#she got mordremed rip

[tequatls-favorite-spoon]

i made this like. a while ago? i don’t remember exactly lol but this is a little timeline of onyx’s hairstyles and a bit of her vibe through the years!

in order it’s the personal story, hot, pof, and eod

her hair stayed the same during in’s so i didn’t add it, but i might enventually? cuz at the very least her expression here doesn’t really match. she was Going Through It

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

Saoirse, Champion of Soul

Regrowth AU vs Flourish AU

Revenant (Vindicator) -> Guardian (Firebrand)

What if one choice could change the world? What if when you looked into the mirror of time, you could not recognize the face on the other side? She could have been the hero. She could have saved the world.

She could have been one of a set of three. But this is not that world.

In one reflection, she would burn as brightly as the flames she wielded, a Guardian, a protector of any who needed her shield and blazing, furious power. Where darkness stirred, she would bring the light. And so she would be chosen by the winding paths of fate, and become so much more than a Champion of the Pale Tree; one day, she would fight alongside Aurene. The light they shared would bring hope to Tyria when all seemed lost. Not even the deepest, darkest nightmare could stand before the shine that comes from within.

Yet, in the other, pain and loss would turn her flames caustic and sharp, fueled by a raw power that not even the finest technology could contain. This would be the Saoirse who knows only how to run-- to charge forward into calamity, and leap from the ashes her choices leave behind. The blades that should bring hope would instead herald a darkness so much greater and more terrible than her. She, too, would be chosen by an Elder Dragon-- for better and for worse. A shining beacon, stifled into the deepest shadow.

Yet no matter her history, one constant remains.

The three will meet again... And they will change the world.

[commanderthalys]

🔥 😊 🌺 for anyone you'd like (@likemesomesalads)

@likemesomesalads thank you for the ask!! I’ll go with Thalys for this one.

🔥 Give us a list of general likes and dislikes, such as colours, textures, music, weather and other stuff!

Okay okay here we go. Thalys is a huge fan of green and bright colors (pinks and yellows in particular, you can definitely tell in her outfit!), but she’s not very big on calmer colors like pastels, They’re just not her thing. She also doesn’t really like purple for any particular reason. In terms of texture she hates sticky stuff, anything that oozes or is slimy is also a bottom tier texture for her. However rough textures? Coarse, rough and bumpy? Yeah, she digs that. She likes how her hands feel when she rubs a surface that’s got lumps and bumps, like old trees and raptor hide! Music-wise she doesn’t listen to a lot of it, but she loves anything that’s loud and has a decent beat. I like to think that in the modern world she’d be really into electro pop stuff. In general she prefers more instrument heavy music, and less voices, so something like acapella isn’t something she’d be interested in. She doesn’t like country music, especially the banjo heavy (do they have banjos in tyria? ) very stringy twangy sounds. In terms of weather she loves most of it, days that are clear, sunny and crisp are her favorites!! Any sort of weather where the sky gets dark and cloudy and the day is very gloomy is probably her least favorite.

😊 What can make your OC smile even when they’re feeling down? What cheers them up and makes everything feel better for them? Is your OC genrally a happy person and do they enjoy making others smile? What about your OC makes others happy?

No matter how she’s feeling you can almost always count on her smiling again when her raptor is around. It’s a little silly but she’s always been pretty close to her mounts, and whether it was Streamline (her old lady, RIP) or her new companion, they both were able to tell when she was upset and would try to get her to play with them. Also just spending quality time with her best friend, Amel. Whenever she was seriously down he would go out of his way to do something with her, even if it was just taking a nap together. She tries very hard to remain happy (not just for herself, she is the commander!) despite everything she’s been through, but it’s getting harder and harder for her. She loves to make her friends smile, and they do appreciate it! She’s a very outgoing person (often also loud and a teeny bit ridiculous) and she tries to find the good in everything, which makes the people around her smile.

🌺 Does your OC have any tattoos or other body art? Does their body art have any specific meaning behind it? Do they have any scars? How did they get those scars? Any birthmarks?

Thalys doesn’t have any body art or particular birthmarks! She does have some scars though. Thanks to being a sylvari most of them heal pretty well and it looks like she had never been hurt to begin with. There are some scars that have stuck with her though. Most notably one of her legs (I can’t remember which) was pretty messed up during a supply run in Maguuma. She ran into some mordrem while heading to salvage supplies and while she was able to kill most of them, one of them broke her leg really badly and she was out of commission for a little while after that. She recovered pretty well, but she still has scarring on her leg and permanent limp. It’s pretty frustrating for her, and one of the reasons she ended up needing a raptor for long distance travel.

[khorren]

2 months had passed since the jungle dragon had been vanquished. Its head impaled on a spike within its own domain to end the torment in its mind. The Commander had moved on to their next world-ending adventure but the dragon's domain was still full of masterless monstrosities and other horrors. The worst of those horrors were the sylvari who had listened to their master but had not fully undergone transformations, their free-will returned. Fully aware of atrocities they had committed whilst under its influence they dare not return back to their friends, their families, as they were plagued with the shame of what they did. Even if they didn't injure anyone, they still held the self-hatred that they abandoned their posts, left their friends and comrades behind.

But it was not just the ex-mordrem and manipulated sylvari in the depths of the jungle. After returning the broken shards of Caledbolg to her sister, Amarilis came back to the war zone and set up a makeshift camping spot in the canopies where she would observe the shambling horrors below. Day and night painful moans could be heared from the mordrem who had lost their purpose, mixed in with the sobs from the sylvari who remembered their crimes. Some of the sylvari that still had their faculties had banded together in the camps left behind by the Pact, some settled in the exalted ruins. Amarilis just watched.

