#tyria 404

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Tyria-404

Commander(s): Rhenn Wayfinder: Kippa

The commander who shouldn't have been takes center stage in this iteration of Tyria. Following the death of the order mentors and every racial representative at Claw Island, one Inquest soldier was put up as a "peace offering" from the Inquest... though it was more as a publicity stunt. But there's more to him than meets the eye...

Main Cast Below:

Rhenn of No One (#rhenn of no one)

The magnum opus of Project Genesis, helmed by the former principal biomancer of the Inquest Prikk, Rhenn was custom designed in a gestation tank to be the perfect living weapon. Taller, stronger, and faster than other asura with high stamina, an extraordinarily high tolerance for pain, and a resistance to most toxins and illnesses. He grew up being trained as a custom designed soldier, undergoing constant brutal tests, training, and highly unethical experimental surgeries to perfect him even further. On becoming commander, it was his first time venturing outside the Helix Biomagitech lab, and the culture shock was intense. Before they even reached Zhaitan, he had removed the bracers from the captive charr Prikk sent with him, and as he progressed, he started actively working against his father's interests by actually helping people. It was during Season 3 that it really hit just how messed up his upbringing had been, and by Season 4 he left the Inquest for good. Initially brash, arrogant, and cocky, once he's cut his father's strings, a more tentative, uneasy, almost shy young man starts to emerge. He and Kippa's relationship, too, changed drastically over time, with her loathing him initially but starting to realize he was being far more manipulated than he realized. The two eventually fell in love, and currently they have one progeny, a little girl named Suzzi. Things in Castora, though, have gotten difficult... with Sebb, his father/creator's former apprentice, showing up, he realized he hadn't cut ties with the Inquest as much as he would've liked, and he's had a bad mental crash as a result.

Kippa of Suzzi (#mender kippa)

A young healer who grew up in the since destroyed city of Rata Thauma in northern Metrica, a city annihilated by the explosion of the Thaumanova Reactor, Kippa is a soft spoken, gentle young woman who may seem to be an open book at first blush, but the loss of her entire family except her uncle Gixx made her keep people at arm's length, terrified to let anyone close lest she wind up hurt again. Of course, the Inquest's involvement in the loss of Rata Thauma is why her initial reaction to Rhenn was so viscerally bitter. Insisting to follow him to make sure he didn't harm Iuno further (or at least that was her excuse), she became part of his entourage... but as time went on, she started to realize he wasn't what he appeared to be at first glance. Slowly, she let herself open up to him as he struggled to navigate an unfamiliar world, helping as he started to become his own person outside of his father's control. During Heart of Thorns, she felt a strong, startling pull towards the egg, though it wouldn't be until much later - starting around Aurene's brief death in season 4 - that she would realize the truth. She was Aurene's Oracle, something wholly new, explaining her elemental magic being absurdly powerful and the pull she felt towards the egg to begin with. Her power broke through in full when Bangar nearly killed Rhenn, and he's helped her navigate the troubling waters since. She wound up (accidentally) becoming the Wayfinder and the biggest thorn in Isgarren's side he ever could've wanted. It was during her time as Wayfinder that she discovered she was pregnant with she and Rhenn's first progeny, a little girl named Suzzi after her late mother.

Sidera "Sid" Hackwrench (#sid hackwrench)

The youngest member of the Wrench warband, Sidera - known as "Sid" by her bandmates - was found as an infant progeny in the destroyed remains of a merchant caravan that had been set on by Separatists. As the asuran merchant had been a friend of theirs, and the aging warband was well aware he had no love lost for the home he and his family had been banished from, they made the decision to take in the girl and raise her themselves. As such, Sid isn't a very good asura, but she's a very good (if quite small) charr, despite her appearance. Having done her own time in the fahrar with the scars to prove it, she learned to hold her own from a very young age, using a quickly developing bright intellect and her small size, needle-like teeth, and sharp claws to her advantage. During her time in the fahrar, she made good friends with Iuno Wrathtalon, remaining in touch with her after returning to Wrench. Sid is known to be crass, loud, and surprisingly sturdy when drinking with bandmates, but she's deeply loyal to her warband and the Iron Legion at the end of the day. She's known for her startling sense of humor, razor sharp wit, and deep affection for the warband that's been her family since as long as she can remember. After her legionnaire Calix Quickwrench's death in Icebrood Saga, she's been promoted to the legionnaire of the Wrench warband, and as the High Legions navigate the changes in the wake of Bangar's death, they've started following Rhenn and Kippa to provide support where they can.

