Guild Wars 2

Is it just me or is anyone else curious why there were nobles and musicians on the fleet that sailed out to Maguuma to attack Mordremoth? They seemed to have brought a lot of luxuries you wouldn’t expect to find in a battle fleet. Were they thinking it was going to be a picnic? Or maybe they just wanted to go into battle to the sound of Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries”….?

For them it was like a trip to a show – they expected it to be an easy victory after Zhaitan. The luxuries are because they are Nobles who think they need carriages laden with belongings and simply are ignorant of reality.

They expected a chivalrous epic for the ages….

…instead they got on the wrong side of a Michael bay film….

They came along for their amusement. Nobles fund wars. They had an overwhelming army at their front and had no expectation of failure.

True.. so true… I just thought Trehearne would have been more strict about the composition of his attack force. Or.. maybe that was the plan all along. Weaken the force by allowing all the nobles in rather than the soldiers that could have taken their place.

It seems to me you never fought in a war!
Of course you need porcelain tea cup for when you want to feel refreshed after shooting enemies.
And yes, the lace-lined tents are essential so the enemy can be lulled into a false sense of security.
Those musicians are also there cause well, music after all, soothes the savage beast.

:)

Probably for the same reason the nobles are going to the Dark Continent in HxH. To claim all da booty and land.

I remember reading in history a story about the American Civil War and spectators who came with picnic baskets to watch the show battle, and how the beheadings during the the French Revolution had its faithful spectators who arrived for each one to watch the ongoings. I guess that’s what happens when people don’t have TV shows to watch.

Spectators witness history at Manassas

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

True.. so true… I just thought Trehearne would have been more strict about the composition of his attack force. Or.. maybe that was the plan all along. Weaken the force by allowing all the nobles in rather than the soldiers that could have taken their place.

I figure he didn’t have much choice. If the people funding your efforts demand to be present at their culmination, you can’t very well tell them no. By the name of airship- Faren’s Flier, I think?- they might not have even been part of the Pact force, just tagalongs in their own ship.

They knew Lord Faren was gonna be there in his loincloth. They would have followed the fleet into the Realm of Torment.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

I remember reading in history a story about the American Civil War and spectators who came with picnic baskets to watch the show battle, and how the beheadings during the the French Revolution had its faithful spectators who arrived for each one to watch the ongoings. I guess that’s what happens when people don’t have TV shows to watch.

Spectators witness history at Manassas

I was going to mention that, but Flesh got here sooner

As part of my ongoing theory that Faren is E, I think he needed a plausible reason to get in place where the Pact operation was planned, but didn’t realize how long Mordremoth’s reach was. I’m sure he wouldn’t have intentionally put all those people in danger (unless E is ruthless and picked the most useless fluff headed nobles he could for his “pleasure jaunt” but then there are the servants to consider who did not deserve it). Once they got shipwrecked he slipped off to do E things and then came back all Tarzaned up and acting the fool to cover up his competence at surviving. Heck, maybe he used his clothes for something important, or just ditched them as too colorful and useless for jungle skulking.

I really really want Faren to be E. I love Scarlet Pimpernel stuff.

Who is E?
And bless you for knowing The Scarlet Pimpernel.

“E” is a mystery person who has been in the know on events and sending us letters to point us in directions of investigation ever since the assassination of the captain in LA. the letters are signed simply with the initial, possibly as a play on words ie “Mister E.” There was a short story about Marjory in which someone (presumably human male from the context) grabs her from behind and gives her some info, and most assume this was E.

Since my very first encounter with Faren in which he foppishly fights bandits with flair, elan, and skill, I’ve thought there was much more to him than the vain ladies’ man as whom he acts.

If so, there is likely to be something more behind his taking a flyer full of fluffy nobles into a war zone than just unmitigated foolishness designed to give us comic relief in the story.

Zoltar MacRoth.7146:

True.. so true… I just thought Trehearne would have been more strict about the composition of his attack force. Or.. maybe that was the plan all along. Weaken the force by allowing all the nobles in rather than the soldiers that could have taken their place.

The nobles had their own private airship which remained in the back, away from the fleet and watching from a distance. But it wasn’t far away enough.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

I remember reading in history a story about the American Civil War and spectators who came with picnic baskets to watch the show battle, and how the beheadings during the the French Revolution had its faithful spectators who arrived for each one to watch the ongoings. I guess that’s what happens when people don’t have TV shows to watch.

Was going to bring up that American Civil War picnic thing, actually.

So as stupid as it is and as ridiculous as it sounds, this kind of stuff was actually done in our own history, so it makes sense to include it in fiction.

Asumir.1978:

Who is E?
And bless you for knowing The Scarlet Pimpernel.

He’s rich, you know.