It was several more weeks before she took up her weapons. She felt some sort of duty to those who could still be called sylvari. If a pack of mordrem got too close to them while they slept she would take out her gun and end them. She much preferred the sleakness of a set of pistols, but she appreciated the weight of a sniper shot piercing through thick bark to end suffering. One day she'd get some actual training she'd think to herself. A small thought she kept to herself, a reminder that she will get out of this hell one day. When she was ready.

She wasn't ready. One last thing.

It took several days, but she quietly shifted around the depths of the jungle to bring dry leaves and wood to the darkest part of the jungle. Memories filled her mind of when she plunged her daggers right into the chest of her beloved and ripped them through and out. The sounds still haunt her. The anguished grunt from Trahearne. The quiet "thank you" he whispered as the life was ripped out of him. The muffled gasp from her friends, surprised that she had the strength to do that, and her own scream as she fell to her knees once the dead was done and Mordremoth's last drop of influence was gone from Tyria. She set up a pyre where his body lay and she set about burning it to ashes.

The flames and smoke got the attention of some of the sylvari in the northern parts of the area, but none dared come close enough to see the person burning their brother. She stayed until the final flames went out and scooped up some of the ashes into a vial. Some of them would be returned to the Grove, eventually, and some of them would stay with her. He would stay with her. Always.

[archesa]

🖋 How about one (or two) drabble(s) for the time when Anwen met the twins?

Torn from the skies

The skies were ablaze. Blackened carcasses of metal and wood twisted in threatening shapes drew on the horizon the horrifying reality of their defeat. In the distance, screaming and fighting, shrieks and explosions thundered, echoed and died beyond the flames, devoured by the jungle.

Anwen stumbled up the rock promontory, stricken by the devastation before her.

She barely heard the shocked whispers of her comrades, drowned by her own terror and the bellowing chaos of torn metal and splintering wood as the remnants of the Glory of Tyria disappeared in the entanglement of vines on the horizon.

The fortune encampment, fortified with the still scorching remnants of an airship reactor fared no better in the omnipresent threat of the jungle.

Two twains of guards kept the breaches ripping the metal rampart apart. They took aim at the newcomers and maintained their rifles at arms till they entered the camp, where the rest of the soldiers kept a watchful vigil on a few familiar faces.

"Laranthir! I'm glad to see you survived! I need a status report, now."

"You're a welcome sight, Commander.", the Grand-Warmaster saluted. "The situation is grim. Mordremoth tore the fleet apart. Trahearne and Destiny's Edge were taken prisoner... The Mordrem could have killed them, but instead took them alive. Mordremoth must want them that way. I shudder to think why.", he added darkly. “The Pact is in ruins. Leaderless. And the remaining soldiers no longer trust me."

"And you're surprised?", Marjory spat, oblivious to Anwen's tense glare. "Scarlet. Aerin. And now this. Mordremoth always uses sylvari to do its dirtiest dirty work.”

“Jory.”, the Commander cut sharply, pointedly positioning herself beside her shield-maiden, a barely audible gasp stuck in her throat and her eyes downcast and pained. “This isn't helping. Our forces are scattered, survivors stranded in the jungle. We must regroup and secure rally points for our soldiers, and safe passage for our wounded. Laranthir, where are the rest of the Reavers?”

“Carys commanded an unit aboard the Glory of Tyria, and I, another. Those who had resisted the call and survived the crash regrouped under my command. We got separated while trying to reach Amber Sandfall. A dozen of ours were taken to the caverns.”

“Have you mustered a rescue team?"

"I wasn't able to. My troops refuse to risk their lives following my orders. They fear I'm leading them into a trap."

“But they might follow you, Commander.”, another sylvari intervened.

Anwen stared at him, bewildered. Ashen of bark, his face framed and his head crowned with scales resembling a pinecone, the light-armoured vigil was the spitting image of Meryw -- only their size, and the colour of their eyes, hers a crystal teal where his were wreathed in gold and violet, setting them apart.

“Warmaster Dairban.”, he saluted amiably, his demeanour as open as his twin sister’s despite the precarity of their situation.

“Honoured to finally meet you. Meryw speaks in high regards of you, I’m glad our paths meet at last -- even if I wish it were under different circumstances. I need volunteers for a rescue mission, I suppose I can count you in?”

"Don't let the plants trick you into that fool's endeavour, Commander!", a charr bearing the colours of the Priory snarled. "We must focus on strengthening the defenses around here. Our priority has been and must remain to salvaging weapon parts from the crash site.”

“The Pact does not abandon its own, soldier.”, Laranthir opposed calmly.

“Look around, 'sir’. There is no more Pact. And the prisoners you want to save are probably already dead.”

"Get a grip on yourself, Explorer!", Anwen admonished. "Laranthir is still your commanding officer. And he has my full confidence. The Pact has been beaten, that much is true. But we are not defeated yet. We will burn Mordremoth to the ground before we surrender to it.”

She turned to the Grand Warmaster.

“Laranthir and the Reavers will join the search-and-rescue team. If you're not on that team, dig in and fortify this position.”

“It's not worth risking more lives to save sylvari prisoners. Even if they're still alive, you can’t expect us to trust them after what they did to the fleet! Who says they won’t turn against us at the first skirmish? Sylvari belong to Mordremoth, now.”

