User:Lysander/Sylvari

Asura	Sylvari	Humans	Norn	Charr

As our Sylvari characters are literally newborn at the time we start playing them, there is no opportunity for establishing a background prior to the start of the game. However, the main conflict against the dragons is most pertinent in the Sylvari storylines, with the Wyld Hunts guiding the characters to fight them. Plus, Mordremoth was kind of a big deal for the Sylvari, wasn't it?

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.

Warning: Spoilers abound

The Enemy of Zhaitan

Neilida.

Neilida started down an unusual path for Sylvari. While Ventari's Tablet guided most Sylvari to embrace life, Neilida found her abilities in necromancy, creating undead minions to fight by her side against enemies. This proved fortuitous in the course of her Wyld Hunt, which led her to fight Zhaitan, the dragon which specialized in undead minions itself.

In the course of completing her quest, she made many allies. Fighters from all over Tyria came together to fight the dragons, forming, in the big picture, the Pact, and in her life personnally, a guild of heroes who fought together at the vanguard of this force.

Briefly among these companions was a brother Sylvari, Corilen. The warrior had joined the Vigil, and met Neilida in Lion's Arch, after her initiation into the Durmand Priory. After Claw Island was lost, Trahearne suggested that they consult with their mother tree, and they returned to the Grove.

When they arrived, however, Corilen encountered the newly-emerged guardian Kellihn, and became enchanted by her. Taking it upon himself to train her, he abruptly left the group. Eventually, he lost sight of his Wyld Hunt altogether, preferring to spend all of his time with her.

Neilida and her remaining companions traveled on to Orr, where she saw her life's mission completed as Zhaitan was destroyed. Afterwards, she parted from her allies, deciding to find a new goal on her own. She eventually made her way to Godslost Swamp in Kryta, the site of the old Temple of the Ages.

There, she witnessed the Shadow Behemoth emerge from nothing, and a gaggle of local heroes come together briefly to banish it. Recognizing it as a creature of the Underworld, she studied the portals that periodically opened around the swamp. The Behemoth would reemerge from time to time and be beaten back once more, in an endless cycle of undeath.

While not a believer in the human god Grenth, she realized that there was great power to be found in the Underworld. She thus remained in the swamp, studying the Behemoth and the other undead creatures and trying to discern how they manage to travel between the Underworld and Tyria so easily, in the hope that she might duplicate the feat herself.

The Enemy of Mordremoth

Corilen.

The defeat of Zhaitan barely registered a reaction for Corilen. Although he too had a Wyld Hunt against a dragon, he was so distracted by Kellihn that he felt only the mildest of concerns that he might have missed his chance. A blissful couple of years passed by in ignorance of the ongoing wars, and he barely felt the calling that usually affected his brethren valiants so strongly.

However, it was not to last. The collapse of the relationship was, at least for him, swift and sudden, and he was left devastated as the beautiful guardian vanished from his life. Less than two months later, it came to light that the Sylvari had been created by Mordremoth, and Corilen was left questioning everything he knew. Hopelessly lost and depressed, he left the Grove and the majority of his brethren far behind and hid out in Sparkfly Fen. There, he helped the hylek fend off the repeated attacks of Tequatl the Sunless, earning their gratitude and admiration. It was a small consolation for his downtrodden heart.

His people, meanwhile, were experiencing a period of crisis and disarray. The revelation of their origin created widespread bewilderment, and the weakened Pale Tree was unable to provide adequate guidance. New Sylvari continued to emerge from her pods, however, and among them was Gevurh. He wandered the world, largely unguided in the confusion, and tried to find a quiet place where he could organize his jumbled thoughts and visions from the Dream.

Finally, far to the north of the Grove, he found a peaceful area where he could sit and think. He sat there for a long time, puzzling over his existence and his potential in this bewildering world. Then he heard his name, and looked up.

Standing before him was a spectral form of a Sylvari, like those that his older siblings had taken when appearing in the Dream. However, he was no longer in the Dream, and it made no sense for him to see an older sister in a spectral form here.

She identified herself as Sieran, and explained that though she no longer existed in Tyria, the Pale Tree had called upon her memory to appear before him as a guide. Even in her weakened state, the mother had recognized that Gevurh was a valiant with enormous potential, and she would not let him become lost in the confusion that had gripped the Sylvari.

Gevurh.

The memory of Sieran trained Gevurh as an elementalist, and he traveled to the Shiverpeaks to meet those in the Priory whom she had counted among her friends. They allowed him to join, and he delved hungrily into their texts, learning everything he could about anything.