Rhiia of Nixxe (#researcher rhiia)

The biological daughter of Prikk and Nixxe and Prikk's only natural born child, Rhiia ran away at age fifteen when Rhenn was first taken out of the gestation tube. This was at her mother's insistence, as Nixxe was certain Prikk would kill her now that he had his "perfect specimen." During her departure, Rhiia was found and taken in by Uenno, who took her back to the Astral Ward, where she's been ever since. Training under Mabon, she's tried to keep close tabs on Rhenn's progress as he grew, and though she kept trying her best to get the wizards to involve on Rhenn's behalf, Isgarren continued to forbid her from interfering. She was able to rescue her mother's consciousness from Prikk's personal console after his death, keeping her in the Wizard Tower with her in a small personal golem. She was thrilled to meet Kippa when she arrived in the Horn of Maguuma, but meeting Rhenn was a whole different ball game. His anger over knowing there was someone who saw him but never helped felt like being plunged into cold water, and she's been forced to face her own priorities, torn between the organization that saved her life and the little brother she desperately wishes she could have helped. And that's only gotten worse since the events in Castora, seeing just how much control the Inquest still had over Rhenn.

Leyya of Pruri (#infiltrator leyya)

Zojja's childhood best friend that grew into something more as they got older, Leyya is a skilled spy and assassin, known for her sharp wit and easy way about people. Deep down, though, she deals with a lot of insecurities. The oldest of thirteen siblings and the only one born to both her parents (her siblings are all half siblings on one side or the other), she never connected with her father and sometimes acted out with her mother regardless of how hard Pruri tried. As an adult, she worked as a Lighbringer with the Order of Whispers, though more often than not she's Zojja's right hand, helping with any little thing she might need doing... partially due to her own unfortunate mindset that if she can't be wanted, she will make herself needed. She lost her eye after being attacked by Teyo's twin sister, Tiiya, while helping Rhenn search for Zojja and Logan in Maguuma. As such, she spent a lot of recovery time right beside Zojja first in the Priory camp where Kippa cared for both of them and later in a private clinic run by an old classmate of Kippa's, someone she trusted more with their care than a council run hospital. She's since moved more to information and logistics work with Whispers, though more often than not she's Zojja's eyes on intel as she navigates her new position as a sitting councilor. The pair recently contracted after years of will-they-won't-they and Leyya has gotten custody of her baby sister, her father's youngest child, Chuui. She enjoys popping in on Rhenn on his various exploits "just to check in."

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Since a reply will take soooo many things to type lmao. @mistfallengw2

Because Leyya's more clear headed and doesn't have Cepir further impacting her, she's more willing to push back when Zojja pushes too hard... and Season 4 is largely where things come to a head for them, because instead of being fully gone, they head down to Elona immediately after Taimi's harrowing experience with Joko.

As they're helping out in Sun's Refuge, Zojja gets to come face to face with the ghost of her beloved mentor, and while he has his strong words of encouragement for all of them, he does save some words for Zojja.

Worried for the path his dear apprentice could take, he reminds her that she can't carry the guilt forever, and that there was no guarantee any of them would've made it out alive that day. He regretted dragging her into it... but he's so proud of the woman she's become, and the young lady she's mentored to be just as headstrong and brilliant as he always saw in her. And those are surprisingly hard words to hear from someone whose death shook her so badly.

In the aftermath of the events in Sun's Refuge and the disappearance of Snaff and Eir's ghosts, she withdraws with Leyya following her. Despite Snaff's words, Zojja's been mired in her grief and guilt for so long, and her anger at herself that she'd constantly redirected at Eir but now had no outlet for, that she snaps. It leads to an argument, and Leyya actually leaves for a while initially, stating that she's tired and while she loves Zojja more than anything, she can't keep having her leash yanked. The way things are just aren't working. They both need to get their heads on right.

It's not until Icebrood Saga, when the pair shows up after learning Rhenn had nearly died to Bangar's machinations, that they have a moment to sit and talk (at Taimi's insistence).

(Leyya, for her part, still remained Zojja's right hand despite the argument. Just more willing to say "no.")