“Did you just condemn my entire race?”, a rough voice snapped. “It seems the dragon brings out the worst in you, too.”

“Canach is right. Mordremoth wants us to turn on each other. Are you going to play right into the enemy's hands?”

“No. But I’ve come here to slay an Elder Dragon. Not to wait in line to be slaughtered by its minions. This camp won't last another night. Those amongst you who want to live, come with me!”

A warhorn sounded, thundering upon the gorge and casting the Explorer to her knees, lightning ensnaring her ankles and wrists and pinning her to the ground.

All eyes turned, expecting to find yet another crazed sylvari but instead were met by the freezing cold demeanour and disdainful sneer of the warmaster elementalist breaking the circle of Vigils held at gunpoint, lightning engulfing him as it tightened around the charr.

"You filthy coward.”, he chuckled incredulously. “You swore your blood and honour to the Pact when taking this mantle and when the shadow of the dragon looms darkest over us, you'd turn your back and leave your brethren?”

The deserter convulsed, once, twice and fell limp on the ground, electric arcs holding her like shackles, but no longer coursing her body.

Riffles clicked. A crystal shield encased him. And a panicked voice shattered the deathly silence.

“Hold your fire!”

Meryw was standing between her twin and the Commander, and the Commander between Meryw and the raised barrels of three silver shotguns.

The lightning dissipated in flickering sparks, and the charr took a deep, ragged breath.

"You see?", she coughed, red staining her fangs where the shock had made her bite her tongue. "They're not to be trusted! They will kill us all!”, she cried pointing at the warmaster staring down at her, his golden eyes ice cold and the shock long faded, giving way to an eerily static expression. “You stay and die there for all I care. I’ll stick to protecting the companions I know I can trust. Gunnard, Gatt! Come on. We'll fare better off on our own.”

“Can’t fault Dairban on this, Metella. You count me out of your tiny mutiny.”, the asura rebuked. “My duty is to my fellow soldiers. I'm staying.”

The charr shook her head dejectedly.

“It’s your funeral. Good luck—you're going to need it. As for you, Commander, you may be blind, now. But I hope you open your eyes before one of these ferns inevitably slits your throat.”

A heavy silence weighted on the fortune camp, a knell resounding to the bones of the earth as a good quarter of the survivors headed off in the jungle.

Lips tight and joints blanch as she curled her hands to fists at her side, the Commander swallowed thickly and turned to the remaining men.

“Everyone fall in. Let's get to work! Braham, I want you and Taimi to find and weld some metal pieces to the outer rim. We must seal off these wide breaches, focus our fire on a single entrance. Crusader Gatt, you’re in charge of the camp while the Reavers and I search for our prisoners. Jory, see if you can stabilize our most heavily wounded enough so that Kas can portal them to Amber Sandfall. I need Meryw with us in case the captured soldiers need healing. Rox, you and Frostbite, take a twain of men to scout around and see if we can anticipate the enemy’s move, maybe set up some traps — trip wires, explosives, whatever we got at hand. Canach, you’re with me. I want to know if we’re running into a trap.”

They progressed out of the camp, under the wary gaze of their fellow soldiers and companions, and to a long eroded flight of stairs descending in the depths of the canyon.

“Thank you for taking our side, Commander.”, Laranthir offered once out of ears reach.

“No need to thank me. I trust you, and I trust your judgement in your men. We’ve had difficult choices to face in Orr, and I expect the jungle will hold even more for us... The Pact prevailed against Zhaitan because we were united. Neither the Vigil’s artillery, the Priory’s erudition, or the Whisper’s intelligence could even have opened a way through Orr had we not stood together. We cannot afford to let doubt and mistrust fester our bonds of fellowship. And we owe to our companions to keep hope alive. So we have to look out and speak up for each other.”, she added offering a knowing nod to Dairban, standing a watchful vigil behind him.

The days would turn dark, and blood would draw, but if she had any certitude these were the one she’d build the foundations of her fortitude onto.

However strong the dragon was, there were some things it could never defeat.

Kindness. Love. And hope.

[cousinslavellan-archive]

Tangled Paths Pt 7

They push on, forever moving forwards - and find that the Dragon has a weakness, if only they can discover it.

Braham struggles to act normal around the Commander - and a certain tiny genius discovers his secret.

Enjoy! On AO3 under the same title! ♥

Acting normal is harder then Braham had expected - he’d fought hard not to blush at Terra’s pleased reaction to their return, her grin infectious despite the grief still ripping at his chest.

Rox shoots him a knowing look as they head deeper still into the Jungle, jerking her head towards the Sylvari walking at the front of the group.

Braham scowls and shakes his head, ignoring her as they trudge forward, not knowing how to breach that topic and not sure if he’s ready to.

Their path leads them down into a series of tunnels and to a small camp of Pact survivors, a group that had actually escaped from Mordrem.

“Zojja, Logan, and Trahearne created a distraction so the rest of us could escape - they sacrificed their own chance so we could get away.”

“Did you see what direction they went in?”

“I was too out of it, I’m sorry - our Magister would know, but he’s not here. A monster’s been picking us off one by one. He left with a group to take it down, but hasn’t come back - they went through that mushroom lit passageway there.”

“Alright, I’ll leave some of my people here to protect you while I go after the monster - Braham, you’re with me.”

He nearly jumps out of his skin at the command, lost in thought as he is, nodding brusquely and following quickly after as Terra heads for the specified passage - knocking mushroom soldiers away as they jump from the walls.