Then Mordremoth called, and all Sylvari heard it. Both Corilen and Gevurh traveled west, each trying to resist. By the time he arrived in the Silverwastes, Corilen had found a personal way to throw off the dragon's will. Finding that the call pulled on all of the negative emotions that he had accumulated over the past year, he learned to channel those emotions outwards into temporary bursts of rage that enhanced his combat abilities. The explosive releases sucked the power of the dragon's influence out of his mind, calming him and keeping him sane.

He met Gevurh in the wastelands, and helped the younger Sylvari fight off the call himself, at least for the moment. They then made their way to a staging area where the Pact was gathering teams to travel into the jungle and rescue the survivors of the wrecked fleet. Commander Alexei Hart, with whom Corilen had briefly traveled during the campaign against Zhaitan, was there, along with other former companions.

They were initially distrustful of the Sylvari who had previously abandoned them. However, the conflict against Mordremoth felt far more personal for Corilen, as he felt the need to liberate his people from the dragon's sway. He made that clear to his former allies, and they allowed him to rejoin them.

Gevurh had not yet managed to completely throw off Mordremoth's influence, and the others were wary of his presence. However, unwilling to let the Pact turn on any Sylvari who might still be saved, Corilen insisted that he would take responsibility for Gevurh and any other Sylvari they encountered who continued to resist.

While Alexei led the fight against Mordremoth's forces in the jungle, Corilen led the fight against the dragon's will. He helped several Sylvari resist and fight back. Gevurh, who had been very young and confused to begin with, proved to be a challenge, but Corilen refused to let the dragon have him. He helped Gevurh learn to channel his feelings into bursts of his own elemental power, devastating Mordrem foes around him and calming his internal squall. However, as they closed in on the dragon, the call got louder and more insistent, and at times Gevurh would lash out against his older sibling. Corilen took the blows without flinching, even on one occasion when the elementalist set fire to the warrior's leafy armor. After the defeat of Faolain, Corilen had a long conversation with Caithe. Their discussion ranged from their shattered relationships to their home in the Grove to the fate of their people. Corilen shared her concerns that the end of Mordremoth might mean the end of the Sylvari. However, he was determined to see them free of the dragon's enslavement, just as she was. During the final battle, he led the charge into Mordremoth's twisted version of the Dream, letting the dragon feel the brunt of his rage and ardor. Mordremoth fell, and the Sylvari remained.

Growth and Change

Samalihn.

Finally feeling whole again, Corilen returned to the Grove. The Sylvari had survived, but they were diminished, and it was time for regrowth.

The biggest question that emerged from Mordremoth's defeat was what true freedom would mean. With the dragon's influence gone from the dream, how would it change? How would the Sylvari get on with truly free wills? Would they now be more corruptible by the other forces of evil in the world?

As these new questions emerged, new growth emerged as well. New Sylvari were the first to be born truly free, and would show their older siblings what the answers to some of these questions might be.

Among the new crop was Samalihn, a guardian. Upon meeting her, Corilen felt some trepidation, as he was reminded of a certain other female guardian who had tortured his memory for so long. Samalihn, however, seemed to have no interest in recreating his anguish, and instead sought to help rebuild the damaged society into which she emerged. Largely ignoring Corilen's more sentimental side, she focused on assisting him with the defense and development of the Sylvari nation as it rose from its ashes.

Chagiel and Nihima.

Other new arrivals drew concern. A pair of sisters, Nihima and Chagiel, quickly began acting recklessly after leaving their pods. Corilen sought to converse with the Mother about it, but she was still too weak to give him an audience. Instead, Corilen consulted Malomedies, who suggested that the demise of Mordremoth may have left some traces in the Dream, tainting some of the new Sylvari.

Corilen was soon distracted from this issue by a Sylvari named Ridhais, who contacted him about restoring the legendary sword Caladbolg. He and Samalihn met with Ridhais, who bid them travel around Tyria to collect the pieces of the sword that had been scattered, along with sources of power to restore it. They set out, but not before Corilen suggested to Gevurh that he keep an eye on Nihima and Chagiel.

Along the way, Corilen battled shadows of Riannoc and Trahearne, and Samalihn watched him carefully. She realized that his Berserker abilities were waning, as he no longer had the agony of Mordremoth's call to channel into power. Ultimately, their quest concluded with Corilen fighting a shadow of himself, and it was hardly an exact doppelganger. Through the remnant, Samalihn was given a window into Corilen's life before her emergence. She saw the anguish of the hole that Kellihn had left in his heart, compounded by the rage against Mordremoth. The Corilen that she saw frightened her, and she watched in horror as the new Corilen struggled to defeat it.

Finally, the shadow fell. Corilen was left holding the restored sword, and staring at her. She stared back, knowing now that he wanted her to take the place of Kellihn by his side and finally complete his personal restoration. She wasn't sure that was her calling.

