Guild Wars 2

Hi people,

I will go straight to the subject: how far can a Sylvari goes to the Nightmares but still manages to go back to the Dream? Can a Sylvari still hears the call of the pale Tree while he is only a novice in the Nightmare Court? Can a strong feeling prevents a Sylvari to fall too far into the Nightmares?

This last question is about something else so it is apart from the others: some Sylvaris feel a unique feeling about an other Sylvari (their way of loving). Thanks to that link, can they feel the pain of the loved one or does it interact with the Dream like an other feeling (and so, both those Sylvaris only share a humanlike love)?

Sorry for the bad english and the mistakes I could have made, this is not my native language.
I hope I did nothing wrong regarding to the rules (I don’t see for my part)

Thanks for your answers if you do, have a good day and fun on GW 2!

1.) There’s no official source on this, but the general phrasing is usually along the lines of ‘once you turn/fall to Nightmare there’s no going back’. Personally, I interpret that to mean that once the sylvari accepts the Nightmare to some extent, stops fighting it in some way, they’re stuck with it from then on, but other people might come to a different conclusion. Short answer- not very.
2.) Not entirely sure what you’re asking there- there is no ‘call of the Pale Tree’ that I can think of. She is said to be able to contact her children, and there’s nothing about the Nightmare I know of that would stop her, but she also hardly ever does it. The only cases we’ve ever heard of involve either the Firstborn or Scarlet. Short answer: they probably could, but she wouldn’t talk to them.
3.) Maybe? Stubbornness and willpower probably help. We don’t know how the Nightmare works, though, and so we also don’t know whether anyone can hold out for ever. It’s possible that the corruption could overcome any amount of willpower, or that the courtiers are just so good at what they do that they can break anyone eventually. Short answer: we don’t know.
4.) A sylvari can feel another sylvari’s emotional pain (and they don’t necessarily need to be in love for it), although they do seem to need to be in at least the same area- that varies depending on how sensitive the individual is, though, and we don’t know much about how it works either. I don’t think they can feel each other’s physical pain, although they might pick up on the shock or fear caused by being injured. Short answer- yes, if they’re nearby.

Don’t worry too much about the English, and I hope that answers your questions! And if it doesn’t, just speak up.

Well, sorry for the long time before i post this message but : thank you for your answering, loving the way you explain your thoughts before summarizing it.

It is sad Dream and Nightmare are concepts we evolve alongside and they have a huge importance in Sylvari’s background (well in fact, they are the essence of the Sylvaris) but are still kept mysterious. Because of it, our plants-like friends look way too close to human beings. And this something I cannot accept.

You may ask yourself why I asked you those questions: well, it is just because I would like to write some story about my Sylvari characters but I really need to learn more about Nightmares and Dreams. They are way too much hidden and some times I wonder if ArenaNet knows itself what it has created.

I really dislike the fact Nightmares are shown to be cut off from the Dream while I thought they were the darkest places of it. It is unclear how Nightmare Court could really influence the Pale Tree but for me, it would be logical it those twisted horrors try to grow up inside the Dream. Maybe it is what ArenaNet wanted to explain to us but as it is shown in the game, Nightmares are too much described as something foreign to the Sylvaris.

For my part, I strongly believe the Dream and the Nightmares are the 2 extremes of Sylvari’s mind, since they can decide to live only by themselves (like the Silent ones).

Astragal.7906:

I really dislike the fact Nightmares are shown to be cut off from the Dream while I thought they were the darkest places of it.

Sorry. This one’s going to be a little rushed.

This is actually a common misunderstanding. The Nightmare Court is very much connected to the Dream- that connection is how they try to spread Nightmare. Like you said, the Nightmare is supposed to be the dark part of the Dream. It is foreign to most sylvari, like how most people’s darkest fears and desires aren’t something they consciously think of as part of themselves. The Pale Tree tries to keep the sylvari away from it before they awaken, although we aren’t certain how she does it or why. Or, short version- the Nightmare is a part of the Dream that’s also foreign to the sylvari.

I do agree that it’s sad how little we know about how most things sylvari work. I like to think ArenaNet just hasn’t found a good way to tell us yet, but who knows.

I thought that was the work of Luminari to protect the young seeds from the Nightmare when they come to Tyria.
What shocks me the most is about Faolain and her relationship with Nightmare: while Caedwyn has been the creator, it is said on the wiki that Faolain has been chosen since she embrassed the Nightmare itself. And here my questioning: where in the books is it said that the Nightmare is a sensible thing?

For all we know and you pointed it out, Nightmares are a foreign part of the Sylvaris but that do really exist in the Dream so it is all about the psychology.

It makes me think that ArenaNet does not really know that much about the Nightmares; The fact they are mysterious is nice ok, giving them some freaky dimension but it looks like an excuse to not eveal anything on it.

And it is really sad.

Astragal.7906:

I thought that was the work of Luminari to protect the young seeds from the Nightmare when they come to Tyria.

Right. The Pale Tree protects them within the Dream, and the mentors and Luminaries protect them in Tyria after they wake.

What shocks me the most is about Faolain and her relationship with Nightmare: while Caedwyn has been the creator, it is said on the wiki that Faolain has been chosen since she embrassed the Nightmare itself. And here my questioning: where in the books is it said that the Nightmare is a sensible thing?

It isn’t said in the books. We don’t know enough about the Nightmare to say whether it’s a conscious, thinking thing or not. We also don’t know how Faolain became the leader, although the way Cadeyrn acts in the game makes me think some of Faolain’s mesmer mind tampering was part of it.

We do not know about the Nightmares like we do not know that much about the Dream. It is an interesting concept of a Hivemind but unfortunately it is bound to a video game where it is not fully explained. I will not blame ArenaNet though, they are not the only ones to not explain enough the stuff they crafted. Whatever, focusing on Sylvaris but forgetting to talk about the core of this kind, it is somehow unacceptable.

Concerning, Cadeyrn, yeah but here again there is a difference between the Cadeyrn in the little stories written for the lore and the one ingame. Why? Just because the focus has not been made. The personal story does not deepen enough things but it is way too late to fix that problem there.
And with the LS 3 focusing on other dragons, asking many more questions than answering them, I doubt we ever see the Sylvaris enjoying the background they deserve. Gotta be the role of the community somehow

Let’s put it in a nutshell (yay sylvari ya see?): Nightmares are tormented parts of the Dream but we don’t know anything of its true nature.

Thank you for the answers though Aaron, even if i feel I have been mostly reasoning “loud voice” at some point. You still brought some clarity on some points.
Thank you a lot, very much appreciated.