“Good aim.” Terra calls from ahead, pulling her staff from her back to throw a fireball at another mushroom - the unfamiliar glint of the weapon catching his eye.

“You got a new staff.” Braham notes, taking a moment to look it over as he steps up beside her, careful to avoid eye contact.

Her lips twist in an almost bitter half-smile, grip tightening on the weapon. “You’ve… missed a few things, Braham. I’ll fill you in, once we’re not in a cave chasing a monster.”

“Good call - see that?” he points to the ground ahead of them, sickly green glowing eerily up at them, “Looks like creature blood.”

“Well, we know we’re on the right trail.”

They continue weaving their way forwards, Terra’s fire spells making quick work of the few spider hatchlings they come across - which is good, because he hates spiders - following the trail of glowing green.

They’ve just hit an incline when Terra stumbles suddenly, gasping in pain as she falls back - Braham quick to catch her with a palm pressed between her shoulder-blades, ignoring the jolt of energy the touch causes to focus on his friend.

“Commander, you okay?” her eyes are a bit unfocused, mouth open to pant, but his magic is only being drawn to superficial injuries - definitely not anything she’d gotten hit by in the cavern. “You, uh, stumbled a bit there.”

Terra blinks, bright blue coming back into focus, clearing her throat as she straightens herself with a flush, “It’s… I’m fine. Thanks. Let’s keep moving.”

The spark of energy dies when she moves away from his touch, and Braham scowls, following closely behind her now, keeping watch.

“Was it Mordremoth?” he asks, remembering their previous conversation.

Terra’s scowl deepens, “It’s not usually that… yes. But I’m okay. It must know we’re onto something.”

She seems alright, if not a bit shaken, so Braham nods and lets her continue on, keeping a close watch and staying right at her side - the need to protect her outweighing his fluster, now.

It’s not long until they come upon more creature blood… and the bodies of the group that had gone to kill it.

“Looks like they didn’t make it… none of them are wearing Magister armor, though.”

“Then we keep going - he could be deeper in, and we need to find him. Preferably alive.”

“Something’s not right. If this is a Mordrem, then it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

“Whatever it is, it’s big… we need to be careful.”

“Looks like there are three ways forwards - which one do we take?”

Terra moves carefully ahead, staring down each of the three tunnels - Braham’s not sure what, exactly, she’s checking them for, but he stays close behind, ready for whatever might decide to jump out at them.

“Braham… “ she pauses at the furthest path, motioning him over, “How good is your vision? In the dark, I mean.”

“Uh… better than a humans, I guess? But not amazing.” stepping up beside her, he squints into the tunnel ahead - pitch black meeting his gaze. “Yeah, I can’t see anything in there, Commander.”

“I can. Mostly. And it seems like a fairly direct path, so.” Terra takes a breath and then holds out her hand, grinning a little crookedly, “C’mon. Hold on to me, and I can lead you through.”

Braham stares at the offered hand for a moment, frozen, “And… if we get attacked and need to use our hands…?”

“Well, I do glow - and I can see in there, sort of, so I’ll be able to find you again.” the smile falters a little, “Trust me. Please.”

He grips her hand tightly at that, giving it a soft squeeze, “Always.”

She brightens a little, squeezing back before turning to pull him into the cave - and he’ll admit, it’s disorienting as hell to not be able to see anything, at first.

But then his eyes adjust enough that he can see the glow of Terra’s markings - the patterns that run over her skin and through the leaves of her hair, pulsing faint blue in a constant rhythm - and he feels somewhat better, the warmth of her small hand gripped firmly in his sending tingles all the way up his spine.

They pass several splatters of glowing creature blood as they go, walking quietly through the dark tunnel - and for a time, he thinks they’ll make it through undeterred.

Then something ahead shrieks, and Terra drops his hand with a curse.

“Braham, put your shield up! I’ll take care of them!”

“Hold it!” she’s slipped away and started casting spells before he can protest, growling and throwing the shield up as commanded - taking out a vampire beast with his hammer when it staggers away from the Sylvari’s magic.

“Did we get’em all?!”

“I think we’re good.” she sounds out of breath but otherwise fine, her glow coming back into range after a moment of darkness. “Spirits, I hate those things.”

“That wasn’t the monster, though.” Braham reaches for her hand before he can help himself - locking onto the glow and gripping, reassuring himself, “Let’s keep going. My heads starting to spin.”

“Okay, right. Let’s go.”

She sounds slightly flustered, but there’s no time to question it as they push onwards, eventually reaching the end of the tunnel and coming out into a much brighter cavern - their query clear as day at the opposite end.

“That’s definitely no Mordrem.” Braham’s dropping Terra’s hand so he can pull his hammer out the moment the creatures in sight, automatically putting himself slightly in front of her. He doesn’t know what the thing is - huge and bug-like, purple and emitting some sort of electricity.

“Maybe not, but it’ll die just as well.” Terra steadies her staff beside him, readying a spell, “Are you ready?”

“Always.” Braham hefts his hammer, smirking, “Let’s take this ugly thing down.”

She’s casting even as he charges forward, a war-cry on his lips - and what Rox had said comes back unbidden, ringing as true.

We really do make a good team.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The creatures are called Chak, they learn from Tizlak - once they’ve killed the big one and made it back out of the caverns, anyways.

The Magister had passed on after relaying the direction the caravan had headed, gone to join the Spirits, and they’d pressed forwards - half of the group going to track the caravan while the rest of them headed for Rata Novus.

