Michishige Sachiko
Member
A Guild Wars 2 Story
Author's Note:
For anyone who doesn't know, I am a huge fan of the ArenaNet MMORPG known as Guild Wars. I played the beta version of it and the moment it launched on April 28th 2005, I've played it ever since. I have every expansion, beaten all the story lines (except for Nightfall, but I was easily distracted with all the other awesome stuff) and generally enjoyed every moment of it. Guild Wars was my entrance into the internet and online community. If it hadn't been for this game, I would never have gotten into Role play, I would never have gotten into Manga and I would never have joined Naruto-Eledia or RpN.
So all of you have this game to thank for me bugging the heck out of all your lives. =3
Continuing! Recently ArenaNet released the latest version of the game, a completely revamped MMORPG called Guild Wars 2. For anyone who played Guild Wars briefly, the sequel is vastly different from the original. And by different, I mean superior in every way, shape and form. The artwork and scenery is fantastic, the stories are amazing, the voice acting is superb and I'm loving every minute of playing it. With this game though, has come a new craze which I've found fascinating. In-Game Roleplay. In Guild Wars, it wasn't such a big thing. Typically people were just themselves and talked however they wanted. In Guild Wars 2 though, you can't escape from the mass of people who are fully immersing themselves in this world.
Myself included.
The story I'm putting up here, is the back story to one of my characters. I participate in a guild on the game that is heavily into In-Game RP and I'm writing this story so they get a better idea of who my character is and how I'm going to be Roleplaying her. Though I decided to just post it here and see what kind of reception it got.
The writing here is very different from how I typically write. Normally I'm very into third person, past tense. It's how I write all my Roleplay posts and in fact, I've done it so much that it's how my mind functions. When I think about my own actions I don't think, "I'm going for the glass" I think, "She's going to take the glass." Lame as that is...
This is my first attempt at writing first person, present tense. So if it came out poorly, I'm very sorry! The subject manner is also rather different from what I normally write. So be gentle with me~
The story is about my character Evynne Lysandil. She is a Sylvari Ranger. Basically for those who don't know; in Guild Wars 2, Sylvari are a newborn race that are very plant-based born from a sentient tree known as the Pale Tree. They're born fully grown and there are no Sylvari-children, there is also no Sylvari reproduction the Pale Tree does it for them. However, while Sylvari are physically modeled after humans they have no concepts of gender-specific relationships. They are generally pansexual and even form inter-racial relationships. They are also slightly empathic with one another. One feature of the Sylvari that is quite prominent is the fact that before they are born (Or rather Awakened) they experience a dreamscape which is known as the "Dream of Dreams" it is a place where Sylvari subconscious resides and while there they are subject to all the knowledge and experience that is gathered by the Sylvari who've gone before them. While there the Pale Tree and the Dream itself give visions of specific knowledge to each Sylvari. So who they become in the real world is guided by what they see while in the Dream. So if the Dream decides that a Sylvari is supposed to be a warrior, then the Dream would give them the knowledge they'd need to know how to be a warrior. It doesn't give them everything though, so there is still quite a bit they don't know.
I've been talking too much. Onto the story!
~Part One~
Blackness surrounds me. Images flash through my mind. Places I’ve never seen people I’ve never met and yet I know them. I see a nation of thousands, strong and mighty, their king wielding a flaming sword… A prince loved by his people and by one woman most dearly. Then a great destruction comes, I see fire falling from the sky… Burning, killing, destroying everything.
I open my lips and I try to call out, hoping to warn them but no sound comes from me. I’m forced to watch as the fires claim the prince’s love and a great many of his people, leaving behind naught but a scarred and seared shell of the beautiful country it had once been and a king who thirsted for vengeance.
As I can bear no more, the image finally fades only to be replaced by more. So many things are swept past me. Battles, plagues, great heroes who saved kingdoms and mighty forces who struggle for dominance. There are so many images, everything begins to become a jumble and I am confused.
One particular scene was different and instead of disappearing almost as soon as it appears it stays in front of me and plays out. I watch as a group of warriors come together and build a mighty tower. From that tower springs a host of formidable fighters who protect the land and gain great renown for their prowess in battle. A village takes shape around the tower and I watch as the villagers celebrate the heroism of the group of warriors.
