Guild Wars 2

Elder Dragonic Corruption: Readdressing The Definition
It is generally accepted that Elder Dragonic corruption involves mutation: The physiology of corrupted hosts is transformed. However, the point at which mutations appear does not always correspond to the point at which an Elder Dragon begins to afflict a host. Kellach is a well-known example of this disparity; Svanir, too. Both experienced psychological deterioration into madness. Their cases, combined with that of several others, including the mad sylvari of the personal story instance “Closing The Eye” and also Ceara, demonstrate that the process of Elder Dragonic corruption can begin with subtle mind games. Moreover, the cases of (at least) Kellach and Svanir reveal that afflicted hosts may become minions much sooner than even they realize. Consequently, we could define Elder Dragonic corruption thus: The ability of an Elder Dragon to establish a magical link with another being which said being cannot break without external intervention and through which the dragon is able to exert it’s will.

Identifying Those Who Are The Most Likely To Become Corrupted
The most vulnerable to Elder Dragonic corruption are magic-users. In a sense, the Elder Dragons are apex predators in the magical food-chain, directly competing with other would-be apex predators – such as humans, norn, charr, asura, and sylvari – for magic. To them, we may be nothing more than thieves. Prometheus stole fire; we’ve stolen magic. Other dragons hoard material wealth – the Elder Dragons hoard magic. It is to this hoard that we have helped ourselves. It’s no wonder that they hate us. The feeding of an Elder Dragon is a laborious process of spell-casting, corrupting those who have. It’s a tedious, tiresome business which they would rather be rid of.

The Strange Case Of Sylvari Resistance To The Corruption Of Elder Dragons: A Matter Of Interpretation?
Of the myriad of races using magic, sylvari seem to be blessed with resistance to Elder Dragonic corruption – or at least, that is what we have been led to believe. This assertion is based on the following:

“Each unborn sylvari hears the song of the Pale Tree and learns of the world, including what other sylvari have learned. Yet many dream of an enigmatic danger that threatens the awakened world. For most, it is but a fleeting glimpse. Only a rare few, the great heroes of their race, see the shadows of dragons and know it as a danger that threatens the world. As a result, of all the races, the sylvari see the challenge of the Elder Dragons most directly. The shores of their lands touch the Sea of Sorrows, and the undead minions of Zhaitan wash ashore and seek to despoil everything they find. While the other races may be corrupted by the Elder Dragons, turned into undead minions or crystalline creatures of the Brand, the sylvari are never turned. Those born of the Pale Tree simply die before the corruption takes hold. Many sylvari believe that this is because they were born to battle the dragons, blessed with a certain protection against their most horrible powers. Some non-sylvari scholars state instead that the sylvari’s strange biology foils the corruption of the dragons. A few clever souls state that sylvari just taste bad to dragons. No one knows for certain which is the truth.”

In particular, it is stated that: “While the other races may be corrupted by the Elder Dragons, turned into undead minions or crystalline creatures of the Brand, the sylvari are never turned. Those born of the Pale Tree simply die before the corruption takes hold.” At first glance, this statement appears to put sylvari beyond the corrupting powers of the Elder Dragons. However, no one knows for certain why this is the case. Furthermore, Ceara’s recent case may present strong evidence against the interpretation that sylvari cannot be corrupted by Elder Dragons.

Ceara Could Not Severe The Magical Link Between Her And The Entity
Following Omadd’s experiment, when Ceara began to experience a sleeping disorder, she sought the aid of a mender of her people. However, as she records in her diary, he was not able to help her. (Queen Jennah might have, which may have formed the basis of Ceara’s whimsical decision to crash the Jubilee celebrations of Divinity’s Reach.) Eventually, she realized that she could not escape from her affliction. This point is important as it strongly suggests that, if the entity was Mordremoth (or even Mordremoth’s champion), his corruption may have set in. But how can we reconcile this to the fore-quoted paragraph, in which we read that sylvari are never turned?

An Immutable Fact?
The statement may not present an immutable fact. To help illustrate why, consider that at the time at which it was released, the player-base may not have been aware of the presence of the sixth Elder Dragon: Mordremoth. This is just one reason to give pause to any attempt to elevate the statement that sylvari are never turned by Elder Dragons to dogma.

