#orethain

[trahearnetrash]

so... ship memes, am i right?

If you have any questions or comments, by all means hit the ask box

(Trahearne, Laranthir and Gavin are canon characters, the rest belongs to me)

[trahearnetrash]

Awaken Anew (Orethain/Gavin)

(The start of something unfinished I've written a while back of Orethain and Gavin reuniting after Orethain's death. The white stag quest ended with Orethain unable to kill his friend Gavin, being taken as a captive of the court to be converted, but was tortured and killed by Lady Sariel's lackeys, unbeknownst to Gavin.)

[will add a cut on PC later]

The waters running down the secret passage and into the young sylvari's boots were cold, but not dramatically so.

Orethain had been colder.

So much colder.

He wasn't thinking of the Mists, which were chaotic, strangely dull, but more like a memory of life than the absence of it, really. They couldn't compare to the black abyss that divided them from the world of the living - a few moments of nothingness, meaninglessness and most of all, coldness, that had changed him forever.

They had helped him see.

"Halt! Who goes there? Aren't you-"

"It's the Valiant! That's-- It can't be..."

"I assure you, it can." Orethain's own voice sounded strange to him, lower and more gravelly than he remembered, almost a growl.

It carried his impatience with the fumbling Courtiers well enough. The intimidation in their eyes made him think he might get used to it.

Annoyingly, one of the two miserable ferns standing guard soon seemed to catch themselves. Their skin was a burnt orange colour that tasted like ash in his mind, wild brown leaves sprouted above a puzzled, barken face. Cloaked in Nightmare armour so soon, they were sure to be someone's favourite recruit.

"Thank the Nightmare for this chance. I'll make an example of you. Gavin will have no choice but to knight me!"

As the Courtier's hands flew to their weapons, Orethain drew his own sword in perfect tandem, ready to decide who would be proven an example of. He had been good at that even before he had died.

A wet smacking noise, and the Courtier tumbled, then fell, before even raising their scepter. The other guard squeaked. Shocked, Orethain watched as the golden sap began to ooze from the body's smashed in skull, a single blue eye floating slowly in the liquid then gaining speed as it went down the rivulet.

With the utmost dignity, a stout, grass coloured sylvari stepped over the corpse.

"Gavin," said Orethain, not even thinking.

Gavin didn't address him at first, instead scowling at the dead Courtier at his feet.

"Insolence might have brought you this far with Sariel, but I have suffered enough of it. You were as blind as her."

He spat on the remains, then turnt to the surviving recruit.

"And you."

The grey-ish sapling shrank under his scrutinizing gaze.

"I don't suppose it was the insight your friend here lacked that stopped you from attacking the Valiant, but consider your cowardice forgiven one last time. Leave us, before I change my mind."

Not wasting a second, the guard bolted - the two were alone.

"Finally," Gavin breathed, and even from down the waterfall, Orethain could sense his features loosening.

He ascended, one step, then two.

"Wait."

Orethain stopped.

"Tell me it is true first," said the Courtier, hope in his voice.

"Tell me my feelings don't betray me. Tell me you've come to join my Court at last."

Without hesitation, Orethain dropped to one knee, into the frigid water. He didn't care. He had been colder.

"I have, my liege. When I refused you, I didn't know what I know now. Death taught me so much, Gavin. The cold, the darkness - how can we truly live our lives when we deny their place in them?"

For a moment it was silent as Orethain felt green eyes resting on his cowering form. There was no bird to be heard, not even a cricket, only the sound of the water and his own breathing.

"You've indeed learned much, Valiant, and I'm in want of your company among these animals..."

Gavin spoke clearly, taking one step down the rivulet and closer to the kneeling revenant with each word.

Finally, Orethain could sense his feet inches from his own. A cold spike caressed his chin, edging him to face upward at the Courtier, whose features were now impenetrable.

"But you have hurt my feelings. Not only have you refused and insulted me, you have denied me a fight to the death, as well."

Orethain spoke calmly.

"I know. I've disappointed you twice, now, and I regret doing so."

He felt his teeth clench, and a frown overtake his forehead.

"Because your disappointment was nothing. I connected to the dream seconds before I died. The Pale Tree, Caithe, the Wardens, everyone who knew, all of them - all they thought about was how I had betrayed them. They thought I owed them your death."

He was nearly hissing, now.

"How can they preach their love for life and then look down on me for my mercy?"

Gavin picked up Orethain's hand and pulled him up into an embrace. It clinked their armor together and drove one of the spikes adorning Gavin's pauldrons into Orethain's shoulder, but that didn't matter to either of them. The pain felt good, more real than anything else these past weeks.

Orethain could hear Gavin smile.

