Guild Wars 2

Two theories:
First, has anyone thought that the Pale Tree is currently the vessel of the god Melandru? It could be that when the Elder Dragons came, the gods went to find safe havens for themselves to exist through and possibly even help without putting themselves at risk, for one reason or another. This could explain how the Pale Tree is connected to the Mists and how sylvari are connected to it. Also, the appearance of the Tree’s avatar is pretty spot-on with Melandru’s, and it might also explain why the Dragons’ corruptions don’t touch the sylvari.

I’m also skeptical of another Pale Tree, though I’m still open to it. Malyck’s “Tree” doesn’t have the dream, or he’s too far away to get a signal, or he’s disconnected altogether, however he apparently has some significance to our own tree and is somehow touching the Dream. He is called the “Harbinger” and the “Seed”, something Ronan knew but never told, and was mentioned next to some stuff with a cave/root.

My thoughts are that Malyck isn’t a new sylvari born of the Pale Tree, but the sylvari who gave birth to the Pale Tree. Either being an old friend of the Ronan who was met in a cave, or possibly accidentally killed by Ronan, Ronan then buried Malyck near his own family’s graves. The reason he’s something “Ronan… never told” is because Ronan was either deeply saddened by his death or ashamed that he caused it. Malyck became the seed of the Pale Tree and became what it is today, but through the Pale Tree Malyck may have revived through a pod. What Malyck is “missing”, that feeling of emptiness, may just be his memories from before reviving. As for the Dream, he had none because he was above it. Given the Melandru theory, he was born before the Dream was created, as the Dream touches sylvari before birth. Malyck, as a name, also means things like “Angel, Messenger, King”, meaning he could be the “King of Sylvari”, or at least until Melandru kicked him. Anyway, this would explain the cryptic message from that Amaranda the Lonesome gave when trying to touch into Malyck’s Dream[below]. He would also be the “Harbinger of Sylvari”, which could be why the Nightmare refer to him as such, instead of the misconception of him being the “Harbinger of a Nightmare Tree”.

“A distant shore… And darkness. A root. A cave. You. You are the seed. What Ronan knew but never told still lingers in the dream.”

Thoughts?

Dondagora.9645:

First, has anyone thought that the Pale Tree is currently the vessel of the god Melandru? […] This could explain how the Pale Tree is connected to the Mists and how sylvari are connected to it. Also, the appearance of the Tree’s avatar is pretty spot-on with Melandru’s, and it might also explain why the Dragons’ corruptions don’t touch the sylvari.

Yes, it has been theorized but apparently the uncountered concept of the Pale Tree being related to a god is not as interesting as the highly-countered concept of the Pale Tree being a dragon minion. Though on a side, I suppose the existence of a second “pale tree” and of the Tower of Nightmares being a possible third unmatured one counters the notion.

Nothing says that the Pale Tree is connected to the Mists. This is a theory I had presented – and you’re not the first to claim it as a fact recently – specifically the theory is that the Dream of Dreams is a part of the Mists, due to all the similarities there are between the two. But it’s still just a theory.

The Avatar of the Pale Tree is actually very different from the various interpretations of Melandru, even that of Malchor’s statue. Hair style differs greatly, for example, and Melandru is depicted with wings. Not seeing how the dragon corruption immunity falls into place, given the high priests’, statues’, and bloodstones’ corruption.

Dondagora.9645:

I’m also skeptical of another Pale Tree, though I’m still open to it. Malyck’s “Tree” doesn’t have the dream, or he’s too far away to get a signal, or he’s disconnected altogether, however he apparently has some significance to our own tree and is somehow touching the Dream. He is called the “Harbinger” and the “Seed”, something Ronan knew but never told, and was mentioned next to some stuff with a cave/root.

My thoughts are that Malyck isn’t a new sylvari born of the Pale Tree, but the sylvari who gave birth to the Pale Tree. Either being an old friend of the Ronan who was met in a cave, or possibly accidentally killed by Ronan, Ronan then buried Malyck near his own family’s graves. The reason he’s something “Ronan… never told” is because Ronan was either deeply saddened by his death or ashamed that he caused it. Malyck became the seed of the Pale Tree and became what it is today, but through the Pale Tree Malyck may have revived through a pod. What Malyck is “missing”, that feeling of emptiness, may just be his memories from before reviving. As for the Dream, he had none because he was above it. Given the Melandru theory, he was born before the Dream was created, as the Dream touches sylvari before birth. Malyck, as a name, also means things like “Angel, Messenger, King”, meaning he could be the “King of Sylvari”, or at least until Melandru kicked him. Anyway, this would explain the cryptic message from that Amaranda the Lonesome gave when trying to touch into Malyck’s Dream[below]. He would also be the “Harbinger of Sylvari”, which could be why the Nightmare refer to him as such, instead of the misconception of him being the “Harbinger of a Nightmare Tree”.

“A distant shore… And darkness. A root. A cave. You. You are the seed. What Ronan knew but never told still lingers in the dream.”

Thoughts?

An interesting hypothesis, but you’re misinterpreting why he’s a Harbinger. And you’re forgetting something that utterly debunks your thought process. Before that though:

I think “what Ronan knew but never told” is in reference to the location of the cave. It has been lost after Ronan left it, as he never revealed its location just that it existed and he got a fist-sized seed from there. In turn, the whole phrase means that the location of the cave lingers in the Dream of Dreams.

Now to backtrack: Malyck is a Harbinger only to the Nightmare Court. That is a title given by the Knight of Embers who’s Dark Hynt was to find Malyck. He is a harbinger because his existence proves that the Nightmare Court doesn’t need the Pale Tree to become their so-called “true selves.” He is the harbinger of the true sylvari, that is to say. The coming and example of a sylvari uninfluenced by the Dream and by extension, Ventari’s tablets. The meaning of his name likely goes to this: he is a messenger of sorts, relaying the message that more sylvari exist out there and that he is what a “true sylvari” is like.

What you’re forgetting is his pod and the river. He awoke from a pod just like any other sylvari, and did so only weeks prior to meeting him in the personal story. His pod got to where it was via the river. And that river does not pass by the Pale Tree at all.