It’s Terra, Canach, Taimi, and himself that head to find the lost Rata - and while he brushes his reasoning off as wanting in on the intel against the Dragon, truthfully… he’s not ready to let the Commander out of his sight.

She seems fine, back to herself, but there’s something off in her movements, in her responses to the others.

Mordremoth is wreaking havoc on both she and Canach, he knows, whispering constantly; that she’s only stumbled once, to his knowledge, is a testament to her strength.

We’ll kill that monster, soon. I promise, Mom. I’ll protect her, and I’ll avenge you.

Yet more tunnels leads them, finally, to the lost city - and a confused Mordrem Guard on the outskirts.

The encounter goes about as well as expected - though Canach does manage to speak to it briefly, and Braham can tell from the grim expressions both Sylvari wear that the things it had mentioned have crossed both of their minds.

Rata Novus is abandoned, as they’d been afraid it would be - light filtering down from the surface, somehow, but everything else dead.

Taimi gets it running - well, gets enough running - while they protect her from an incursion of Chak, their presence explaining what had drained the city.

It’s a steady push forwards - activating a new point, fighting off more Chak, moving on - discovering new passageways and obstacles as they move inwards.

“Now that we’ve started the engine, I’m getting a sizable energy signature - might be a lab! Follow me and the big guy!”

Finally. Braham follows after Taimi eagerly, scowling when the golem stops and spins in place in confusion.

“Wait. Sorry, guys, the signal just moved. I guess the ley equipment on Scruffy’s not quite perfected yet.”

“Or that’s a bad sign.” he hears Terra mumble as she catches up, looking wary, “It’s fine; let’s just keep moving before we run into more trouble.”

They head onward down another path - fighting their way through reactivated city defenses and eventually coming to another incline.

“How’s it working now, Taimi? Are we back on track?”

“I think so. We’re almost right on top of the source!”

The closer they get to the top of the hill, the more obvious the blue glow coming from the room is - and it’s clear why when they step out into a slanted lab, abandoned like the rest of the city.

Taimi’s the first one inside, followed swiftly by Terra and Canach, Braham bringing up the rear to make sure nothing dangerous was following them.

Canach makes a noise of surprise up ahead, “Is that…?”

“An Asura gate!” Taimi gasps, voice still modulated from being inside Scruffy, “Dissimilar in design, but probably similar in function.”

“Is it active?” Braham comes to stand beside Terra, frowning at the mechanism, “Why isn’t it glowing if we turned on the power?”

“Give me a second… uh, okay. Good news, bad news. Good news is there’s enough power to turn this gate on. Bad news is something’s interrupting the flow… something big.”

It’s like a cue; the second Taimi stops talking the ground shakes, and more Chak burrow their way up out of the stone - including a huge one, just like the monster he and Terra had killed in the tunnels.

“Think we found the culprit!”

“Everyone spread out!” Terra shouts, wind swirling around her as she starts casting, and it’s natural as anything to fall back into step with her, shield thrown up and mace swinging.

His attention’s divided, this time - keeping the thing away from both Terra and Taimi - and he can’t help the oof! that escapes when the creatures tail slams into him, throwing him backwards against one of the pillars.

There’s a sort of creaking noise behind him, someone shouting Braham!-

-and Taimi manages to catch the pillar before it can land on his head, Scruffy’s arms struggling for a moment before tossing it harmlessly to the side.

“Braham!” Terra’s rushed over and dropped to her knees the second the creatures dead, and he can see water enveloping her hands as she reaches out to check for injuries, “Pale Mother, are you alright?!”

“I’m fine! I’m fine - thanks to Taimi.” he can’t even try to pretend he’s not blushing, now - she’s so small, I never really noticed - forcing himself to focus on Taimi, giving her a half-grin. “Nice job, Taimi.”

“Thanks! But, Scruffy did most of the work.”

“The Gates active - where do you think it leads?”

“Hmmm… not sure. We should test it out, make sure that it’s safe!”

Terra pushes herself up, giving him one last look before turning her attention to the gate. “How exactly do we test it, Taimi?”

“Someone just walks into it, and if they’re not obliterated, it works!” the Asura sounds far too cheerful about the prospect of someone possibly being blown up, but Braham’s used to her by this point, “So… who wants to try?”

“I suppose I’ll try it.”

Braham’s eyes snap to the Sylvari, heart stopping for a moment. He’s on his feet the second she starts towards the gate, easily outpacing her. “Wait, Terra, are you sure?”

“I’m the Leader of our little group - it wouldn’t be right to send someone else.” Terra glances up at him, quirking her lips, “I’ll be alright, Braham. See you on the other side.”

He holds her gaze for a moment before swallowing and looking away, “Right.”

She pats his arm gently before moving away, climbing the few steps up to the gate and taking a breath before stepping through - vanishing, just as if she’d stepped through any other Asura Gate.

Maybe ten seconds later, Taimi cheers, “No explosions! That’s a good sign! Alright, let’s go!”

“Just like that?!” Canach demands, but Braham’s not listening.

This Gate leads Spirits know where, and Terra’s just gone through by herself - he’s stepping into the portal without another thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“According to the Novans, each Elder Dragon has a weakness. A unique, respective weakness.”

“And… does it say…?”

“What it is?” Taimi shakes her head, “No.”

Braham growls, the grief and anger he’d been doing his to bury rising again.

