#rhianyi

[kerra-and-company]

character spotlight, day 23: rhianyi

“Okay. I want to make it very clear that you’re not allowed to die.”

[kerra-and-company]

Maybe you've already touched on this in another post, but Knight of the Thorn quest for Kerra (and bonus for Rhi as well, if you want)

Hi hi!! Sorry it took a sec for me to answer this; I did a Whole Lot Of Driving this weekend (for good reasons! I just had like Zero free time and this is a detailed answer asdlkjfs). But I can answer it now, so let's go! :D

I think the most I've touched on this in another post was when the ask game about what the boss fight for your character would look like--I talked about what the fight against Kerra as one of the Knight-of-the-Thorn echoes would look like. But I haven't actually discussed details for either of their quests beyond that, so:

Kerra

She really hadn't ever planned on taking up the sword at all. Her canon might be different from the regular game canon (in that Trahearne survives the end of HoT), but Caladbolg is still very much broken when she and everyone else reaches "Hearts and Minds".

After Mordremoth's death, Kerra has fulfilled her Wyld Hunt. Aurene hasn't hatched yet, so as far as she knows, she isn't Champion to anyone or anything, and her future is her own. She's in a romantic relationship, she's still the Pact Commander, she's healing from both physical and mental wounds, and she's on shaky terms with both her siblings--Caithe because of everything that happened with the egg, and Trahearne because of the sacrifice she was willing to make.

Her relationship with Caithe starts to mend once Aurene hatches. They're able to sit down and talk, with the extra motivation that Aurene would be much happier if they both got along. Her relationship with Trahearne is on shaky ground for longer than that, but after "A Crack in the Ice", she can't stand that being the case at all for any longer and goes and has (another) long talk with him.

I'm sorry that I hurt you, but I'm not sorry for what I did, and I won't lie and say that I am. I know I don't value myself enough, I know, and I'm trying. I know my flaws and I know my choices, and it may be hypocritical but I hate that you ever thought that dying was all you were worth. I love you, you're my brother, you're here and I'm so glad, and I am so sorry that I hurt you but I will never not be glad that you're alive.

I was already wounded and dying, and I'd made peace with that, but I hadn't made peace with losing you, with losing another sibling. I'd done my job and my duty, and it was never one I wanted, and you still had so much more to do; the safest choice was to let me go. I would never want to be the reason Caithe lost you, Rel lost you, the world lost you. I was angry because I was, and am, afraid; I love you, and you risk so much so often, little sister, and I never wanted you to risk it for me.

That conversation is the catalyst for Kerra reforging Caladbolg--because Trahearne gives it to her. It's not another obligation, it's a weapon for her to protect herself. It's a legacy, to be sure, and she does take on the Knight of the Thorn title, but she is bestowed that title by her brother, not her Mother. It's a concession and an agreement--there will be risk, and there may be sacrifice, but Kerra will never do any of it alone. (And it's another part of Trahearne stepping down from a job he took out of obligation to his Mother and the world by giving up the sword. Protection for one sibling and freedom for the other.)

Kerra still ends up working with Ridhais here--though it's in a slightly different context than canon, the other sylvari still has a pertinent Wyld Hunt to this situation and helps her reforge the sword. She spends time on this quest specifically in-between "A Crack in the Ice" and "The Head of the Snake", so in that time, she's in Maguuma for a bit finding sword pieces (and spending time with Aurene). And the first two parts of the battles of the quest go very similarly to how they do in-game! She fights Riannoc's echo in the swamp, then Trahearne's in the canopy of Maguuma. But the third is different.

She goes to a small homestead in Wayfarer Foothills where a family lives. There are three children, two to three years older than they were last time she was there, and two parents. She greets them and explains why she's there, and though they're bemused (and confused, too), they nod. And they go inside, and they watch the Pact Commander battle an echo of herself, one from a time when she felt small and broken and overwhelmed with grief and self-hatred, outside in the snow.

Kerra carries Caladbolg with her for the rest of the time that she's the commander--through the very end of EoD.

Rhi

When Kerra steps down as commander, it coincides with Rhi really...coming of age, so to speak. They're a big part of a lot of the events in EoD, from the original fight with the Aetherblades to the final battle with the Dragonvoid. They're not quite ready to strike out on their own yet, but they plan to do so within the next year, and Kerra offers Caladbolg to them. It's a passing of the torch--not of the job as commander, Rhi is very young for that responsibility and doesn't want it, but of this weapon meant (perhaps more than most) as a way to protect the one who carries it. And they accept.