Then it all changes… A great calamity happens, the image becomes fuzzy and I am unable to see what exactly happens. But the tower is felled, hundreds are slaughtered and I weep with deep sorrow as what had once been great was felled so low. My tears are so great that I am forced to close my eyes in an attempt to get them under control. When I open my eyes again the scene of destruction has disappeared and instead there is a large standard with an emblem sprawled across the majority of it. I’m not sure what it means but the symbol is branded into my mind, I’m quite sure I will never forget it.
Suddenly it all goes black and I am left all alone. I tremble and know that I am afraid. I don’t like being alone.
But a warm presence fills my mind; it wraps me up and holds me close though there is no physical form. I don’t see anything but blackness, but I know this presence is beautiful and something so wondrous I feel awed to even be comforted by it. As I bask in this warmth, a light shines from the within the blackness.
Before me I see a White Stag, beautiful to behold and it takes my breath away. It bounds back and forth through my vision; leaping over fallen tree, through underbrush and over stream. I feel hope and joy spring forth and I run forward to greet it with arms open wide. As I approach, a sudden feeling sweeps over me and I cry out with sorrow as the White Stag flees from me.
I feel a presence behind me, but instead of the comforting warmth from before this is cold, dark... I feel terror sweep through me, clutching at my chest and I am frozen where I stand. I dare not look behind me, even though I feel the evil presence grow closer. Just as I am about to be overwhelmed by my fear, the presence shoots forward like a dark misshapen mass and it stalks after the White Stag. To my horror, I realize that this presence wants the beautiful Stag… I know not why or what this presence is, but I know I cannot let it have the Stag… I cannot let it harm such a beautiful creature!
I try to run forward, hoping to save the White Stag, but the images move away too fast and I am left behind then they disappear into the blackness surrounding me. Though I cannot help but get the feeling that the evil presence had not yet caught the Stag but it was getting ever closer.
Tears burn at the corners of my eyes and I feel a sense of hopelessness descend. I don’t know how, but I know if the dark presence were to overtake the White Stag, then something terrible would happen and I couldn’t let that be. Something called within me to save the creature.
As my hopelessness begins to mount, the warmth returns to me and wraps me up once more. It comforts me and soothes away the fears and troubles that had been tormenting me. I could feel myself relax, peace settling into my being. The warmth turns me and I open eyes that I hadn’t even realized I’d closed in the first place… Right in front of me was an image that stole my breath away.
Tall mountains that scraped the sky and sank teeth into white clouds.
Open yellow fields sprawled beneath warm blue skies, wind fluttering wheat stalks.
Dark green forests with leaf-covered branches that stretch up high into the sky.
A vast expanse of water, that is beyond anything that I could have ever dreamed of. It lays still for a moment. Then as it approaches the shoreline, I see white-capped waves crashing upon rocks and I am in awe. The sea. That is what the warmth whispers in my ear. This is the sea.
The images I am seeing are below me, at my feet and I am filled with the sense of flying as though I am soaring over the scenery and I suddenly am aware of a feeling that bubbles within my being. I realize that I have felt this the entire time I just never noticed it. It is more of a yearning. I want to see the world. I want to explore and experience everything that these images have to show me. I will see those places! I will go there! I will stand before the sea and take in those sights with my very own eyes!
Amusement.
That’s what is coming from the warmth around me as it holds me up as if keeping me safely above the images. I whine and pout about how I’m not trying to be funny, but the warmth just seems to grow more amused.
My lips part, ready to defend myself further but suddenly I am snatched away from the warmth and I fall.
Down, down, down.
I fall through darkness and shadow, strange things grabbing at me but I’m falling to fast and they are unable to catch me. I hit the ground, but I am unharmed… I rise to my feet and look around, frightened and calling out to the warmth hoping it would return to me. It never does though.
I turn around and around, growing more frightened as time fast.
Suddenly before me, the ground lurches upward… A great mass arises from it and I am caught up in mounting horror and disgust as a monstrous form reveals itself to me. It is a grotesque ugly thing and my stomach twists at the very sight of it. It roars and my ears ache from the very sound.
It begins to lash out around itself, striking at dark shapes that are its foes. For a moment I cannot see them, but then my eyes sharpen and I realize that it is attacking people!
They are defenseless, running in fear. There are others like me amongst them, but still they run in fear from this creature. There are others who stand up and attack the creature, but are swept aside cruelly as if like ants.
