Guild Wars 2

As a roleplayer playing a sylvari, a question has arisen a few times over the course of the last few months: Do sylvari emit body heat?

I wouldn’t think that they would, but I’ve observed other RPers playing them as though they do. I suppose that in order to maintain metabolic functions, they would need to have some sort of internal climate control, but would it be to the extent that they would be able to emit enough heat for coats and blankets to be effective means of keeping themselves warm, for example? Or would a sylvari out in the snow be in about as much trouble as a lizard out in the snow?

well, considering how sylvari in the shiverpeaks(NPC’s, not just players) seem to operate just fine, I would assume they are warm-blooded.

Warm-sapped, remember they have sap not technical blood.

Yes, I would go with ‘warm-sapped’, to the extent that sylvari are comparable with, say, mammals. They are plants but operate in imitation of humans (for the most part), and they move quickly enough that I would expect they produce and give off some heat.

Is there a warm or cold sap difference? I don’t think a comparison would be possible – but like how plants can typically survive cold environments, so too would sylvari – consider sylvari to be among the most adaptable of plants, able to withstand most ranges any plant can. Moreso on Tyria when we got drakes (aka “lizards”) and skelk in the Shiverpeaks.

In Ghosts of Ascalon there is a scene in which the main character is noticing that sylvari don’t emanate heat like animals do. Can’t remember the exact quote though, gonna look for the book and quote it if I find it.

EDIT: “Killeen and other members of her race were born fully formed as fruits of great tree growing in far south. Her body didn’t emanate with animal warmth.”

Not an exact quote from Ghosts of Ascalon, it’s a self made translation from a translation, so it probably varies from from the original wording, however gets the point across – Sylvari are cold bodied, or at least colder than mammals.

There´s a sylvari ingame that says someting along the lines that sylvari actualy aren´t affected by or feel cold like other races.
But then there´s another sylvari in grove that says she didn´t like hoelbrak too much because the cold sapped her strength, or something along those lines.

Which makes sense. Perhaps the Sylvari don’t have a sensory system like Mammals do when it comes to heat or cold, but they are still, in a way, affected by the cold. Whether it be through the cold slowing down their sap, or perhaps causing their muscles and such to contract together and making it harder to move.

I always imagined Sylvari “skin” as being cool to the touch but not cold. At a minimum, though, they’re susceptible to freezing just like anything else with a liquid circulatory system. If their blood/sap has a high sugar content (think maple trees), they may be able to avoid freezing solid at much lower temperatures than their mammalian colleagues though their movement would be greatly slowed as viscosity increases.

zwierz.9012:

“Killeen and other members of her race were born fully formed as fruits of great tree growing in far south. Her body didn’t emanate with animal warmth.”

Do you have an approximate page number for this? It would be very handy to use as reference.

The fragment is at the start of the book, page nr 16 (3 pages into the actual book) in my translation, no clue about the english one though.

Ghosts of Ascalon Page 5.

“Killeen and the others of her race were born fully formed from the fruit of a great white-barked tree far to the south. There was no animal warmth to her flesh.”

I wonder what Sylvari taste like. Do you eat them raw like apples or maybe roast them like corn. Are they sweet or spicy? Are they woody like trees? Are they nutty? Does the skin peel off like corn husks? Why don’t people eat them? I wonder if you can ferment their “blood” into alcohol? I think a glass of sylvari whiskey might be tasty. Maybe we could make pancake syrup out of them.

People don’t eat sylvari because sylvari are sentient, that would be cannibalistic. BTW charr ate humans until Arenanet decided to make charr playable in GW2. Now you don’t hear charr calling humans “meat”.

“Her skin was firm, like the shell of a horse chestnut. She was cold but not clammy.” – Ghosts of Ascalon page 13. Killeen has been bitten by a spider and weak at this point but it should still give an indication of what a sylvari feels like to the touch.

Plants still benefit from being covered during sudden freezes. So though they might not be affeted like other createures they still might cover up in extreme conditions.

@Ramei
You’re incorrect about what cannabalism is.

Also, Sylvari are not sentient, they merely imitate sentience. In actuallity, they are about as self aware as a pine cone. For crying out loud, they fell off a tree! How gullible do you have to be to believe they are sentient?