Their first two battles mirror their mother's, in the swamp and the jungle. They meet Riannoc for the first time, and he might just be an echo, but he sees an echo of himself in them nonetheless. They see their uncle--younger, from years ago, back when he was a soldier--and he doesn't recognize them, not really, but the look in their eyes is familiar. And they battle their mother's echo, but it's not outside a hut in the snow. They've been inside Sun's Refuge, so they know a bit about Elona, but they've never been to the top of this tower before, with its ring of scorch marks and blasted stone.

This echo of Kerra is from the moment she died, when she was about to lose Aurene, when she was probably the most desperate she's ever been. And she recognizes, when Rhi manages to get through "round one", that she's an echo, because she's the only one of the previous Knights who's been through this specific process of attuning to the sword. She doesn't know who Rhi is, but she tells them that they remind her of someone--maybe a couple someones. And she smiles and tells them they're also entirely someone new.

They carry the sword proudly after that. It follows them onto the deck of a ship a year later--one on the sea, not the air--and they start their own journey of learning about the world.

[kerra-and-company]

This isn’t anything fancy, but please observe the bearers of Caladbolg in my main canon :D

(If you want to read my rambles/notes about this, check below the cut!)

Something I did completely by accident is that there’s a bearer from every cycle. Riannoc is (based on context clues, though I don’t think it’s ever officially stated) Noon, Trahearne is Dusk, Kerra is Dawn, and Rhi is Night.

Kerra’s the only one out of the four who doesn’t wield Caladbolg as a greatsword.

Rhi was, in part, named for Riannoc, which I’ve definitely mentioned before, but it bears repeating on this post.

Both Kerra and Rhi get Caladbolg when its past bearer/bearers are still alive, but they still encounter memories of them. Kerra fights a memory of Trahearne almost the same way it happens in-game (except, of course, that he’s not dead). Rhi fights a memory of Kerra from right after the ending of LWS4–right before they were born.

Their titles as remnants are, respectively: Warrior, Scholar, Champion (”Hero” when Kerra fights herself, which is prior to Aurene’s hatching), Hero. [That last one might change if I can come up with a better title for Rhi; we’ll see.]

Trahearne is the first of the Firstborn. Rhi is the the first sylvari sprout, first of the next generation.

I really enjoy that Rhi’s color palette is a big contrast to Caladbolg. This salad is a creature of contradictions and I love them for it.

[kerra-and-company]

Someone new got Caladbolg today! :D

Rhi is over here with Caladbolg Orchida--they don’t have it yet in my canon, but they’re far along enough in-game that I jumped on the opportunity to give it to them as soon as I got another vision crystal :) (Fun fact, their mother Kerra currently has Caladbolg Rosa.)

[kerra-and-company]

Ari + the fall of Pact fleet// Kerra + the beginning of Icebrood?

Have both, as a treat! :D @i-mybrunettelady First things first: Ari. Warnings: mentioned/implied death (offscreen), HoT spoilers, airship crash The cannons won’t fire. The Marshal gave the order, and Ari can see the jungle light up, but no matter what she does, her damn airship refuses to shoot anything. “Sparky!” she snaps. “The fuck is wrong with my ship?” The engineer darts to Ari’s side, fiddling with the controls. Her brow furrows in a way that Ari really doesn’t like. “It’s not me.” “No, it’s whatever slag iron got stuck somewhere it shouldn’t be, but it’s your job to fix it. What’s wrong?!” Sparks whirls around, furious. “It’s not—” She grabs her head, letting out a cry of frustration, before slamming her arms down to her sides. “Listen, furball, I did not screw this up. Something’s wrong with the power source.” Ari growls. “Okay, so, fix it. Now.” “It was fine when we left Camp Resolve,” the engineer said as if Ari hadn’t spoken, her hands balling into fists. “I checked it at least fifteen times! Niko must have done something to it; I told him to leave it alone, but he keeps wanting us to go faster.” Sparks’ feet pad towards the back of the airship in a not-quite run. “If that sylvari broke something, I swear by the Alchemy I’ll—” Ari never finds out exactly what Sparks would have done, because at that exact moment, a vine punches a hole in the deck right at her feet and clear through the ceiling. The airship shudders. “Mordremoth!” Ari yells, throwing herself backwards. She draws her sword, planning to cut the tendril to pieces. “Sparks, if you can get the guns working, do it!” Sparks yells something back from the other side of the debris that Ari can’t hear. The ship groans as more tendrils pierce it (burn me, the soldiers below deck—), and Ari just barely registers the smell of smoke and that something’s on fire— And then they’re falling. Ari’s fur is singed, and she’s breathing hard, and she has no idea if anyone else on board is alive. She briefly considers leaping out the window, but honestly, she’s likely to kill herself that way as surely as she could die on board. So she reaches for her power, and her vision glows blue as her shield forms. Will it be enough? Maybe, maybe not, but it’s something, and she holds tight to it and the shattered deck as the ship drops from the sky to the treetops. Down, down, down, down— Landfall. Darkness. (Kerra's stuff can be found below the cut so this doesn't get too long!)

