The Tyrian is a fan-run blog dedicated to highlighting and sharing the creative works of other members of the Guild Wars community. In addition to art and writing, information on community-run and led events can also be found here, as well as community prompts and creative event weeks.
How do I get my work shared by The Tyrian?
Creative works tagged with #thetyrian will be reblogged here, but The Tyrian also takes submissions. Anything cool that catches the editor's eye is also bound to be shared, as well.
Who runs The Tyrian?
In character answer: Journalist Picah, a jaunty and cheerful asura who serves as the chief editor for The Tyrian out of Lion's Arch. Any non-admin asks will be answered by Picah.
The real answer: One single person, me — Jackdaw (more commonly known as Rook or Rookfern by the community). My personal GW2 blog can be found over at @storm-called.
As you might know, Janthir Wilds is dropping soon (20th of August to be precise), so I wanted to "steal" an idea for an event that ffxiv side of things did before the release of Dawntrail, (Count) Down to Dawntrail. I did not want to do it by expac, and we haven't had a Commander Week community event in forever, so here it is! Commander Week 2024 (24th of July - 31st of July), hosted by yours truly!
Who can participate? Anyone who's ever played gw2 in their life. Bonus points if you're all caught up on the story!
What kind of content is allowed? Writing, art, screenshots, edits, any creative outlet you want! Even poems are allowed. It doesn't have to be new writing either, as long as it fits the prompts :)
Is it a nsfw event? Please refrain from any spicy/nsfw stuff. This is a strictly non-spicy event.
Will there be spoilers? Yeah! Please tag them accordingly if they're newer content (EoD and SotO primarily) but this isn't a spoiler free event by any means.
Is shipping allowed? Full speed ahead, my good Commander. Full speed ahead, if that floats your skiff.
Are Wayfinders included? As long as they're the same as your Commander, sure! This event assumes that Wayfinder = Commander, so if they are separate characters for you, please focus on the Commander.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to shoot me an ask, but these are general guidelines! Go forth and create, gw2blr, and let's celebrate the Commander for being the most Protagonist of All Time!
(Please excuse the "graphic design is my passion" event teaser)
That's right! It's time to show off those swimsuits and bask in the sun! Or moon! Depending on when we get there. It's the long awaited gw2 beach episode and we can't wait to see you there!
Our venue will be the scenic Blood Lagoon which, despite the name, is in fact filled with water. It's just a quick walk down from Wardowns Waypoint [&BPgLAAA=] in Grothmar Valley (which means you WILL need IBS to attend).
The event starts at 7pm EST, but there's no pressure to show up right at 7! Feel free to pop in and out whenever you please.
This'll be a sort of psuedo RP/psuedo chill hangout event, so if you don't feel like being in character you can just chat in squad and enjoy the vibes.
Hello one and all! Tyria Pride is returning to Tyria for the 9th time! Join us any time next Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23, on both EU and NA for an awesome event that takes us all the way from Ebonhawke to Rata Sum, while we raise money for a good cause!
You can also watch it on my twitch at twitch.tv/lelling!
More info below the cut
What is Tyria Pride?
Tyria Pride is a two-day in-game pride march from one corner of (core) Tyria to the other to show support both LGBTQ players and devs, and a fundraiser for Rainbow Railroad, a non-profit organisation which helps queer people escape state-sponsored persecution and violence around the world.
It's tons of fun every year, a ton of streamers join in so there are many ways to follow along even if you're not in game, music guilds hold concerts, and we have some pretty legendary giveaways! It's always blast!
For more info, check out the post on the official forums at tyriapride.com/2024
Fundraiser
Rainbow Railroad is a non-profit that helps LGBTQ+ people get to safety from countries where their lives are at risk. They've done tons of work all over the world, working tirelessly in places like Russia and Afghanistan, and have already sprung into action as a response to the death penalty laws in Uganda, where you could even get up to 10 years in prison if you don't tell the police your child is gay. Rainbow Railroad works tirelessly to save lives, and we're honored to support them in this cause!
To check out the fundraiser, go to tyriapride.com/donate
How to get involved?