Is Ceara The First Sylvari To Be Disconnected From The Dream?
There is a point at which Nightmare sylvari believe that they can no longer contribute (emotional stimuli) to the Dream. Hereafter, they rely on the emotional stimuli of others to continue the process of darkening it. What this observation suggests is that sylvari born of the Pale Tree can be disconnected from the Dream if they progress far enough into the systematic desensitization that is Nightmare. Consequently, Ceara may not be the first to be disconnected from her mother’s Dream. (Of course, anyone reading this will note that I am implying that Ceara was affected by Nightmare.)

How Does The Dream Aid Sylvari In Their Resistance To Elder Dragonic Corruption?
What follows forthwith is conjecture. However, there is evidence to suggest that the Dream is not truly capable of shielding the sylvari from the touch of Elder Dragons. Those who read my former post, “Mordremoth’s Messy First Meal”, may recall that I suggested that the Dream provides sylvari with the ability to resist the spell-casting, corrupting abilities of Elder Dragons; however, I would like to further clarify my position: It is more likely that the Dream merely hinders the work of the Elder Dragons. This does not mean that sylvari cannot be affected by the Elder Dragons, merely that it takes Elder Dragonic corruption a lot longer to take hold. As we know, when it does take hold, sylvari die (bear in mind that this does not mean that their corpses are not corrupted (I acknowledge that affect is a better word; I foresee confusion over the use of the term corruption to describe an Elder Dragon’s ability to affect a lifeless host with it’s spells) – that is to say, they may become crystal, ice, lava etc). This latter detail is more likely the result of sylvari biology. There is some confusion within the forums about the soundness of this conclusion, however, for which reason we need to address this important point before continuing.

Plants Can Be Affected By Elder Dragonic Corruption
Broaching the idea that sylvari resistance to Elder Dragonic corruption is rooted almost entirely in their unique physiology – because, basically, they are plants – induces debate. Criticisms founded on well-documented examples of fauna affected by the corrupting spells of Elder Dragons are at the heart of such debate. Players passing through Sparkfly Fen may encounter “corrupted stumps”; others passing through the Dragonbrand may encounter what was once vegetation, now crystal. These samples present what many consider to be strong evidence against the idea that sylvari are resistant to Elder Dragonic corruption. However, I’m sure that everyone would agree that it is one thing to corrupt (or, more generally, affect) something, quite another to turn it into a minion. To illustrate what I mean by this, consider that although Kralkatorrik can corrupt the soil, said soil is hardly a minion as a result. In other words, the effectiveness of any corrupting spell is partly dependent on the nature of one’s source material. This is why, although Zaithan’s corruption affects the stumps of trees in Sparkfly Fen, they aren’t discharging the duties of his Eye(s) or Mouth(s). To conclude, then, although addressing this point may not resolve the difference of opinion within the forums about the origin of sylvari resistance to Elder Dragonic corruption, nonetheless it serves as a reminder – the idea that sylvari are resistant to corruption due to their plant physiology has merit.

What Are We To Make Of The Notion That The Dream Aids Sylvari Resistance To Elder Dragonic Corruption?
I would like to elaborate on an idea proposed by lore-enthusiasts – namely, that the Dream acts like a firewall. Clearly, the infrastructure behind the Dream is not mechanical, but organic; moreover, it is about the relationships between that organic infrastructure. In short, a sylvari’s ability to resist the corrupting spells of Elder Dragons is directly related to the quality of his or her relationship with the Pale Tree. Why?

Think of the relationship between the Pale Tree and one of her children as a highway between two city-states. When that relationship is strong, it is like seeing constant traffic flow between the two centers. As a result, the highway is always well-maintained. Now imagine that the relationship between them sours; the highway falls into disrepair. In addition, let one of the city-states find itself embroiled in war with an outsider – the ability of the other city-state to provide it with support is hampered by the dilapidated state of the highway etc between them.
How can we use this to understand Ceara’s case? The Pale Tree states that Ceara was born facing away from her – that is to say, from awakening, Ceara showed no real interest in her mother. Her disregard for her parent meant that Ceara was more likely to engage in risky behavior and, just as importantly, when engaging in said behavior, less likely to heed any warnings from the Pale Tree. Furthermore, the Pale Tree herself would not have been able to monitor her daughter as easily. Ceara’s behavior prior to her participation in Omadd’s experiment can hardly be described as exemplary – the sylvari’s capacity for empathy was sorely lacking, suggesting that she may not have been contributing to the Dream (and vice versa) long before she entered Omadd’s module. Thus, Ceara’s failed relationship with her mother was directly related to her demise. (It won’t get any easier, either, for the Pale Tree. Although the arboreal’s description of Ceara makes the latter’s case seem isolated, with more sylvari awakening every cycle, the Pale Tree’s ability to maintain the same quality of relationship with each of them is whittling away (this is a problem foreshadowed by Caderyn’s arrival). Furthermore, given that Nightmare Courtiers eventually experience what can at least be described as a state of being similar to (if not the same as) Ceara’s – that is, a point at which they no longer contribute to nor receive from the Dream – it would be premature of us to reason that they are not also at risk of sharing in Ceara’s fate.)