DarcShriek.5829:

@Ramei
You’re incorrect about what cannabalism is.

Also, Sylvari are not sentient, they merely imitate sentience. In actuallity, they are about as self aware as a pine cone. For crying out loud, they fell off a tree! How gullible do you have to be to believe they are sentient?

I don’t know… something about them talking, thinking independant thoughts, wondering about things, like why they are here, their clear curiosity and ability to learn… not only from own experiences but from the experiences of others (not just other sylvari). They seem to be pretty self aware. And they clearly got empathy too.
If sylvari are not sentient, then neither is charr, norn, asura or humans…. nor are you and I.

From what you say I think I will go take up a conversation with a pine cone.

It is highly possible, given the conflicting evidence, that ANet didn’t decide this ahead of time and as a result the game is inconsistent in this regards.

It’s also possible that the lore says one thing, such as Sylvari being cold blooded, but the game mechanics were not developed to reflect that (it would be pretty unfair if Sylvari suffered some kind of movement penalty in cold regions).

As a result, we probably don’t know one way or the other.

I’m of the opinion that Sylvari don’t have blood as you or I would know it. I believe that being plants, they have some type of chlorophyll for photosynthesis. I think their insides would be more like a tree or a stalk.

@zeefa
Sylvaria are go at imitating, but there is no evidence that they are any more self aware than the tree that just fell over on my roof last night.

DarcShriek.5829:

I’m of the opinion that Sylvari don’t have blood as you or I would know it. I believe that being plants, they have some type of chlorophyll for photosynthesis. I think their insides would be more like a tree or a stalk.

You’re mostly right. They have golden sap instead of blood but their physical make up isn’t like ours. They aren’t people made of plant material. They are plants that have grown to look humanoid. i.e.: Their arms don’t have wood for bones and leaves for skin. Their arms are a mass of tightly woven branches, stems and leaves that create the silouette and function of an arm.

edit: also, there are sylvari that have decided to leave the community of the sylvari and don’t share their thoughts and have trained themselves to block out the sounds of the other sylvari. Deciding to leave their natural place seems to indicate a high level of self awareness. In fact, all evidence seems to indicate that they have the same self awareness as every other race. So any arguement against sylvari self awareness can probably be adapted to apply to every other playable race.

DarcShriek.5829:

I’m of the opinion that Sylvari don’t have blood as you or I would know it. I believe that being plants, they have some type of chlorophyll for photosynthesis. I think their insides would be more like a tree or a stalk.

@zeefa
Sylvaria are go at imitating, but there is no evidence that they are any more self aware than the tree that just fell over on my roof last night.

Man, I gotta say that you are good at imitating self awareness, but since there’s no evidence that you are, I am going to be eating you now. I’d say no hard feelings, but there’s no evidence that you would care. :P

Just to add something to the equation, Sylvari’s Sap (Life Blood), would have to be of acidic properties because there seems to be alot of hint’s that they are cold blooded and such and they consume food that are made raw or cooked materials by other races.

I doubt anything could eat a Sylvari other than something that can consume acidic properties.

Not to put down the warm sap theories, I think it was just a typo in lore, though I could be wrong.

Shadowlancer.7102:

Just to add something to the equation, Sylvari’s Sap (Life Blood), would have to be of acidic properties because there seems to be alot of hint’s that they are cold blooded and such and they consume food that are made raw or cooked materials by other races.

I doubt anything could eat a Sylvari other than something that can consume acidic properties.

Not to put down the warm sap theories, I think it was just a typo in lore, though I could be wrong.

I would think sylvari compartmentalize their digestive juices, same as many other organisms. I mean, a Venus Flytrap isn’t necessarily more acidic in its stem, despite the fact that it digests meat.

I’m liking what I’m seeing in this discussion, you guys. At this point, would it be safe to say that sylvari are not warm to the touch, but they do maintain some control over their internal body temperatures, to the extent that they can function reasonably well in varying environments?

Also, can we continue to compile what we know about sylvari anatomy? I’ve seen a lot of people saying that they have leaf-and-vine versions of human organs, but I always thought it made more sense for them to have interiors more like what DarkShriek and Dustfinger described.

I… I have to ask this. Because I have an obsessive attention to detail.

