Guild Wars 2

Here is my dreamy Sylvari Mesmer

Just some more data: Did all 3 paths for CoE today for the first time ever. Prior to this I had done 3 dungeon runs in total in my whole account lifetime spread over the course of 2 weeks I think.

CoE First Run: 60 tokens, as intended
2nd run/2nd path: 45
3rd run/3rd path: 45

So instead of the intended 180 I got 150. And it did take several hours for all three so not a speed run by any means.

Another installment in my Sylvari musings, this time about a certain main story line character who hasn’t received much love lately. This is my impression (from my character and a sylvari PoV) of what was going on and how it affected him.
There are some spoilery parts to it, although very minor ones, but I thought I’d give fair warnings. Enjoy

I still remember the day when I met Trahaerne for the first time. It was on the shores of ancient Orr, where the murky sea wept silently onto the blood stained beaches. I had been sent with some of my fellow scholars from the Priory’s frozen fortress to the dismal, bleak and aptly named Straits of Devastation to support the war effort against the looming menace of Zhaitan.

We met at the main gate to Fort Trinity, the air thick with the scent of salt and death. In the distance we could hear the roaring thunder of cannons, the clashing of steel and the dissonant choir of the wounded and dying. I didn’t had to ask my comrades for I could see it clear as day. We all wanted to be back in the hallowed halls of the Priory, perusing volumes of long forgotten lore in the flickering light of the candles, surrounded only by the hushed voices of our colleagues and the haunting sound of wolves outside the walls singing prayers to the moon.

Trahaerne greeted us in a polite, almost cordial manner, but he was just repeating empty pleasantries with a routine he had learned to perfect and loathe. It was painful to see a fellow Sylvari so removed from the life and joy that usually pulses through our veins. Maybe the shock made me respond in the way I did. Quietly I said: “Even the tears we cry nurture the soil that carries us home.”

We regarded each other for a while without speaking a single word, but I could see that something behind his eyes was screaming at me. It told me a story I knew too well. A scholar like me, an explorer, drawn to all the wonders and excitements the world has to offer. Forced by necessity to become something he was not, pushed in front of an eager audience who secretly wanted nothing more than to see him fail.

Was he fit for the burden heaved upon him? No. But then, none of us was the right choice for a task of that magnitude. I had watched from the shadows, hidden among the curious bystanders when they had appointed him leader of the pact. And in that brief moment, right before the mask he knew how to wear so well, had fallen back into place, I had witnessed it. The horror, the despair, and most prominently, the fear.

I saw my fellow Sylvari die that fateful day accompanied by the cheers and congratulation of those who silently breathed a sigh of relief that the burden and responsibility was not theirs to carry. I was one of them, feeling blessed that I was allowed to remain in the shadows, where I could safely guard my true nature and calling.

Ah, how I pitied him that day and after we had met in person and I saw what he had become, even more so. This war was an insult to the very nature of our race, a blasphemy not even surpassed by the dreamers of nightmares. It was the polar opposite of life and its beauty.

I think the moment he became Trahaerne the General was also the moment when he realized the price he would have to pay. Such a tiny, fragile thing, barely noticable in the grand scheme of things, but the most valuable possession we have. He gave it up that day, sacrificed on the altar of convenience. He lost himself to become something the world needed.

As for me, I’ve paid my dues and returned to the shadows, dancing once more across Tyria like a leaf in the wind. But I shall remember you, Trahaerne of the Firstborn. I shall remember you as the man you were, not the one you had to become. Not many will care, even fewer will understand.

But the Dream knows, and so do we who weave.

Thank you blush What can I say, it came from the heart

Hey guys, this is me trying to catch the spirit of the Sylvari. I think they are pretty inspiring, so I had a go at it. Thanks to ANet for creating such a beautiful race.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————

And so we fell from The Dream into this world like dew drops in the dawn and the earth quickly consumed us wholly. Like the tangled roots of The Mother we dug in as deep as we could, soaking us with new ideas and experiences in order to learn and understand this strange place and the souls it harbors.

Bound to the cycle of day and night we danced along with the sun and moon, roaming across the face of Tyria to the edges of infinity. Like a leaf in a storm we tumbled from place to place and we took our innocence with us wherever we went, trying to protect it amidst all the corruption. But in the end, we too, knew nightmare.

We will always be children of Tyria but the path we walk will be our own, and so is the decision to weave dreams or nightmares. We share a special heritage that needs to be protected from those who wish to end it. A secret garden besieged by predatory weeds. Will Ventari’s words of wisdom survive or drown in all the new dogmas and sudden realization that prey upon us in the dark corners of life?

Life has filled us with a richness and sweetness most were not prepared for and some have grown sick because of it. Now only one decision remains: succumb to the sickness or embrace life and find new flavors. What dreams may come, I do not know, but I am certain they will give us pause.

I like it. Shows the innocence of the Sylvari about the world and everything that comes with it. Remembering my first experience with alcohol, I think you hit it spot on. Really felt like dying and it was a mess

Can only agree from my own experience, and also you summed up nicely what is all wrong with the current glory reward mechanic in PvP. If you play to win the game, you lose out on glory/rank experience.

It’s really frustrating to notice that if you sacrifice yourself to delay the enemy from capturing or advancing, you get punished. I had games where the losing team got at least double the points compared to the winning team, even though we won 500 to about 120.

So to all new players…follow Dsmac’s suggestions to earn a lot of points. Save playingproperly for when it counts, aka tournaments.