User:Lysander/Asura
 Asura
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 Sylvari
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 Humans
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 Norn
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 Charr
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When the playable races were first revealed, I was a little wary of the concept of playable Asura. After all, Asura are supposed to be substantially superior in intelligence to humans. How, then, were we to play and write them faithfully, if we cannot be as intelligent as they are supposed to be?
Well, the in-game writing handled that question by using lots of big words and some made-up words in otherwise basic conversations. That's fine for the conversations you hear in passing when wandering around Rata Sum, but when you're trying to write Asura characters for a story, it doesn't quite do the characters justice to the extent you want it to.
I found an answer in the vast superiority-complexes that Asura generally have. They are arrogant and disinclined to try to explain things to the lesser races. This minimizes the need for conversation to display excessive intelligence of the sort a human is not supposed to be able to comprehend.
The characters are thus necessarily secretive and conservative with their inner thoughts. I found this to be more faithful to the race than trying to throw in all those extra syllables.
Legal Disclaimer: I have also expanded on details of existing lore to flesh things out a bit. For legal purposes, everything on this page should be regarded as fan-fiction, intended in no way to infringe on ArenaNet's rights to sole control of the lore of their game. As they continue to develop the true lore of Guild Wars 2, any of their changes that overwrite what you see here will obviously take precedence.
The Raider[edit]
Nokkx was egotistical and aloof. Trained in the shadowy arts of stealth and subterfuge in the College of Dynamics, he tired of trying to gain attention from the similarly-selfish minds on the Arcane Council. Instead, he left Rata Sum, but quickly grew bored with the petty challenges that Metrica Province had to offer.
The solution came in the form of the Durmand Priory, a seemingly limitless trove of research, where he could split his time between improving on the studies of his predecessors and raiding underground tombs for more knowledge. The Priory also brought him a true challenge, as the human Alexei Hart and the Sylvari Neilida joined at around the same time he did, intending to forge alliances in order to eliminate the threat of Zhaitan. Impressed by Alexei's natural leadership skills and intrigued by the Wyld Hunt concept that drove Neilida to challenge the dragon, Nokkx agreed to join them, and later helped them found a guild together with new allies in the Vigil.
After they defeated the dragon, Nokkx returned to independence, making a name for himself as one of the Priory's most able raiders. He did not participate directly in the fighting against Scarlet Briar, preferring to study the new enemy and try to solve the many mysteries that surrounded her. When it became clear, however, that there was a new dragon in the Maguuma Jungle, he returned to Rata Sum and began tutoring new fighters to prepare for the threat.
Death and Rebirth[edit]
While Nokkx was helping the Asura to prepare for the threat of Mordremoth, the guardian Essoru was embarking on a vendetta against the Inquest in Metrica Province. Essoru was an eccentric character, often ignored by his fellows, and his attempts to study the Mists had led him to the conviction that greater powers were awaiting him there. He thus became increasingly reckless, harassing the Inquest more and more aggressively. Eventually, they captured him, and he was left to spend the rest of his days locked in their cell in Rata Sum.
Death came in slow and agonizing fashion, as his body fought to stay alive despite his will. Finally, however, it came, and his spirit eagerly traveled to the Mists to obtain its new powers.
Some time later, the mysterious Asura Yssod appeared in Metrica Province. He demonstrated new powers that were unknown to the citizens of Rata Sum, and the only indication of where he had come from was the fact that he wore the same armor that Essoru had worn, including the Inquest helm that Essoru had stolen just before his capture.
His abilities drew fascination and fear. He could channel the powers of legendary figures of history who had long ago been lost to the Mists. In doing so, he allowed them to take action in the world that they left behind, which was seen as dangerous by those who had studied the natures of some of those lost individuals. Aware that he was drawing fear and suspicion in Rata Sum, Yssod spent little time in the city, instead helping the outer labs fight off Inquest raids and Mordrem incursions. However, the young Peacemaker recruit Nettza, conscious of the concerns of her new colleagues and interested in the newcomer's powers, volunteered to tail him.
Higher Education[edit]
On his way back to the jungle, Alexei stopped in Rata Sum to recruit Nokkx. While he was there, he met the mesmer Hokkma. Ever interested in comparing notes on the illusionary arts, Alexei stopped to chat with her for a while, and ultimately asked her to join the campaign against Mordremoth. Hokkma refused, however, saying that she had yet to complete her studies in the College of Statics, and would prefer to remain within the structured system rather than rush off to fight the dragons.