"I must thank them, despite all, for bringing you back to Nightmare, and to me, where you belong. I'll be your friend once more, Orethain. Rest assured, I will be open with you. You have nothing to fear from me ever again, hypocrisy least of all things."

The revenant squeezed his friend one last time before Gavin pulled away, and set his hands on the other's shoulders.

"Come now, my friend. We have much to discuss."

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don’t know why i made this, but i dont regret it

in order (top left to bottom right):

sylvari: orethain, luaineach, zazeat, rosfariel, íluve, sasol, vefry, siocáir, cimbyl, illysme, aertan, yrrhon, glânmaril, raelric

human/norn: tybinc, sarastria, alaritheis, osphilia, caëin, lymielle, zuël, eljirah

[trahearnetrash]

Finally made a courtier! Orethain is what happens when the Court tortures someone to death, and the victim comes back from the mists to join them. Perhaps death held some revelation?

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31, 33, 47, 48, and 55 for Orethain? I'm so curious about this courtier you have!

One blue courtier coming right up!!

31. What’s their current main conflict?

There’s been a few chance encounters in which he has found himself helping out a certain sylvari mesmer daydreaming and nearly getting eaten by the local fauna because of it. Orethain doesn’t understand why he’s assisting her at all, let alone come to look forward to running into her at random.It’s not uncommon for a Courtier to become infatuated with a Dreamer and try to turn them, but Orethain feels no need of possessing his acquaintance like that, and it’s weirding him out, making him question everything about himself - and his relationship with Gavin, for that matter.

33. How have they changed over time? 

I think I can answer that better with the other questions!

47. What was this character’s biggest turning point in their life, something that changed them almost completely? 

Definitely being unable to kill Gavin when they dueled over the white stag. Gavin in turn didn’t kill him, but dragged him back to the Court and into custody, where very shortly after, Sariel tortured him to death.The experience of a slow, agonizing loss of life as well as sensing the disappointment, anger, disdain of dreamer onlookers for his own mercy (supposedly a valued trait as per Ventari’s tablet) towards Gavin, whom he had met as a friend… they did a thing.

48. What was their lowest point? What was their highest point?

Yeah, being killed the way he was (and while having an identity crisis) wasn’t that cool. As for his highest point, Orethain doesn’t have a strong perception of triumph, it’s more of “this is how things are supposed to be,” but actively applying that in working to remodel the Nightmare Court at Gavin’s side has been his raison d’être for most of his life now.

55. What’s your character’s core trait? What’s their best trait? What’s their worst trait? When happens when these all interact with each other?

Orethain is honest to a fault, and values honesty above almost any other virtue in his peer as well. What he says, he believes. This combined with a sort of natural calmness makes him extremely reliable. That said, he’s quite the dogmatist, almost impossible to sway once he’s come to believe in something, and if such a belief is toppled, it’s a traumatic experience which he’d rather not have. As a result of these traits, he’s capable of doing horrible things for a cause he believes to be right, largely without questioning it. The Court certainly doesn’t feign any charity where there is none, which greatly helps make it honorable enough to him.

Thank you so much for asking! As Orethain’s my first Courtier, I’m still figuring out how absolute I want to make Nightmare corruption for him, as it ~is~ supposedly irreversible, but it’s never really explored that deeply how much of it is brainwash, so that’s an interesting topic in and of itself…

[trahearnetrash]

Ruby, Pumpkin, Bronze, Army, Cream, Smoke, and Ash for Luaineach and Orethain?

sorry it took a while, i had run out of ghost salad screens,, anyway, have fun with the stoics!

Ruby - Would you consider yourself impulsive or reckless?

✴Orethain: “No.”

✴Luaineach: “I do my uttermost to restrict myself from that kind of behaviour.”

Pumpkin - What is your favorite part of Autumn?

✴Orethain:“There’s beauty in the fragility that overtakes the forest.”

✴Luaineach: “The fresh air helps me focus. Precision with a rifle is all about breathing, and autumn air makes that easy.”

Bronze - What is your favorite way to warm up when it’s cold?

✴Orethain: “I barely feel the cold anymore, so I don’t need to warm up, either.”

✴Luaineach: “Blankets, and a book. A fireplace, if one is available.”

Army - Do you have a fighting style? If so, what is it?

✴Orethain:“It’s not much of a style. I make sure I live and they die.”

✴Luaineach: “If there is a fight at all,I’m doing my job wrong.”

Cream - Do you prefer Tea, Coffee, or Cocoa?

✴Orethain:“Tea. Lemon is my favourite.”

✴Luaineach: “Coffee is the most necessary.”

Smoke - Have you ever taken any drugs?

✴Orethain:“I’ve had wine.”