I cower away, frightened by the images I am seeing and by how easily this monster is slaying those who attempt to stand forward. I move backwards, about to make a run for it when something clatters at my feet. I look down… And I see a long curving object, a string connecting the two ends and in the back of my mind I recognize this as a bow and next to it, is a quiver of arrows. I bend down to pick it up out of curiosity and suddenly the knowledge of how to use it becomes crystal clear in my mind.
A low threatening growl could be heard by my side and I look to my other side to see a large dog next to me, eyes focused on the monster before both of us. Its shape is similar to mine and my eyes soften as I recognize it as mine… My friend. Though who exactly it is escapes me. The dog lifts its head and I found myself staring into its warm amber gaze… A smile pulls across my lips and I feel calm now, happy now that I was no longer alone.
“It is poisoning the Dream.” A voice suddenly speaks up; I turn and look behind me… Only to see a tall pale-skinned Sylvari like me. The leaves on her head were white and curved about her head slightly and she wore a dark hunter green outfit. “Destroy the Nightmare before it can take root! Swiftly now!”
Her words send a thrill of anxiety through my being, face that monster? How am I supposed to do that? It would kill her with one swipe of its deadly claws!
I look back towards the massive creature, taking in its presence. I could feel the bow slip from my suddenly numb fingers and I could distantly hear it clatter to the ground. I wasn’t even really aware of it, but slowly my feet began to edge backwards. Before I could even think about fleeing for my life, I could hear a loud vicious growl from my side which distracted me. Looking down, I could only stare with shock as the hound at my feet lunged forward and raced towards the beast. I could hear a loud howl and I was frozen stock still just completely focused on the sight of the hound attacking the beast’s feet.
It wasn’t until I saw the monster smack the hound with its large foot and send it flying through the air only to hit the ground with a sickening thud. My throat tightens and the strangled cry of horror I want to yell out is unable to escape. For a brief moment I forget my fear and I race forward towards the hound I’d only known for a few moments, but I knew it was very important to me. Once I reached its side, I kneel down and gently place a hand on its side. Tears sting the corners of my eyes, I don’t know how but I know almost immediately… This hound was dead… That monster had killed it.
I stay there for a few moments, just stunned by how fast this was all happening. Was this how life was supposed to be? There one moment and then snatched away the next? I did not like that at all! So distracted was I that I didn’t even remember the danger that I was in. At least not until I heard a loud ear-splitting roar that nearly deafens me. I look up, only to see with growing horror inside me that the monster was looming over me.
Fear overwhelms me and I can’t help but tremble. After seeing the hound die and now being faced with death myself, I realize that I don’t want to die… I want to live! I leap to my feet and run as fast as I can… Away from the monster. Away from the woman who urged me to face it and away from the body of the hound.
The earth shook beneath me and all around me the ground cracks and begins to break apart. Despite my best efforts my feet are knocked out from under me and I fall to the ground; the wind knocked out of me as one of the broken rocks impacts my stomach. I struggle to push myself up, but it’s no use… I can’t get my feet beneath me as the ground continues to shake.
Slowly I turn and look up, eyes widening as I see the monster loom over me. As it moved, its feet created cracks in the ground which is what knocked me over. It gave another deafening roar and I cover my ears, knowing full well there was no way I could ever escape now. A scream rips from my throat as I take in the sight of the monster lurching downward to attack me.
As this happened, the world around me suddenly seemed to crack and shatter into thousands of pieces. The ground that had previously been beneath me broke apart completely and I found myself falling. My form tumbled and over end, shards falling around me and cutting my skin.
One particularly shard tore through my side and I cry out with the pain…
~*~
A young Sylvari cried out in her sleep from the nightmare tormenting her unconsciousness. After writhing on the bed for a few moments, her frame lurched upwards from the bed beneath her and she sat there for several moments… Her chest just heaved with her labored breaths and a distraught expression still gleaming within her eyes. After a few moments she started to realize that she was within her home, not in a dream.
Glancing to her side, Evynne took in the sight of the still form lying next to her. The woman was slightly relieved that she hadn’t awoken her lover and that everything was peaceful for now. Taking in a deep breath to help calm her anxieties, the Sylvari leaned over and gently pressed a kiss to her lover’s temple before moving to quietly slip out of the bed. As she stood up, the bed sheets slid from her form and revealed the lithe frame that had been hiding. The only thing Evynne wore was the lovely white flowers that covered her and kept her modest. Not that it really mattered to her, as she didn’t really have a grasp of the concept known as ‘modesty’.
