after the Mists the culture shock with other races was the least of her worries. She has gotten better over the years, but it still majorly stresses her out.

[evilpol]

Hm, the character I'm hyperfixating the most on rn is probably my Whispers preceptor, Razorsong!

Bastard man. Lying, manipulative, power-hungry asshole. I'd let him kill me because I love him. He's very shady, but that's a given for someone who goes by "Razorsong" instead of a real name. And while he is quite weak physically: he's sickly and brittle, and was born this way, it's a big miracle he even made it through first weeks of his life; Razorsong compensates for it with immence magical abilities and knowledge. Most people even in Whispers don't trust him, and at best have a respect for him but keep away from the charr. And that's fair: Razorsong never announces his real motives, constantly lies, and the main reason he's a part of Whispers in the first place is because it gives him a position of power, control over information, knowledge, and resources/opportunities for his magic research. Many think that Razorsong strives to become Master of Whispers, even if he denies such claims. Even Razorsong's fellow preceptors rarely question his actions, or know his motives. He's got fear and respect, and he commands it perfectly well.

Razorsong's real name is Decimus Lightclaw, though it's not a common knowledge, and he doesn't go around talking about it. Decimus Lightclaw was a nobody, an Ash soldier who went AWOL years and years ago, suspected of connections with Flame Legion. Razorsong, however, is somebody with power. The name that holds weight. And that's what Razorsong prefers. Decimus Lightclaw was used, lied to and wronged so many times. But Razorsong knows better than trust people and be kind. To get ahead in this world, you have to step on others', and that's what he did.

Razorsong is also a mentor/father figure for Axel, a whispers chronomancer with incredible magical potential. Razorsong recruited him all the way back when Mindcrusher was a Blood Legion soldier, eventually, through some not very good circumstances, recruiting him for Whispers fully. Razorsong is a father figure of sorts for Axel, and under his training he definitely improved his mesmer abilities, but the old preceptor is hardly a... Good father figure.

SHOW ME YOUR TOONS

Hey y’all! I’m feeling like ✨shit✨ and like I’m 💫mentally disintegrating and deteriorating💫 so it’s time to play distraction again!

Show me your gw2 character that stands out the most to you! In any way! Are they your favorite? Are they a hyperfixation right now? Do they fit the holiday? Are they Goin Through It? Which one stands out to you? And TELL ME ALL ABOUT THEM! As usual every reblog will get a response! Come just gush about your characters here, it’s an open invitation and a distraction we probably all need!

[born-in-ascalon]

"You could have killed me. Or simply leave me to bleed out or starve where you had found me."

Silence. The younger male was a charr of few words, difficult to read even when met face to face. It wasn't unlike him to simply quietly listen, maybe offer an affirmative nod, but little in terms of longer conversation.

Then, after a little while, came a slight shrug. "I had no reason."

"I wore the colors of your enemy. Most would consider that reason enough in a war."

"I do not."

Past few months were kind of a snowball effect in my writing. I created these two as a bit of a personal injoke, then I got a random writing idea they managed to perfectly fit themselves into, and now... I have a 17-page monster comic on my hands spanning the entirety of Icebrood Saga. I honestly wish my brain worked in less mysterious ways.

Full resolution can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/cold-resistance-56203504

[born-in-ascalon]

This is totally how Guild Wars 2 fishing works when you're attempting to ascend to codhood. There's no other reason why you catch everything else in so many duplicates that you would fill four other collections, but that one last cheeky git eludes you for h o u r s.

Full resolution freely available here: [LINK]

[born-in-ascalon]

Quick warmup doodle of Pelleara I did a few weeks ago.

Back when I made Pelleara (a year and a half ago, for raiding, because I refused to respecc Ragenar to druid) as Ragenar’s younger daughter, I turned her into this sweet almost-cub, the kind of ranger who’s friend to all beasts and helps rear mounts and pets and beasts of burden for others. Her desire to help was kind of supported by ventures into Spirit Vale to save Pact soldiers and healing my raid band mates from Slothasor’s poison. So I wasn’t all that against it when my main raid class got gutted (I mained a power PS. Owch).

And then I had to drag this sweet little kid to Bastion of the Penitent.

And a few weeks ago, the slightly battletorn sweet little kid had to literally die to kill Dhuum.

And since then, I found about half my charr sketches is an absolutely broken little druid. On one hand, I feel so sorry. On the other... I can’t wait for more.