Labyrinthine Cliffs - Solitary npc (spoilers)

[Tyson.5160]

Not sure if anyone noticed but the Labyrinthine Cliffs has a high pillar west of the Bazaar with a single solitary Sylvari. The Sylvari character advised that they had answered the call of Mordremoth several years ago and that his voice still echos in his head. This seems to mean that the Sylvari that changed into Mordrem Guard have reverted back to Sylvari.

[Blocki.4931]

That explains the confused cow as well..

 

There are a ton of small bits like this on the map, I love it

[Tyson.5160]

> @"Blocki.4931" said:

> That explains the confused cow as well..

>

> There are a ton of small bits like this on the map, I love it

 

I also noticed a small rift near the cow.

[Tyson.5160]

Having the Olmakhan on the map is a nice touch as well.

[ugrakarma.9416]

Small bits of "history aware", easter eggs, is all things what we love. In Queen Jenna's speech she mentions something about dry-top, showing that they are aware of the incident.

[Tyson.5160]

> @"ugrakarma.9416" said:

> Small bits of "history aware", easter eggs, is all things what we love. In Queen Jenna's speech she mentions something about dry-top, showing that they are aware of the incident.

 

Yeah some of Zephyrites appear to suffer from PTSD because of the crash according to the dialogue of some of them.

 

[Pax.3548]

> @"Tyson.5160" said:

> Having the Olmakhan on the map is a nice touch as well.

 

There are also nuhoch and itzel hyleks around, also hamaseen, Cowrie league and House of Daoud representatives as well, it seem everyone, since LW2 to the current LW season, is here, very nice touch

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

> @"Tyson.5160" said:

> Having the Olmakhan on the map is a nice touch as well.

 

So is having representatives from every trade cache box from PoF/S4 maps. As well as the Itzel and Nuhoch traders. Even the addition of updrafts is nice, since it really felt like they "forgot" about HoT once they moved on, with zero Itzel or Nuhoch mentioned in S3 onward, and no gliding stuff in PoF/S4.

 

It is rather annoying that [Morning](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Morning "Morning"), the Zephyrite who dies in Fallen Hopes (second instance of S2), is back alive and well again telling us what's happening during the festival though... And her death is clearly documented on the wiki. C'mon Anet!

 

Also rather strange how all the Zephyrites are talking as if they knew they were caring for Glint's Egg, despite A Study in Gold told us that only the upper echelons of the Zephyrites knew this.

[Tyson.5160]

> @"Konig Des Todes.2086" said:

> > @"Tyson.5160" said:

> > Having the Olmakhan on the map is a nice touch as well.

>

> So is having representatives from every trade cache box from PoF/S4 maps. As well as the Itzel and Nuhoch traders. Even the addition of updrafts is nice, since it really felt like they "forgot" about HoT once they moved on, with zero Itzel or Nuhoch mentioned in S3 onward, and no gliding stuff in PoF/S4.

>

> It is rather annoying that [Morning](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Morning "Morning"), the Zephyrite who dies in Fallen Hopes (second instance of S2), is back alive and well again telling us what's happening during the festival though... And her death is clearly documented on the wiki. C'mon Anet!

>

> Also rather strange how all the Zephyrites are talking as if they knew they were caring for Glint's Egg, despite A Study in Gold told us that only the upper echelons of the Zephyrites knew this.

 

Clearly Joko awakened her. ?

 

Knowing how excited the Exalted are about Aurene, the Zephyrites might have learned it from them. Kinda a missed opportunity, I wished they showed some Zephyrites in Tarir talking to the Exalted, figuring how close Tarir is to the crash site. A bit of a passing the torch scenario. Ah well, I didn’t notice any dialogue advising that they went to Tarir or reference the Exalted at all, which is rather disappointing.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

Yeah, though there is dialogue about the Zephyrites hearing about Aurene's actions in Elona, and specifically citing her fighting Balthazar with the Commander. Our first real indication that word of Elonian exploits have reached Tyrians.

[Tyson.5160]

I also take it that the Solitary Sylvari once had the hardened bark features like the Mordrem Guard and after Mordremoth’s death, would have what shed the bark away. It is kinda redeeming that there was at least some positive things with killing Mordremoth and that the Mordrem Guard, though probably traumatized, are free.

[Aaron Ansari.1604]

> @"Tyson.5160" said:

> I also take it that the Solitary Sylvari once had the hardened bark features like the Mordrem Guard and after Mordremoth’s death, would have what shed the bark away. It is kinda redeeming that there was at least some positive things with killing Mordremoth and that the Mordrem Guard, though probably traumatized, are free.

 

I tend to agree, but to play Devil's Advocate, there were also sylvari who [succumbed but didn't physically transform.](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Corrupted_Sylvari) Without knowing where the tipping point was for Mordremoth stripping them of their original forms, we can't rule out the possibility that our new friend was never a Mordrem Guard.

[Tyson.5160]

> @"Aaron Ansari.1604" said:

> > @"Tyson.5160" said:

> > I also take it that the Solitary Sylvari once had the hardened bark features like the Mordrem Guard and after Mordremoth’s death, would have what shed the bark away. It is kinda redeeming that there was at least some positive things with killing Mordremoth and that the Mordrem Guard, though probably traumatized, are free.