… I’m so sorry to ask this.. but I have to.

We know because ANet actually tells us these things that Sylvari replicate human anatomy, though via plant growth. We also know that they are anatomically correct, and have a vast thread on nipples indeed worrying about this. So.. sap… vis-a-vis their choice or not to engage in mimicry of, or actual enjoyment of, acts which we ALSO know have no direct benefit to them as organisms, as they are incapable of reproduction, more like sapient flowers or fruits.

Come on, has no one else wondered about the actual mechanics?

Aethgar.1784:

I… I have to ask this. Because I have an obsessive attention to detail.

… I’m so sorry to ask this.. but I have to.

We know because ANet actually tells us these things that Sylvari replicate human anatomy, though via plant growth. We also know that they are anatomically correct, and have a vast thread on nipples indeed worrying about this. So.. sap… vis-a-vis their choice or not to engage in mimicry of, or actual enjoyment of, acts which we ALSO know have no direct benefit to them as organisms, as they are incapable of reproduction, more like sapient flowers or fruits.

Come on, has no one else wondered about the actual mechanics?

Haha, I’ve had entire conversations with people where we tried to figure that out. I was wondering when the thread was going to take that direction. Anyone else want to take this one?

fistpump I AND MY FRIENDS AREN’T THE ONLY ONES!!

I actually was looking at pitcher plants.. pondering ethical acquisition of animal proteins.. it’s logical. <.<

I swear I’m not a sicko. But I like to really understand the physics and mechanics of things as a rule. Like.. I want to know maximum lifespans of each race, whether charr have litters or singletons given the statement about ‘six or none’..

I’m curious, darn it.

A-net said they do not have organs. They really are just a mass of plants that have twisted and grown to make the sillouette of a bipedal figure. Here’s the link that i didn’t have available as per my last post.

Sylvari biology is very different from any other race. They do not have internal organs, but instead are formed of growing plant matter, sap for blood, leaves and bark for skin. A jaw, for example, can be formed by leaves, vines, or even shards of bark that grow and press together to form the silhouette, but if you look closely you can still see the fibers and holes of the structure. Instead of bones, an arm is a mass of tightly-woven stems and leaves that work together to do the work of such a limb.
http://www.arena.net/blog/dream-and-nightmare

edit: Physically, sylvari are male or female, and the relevant external biology is accurate on both, but they cannot sexually reproduce as the other races do; they have no internal organs capable of creating children

same link

If you dried them and smoke them in a bowl, would it be a good buzz?

Cows eat grass, do Sylvari eat cows?

Walking compost… maybe? Hot.

DarcShriek.5829:

If you dried them and smoke them in a bowl, would it be a good buzz?

Have the same effect as smoking bath salts. Cannibalism and nudity.

Dustfinger.9510:

edit: also, there are sylvari that have decided to leave the community of the sylvari and don’t share their thoughts and have trained themselves to block out the sounds of the other sylvari…

Here’s a fun thought: have the Soundless (the Sylvari you’re describing above) actually accomplished anything? Its pointed out that the Pale Tree controls what the Sylvari are informed of from the Dream. People, places, events, other wyld hunts, and even the existence of other pale trees: these are all introduced to Sylvari in the real world. They aren’t privy to all of the dream.

Isn’t it possible that the Soundless haven’t perfected any training whatsoever? That the Pale Tree simply respects the wishes of her children and has thus given them the silence they wanted?

Eerekai.9438:

Here’s a fun thought: have the Soundless (the Sylvari you’re describing above) actually accomplished anything? Its pointed out that the Pale Tree controls what the Sylvari are informed of from the Dream. People, places, events, other wyld hunts, and even the existence of other pale trees: these are all introduced to Sylvari in the real world. They aren’t privy to all of the dream.

Isn’t it possible that the Soundless haven’t perfected any training whatsoever? That the Pale Tree simply respects the wishes of her children and has thus given them the silence they wanted?

Ooo. Interesting. I do recall a new soundless (Thanks for the reminder) that has a conversation with a seasoned one. He indicates that he is making headway in his efforts but it’s hard at certain times. (Sleep I think). then the seasoned one sais that it will get better with time. So, I would think that having “degrees” of effectiveness point to the training being effected.