Returning to the Grove, they sought out Gevurh, but he was nowhere to be found. Nihima and Chagiel could not be found either. Instead, they found Malomedies waiting in Dreamer's Terrace. The firstborn informed them that he believed Chagiel had found a way to travel back into the Dream, and she and Nihima had gone there, followed by Gevurh.

Corilen had seen Trahearne open a path to the Dream, but was unsure how to do it himself. Malomedies suggested that he find a member of the Cycle of Dusk, the cycle to which both Trahearne and Chagiel belonged, as they tended to be more capable of understanding the Dream. Corilen and Samalihn immediately went to the House of Kahedins, where they found the luminary talking to none other than Neilida, who had long been away from home. The necromancer greeted her brother, pleased to find him far more grown up than when she had last seen him. Corilen told them what had happened to Gevurh, and Neilida indicated that she could open a path to the Dream.

Corilen and Samalihn traveled into the Dream and located Gevurh. They were confronted by Nihima and Chagiel, and behind Chagiel was what appeared to be a tear in the Dream itself. Chagiel told them that the tear had been left by the demise of Mordremoth, their creator, and she was able to use it to manipulate the Dream, just as he had done.

Gevurh raised his staff to strike, but as he did so, the terrain around his feet warped, and he wound up on the ground. Corilen quickly realized that they could not fight Chagiel here, and they had to find a way to lure her out of the Dream.

Chagiel saw through his attempt, and declared that she would banish his allies. Gevurh and Samalihn were thrown into the air. Believing that Chagiel would send them back to Tyria, where they would be safer, Corilen goaded her, lifting one of his axes to throw in her direction. However, Gevurh and Samalihn were then sent hurdling towards the tear, and Corilen watched in horror as they vanished into it.

He demanded to know what Chagiel had done to them, but she would not respond. Channeling his Berserker rage, he charged at her, but she raised her hand, and his power vanished. Helpless, he withdrew, fleeing back to the path that Neilida had opened.

Once back in Tyria, he turned to the two dusk blooms. Neilida asked what had happened, and she and Kahedins were both stunned by his tale. Neither could sense Gevurh or Samalihn in the Dream. They were simply... gone.

At a loss, they decided that it was time to consult the Mother Tree, whether she felt up for it or not. The Mother, however, could provide few answers. She could sense the sudden absence of Gevurh and Samalihn, and mourned the loss, but could do nothing about it. They were lost beyond the known boundaries of existence, neither in Tyria, nor the Dream, nor the Mists. The Mother counseled Corilen to grieve for them and then move on, but Corilen knew this was easier said than done.

He tried, once again fleeing Caledon Forest for the familiar Hylek lands across the Sea of Sorrows. Now, however, the Hylek no longer needed him to help fight Tequatl. Others had stepped in, including the imposing Norn warrior Gerta. Instead, he began travelling Tyria, trying to use the restored Caladbolg. He was disappointed to find that the legendary weapon would not fully cooperate with him. Despite his victories in the journey to restore the sword, old wounds had swiftly been reopened, and the sword could sense this. It would not let him use its full power.

As weeks passed, his frustration and grief flared into anger, and he returned to the Grove, intent on finding Chagiel. He consulted with Kahedins again, but the rogue Sylvari was no longer occupying the dream. Corilen stormed out, but as he made to hastily leave the Garden of Dusk, he saw something in the water.

At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, but the water was clear. There, at the bottom of the pool, was Gevurh's tempest's loop, still glowing with arcs of lightning.

Diving into the water, he swam down and retrieved it. Gevurh had been wearing it when he had been cast out of the Dream. How could it have come to be here?

Feeling a new blossom of hope, he sought out Neilida. This took some time, as the necromancer was perpetually finding remote corners of Tyria in which to test her skills. Finally locating her in Southsun Cove, he showed her the loop. She was mystified, not understanding how it could be there. After some urging on his part, she agreed to open another path to the Dream, and he entered.

The tear was still there, but it looked somewhat less ominous without Chagiel manipulating it. Ignoring it for the moment, he looked around eagerly for any sign of Gevurh or Samalihn, but found none. Leaving the Dream, he decided to return to the Grove, where the loop had appeared, and look for any other signs there. Neilida advised him against getting his hopes up too high, but she could see that it was too late for that.

He returned and searched, to no avail. Returning to Dreamer's Terrace, he lay down, thinking hard. He was at a loss for what to do now. Clutching the loop tightly in hand, he willed his lost friends to appear, but nothing happened.

As weeks passed in silence, his hopes floundered again, and despair set in anew. Somehow, the loop had survived, but the rest of them were gone.