When Alexei mentioned that Taimi, who was the same age as Hokkma, was already aiding him, Hokkma made a face. She said that Taimi could do whatever she wanted to, abandoning structured studies in favor of running off after whatever new hobby came to her head. Hokkma did not consider herself like Taimi, nor, for that matter, like Zojja. She preferred to compare herself to the renowned mesmer Snaff, who was already well-versed in his abilities and fully prepared when he left to fight the dragons. She was fully aware, however, that Snaff had still been killed by Kralkatorrik despite his abilities, and was very conscious of the great dangers that the dragons posed.
Hokkma assured Alexei that she would eventually leave to fight the dragons, but it would not be until she felt fully ready to do so. In the meantime, she would stick to the structured plan that existed within the city, focusing on her studies and trying to garner the attention of the great professionals whom she might like work with, or even the Arcane Council. Understanding her concerns, Alexei bid her good luck, and departed.
Hokkma struggles on her chosen path, but is very careful never to regret her decision. Her studies are arduous, and the quest to gain recognition among her peers at times seems impossible, but she keeps pushing forward. One foot in front of the other, one word after its predecessor, she will eventually achieve all of her goals.
History and Innovation[edit]
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Alexei and Nokkx and their companions traveled deep into Mordremoth's territory in the west, driving back the Mordrem and rescuing Pact allies who had been stranded there. Nokkx began developing new skills, using a staff to jump in and out of combat, frustrating enemies with quick evasions. His new methods, in concert with new skills that Alexei and other companions had also been honing, worked wonders against the Mordrem forces. Unbeknownst to them, Yssod had also entered the area, and they encountered him while tracking down Caithe in Auric Basin. Yssod had somehow learned about Glint's Egg, and was determined to study it. He had made a nascent connection with Glint in the Mists, and hoped that the egg would help him learn to better use her powerful abilities, which did not come as easily as those of the other legendary figures whom he channeled. However, Alexei and Corilen, initially distrustful of the strange Asura, refused to let him get his hands on the egg and possibly jeopardize the campaign. Instead, they put their faith in the Exalted, who apparently existed solely for the purpose of protecting Glint's legacy, and took the egg to Tarir, the Forgotten City for safekeeping. Rather than resent the guild for their lack of trust, however, Yssod chose to help them defeat Mordremoth, much to their surprise. He quickly gained their respect, and also learned to master Glint's impressive powers without the aid of the egg, enabling him to passively increase his strength and durability. He proved to be an immensely powerful ally. When Taimi became determined to discover the truth about the lost city of Rata Novus, both Nokkx and Yssod initially tried to rein her in, expressing skepticism. Nokkx, however, eventually yielded to his own curiosity, and switched to helping Taimi persuade Alexei to find the city. Nonetheless, he was not wholly surprised to find the city empty and shut down. There was no way it could have survived for all this time without Rata Sum learning of it. When he realized how close the heart of Mordremoth's power was to Rata Sum, he became intent on trying to defeat the dragon as quickly as possible. The guild finally reached that goal, defeating a second dragon and saving the citizens of the jungle from its relentless assault. |
Broadening Horizons[edit]
After the defeat of Mordremoth, Asura of all specialties ventured into the newly-rediscovered depths of the Maguuma Jungle. Many went straight to Rata Novus, much to Taimi's dismay, but others turned their attention to the new natural species of flora and fauna that now surrounded them. Among these was Kejjum, the self-proclaimed Beastmaster who has captured every pet in every discovered part of Tyria.
With all of these pets in her possession, she turned her attention to deepening her bond with these pets, training them and learning to fight alongside them. Studying each of her animals at length, she came to believe that she could form an even more powerful bond, gaining the abilities of her pets to personally defeat foes.
Upon learning that the humans were planning to launch an expedition into the Crystal Desert, she determined to follow them, believing that the new region would be an excellent area to find new pets and test her theory.
She received unexpected company in the form of the young Peacemaker Nettza. Nettza had spent over a year tracking Yssod, but ultimately made herself visible one too many times. He had confronted her, leading to a duel, and easily defeated her. Her shame was compounded when the Peacemakers removed her from the assignment and placed her on probation. Now she was determined to get stronger and learn to counter Yssod's abilities.
Kejjum and Nettza arrived simultaneously at the gate to Lion's Arch, and introduced themselves in somewhat awkward fashion. Kejjum was reluctant to have the company, but decided that it would be safer than traveling alone in the foreign territory that was the desert.