In the end, Leyya regrets having left like she did, and Zojja - while still struggling with Snaff's words - does regret lashing out. There's an acknowledgment of a lot of work to be done, and while it's clearly very rocky at first, they decide to give it another go. By the time of the ending of EoD they've had the time to work things out together and are officially contracted.

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So because @mistfallengw2 and @kerra-and-company were asking about it, some Tyria-404 information!

Tyria-404 is easily our most canon divergent setting, or at least has points that are more canon divergent, just on account of Rhenn taking on the role AFTER the attack on Claw Island due to everyone else dying.

That being said, a brief fast forward to the campaign on Arah. Unlike in our main setting, where Logan only apparently dies and is rescued by the wizards, leaving the lady Deshauna Tahir to become Pact Marshal in his stead after Trahearne's death, he dies for real. With no one else to take up the mantle, there's few other options. Eir is dead, Rytlock does not want the role, and Caithe is focused on the egg.

So Zojja becomes Pact Marshal instead, aided by a much faster recovery with Kippa's intervention after her rescue. A powerful healer makes a great mitigating factor (even if the healer isn't sure why she's so powerful to start).

Which leads to this bit at the end of EoD. As Rhenn is fighting tooth and nail to save everything, Kippa returns an injured Leyya to Zojja's side on the Pact airship to go and try to help him when he starts to falter. This leads to, near the very end of the battle, as a haggard Rhenn juiced up on Aurene power makes one last desperate charge, the two of them watching and holding their breath to see if he'll actually succeed.

(As for Leyya's injuries, while she doesn't get possessed by Cepir in this setting, she winds up still losing her eye... only this time it's due to a Void creature she was fighting.)

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Thinking about some things in my Tyria-404 setting and how things are altered around the point of the end of Icebrood Saga. I'm retconning some old thoughts, but it's for a good reason... and that's bc I was thinking about this post.

Basically, in that setting, the fight between Jormag and Primordus doesn't end with both of them dead. Instead, with it initially appearing that Jormag has the upper hand, Primordus rears up... and starts to move. Lumbering forward at surprising speed for a beast that massive.

The force of his steps send many falling, causing a couple of rockslides, and killing several as they're caught under his massive feet. Between Aurene and Kippa, the core group gets to safety, forced to watch helplessly as Primordus kills his sibling...

...then disappears into the depths with Braham.

As Rhenn, Iuno, Rytlock, and Crecia reconvene, Kippa sets to helping with the injured. Messages are sent for assistance, and the pact marshal - Zojja in this setting - shows up to assist Kippa with tending the wounded while strategizing with the rest of the team.

No one is sure what exactly to do.

It is a drawn out situation taking close to a month to resolve. In the end, as they're trying to face down Primordus with few other options, Soo Won herself appears, forced to step in and help end her last child's rampage before he destroys everything she created at the very beginning.

Braham is saved from a horrible fate by Aurene, and while not branded, he notes a notable crystalline sheen to his skin. He opts to return to Hoelbrak to recover, but not before conversing with everyone about what's transpired. (He, like Kippa, will take on a unique role for Aurene. What that role is I'm not sure of just yet.)

When the dust clears, Soo Won returns to Cantha, stating that she knows they will follow "when the time comes," not telling them where she came from or where she's heading, setting the stage for the events of End of Dragons.

...with slightly altered bureaucracy, since Soo Won can vouch for Rhenn and Iuno when they get there.

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Rattling around writing the Rescue from HoT in Rhenn's setting. Bc like... one of the big things is that Rhiia, Rhenn's long lost older sister (that he wasn't even aware he had), is who they meet in Wizlandia, as she was rescued after running away and has been there ever since.

But Rhenn's relationship with Zojja was always incredibly tense, and downright hateful pre-HoT. Which... you know, understandably, since when they first met, Tebb (her choice for commander) had just died on Claw Island and they learned a Priory scholar had been feeding info back to the Inquest, hence Rhenn being there at all.

That changes after HoT, however. By that point he was on friendly terms with Kippa, so as soon as he finds Zojja in the blighting pod, he rushes her back to the same Priory camp Kippa's based in so the best healer he knows can tend to her.

It was an act of good will that led to them finally burying the hatchet and... maybe not becoming friends? But they helped each other.

Just thinking of the conversation in the camp while she was recovering to the point she could be transported.