There are so many ways you can help out - spread the news, tell your friends and guildies, if you use any social media, share the information, let people know where and when to find the event!
Another way you can help out is by donating in-game prizes! We incentivize donations to the fundraiser by raffling off legendaries, black lion skins, and even artists give away commissions! If you can spare donations, both in-game or out, let me know! My in-game name is Lelling.6795
You can also join us on the Tyria Pride discord for more resources and information: tyriapride.com/discord
Break down, only alone I'll cry out loud
You'll never see what's hiding out
Hiding out deep down, yeah
I know I've heard that to let your feelings show
Is the only way to make friendships grow
I'm too afraid now, yeah
I'll put my armor on
Show you how strong I am
I'll put my armor on
I'll show you that I am
Golden Child. Inquest Experiment.
Champion of Aurene. The Commander. Rhenn.
One of my alt commanders, the son of an Inquest overseer who specialized in genetics. Custom designed from the ground up to be the "perfect" asura, he took over the role of Commander after Zojja's choice died on Claw Island as an Inquest PR stunt.
The longer he's gone away from the Inquest, however, the more aware he's become of what kind of an organization they really are, and he's learning the truth of his own horrific past.
First of two ficlets regarding the rescue of Kippa and Taimi in Fahranur for Rhenn. Unsettling revelations abound.
The interior of the ruin stank of rot and decay. Not surprising, considering the sheer number of Awakened they had come across fighting their way to get to Taimi and Kippa. Rhenn had tried to ignore the fact that he recognized many of the faces of the shambling undead under Joko’s thrall, focusing his attention on the girl that was more like family to him than his own parents and the woman he’d come to care about more than his own life.
Iuno, Braham, and Canach were background noise, hurrying along with him as he all but sprinted down long sandy corridors, his hammer crashing through any obstacle that stood in his way. He was tired, his arms sore, and for the first time in a long time he felt worn.
He had always been stronger, more durable than other asura. But this felt like it was draining on a level he couldn’t explain.
Stressful as it was, however, he couldn’t let himself get sidetracked by frustration or exhaustion. Kippa and Taimi were relying on them to get to them quickly. If they wasted time, they could lose them, and he wasn’t about to let that happen.
But this run felt like it was taking forever. There was an initial wave of relief that followed when they rounded the corner into the next room, but that was until he locked eyes with the Awakened Inquest asura standing in front of a containment unit, checking something on a holopad before his eyes - once a vibrant blue - shifted up to match his.
They were a glossy tar black. And they belonged to his father.
“...Dad…?”
The older asura watched him quietly before glancing down at the datapad. “You’re late, Rhenn. You never were good at punctuality.”
As Braham, Iuno, and Canach exchanged looks behind him, Rhenn straightened, taking a few steps forward. “What the hell are you doing here?” He could feel a tightness climbing up his back into his shoulders, icy fingers gripping at his spine. He had never thought of his father as fearsome before, and he still didn’t feel as much now. But he was clearly Awakened, and that alone left an awful, churning sensation in his gut. “What happened to you?”
“I’ve been made to see more clearly now, thanks to Lord Joko.” Prikk tossed the holopad aside, and now his gaze turned to the containment tube behind him. Rhenn hadn’t paid it much mind initially, too focused on his father’s presence in the room, but now he couldn’t help but stare. Inside, behind the buzzing barriers, sat Kippa, a bright bruise on her cheek and tears welled in her eyes. “Your plaything has been a bore, unfortunately. A pity… my apprentice worked so hard with her mother. But she insisted on cutting ties, leaving the experiment… incomplete. And now we’re left with this… a meek, sniveling creature, hardly worthy of your perfection.”
Rhenn’s hands were going for his hammer as Prikk spoke, despite the aching pain it radiated through his shoulders as he moved. “Let her out of the unit, Dad. Kippa hasn’t done anything. She’s not a part of this.”
Prikk gazed up at him again, completely unbothered by Rhenn’s movements. “Isn’t she? I created you to be perfect, you know. Spayr’s work was meant to test if my research could be applied in utero. The process, however, is far too random. No, how I made you… that is the ultimate truth. The perfected method to further the asuran race. My magnum opus.”