He heard news from his guildmates, and learned of the strange new foe they were fighting, the human god Balthazar. For the moment, however, he lacked the will to rejoin them. He had his own personal conflict to deal with first.

Corilen and Neilida find the new Sylvari in Dreamer's Terrace.

After months, Neilida visited the Grove once more. Stopping by Dreamer's Terrace, she confronted her brother, demanding that he return to the outside world and start fighting for Tyria again. He had been inactive and grieving for far too long. After a moment, he reluctantly stood. Then they heard a noise from above.

Climbing to the roof of the structure, they found two unknown Sylvari lying there unconscious. As Corilen knelt by them, he felt that they were familiar somehow, despite being certain that he had never seen them before. Attributing that strange feeling to the Dream, he and Neilida tried to make sure they were okay.

The two Sylvari awoke as one, and gazed up at him with expressions of familiarity, saying his name. He was taken aback, and they looked down at themselves, and then at each other. Seconds of silence passed as the two Sylvari seemed to stare each other down. Then they both turned to Corilen and Neilida, and explained that they were Gevurh and Samalihn. However, neither could explain which one was which. It was as if both of them were both Gevurh and Samalihn.

Puzzled, the older siblings brought the strangers to the Pale Tree. Several of the firstborn gathered there as well, and after some conversation, they reasoned that once beyond the boundaries of existence, Gevurh and Samalihn had not merely ceased to be, as had been previously feared. Rather, they had become merged, their minds and bodies becoming blended together. They had become one mind in two bodies, with two separate identities.

How they had returned to the world was anyone's guess, but that was a question for another day.

The older siblings tried to guide the blended Sylvari as they reincorporated themselves into everyday life, but they remained largely strangers, their mental connection to each other making them more distant from their other kin. The female, who had Gevurh's elementalist abilities, traveled to the north of Caledon Forest and quietly began fighting against the dangerous creatures of Wychmire Swamp. Corilen gave her the recovered tempest's loop, but she would have no further conversation with him, recalling the interest he had shown in Samalihn before the incident. The male, with Samalihn's guardian abilities, began partaking in the Mist Wars, developing new skills with a bow.

As Neilida returned to her usual seclusion, Corilen was left alone once more, but now he had nothing left to grieve. Instead, he determined that it was time to bring Chagiel and Nihima to justice, and began looking for them in earnest. Consulting the Pale Tree again, he was relieved to learn that she had grown strong enough to sense each of her children again, and then surprised to learn that Chagiel and Nihima had traveled far to the east, into the desert beyond Orr, where the Sylvari had yet to explore. At a loss for why they might have gone there, he nevertheless set out immediately to find a way to the desert himself, anxious to pursue them.

Sand and Seeds

Corilen reunites with Commander Alexei Hart in the desert.

Traveling to Lion's Arch, Corilen was surprised to discover that a group of humans had just set out on an expedition to the very same desert that he was traveling to. While he had missed the airship, he was able to book passage on a Consortium ship that was following the expedition, hoping to make a profit on the much-needed supplies that the adventurers and refugees would need. Also aboard were a pair of Asura who caused an accident near the harbor of the Free City of Amnoon. Leaving the crooked Consortium and their mess behind, Corilen swam ashore in the city. There, he encountered the human expedition, led by none other than Commander Alexei Hart. The two leaders of the fight against Mordremoth reunited warmly, although Corilen had a sinking feeling from the knowledge that every time he encountered Alexei, there was a battle against an elder dragon on the horizon.

A great meeting featured Corilen, the human expedition, the two Asura from the ship, and members of the Charr warband that Corilen and Alexei's old ally Majid had created, though not Majid himself. Corilen insisted that his goal was to locate Chagiel and Nihima, but he would help the others where he could. When the others set out in pursuit of Balthazar, he set out as well, fighting the forged while searching for the fugitives' trail.

While searching, he encountered a human named Nasrin Davish. She informed him that a blue-colored Sylvari had consulted with her about her specialization of the mesmer profession. The Sylvari had been accompanied by a pink-colored one, who used vile machines and had been far less patient. The pink one had frightened Nasrin, but the blue one happily listened to whatever Nasrin could teach her. The Sylvari had then traveled further east, towards the Brand, where the blue one sought to hone the new skills that Nasrin had told her about.

Now that he had a lead, Corilen returned to Amnoon, knowing that he would need help when he caught up to the fugitives. By then, the others were long gone, but Julian, one of the members of the expedition who had stayed behind to help guard Amnoon, agreed to help him. They set out east, reaching the Brand. Fighting off any branded in the way, they searched.

Finding the fugitives, they engaged them in battle. To Corilen’s amazement and dismay, Chagiel used her new powers to vanish before his eyes into the sand. Nihima, however, could not escape, and he brought her back in custody to the Grove.