Name: Athuria
Contact: monochromic
Invited by: Pick a mod, any mod
Reservation: HERE

Name: The Commander (Syrlya)
Canon: Guild Wars 2
Canon point: shortly after Interlude: Forward
Age: 11, but mentally late-20s as Sylvari are born as full adults.

History:

- Upon Awakening, Syrlya was given a Wyld Hunt to fight the Elder Dragons. This is a literal impulse that constantly drives him to completing the destiny he's been given and shapes the entirety of who he is as a protector, resulting in it becoming essentially his entire identity because he's never truly had a life where he didn't have a sense of obligation to take care of the world.

- The birth of Aurene, the newest Elder Dragon. Initially tasked with protecting her egg, Syrlya and Aurene had an immediate connection due to her imprinting on him and over the following years Syrlya acted as a guardian and parental figure, raising and guiding her along a difficult world-saving destiny. Her presence becomes so specifically important to him that her (temporary) death becomes the only thing to send him in so much despair he completely gives up on the world as a whole.

- Discovering the Elder Dragons were deeply tied to Tyria's magic and that killing them the way they were risked a backlash that would destroy the world. This was discovered alongside having to save one of the dragons for the meantime, which had consequences on one of the other awake dragons. While there were prior instances of failures and harsh realities that Syrlya was forced to reckon with, the realization that the process of saving the world nearly led to its destruction broke his confidence in a way he never quite recovered from, and he became increasingly haunted by the guilt of his failures.

Powers: Syrlya's magical class is that of a Mesmer. Mesmers are mages that specialize in illusions (such as creating clones of themselves, distorting their opponents senses, or making things appear as something other than they are) and distorting reality (such as creating a dome that reflect projectiles, teleporting short distances, phasing his physical form so that attacks pass through him). His subclass is Chronomancy, which is using illusions and minor time distortion to distort his opponents perceptions of time and, in small areas, the entire flow of it (such as creating a bubble that causes enemies to move slowly in it, or creating a temporary rift that he reminds back to after a few seconds).

Mesmers also specialize mental influence, such as disorienting people's senses and causing harm by attacking their mind directly, rather than their physical body. He has mantras, verbally charged spells that fall into this subclass and act as self-wards from external effects and offensive assaults to the mind. He isn't able to control anyone (the closest is using illusions to create a sort of hypnotic suggestion, but this only works as far as the other person can be tricked). In theory he could access someone's mind directly (I.E. creating an illusion fully in their mind only they can see) but those sorts of spells are kept in secrecy among established Mesmer groups and Syrlya doesn't know any of them.

He's unable to create grand scale illusions or permanent breaks or changes to reality--it would require a level of magic more than he's capable of. Most spells last in the range of a few seconds to a minute, but clones can be maintained for longer because they are illusions connected to his form. They can only navigate a certain range around his presence and their actions are based entire on his will.

All the combat professions in Tyria have healing magic of varying capabilities, including Mesmers. Overall, Syr's healing capabilities aren't much better than alleviating shallow wounds and pain.

He also has a natural connection to plant life that allows him some influence over their growth, such as encouraging vines to grow in a specific pattern, making flowers bloom, or causing plants to grow faster than normal. The larger the plant, the longer the process, and he can't revive any plants from death--he can, however, help encourage their healing. They can innately sense things such as their state and health, but not physiological technicalities like their level of poison.

Mesmer | Chronomancer | Sylvari + Plant Manipulation

BIOLOGICAL STUFF: Sylvari are, literally, magic plants that take an approximate human form. This comes with some benefits owed to their physicality, such as a denser and more resilient body and the technical ability to regenerate lost body parts. They however heal at roughly the same rate as humans, so removing an appendage could take months or years to actually recover. While they have thermoreceptors, they're less adversely affected by temperature compared to a human being. Sylvari do photosynthesize, though it isn't enough to survive on by its own.

Between Sylvari is an empathetic mental connection, but only between each other as they originate from the same mental space before being physically born. They're like a pseudo-hivemind.

MANDATORY QUESTIONS

- Of all the things you own or have owned, what is the most important to you?

"My sword, I suppose. I don't keep many possessions, but it would be troublesome to be caught without a weapon while traveling. The world can be a dangerous place so I've learned to always be prepared."

- Where is it you feel most at peace, or most whole?

"The Grove, the home of my people. I rarely get the chance to visit, though--I have more time now than I did before. It's a strange feeling... even knowing that, I admit I have yet to return."

- Describe what gives you the most strength.

"My friends--my family. Even those that have been lost. If we ever want to change the world, we cannot do it alone. I would not have been able to accomplish what I did without any of them by my side. Even if I wish they didn't have to suffer for it."

OPTIONAL QUESTIONS

- What is more important to you: embracing your individuality, or preserving the status quo?

"If embracing oneself causes such a disruption to things as they are, then perhaps it should change. Where would the world be if we accepted stagnation?"

- Do you consider the rules and laws to be an important part of society? How so?

"They do draw a clear boundary between what is and isn't acceptable. Even we Sylvari aren't born with a certainty of what's right and wrong. There's so much to learn about the world first. But other races have so many complicated ones, and they aren't always fair. I believe it is best to challenge those."

- Do you forgive easily, or do you hold grudges?

"I certainly prefer not to hold a grudge. People can change for the better, and a petty squabble is never worth losing a friend. But--some things are simply unforgiveable."

- Have you ever made a promise you can't keep?

"... I've made promises that I failed to keep, but I would never give someone false hope by declaring something I knew I couldn't see through."

- What would you describe as your weakness?

"I, ah, well. I have been told that I can be a hypocrite, but it hasn't interfered with my duty so is it really a weakness? Perhaps, my stubbornness hasn't always been helpful..."

- Name one thing you refuse to compromise on, and why.

"I would never turn my back on people who need it, no matter how small their problem. No matter how big the greater problem is--we can't forget the reason we fight for the world. We can't forget what makes it worth fighting for."

- Cats or dogs?

"Must I choose? Oh, cats, I suppose. Somehow I seem to find myself in their company more than any other animal."

Inventory: His sword, shield, and a defunct communicator because walkie-talkies don't extend across dimensions.

Sage Crest: The back of his neck.

Questions?: non

PAIR CLAUSE: Lunae Calamitas is a mod pair game, which means we are assigning your character a pair in secret. These fated pairs are not meant to be romantic. Please be aware that the basis for the pairing may mean that your character may be challenged in some way, and in some cases they might not even get along.