Caithe is a good counter-example of a sylvari who has found enhanced inner-strength through her close relationship with the Pale Tree. Although she is pursued by Nightmare, Caithe is able to resist it only because she is in such constant communion with her mother. If that relationship were to deteriorate, Caithe might make the final journey across the Dreamscape into darkness.

The Identity Of The Entity
Contemporary theories about the identity of the entity are well-dispersed. Readers of my posts know that I’ve had some wild ideas – cracked, just not crack-induced – joining at least half-a-dozen other suppositions about the identity of the entity. What is the strongest of these positions? In my opinion, the best theory to date identifies the entity as an Elder Dragon – in particular, Mordremoth. Is there any evidence supporting this theory? Yes. Followers of the developments in the plot of the Living Story season one will remember that the painting of an Elder Dragon was found in one of Ceara’s lairs. This, combined with the dialogue provided in the final confrontation of Ceara in her drill and the cut scene thereafter, strongly hints that the entity was not only an Elder Dragon, but Mordremoth at that. Attempts to conclude otherwise, whilst feasible, do not present contradictory evidence, merely the reinterpretation of source material.

Final Thoughts
We’ve covered some ground here. What I have presented is, as always, conjecture. It’s wild, cracked, but not crack-induced. The substance of this post is the sum of my thoughts thus far relating to the possible principles behind not only Elder Dragonic corruption, but also sylvari resistance to it.

Interesting thoughts here.

One observation I would make, however, is that while Scarlet certainly seems as if she may have been influenced by Mordremoth or a minion, she still doesn’t act like a minion herself. While corruption is the most direct method by which a dragon can seize control of a victim, dragons still have access to the same magic that allows mortals to manipulate the minds of others – mesmerism. In the case of the mad sylvari you reference, I am quite certain that is exactly the case – the Eyes are powerful mesmers, and while any non-sylvari would probably be ‘interrogated’ by simply being killed and raised as a Risen, the Eye had to use the more “crude” method of breaking her mind through mesmeric magic.

Scarlet’s case is a bit harder to assign to simple use of mesmeric magic – the whole point of Omadd’s device was to isolate her, after all. It’s possible that, as has been hypothesised by yourself and others, Caera had defenses against such attack from her relationship with the Pale Tree or the Dream, and Omadd’s device broke those defenses. If a dragon or agent of a dragon had previously planted an enchantment in Caera’s mind that had been blocked off, this would allow it to take hold.

Alternatively, of course, Caera could simply have gone insane while in the device… and this insanity left her more suggestible to outside interference, and the influencing entity was simply opportunistic enough to worm its way in.

Either way, though, Scarlet maintains an antagonistic relationship with the influencer. She appears to be having trouble distinguishing her own thoughts from her puppeteer’s commands… but she’s aware something’s happening, and she hates it. Most dragon minions that we know of, however, love the dragon, and believe it is entirely their own will that they serve it. (Kellach may be an exception, but my impression is that he hasn’t been corrupted enough to truly be a minion, although he’s clearly been driven insane by the experience). It’s possible that this simply reflects Caera having stronger will than most, but it could also mean that this is something quite different to dragon corruption as we know it.

Certainly, though, I’d suggest adding an additional condition at least to your definition of dragon corruption:

“The ability of an Elder Dragon to establish a magical link (through means not available to mortal spellcasters, such as mesmer magic) with another being which said being cannot break without external intervention and through which the dragon is able to exert it’s will.”

The nightmare court don’t become disconnected from the dream, they just lose the ability to add anything (bad) to it. Their cup is full. They become psychologically desensitised to pain and suffering, so they have to make others suffer instead. There isn’t anything magical about this; it’s no different from a human soldier becoming desensitised to killing.

It’s pretty clear than Scarlets experience and disconnection from the Dream was totally different to that of the nightmare court.