✴Luaineach: “A cigar, once. It was disgusting.”

Ash - Is there something or someone from your past that you miss?

✴Orethain:“Not in the long run. Unless… perhaps, the Grove. It shouldn’t be forbidden to any of its children, and yet.”

✴Luaineach: “Yes. But dwelling on it won’t bring them back.”

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3, 6, 18, 37, 43, 54, 55, 63, and 70 for Orethain and Cymbil!!!

courtier and carnie, here we go! heads up: i mistyped “cimbyl” in the original post, and I’ve been confusing y and i ever since, so please excuse such typos. the others you may publicly behead me for

3. How do they dress?

✴Orethain protects his neck, shoulders and arms rather heavily so nothing keeps him from sticking his weapons into the future corpses of his enemies, but he leaves his chest and back open to make it a “fair fight.” He prefers darker colours that compliment his natural navy+peacock hues.

✴Cimbyl chooses bright colours for performances (they love aggressive reds), but also understands the importance of black for stealth, and isn’t above combining the two. Furthermore, they love showing off their legs and thighs, which are deliciously in shape from acrobatics training.

6. What is their purpose in the story?

✴ Orethain is my (so far) only definitely ‘evil’ character, but naive soft bitch that I am, I’m not done yet deciding whether I’ll give him a redemption thing or not.

✴ Cimbyl is there for fun, both for theirs and my own. I gave Al my own dream of being a circus artist, and Cim gets to live it - maybe the two will interact over that.

18. What flaws do they have?

✴Orethain is stubborn, purposefully ignorant, brutal, prideful about his believes and afraid of change.

✴ Cimbyl is capricious, reckless with their own and others’ safety, and has a very hard time to actually trust someone.

37. Are they likable?

✴Orethain is probably hard to actually like. He has a set of rules for himself, and doesn’t do unnecessary violence, but you do not want to get in his way - and with people like him, people with dogmata they will spill blood for without thinking twice, you usually don’t get to decide if you’re gonna be in their way or not. The Nightmare Court are horrible people, and so is Orethain.

✴Cimbyl I find to be ultimately likeable, yes. They have flaws like other people, but those around them who they care about will point out when those go too far, and Cimbyl will listen to that. They don’t want to hurt their friends, and are always happy to share their own joy and excitement with others.

43. How do they adapt to different situations? Do they adapt at all?

✴Orethain has no problem adapting strategically or emotionally as long as long as it doesn’t challenge any of his base motivations or believes. In fact, his effectiveness can be scary, he’s extremely quick in reading new situations.

✴ Cimbyl isn’t prepared for any specific situation to begin with, so they’re great at improvising in general. Emotionally, it’s a bit more difficult when it comes to slowing down for someone else.

54. How do they cope with sadness?

✴Orethain takes time for himself, to polish his weapons, have some tea, be alone with his thoughts. He only allows Gavin around him then, who usually tries to help his boyfriend grow from what makes him suffer.

✴Cimbyl trains, preferably on the trapeze, tirelessy, without talking, until they have to stop cause they might fall asleep from exhaustion while in the air. The next day, things usually look brighter.

55. What is something they care about?

✴Orethain likes things to be tidy, all in their right place. His appreciation for order thus extends into his private life as well as his general morals and work ethic, and honesty for him is part of that “order.” If everything has a right place to be, truth belongs in the open.

✴Cimbyl cherishes the comraderie the exact kind of which can only be found in circus troupes. Their troupe is their family, their ringmaster is more their parent than the Pale Tree (which isn’t to say they’ve turned away from her), and they would do anything for them.

63. Have they ever harmed anyone and regretted it? Verbally or physically?

✴Orethain kills on the daily and will occasionaly mourn a little over the death of uninvolved dreamers, but never for long, or never deeply, and he doesn’t regret it. They had to learn, as he did. Death teaches unique lessons, and those people are now wiser than before he killed them.

✴ Cimbyl once misstepped and made a joke about something that was a serious issue to a fellow troupe member when they were still new, and they’ve apologized properly and learned their lesson, but they still feel a little bad about it.

70. Do they like themselves? 

✴Orethain doesn’t think much about such things. He views himself as little more than a chess piece in the grand scheme. A tool needs to be useful - Orethain likes himself as long as he fulfils his purpose. If he doesn’t, he works on correcting that whichever way necessary.

✴ Cimbyl likes the things they can do, and that is a great part of their self esteem - stunts, circus acts, precise stabs. If they lost their agility or natural talent to entertain a crowd somehow, they’d suffer greatly in terms of self-love as well. Their talents are what they define themselves with.

Thank you so much for asking~ Thanks to you, those two are now a little more fleshed out than they were before. :D