A shorter blurb for Kerra, to be followed up with some notes, but have the blurb first! Warnings: none except for vague Icebrood spoilers Kerra doesn’t particularly want to attend the All-Legion Rally. She’s happier and more content than she’s ever been. The other Elder Dragons (besides her daughter, of course) still loom on the horizon, but they feel far away. Lion’s Arch is chaotic but organized, dysfunctional yet warm, and her family’s there—well, some of them, but the rest are only a comm away. She wakes up to her partners beside her every morning, and she has two children now, and she’s learning what it feels like to be settled. But the Pact Commander turning down the Blood Imperator’s invitation would be a statement, and not one that she wants to make, even if his word choice has already put her slightly on edge. And Rhi—tiny Rhi, her sweet pea child—wants to come with her, their blue eyes bright with excitement when they asked. It’s an adventure to them. They can be safe and have adventures, right? Kerra believes that. Or she wants to. (She and Nisha and Canach discussed it, at length.) She heads toward the asura gate with Rhi’s hand snug in hers. She silently asks the universe to please let this go smoothly. Unfortunately, as it turns out, the universe has a wicked sense of humor. Additional notes: Kerra doesn't quite trust Bangar even before she meets him, as seen here. She's heard too many people dance just to the left of the truth to take his words at face value. And when she does meet him, he does very little to improve her perception of him and quickly makes it worse. Bangar feels like pride and dishonesty and arrogance to her. I'm writing out the fic where this happens from Rhi's perspective, but Kerra has to stop them from trying to attack Bangar when he calls Aurene "it." (It's both the term and how he says it/how he's talked about Aurene before that that makes them angry. Don't be rude to their sister where they can hear.) Kerra's angry too, but in a less instant-violence way since she's, ya know, more mature/worn down than Rhi. Still, she definitely fully has him on her mental shitlist after that. Kerra likes Efram instantly and spends quite a bit of time helping out the cubs (both at the Flame camp and with Kasmeer). Rhi enjoys that, too, and makes a few friends. She almost runs into Weylon at one point (not that she would know who he was unless he told her), but he does a full about-face and runs in the opposite direction. I have a fic about that, somewhere...maybe I'll reblog it, we'll see. She appreciates that the charr clearly love Metal Legion, but it gives her a headache. Ari and Cio come with Kerra, Rhi, and Dragon's Watch, at Cio's request. They weren't invited, but Kerra asks in advance and manages to get permission for them to come. Kerra takes the diplomatic/undercover option to rescue Gorrik, but she definitely lets her (or rather, Ryland's) teeth show a bit. She is overwhelmingly angry at Bangar (and Ryland, for what he did to Braham) once she puts all the pieces together--unsurprising, of course, but there's an extra layer of "you did this while my CHILD was at your damn political party." And though Rhi doesn't get hurt and is sent home with Cio and Ari while Kerra chases down the charr who'll become Dominion, she also feels guilty that she brought Rhi in the first place--even though she and Nisha and Canach all agreed that it would be all right and they had no way of knowing Bangar's plans beforehand. Blaming herself is something she's quite good at. And we have come to the end of the Kerra notes! Hope you enjoyed!)

[kerra-and-company]

Rhi’s interview

Next up: the sylvari sprout who’s planning on tagging along with their mom to Cantha. Without her knowledge. This will definitely only go well.