“Rhenn.” Iuno’s voice was quiet but firm, her pale yellow-green eyes focused on his back as he stared down his father deeper into the vast hall. “What is he talking about?”
Rhenn just shook his head, taking a few steps forward. “He’s talking nonsense. He didn’t make me, he fathered me-”
Prikk snorted a laugh at that. Though he may have been under Joko’s control, enough of him remained to be cognizant of his son’s steady approach. “I never did tell you, did I? After your sister fled like the little coward she was, I knew that leaving the success of my offspring to chance was unreasonable and foolish. And so I devised a way to customize the perfect child- the perfect asura. Stronger, faster. Unable to get ill, able to heal quickly from injuries. The ultimate lifeform. The perfect soldier for the Inquest.”
“Don’t listen to him, Rhenn, just go!” Though thin and unsteady, somewhere between fear and exhaustion, Kippa’s voice came through clear as a bell from behind his fallen father. “Taimi needs you! Please, don’t worry about me, just go to her!”
Rhenn, however, wasn’t listening. His eyes were focused on his father, anything else drowned out by the overwhelming weight of the words he was saying. “You… designed me?”
Glancing briefly back at Kippa as she spoke, Prikk finally returned his attention to his son, folding his hands behind his back. “Yes. Everything about you. Every surgery as you grew into the powerful young man you are today. You were a proof of concept for the Inquest. And now, for the glory of Lord Joko. Forget this girl. Just look at her! Weak and whimpering. You deserve better than this… inferior refuse. A better mate. A better future. You are the future!”
Electricity crackled up Rhenn’s arms through his hammer, eyes going wide as he bared his teeth. “Shut the hell up! Don’t you dare talk about Kippa that way! You don’t- I’m not your creation, I’m your son! You’re just saying whatever that shriveled up piece of grub jerky tells you to say!”
“Am I? You know in your heart I’m telling the truth, don’t you?” He smiled, faintly, tipping his head forward. “But it’s no matter. You, all your little friends… and even this worthless little trollop will serve our mighty Lord Joko. Starting… with her. Come now, son. Be a good little puppet and kill the girl. It is your birthright.”
No more had the words left his mouth than a shout of rage escaped Rhenn, and he swung his hammer full force. The blow caught Prikk hard in the ribs, sending him sprawling across the ground. Rhenn gave him no time to get up, either, lifting his hammer high before slamming it down against Prikk’s skull with a sickening crack. “SHUT UP! Shut up you’re a damn liar! I won’t let you hurt my friends, I will never be your puppet-!”
His words were punctuated with the rhythmic slamming of his hammer, lifted and brought down over and over again into his father’s head. He wasn’t sure if it was catharsis or anger or grief driving him- he wasn’t even thinking much at all.
Up, down, up, down, rhythmic swings until he felt Iuno’s hands grabbing his arms and dragging him back, watched Braham grabbing his hammer as Canach ran past to work on getting Kippa out of the containment unit. The blur cleared from the edges of his vision, and he suddenly felt weak, shaking, panting as he pulled himself free, refusing to look at his father and the fine paste he’d reduced his head to.
The hammer and his father ignored, he moved away from Iuno as Canach was helping Kippa free, reaching out to cup her face, brushing her hair back as softly as he could. She immediately covered his hands with hers, ignoring the viscera, letting him rest his forehead against hers however briefly. “You can’t stay, Rhenn, I was just a distraction here. They’re going to kill Taimi, you have to get to her-!”
“They’re not going to kill her if I can help it, Kip.” He lifted his head to kiss the bridge of her nose, then looked up at Canach. “Take her back to base camp and rendezvous with the others. Braham and Iuno are with me.” Stepping back after another moment, he went to grab his hammer from Braham, glancing up towards the door Prikk had been standing in front of. “...I’m going to make sure they never touch my family again.”
Happy soon-to-be Summer, everyone! I hope the changing weather is treating you well, and that you're ready for another art party hosted by my guild, [VS] Verdant Shield!