Making her way through the small but cozy home, the woman didn’t stop until she’d stepped out the back door and was sitting down on a grassy patch outside. It was still dark outside, stars twinkling merrily in the sky and there was a cool breeze winding its way through the Grove. Out here in the open, the Sylvari woman could feel her nerves begin to calm down and she released a soft sigh. Within the darkness, her body glowed softly; the deep purple leaves turning a bluish color and the veins along her skin glowing with the same blue. Leaning forward, she sat cross legged and rested her chin on the palm of her hand, staring out in front of her.
Her thoughts turned to the nightmare that had plagued her while she’d tried to sleep. How could it be that despite having been Awakened she was still plagued by the memories of her experience within the Dream of Dreams? It never deviated, never changed… Every night it was the same thing, she’d experience the history the Dream of Dreams had shown her, then various other things before she once again faced the monster Nightmare… A shiver of fear went through her at the very thought of it. Evynne felt such shame in knowing that she was utterly terrified of the creature. After all, she was supposed to be a brave, strong Sylvari for the Pale Mother but how could she do that if she was so crippled by fear?
Shifting a bit, Evynne hid her face with her hands; feeling her frame as it began to shake with the sorrow and shame that filled her being. A soft whine could be heard next to her and she looked up to see her Fern Mastiff staring at her with large amber eyes. The dog stepped forward and gently nuzzled her knee with its head, as if trying to help her feel better.
“Fidel…” She murmured, reaching out with her hand to gently stroke his head. After a moment her arms curled around the Fern Mastiff’s form and she held herself close to her pet. “Thank you for trying to comfort me.”
The dog gave another soft whine in response and laid his head within the Sylvari’s lap. The two sat like that for some time, just leaning into one another and Evynne enjoyed the company of her faithful companion. She didn’t know how long she stayed like that, a few hours at least since the sky was beginning to lighten up with the approaching dawn by the time she noticed that time was passing her by.
A hand gently touching her shoulder disturbed the peace of the moment and Evynne jumped, whirling around to see who’d surprised her. “It was the Nightmare again… Wasn’t it?”
“Traithe…”
Upon seeing the other Sylvari, Evynne felt tears well up within her eyes. Traithe was a lovely, tall Sylvari woman; her skin was more bark-like than Evynne’s own and her hair was pulled back into twisting branches where soft orange flowers bloomed. Gently the other woman knelt down and the hand on Evynne’s shoulder moved to curl around her waist as Traithe leaned in to give the younger Sylvari a warm hug. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No…” How could she tell Traithe about her cowardice within the Dream? Not when there was a possibility that it may drive away the one person that Evynne deeply cared for. She couldn’t stand the thought of the disgust that might appear on Traithe’s look when she found out that her lover was nothing but a coward.
“Very well… I won’t push you,” Traithe spoke, gently reaching up to stroke Evynne’s head. “But it will be okay, I’m here… Come back to bed with me, it is nearly dawn and I’m sure there are things we can do to soothe your nightmare away before you leave for training.”
Pulling back, Traithe smiled softly as she lifted Evynne’s chin with her fingers. Their lips met in a soft kiss beneath the darkened sky that was slowly lightening up. Taking the younger Sylvari’s hands within her own, Traithe shifted to pull Evynne to her feet, being slow and careful so that their kiss wouldn’t be broken quite so quite. Fidel let out a soft growl, clearly displeased with having been moved but he merely shook himself before walking off to go back to the bed where he usually slept. The two Sylvari paid no attention to the Fern Mastiff, merely basking in one another’s embrace before finally they pulled back and Traithe let Evynne back into their home.
For now, Evynne set aside her fears and shame to enjoy her time with her lover… She didn’t want to concentrate on any of that right now. Part of her wished that the Dream had just shown her images of a peaceful calm life. She didn’t want to be special; she didn’t want a Wyld Hunt. She wanted to live the rest of her live with Traithe; living the world, maybe traveling to other places. Traithe had told her stories about Hoelbrak and the Norn… They sounded so fascinating, she wondered if she’d ever meet a Norn and if she did, would they be nice to her?
Any further attempts to continue down that train of thought were interrupted, though it didn’t bother Evynne.
For now, she was content. Everything else could wait.
Traithe came first.