Rhi time!

OC Interview: Rhianyi

Draw (or use an old drawing, don’t worry!) or take a screen of your character in an interview setting and make them answer the following questions! 

INTRODUCTION

1. Can you introduce yourself?

I’m Rhianyi, if you want my full name, but Rhi’s fine. I don’t have any titles.

2. What is your gender identity, orientation and relationship status? 

You better not be publishing this in a magazine or something, mysterious interviewer person. Enby, no idea but I haven’t had a crush on anyone yet, and single.

3. Where and when were you born? 

Early 1331 A.E., Sun’s Refuge, Jahai Bluffs. Born almost on the dot at 6 in the evening, by the way, so no one can agree if I’m a Duskbloom or a Nightbloom.

4. What is your weapon of choice and fighting style? 

Rifle or greatsword. I’m a warrior, and I’ve been told I fight like my dad. So if you’re really curious, ask him if there’s a name for whatever way that is.

5. Lastly, are you happy? 

Life’s never perfect, but generally speaking? (They smile.) Yes, I am.

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

1. What’s your family like? What is your relationship with them?

In my experience, the only people who haven’t heard of my parents are either children or have been hiding under a rock for the past ten years. That comes of being the child of one of the former Pact Marshals, an ex-criminal sylvari who did a number of notable crimes, and the Commander. I don’t care for the spotlight, but I love my parents and wouldn’t ever trade them for anyone else.

I know you’ve heard of my big sister Aurene, but she’s fantastic, too, and so are my twin little siblings, who just awakened this year. (They frown.) They have been teaching me lessons in chaos, though, and please do not give Ia anything explosive. Or give Tev knives. I’ve only done the second one but both are bad ideas.

2. Have you ever ran away from home? 

(Their smile droops just a little, but they speak brightly.) Nope!

3. Would you consider marriage or having children? 

Maybe. I haven’t really thought too much about that yet.

4. Do you secretly hate one of your friends? 

Why would I?

5. Which friend knows everything about you? 

She’s my sister, but she’s my friend too, so--Aurene.

ASKED BY FANS

1. Are you literate? Have you been to school?

Yes, I’m literate. And no, I’ve been homeschooled by my family. I would just say my parents, but it’s also my uncles and aunt and several of their friends, so...

2. The eeriest prediction you made that later came true? 

Nothing yet, but don’t jinx it.

3. What is something you were embarrassingly late to realize?

That other species don’t grow as fast as I do. (Their mouth twists.) It’s...not bad, but it makes things hard sometimes.

4. Do you have mental health or physical issues? 

I’m colorblind. And I can’t do bright lights. Sun’s Refuge is great, but the open desert? Not so much. Sunglasses are excellent, though.

5. What is your current main goal? 

I know adventures are dangerous, but I’d still like to have one--on my own terms.

CHOICES

1. Drink or food?

Drink? You need water to live, so if I had to pick one...

2. Cats or dogs? 

Cats. (They grin.) But if you ever ask my little sister, she’ll say dogs. She adores Mom’s fern hound, and it’s very cute.

3. Early bird or night owl? 

Night owl.

4. Optimist or pessimist? 

Can I pick realist?

5. Sassy or sarcastic? 

More the second than the first.

HAVE YOU EVER

1. Been caught sneaking out?

Yes. I’m better at it now.

2. Broke a bone? 

Almost, but luckily no.

3. Received flowers? 

No.

4. Ghosted someone? 

(They look uncomfortable.) No.

5. Pretended to laugh at a joke you didn’t get? 

Only once. (They giggle.) And I don’t think I did it very well because my pretend laugh made Ren actually laugh.

Tagging: Just doing more of these for fun, but if you’re inclined to do one, consider yourself tagged and go for it! :D

[kerra-and-company]

🔮 for Rhianyi! :3c

@mystery-salad

Major arcana for Rhi! :D They’ve got Strength, The Star, and a tiny bit of the Chariot too.

[kerra-and-company]

This is my first time making a post with this many photos, so hopefully it turns out okay! I don’t know how to group photos apparently, so they’re all in a giant line. Inspired by @mystery-salad, and I used this picrew! :)

(In order (from top to bottom): Kerra, Cio, Rel, Nisha, Ari, Minei, and Rhianyi. The very last one’s for Tanza, who’ll be getting a character post soon!)