For those who aren’t familiar with art parties, they’re a concept carried over from Final Fantasy XIV - in-game get-togethers for artists/writers/creatives of all types to hang out, chat, and create together! Get your favorite character/look together, head to the location, find someone that catches your eye, and create! Afterwards, everyone posts their creations in a shared tag (ours is #VSArtParty) so others can see, interact, and share! Tl;dr: the ‘goal’ of an art party isn’t to be drawn, but to draw others, and share with the community!
Time and /squadjoin information is under the cut, but will also be posted again via reblogs as the squads go up on the day of the party!
Location Information:
It's been a bit since we've been in human lands, so let's take a little lakeside vacation just outside of Claypool in Queensdale! No fancy footwork required, this is a starter map and the location is easily accessible just by following the built-in roads!
Time & Squad Details:
As we always do, we’ll be having two parties - one on EU servers and one on NA ones - with an hour break in between. People tend to arrive early and/or jump between accounts as soon as the break comes up, so don’t be surprised to see tags and announcements going up ahead of schedule!
The first party will be on EU servers and begin at 9pm Central European Summer Time (aka 3pm Eastern Daylight Time or 5 hours before in-game reset). I’ll be hosting on my EU alt account, so to join either /squadjoin or whisper Runa Gravemourn for an invite.
The second party will be on NA servers and begin at 7pm Eastern Daylight Time (aka 1am Central European Summer Time or an hour before in-game reset). I’ll be hosting this one on my main account, so to join either /squadjoin or whisper Taliyah Markos for an invite.
Closing Words:
Sorry to keep y'all waiting in suspense for the location! Consider this a little bit of a beachy vacation, and look forward to when the Festival of the Four Winds appears in the near future for prime beach party activities!
Thank you again to everyone that comes to these events, you are what makes them great! As long as you guys are willing to come out and collaborate on all these great memories, I will always be around to herd your metaphorical (or sometimes literal) cats. See you soon! ♥
I've been wanting to write something for days and finally decided to just go for it. This ended up much longer than I initially expected.
Mild spoilers for SotO
A moment of introspection from Glaw at the end of the journey.
--------
It was a strange thing, to miss the stars.
That was the first thing that crossed Glaw's mind as they stepped free of the portal. They turned, just in time to see the shimmering of purple-blue magic snap closed behind them. So much for a big send-off.
The stars twinkled overhead, the night air sharp with a hint of northerly chill. There were no stars in Nayos.
For months, Glaw had been — they didn't want to call it trapped, that was too strong a word. There had always been that unspoken option: the chance to dip out and leave the Realm of Dreams to rot. Sequestered away, perhaps, entangled in the politics of an unknown land so much so that they were were kept away from their own. There had been no time for even simple excursions back to the Wizard Tower for supplies; a war, a coup, a rebellion — whatever you wanted to call it — didn't have time for getaway weekends.
And sure, this was not their first breath of non-kryptis air in months. They had gotten their fill of that back at the Tower. The sun had shone too brightly there, though, dusk too far off to show the stars. The air had felt stifled, too sheltered in its magical protection to allow even the stiff breeze in.
That, too, Glaw had missed — something they never thought they would admit. They had missed the chill, and not the bone-aching dampness that seemed to permeate all of Nayos. They had missed the scent of snow on the wind and the caressing of the biting gale across their face.
And the stars, most of all.
It took them a moment to fully absorb their surroundings. To their surprise, it was familiar. The copse of dark trees in the distance with snow-capped mountains behind that. The wizards, it seemed, had been kind enough to drop Glaw off right outside Hoelbrak, in the foothills just a meandering walk away from the nearest hold.
With a sigh, Glaw shook the weariness off their shoulders and plodded into motion. After a few minutes of walking and much conflicted deliberation, they pulled their comm from their belt. The little block of technology was small in their palm, and they turned it over once. Twice.