They’d made it through the Asura gate and taken out all of the Chak infesting the lower portion of Rata Novus - losing Scruffy in the process to power a doorway, but discovering the Dragon Lab as a result.

Now, though, if it didn’t tell them anything…

“How easily the fleet went down; it’s obvious the way you and… my mother stopped Zhaitan won’t work here. So what do we do now?”

“We keep fighting.”

Both he and Canach turn to the blue Sylvari, listening.

Terra stares up at the screens for a moment before looking back at them, features set in a mask of determination.

“We’ve been charging headlong into this fight without even knowing if we could beat Mordremoth - this proves that it’s possible. Our mission now is to find out how. And to do that, we have to get closer to the Dragon. Thanks to that ley map, we know exactly where it is.”

It’s as sound a strategy as they have right now, really.

“Let’s catch up with the others, then. I suppose it’d be nice to have help finding this weakness.”

“Good call.” Terra turns to Taimi and crouches down to her height, “Good work, Taimi. Though… does this mean no more Scruffy?”

That makes the Asura’s face light up with one of her trademarked smirks. “Ohhh no! I already have design plans for Scruffy two-point-zero! Little trim here, little tuck there - and weapons, looots of weapons!”

“But… no golem for the immediate future means this is the end of the road for me. I’ll be staying in Rata Novus with all this delectable research - bummer!”

“Alone?” Terra asks, echoing Braham’s thoughts, “Are you sure?”

“Hey, would you ask Rytlock if he were sure? Canach?”

“Yes, actually - because you’re my friend, and when we first found this place it was infested with Chak.” the Sylvari reaches out a hand to settle it on the Asura’s shoulder, expression serious, “I don’t doubt your capabilities, Taimi - I just don’t want to lose any more friends.”

“Oh. Well, I guess that’s true. But I’ll be fine. Don’t worry so much.”

“Worrying is my job.” Terra mutters, earning a laugh as she stands, “Should I send word to someone back at Rata Sum, let them know you’re here?”

“Uh, no, thanks. I’ll take care of that… in, like, a few weeks or so.”

“Don’t want to get Phlunted again, huh?”

“Not particularly.”

Terra laughs then - and it’s not as carefree or open as he’s heard her laugh before, but it’s still a calming sound, a small break in the grief that’s wrapped around his chest.

“Okay, Taimi. Hope to see you soon. Stay safe.”

“You too, Commander; give that Dragon a good one for me! Let me just get this Gate up and running, and then I can get you all outta here.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“Commander, might I have a word with you?” Canach calls from across the room, waving the shorter Sylvari over, “It’s about something that Mordrem Guard said.”

“What is it, Canach?”

“Well, the thing is…”

“You gonna be okay, Taimi?” Braham approaches the girl as she works, watching curiously, “Not to harp on you, but the Commander’s right - it may not be safe down here.”

“I’ll be fine, Braham! I’ll get some of the old security systems up and running under my control, and then I’ll be perfectly safe!” Taimi types one last command into the console and grins as the Gate lights up, brushing her hands together, “Tada! One exit portal, activated!”

“You really are a genius.” he chuckles, holding an arm out.

Taimi’s quick to scramble up and onto his shoulder, giving him as much of a hug as she’s able to. “Gonna miss you, Braham. Look after the Commander, alright? She worries way too much.”

“I’ll do my best.” Braham chuckles, patting her gently on the back, enjoying the quiet moment.

It’s broken when Taimi gasps and seems to angle herself further to look at something, the expression of absolute glee on her face slightly terrifying when she rights herself.

“Oh, oh Gadd, Braham! You never told me! You have a Mark! Did you know?! Does she know?!”

“Taimi, hush!” he resists the urge to clap his hand over the Asura’s face, head jerking back to check if the other’s had heard - relieved that they’re still off near the doors, they shouldn’t have heard, but-

“But this is so exciting!!! You know what it says, right?!”

“I only found out after shaving my head.” he grumbles, fighting down a flush, “Just don’t… say anything, alright?”

“But why?! This is amazing! I wonder if she has a Mark?”

“I don’t know, and now is not the time to be worrying about this. We have a Dragon to kill.” Braham carefully sets the Asura back down by the console, doing his best to seem serious. “Taimi, promise me you won’t tell anyone about the Mark. Especially Terra.”

“But-”

“Promise.”

“Alright, I promise! But if you don’t stand up quick she’s gonna see it anyways!”

“All ready to go?”

“Yes!” Braham shoots to his feet, startled by the sudden appearance of the two Sylvari behind him.

Terra only gives him an inquisitive look, Canach looking towards the Gate - and Braham’s never been happier that they’re both shorter, making a note to find something to cover the Mark with, soon.

“Gate’s all set! It should drop you off right near Teku Nuhoch - I can reconfigure it later. Good luck!”

Taimi jabs him with a tiny elbow, winking - Terra doesn’t seem to notice anything amiss, but Braham’s sure his face is flushed as he hurries through the Gate, ready to be away from the teasing Asura.

We’re almost there… soon, Braham. Soon.

[velancea]

Vel’s Magic

so I finally figured out Vel’s (dragon) magic and how it’s worked throughout her life! Here’s an info dump under the cut!

Velancea isn’t a guardian, and had always been more of a warrior/soldier type of profession with a tad bit of magic. Her magic stems from the Pale Tree being a purified blighting tree, despite not being able to use magic at her own free will. She had always unknowingly had a connection to dragon energy, and this connection is what caused her to see the Shadow of the Dragon within the dream, and it being interpreted as her Wyld Hunt.