>

> I tend to agree, but to play Devil's Advocate, there were also sylvari who [succumbed but didn't physically transform.](https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Corrupted_Sylvari) Without knowing where the tipping point was for Mordremoth stripping them of their original forms, we can't rule out the possibility that our new friend was never a Mordrem Guard.

 

There were fewer corrupted Sylvari then Mordrem Guard and they only really showed up in Verdant Brink. That being said, we don’t really know. Aerin never transformed at all and yet Mordremoth was calling the shots.

[perilisk.1874]

I can't remember -- was there a Soundless Sylvari there the last time the festival ran?

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

> @"perilisk.1874" said:

> I can't remember -- was there a Soundless Sylvari there the last time the festival ran?

 

Well, technically, Aerin was a sylvari and Soundless. Though during the Festival he talked about sharing experiences with the Dream which is unlike the Soundless.

 

As far as I remember, there were no sylvari NPCs specifically called out as Soundless during Festival or Bazaar.

[Rognik.2579]

Considering how many of the new cultures are included in the festival this year, it'll be interesting to see if new groups are added in future releases of this festival.

[Cragga the Eighty Third.60]

> @"Tyson.5160" said:

> > @"Blocki.4931" said:

> > That explains the confused cow as well..

> >

> > There are a ton of small bits like this on the map, I love it

>

> I also noticed a small rift near the cow.

 

Oh, I just assumed they tightened the spring too much on the cattlepult.

[Fenom.9457]

I’m not sure the Mordrem guard revert back, more likely he answere the call but didn’t do much. I really hope we get the last few gaps in the jungle and story about dragon minions after their masters death

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

Those who answered the call **were** Mordrem Guard though. Not all physically changed (those that didn't were all spies or hiding their identity as servants of Mordremoth for one reason or another), but they were all Mordrem Guard as by definition, Mordrem Guard are "sylvari who answered Mordremoth's call".

 

Though it does raise the question of appearance changing back over time and whether this guy was one of those "spies" or not.

[Tyson.5160]

> @"Konig Des Todes.2086" said:

> Those who answered the call **were** Mordrem Guard though. Not all physically changed (those that didn't were all spies or hiding their identity as servants of Mordremoth for one reason or another), but they were all Mordrem Guard as by definition, Mordrem Guard are "sylvari who answered Mordremoth's call".

>

> Though it does raise the question of appearance changing back over time and whether this guy was one of those "spies" or not.

 

Didn’t they describe Mordrem Guard changing their form as similar to how Sylvari changed their appearance except the change was controlled by Mordremoth? Perhaps the Sylvari could just change appearance once Mordremoth was dead.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

That was never stated, afaik, but it is implied due to the prior build up with Canach and Caithe, and the whole lack of actual corruption with the MG.

 

But with Canach, when the concept of sylvari appearances changing drastically was first shown to us, we were told it was due to psychological stress.

 

If the sylvari who answered Mordremoth's call still hear the echoes of his commands, they'd be no doubt mentally unstable in many cases, and the mere mental stress caused by the burden of knowing what you've done could lead to not exactly returning as is. I'd imagine there would be many former Mordrem Guard who are in a half-turned state like we see Trahearne, simply due to this stress.

[Tyson.5160]

> @"Konig Des Todes.2086" said:

> That was never stated, afaik, but it is implied due to the prior build up with Canach and Caithe, and the whole lack of actual corruption with the MG.

>

> But with Canach, when the concept of sylvari appearances changing drastically was first shown to us, we were told it was due to psychological stress.

>

> If the sylvari who answered Mordremoth's call still hear the echoes of his commands, they'd be no doubt mentally unstable in many cases, and the mere mental stress caused by the burden of knowing what you've done could lead to not exactly returning as is. I'd imagine there would be many former Mordrem Guard who are in a half-turned state like we see Trahearne, simply due to this stress.

 

Quote from Scott McGough:

 

A Mordrem Guard’s appearance is more due to Mordremoth’s ability to control and shape plant life—sylvari are plants, after all, and once Mordy’s mental influence takes hold of a sylvari, it then twists their physical form into this more formidable configuration. It is related to/a dark mirror of a sylvari’s ability to change their own appearance, but in this case it’s being directed by Mordy and not the individual.

 

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/lore/Lore-Q-A/page/2#post6175329

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

Ah, yes, forgot about that. Still my comment about the return of their appearance remains.

[Tyson.5160]

> @"Konig Des Todes.2086" said:

> Ah, yes, forgot about that. Still my comment about the return of their appearance remains.

 

Oh, I agree. Here is hoping that they sprinkle in more delicious lore. Honestly we have one npc with some dialogue in a festival and yet they can answer a lot of questions with this method.

[foozlesprite.8051]

Looking at this guy I went "wait...does this mean he used to be a full-blown Mordrem, rather than just a 'regular' sylvari that turned on the Pact?" because in my mind they were separate concepts. It feels like a huge lorebomb for such a casual, missable update either way, but if he came back from being physically Mordrem, that's..._big_.