It had been months since their last point of contact, barely long enough to count as anything more than a 'hey-I'm-not-dead' check in to Taimi. Since then, the wizards — particularly Helter — had strongly suggested Glaw to keep their communications with the outside world to a minimum. For Tyria's sake.
Had anyone even noticed they were gone?
Glaw couldn't decide if they even wanted anyone to have noticed their absence. If someone had, that meant discussing where they had been, what they had been doing. Skirting the dangerous edge of admitting there was a whole sect of wizards lingering at the edges of Tyria's reality.
If someone hadn't noticed, then, well...
Swallowing thickly, Glaw pocketed the comm device again. They continued on their trek, boots falling onto a worn dirt path that winded its way towards Hoelbrak's southern gate. Unsurprisingly, the settlements on the city's outskirts were dark and quiet. Glaw wasn't sure the time difference between here and the Wizard's Tower, much less Nayos, but they would hazard it was early morning now. Any reasonable person would be asleep.
Inside Hoelbrak was much like the settlement, but a few sounds could be heard, distant and muffled. For a moment, Glaw paused. Tired, pale eyes searched over the city as if drinking in the sheer sight of it alone. It was as unchanged as ever save for a few fresh paper decorations propped up as Hoelbrak prepared for the yearly Dragon Bash celebrations.
Home.
Right?
This did not feel much like a homecoming, though. Not like the previous times Glaw had returned to Hoelbrak. Not stumbling in on unsteady feet after Jormag's death — when they truly had been lost and then found. Dearly missed. Not coming back heralded as a hero and slayer of dragons, finally fitting into their title of Commander, after the Dragon Cycle had finally been ended in the far reaches of Cantha.
The city slumbered on, unaware of all that had transpired on Tyria's doorstep. Glaw would be lying if they didn't admit the idea didn't make them ache, just a little.
Spurred back into motion by the reminder of the cold, Glaw turned onto the side path that led to a cluster of lodges. Their family home, where their mother slept and the forge burned on as faithfully as always. They wondered if their sister, Bryn, was visiting from the Priory. She had made a habit of coming home every few weeks to help their mother around the house. A habit of filling in for Glaw where they had been made absent by their duties.
A thin trail of smoke rose from the chimney, and a dull glow emanated from their mother's forge behind the lodge. There, at the threshold of the house, Glaw found their feet faltering. It was not trepidation nor excitement that gave them pause. It was a deep-seated sensation of wrongness, like everything had been shifted two inches to the left and then made to masquerade as if that was how it had always been.
With a steeling breath, Glaw gently eased the door open. Familiar smells accosted them: the cinnamon-pepper scent of their mother's cooking; the taste of wood ash in the smoky air; and the lingering tinge of wet dog that permeated the households of all who followed the Spirit of Wolf.
Glaw shrugged off their heavy cloak and hung it on a peg by the door, as they always did. Their mask went beside it, along with their gloves. Beside their muck-dirtied boots, they rested their hammer.
Sxorr is a master saboteur for hire. Whether you need someone to commit corporate espionage, steal inventions, or sabotage projects, Sxorr is your brat (he dropped out of college and his mom is mad about it, but he's making big money so he doesn't care).
For anyone interested, I decided to put together a writing/art prompt idea for the first week of June. This is based off tes-summer-fest and originally intended for my friends and I as a fun little way of getting the creative juices flowing, but I thought why not share it here as well. 👀 Y'all can get in on this too!
Hear my plea to the fallen: leave me to be with the broken
One last time before I go.
Hold the last burning ember; let us never surrender.
May we rise unto the call.
For the glory and the fall, for the beaten and the broken
For the lost and forsaken, let us never surrender.
May we rise unto the call.
I was planning to do more for my main's refs but never got around to finishing all of the sketches. Might as well post them up. Repping the freak Sylvari 😔
Lone commander AU, where Kittra is chosen as Jormag's Champion instead of Ryland.
Even while falling for the dragon's manipulation, she absolutely talks back.
Honestly, she'd be swayed by the promises of finally having some goddamned stability and preservation of things instead of everything almost collapsing every couple of months. Although it'd be a "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" type slow spiral towards villainy for Kittra.