Her magic had always been something that came to her in small bursts with little puffs, but only when things got really bad during a fight and it appeared as though she may lose the battle she was fighting (in-game downed skills). It’s always tied to her adrenaline and comes and goes very quickly, but always seems to help her when she needs it most.

Since she couldn’t utilize the magic as she pleased, she typically stuck to using non-magical weapons, especially her hammer (others include greatsword, sword, shield, mace, all that jazz).

Her connection to Aurene only strengthened her magical abilities, as they were tied directly to a dragon (it was not strengthened by Mordremoth due to the fact that the Pale Tree was purified, which caused enough of a distance for Vel’s magic to not stem from Mordy, but not enough that being a dragon minion still affected her - although it was more in a purified way than a mordrem way). Her increase of magic usage was something she slowly began to notice after receiving Aurene’s egg and becoming her champion (prior to this, her magic held no color. After, it took on a more blue tint).

As the bond between Vel and Aurene continued and grew, Vel’s magical abilities became more visible and usable. Magic began to lace itself with her normal weapons, and she now has the ability to wield more magic-based weapons.

After Aurene came back to life, the bond between she and Vel was even stronger than before. When Aurene restored Vel’s hand, there was a lot of residual magic from the action that melded with the dragon energy that already existed within Velancea. She didn’t notice it at first, but later, when faced with a large rush of adrenaline, the mass amount of dragon energy that typically came to her aid was different. Phantasmal horns sprouted from her head, her forearms all the way down to her hands glowed blue and her fingers came to a point as though they were claws, and phantasmal scales smattered up to her neck and dusted her cheekbones, and down her legs. Aurene’s energy coursed through her veins and she had a rather immeasurable amount of melee strength. As per usual with any burst of dragon energy that came to her in her high adrenaline rushes, it faded as soon as the threat was gone. She blacked out immediately after and was told about what happened by witnesses after she woke.

Now, still at a loss with this new magical energy/power, she often throws herself into high-risk situations without fighting her best in order to get this adrenal phase in which the dragon energy appears as a means of harnessing the power and hoping to gain control over it.

(image above his her dragon energy “form.” there’s no circlet in her form, and the scales aren’t there cause i can’t do that rip)

[akurathereaper]

Unbind me for the drabble prompt please ^^

Where…where was he?

Akura lifted his head, his wrists and ankles heavy. This place…

He was back?

No. No, no, no, no ,no… He couldn’t be back! He got away!

Akura rattled the chains bound to him, and the darkness became clearer with each passing moment. He recognized those rough rock walls, the slime and rotting moss covering them like a heavy coat, unbreathable air of decay and death filling the cell. There was no mistaking it.

He was back in the dungeon.

Akura’s breathing deepened into a panicked wheezing and he could feel his rhuddin tighten in his chest, sending painful pounds throughout his entire body. The stagnant air only added to his rising panic.

And then he heard it. Steps. A chain. A faint chuckling like that of a cheerful human child.

No… not again. Not again, by the Pale Mother please-

“Aw, you’re awake finally.” A sylvari the colour of ripe grapes emerged from the darkness before Akura, piercing red eyes laughing at him, mocking his state of body and mind. His free hand emanated a pinkish light. “Have you slept well, my precious toy?”

Akura hated that voice, hated that word, the tone he used. He wanted to spit on him, tell him how much he wanted to kill him, how much he despised him. He wanted to rip him apart. But fear had a firm grip on his actions.

Kaerin’s lips spread into a vicious grin. “Enjoyed the years? Met new friends? I worked really hard on that illusion, you know. You should show a little appreciation.”

Sap froze within Akura’s veins. So…it was true. Nothing was real… Has he never gotten out after all? Has he never met Chaton, or Isil, or Eyris… not even Trahearne? The years he lived thinking this was behind him… What was he doing before he woke up here…

“Aw, don’t look like that. I brought you a friend to play with.” Kaerin yanked the chain he was holding, and a frail oak sylvari with golden-leaved head stumbled into view. “You know how this goes already, don’t you, dearie.”

No. No, no he couldn’t- he couldn’t do it again, not again, not ever-

“Why the fear in your eyes, my toy? You’ve already done this before, no?” Kaerin narrowed his eyes in a knowing smile, sending a chill down Akura’s spine. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t think, breathe, no, he had to breathe, like Trahearne told him-

“Why do you bother even thinking about the Firstborn. They’re arrogant and selfish, unworthy of being one with us, and he was no different.” Kaerin approached Akura, the poor sylvari sapling dragged behind him. “His love for you was fake.”

Akura gulped, or tried to, his throat so tight it hurt. Could he read his mind? Akura whimpered slightly at the thought and Kaerin tilted his head.

“Yes, dearie, I can hear you. We all can hear you. You’ve joined us, quite willingly. Now, do what you did, all those years ago.” Kaerin threw the sapling before Akura, the sylvari naked and shivering.

Like a spell, Akura’s chains were gone, he was free and he was holding his sword, raising it and ready to strike. The unarmed sapling looked up at him, kneeling before him in fear, eyes empty with resignation, when he suddenly opened his mouth.

“Snap out of it.” It wasn’t a sylvari voice, but that of a woman, a woman Akura knew for a long time. “Stop and wake up, you bark covered idiot!” Her voice grew stronger, and wasn’t coming just out of the sapling’s mouth, but echoed around the dungeon cell. Kaerin’s brows were furrowed in rage, but he didn’t- or couldn’t move.

How was Chaton’s voice here? Akura lowered his weapon and started loking around. The paralyzing fear faded, and now the sylvari could see the anomalies in his surroundings. The flutter of walls, as if they were obscured by hot air, how soft and mushy the rock floor felt, the light transparence of Kaerin’s body.

This… this wasn’t real.

“Akura!”

“No! Join us within Mordremoth!” A desperate scream filled Akura’s ears and the illusion shattered around him, Kaerin’s rage induced roar overpowering everything. He was…in a cave, filled with vines and pods full of mordrem, and before him-

Akura gasped and let go of his sword, the blade falling to the ground with a thud. He almost- his sword was-

“You didn’t hurt me, I’m alright.” Chaton reached for Akura’s hands, grasping them and holding them together, heating them up with her warmth. “The illusion’s gone, the mordrem dead. You’re okay-”

Chaton didn’t manage to finish her sentence, disappearing in Akura’s embrace. The sylvari’s tears dripped on the mossy floor, his whole body shaking with emotions. Caithe, Rytlock, Canach and the rest of the group watched them, “hurry” written on their faces. And Eyris…was there too. She was real, too. This was real.

“Come on, you emotional tree, we have to go save Trahearne.” Chaton wiggled out of Akura’s arms, and the sylvari nodded. Nothing will stop him now, be it a monster, Kaerin or Mordremoth.

I TOLD YOU IT WONT BE 100 WORDS BECAUSE HA

[likemesomesalads]

Little something I wrote, thanks to the idea @desertshrub  gave me on writing. It’s nothing special, probably not good at all, but it was fun to write.

He felt something warm ooze down his chin and chest. This was the first feeling he realized first for a long time. As if his mind was in a  deep sleep. After a short time, he tasted something bitter. He looked down, what could it be. Wished he didn't. He fell back from his feet and crawled away from the dead body. He was eating a human? Or at least he certainly mangled his throat. He screamed horrified of his crime and started crying. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...I didn’t want to...I'm sorry." He repeated curling up against the tree. How could he not remember how this horrible thing happened? All he remembered was the annoying voice in his head then...Then nothing he could recall. The voice. He hasn't heard it anymore. Whose voice was it? He was sure he knew...He came here to make it stop. His eyes moved back at the dead person a bit further in front of him. He had to get away from here. If anyone sees him like this he'll be dead. He got up and floundered downwards a slope. Soon he started to hear a river nearby. That will be good. He was thirsty and he had to wash down the blood. He stopped to vomit from the thought of the ripped out throat of the man. He continued his way towards the sound whimpering and tired. Once he got there he just fell on his knees at the edge of the river, leaning forward and just dipping his whole head into it to wash down the blood and refresh himself a little. It felt good. Then he took some water in his hands and started to drink. Mordremoth. The name hit him like speeding charr car. He was there because of Mordremoth. He killed that man because...he was a mordrem. he was nothing more than the pawn of a dragon...Or was he? The voice in his head was quiet and he didn't feel like he was controlled by someone. He looked down to the flowing water. No voices...None at all... "Jalis?... Jalis do you hear me? Mallyx? Shiro?...Ventari?...Anyone? Do you hear me?" How strange he calls for the dead spirits he connected to in the Mists, scared that they might be gone now, when before he could've given anything to get rid of their presence. Maybe he got used to them...Or maybe he just knew he is dead without them. "Stop yelling kid. That won't help anyone. You can get in trouble if you continue screaming." He heard the familiar voice of the dwarf in his head and sighed in relief.

"You're still here..."

"Of course. It's not like you could just send us away...But damn you are a weak ass of a plant, kid. With the power you have you should've been able to resist that dragon..." He knew Jalis was right. He didn't even try to disagree. In the distance, he heard voices. Someone found the body...Should he flee? He was tired and had no weapon so he couldn't fight, the logical answer would've been fleeing...His thoughts brought up the dead body's image again. He'd deserve death...Maybe it's better that way. After a while, the voices and steps grew closer. He still hasn't moved. He was too afraid and too ashamed of what he did. Soon enough he had been discovered. The group seemed just a little on edge, but there were other sylvari amongst them. One stepped closer, slowly like she'd try to calm a wild animal. "Don't be afraid...We are here to help..." She said stepping even closer and checking him out and her best possibilities. "He was mordrem. But I don't see or sense any sign of the dragon's control in him anymore." She said then stood up. Her comrades seemed to calm somewhat. She reached out her hand to help him back up his feet. "What's your name?" "Tristrham."

[vampyrefang]

do your gw2 character(s) have any information or background/profile? would you tell us about them??

honestly.. i did have some kind of story for each of them when i created them, but i don’t remember any of them now rip

they do have personalities though! the two i play most are kaila and caethes, kaila (ranger) is more of a quiet and serious type, with a soft spot for animals, and caethes (ele) is very happy and friendly and loves exploring. kaila was my first gw2 character, i played a ranger in gw1 for years so it’s always been my favourite profession ^^ she was called theresa green! my dad named her bc i was like... six years old when i made her kghgfgfh

caethes was originally supposed to have a mordrem theme, since i got the staff skin and i thought it looked cool, but i changed my mind about that - so i sold the staff and now shes just a little ray of sunshine!

i have a few others too! a charr warrior called sera, human mesmer called kathrynne and a norn guardian called sigrun. the thing is, i think sylvari are super super cool so i’m way more attached to kaila and caethes jsjkhfgkdfgh