Gnolls and Elves.

[Danikat.8537]

> @"dace.8019" said:

> > @"ShiningSquirrel.3751" said:

> > > @"Kraytdragon.6452" said:

> > > Were the Charr modeled after Gnolls? They remind me of Gnolls with horns (Awesome concept, FYI).

> > >

> >

> > I would very much doubt it. The charr are more of a feline race while gnolls are more hyena then anything else.

>

> Interestingly, hyenas are cats (or cat-like) and are classed as feliformia.

 

I like to call them cat-dogs. But usually only in a work context where I can be reasonably sure people will know what I'm talking about and won't think I'm mad. Or when explaining to kids that they're an example of convergent evolution - where unrelated species end up resembling each other because of their behaviour and the habitat they're living in.

 

(I'm also pushing to rename all mustelids to otters to improve their public image - so badgers are ground otters, pine martens are tree otters, weasels and stoats are speed otters, and so on. Oddly that one's been less popular than cat-dog.)

 

Charr are more generically cat like however. I don't think they're based on any one species the way gnolls are with hyenas. Although I think you could make one that looks like a hyena if you wanted to.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

> @"Kraytdragon.6452" said:

> Were the Charr modeled after Gnolls? They remind me of Gnolls with horns (Awesome concept, FYI). Anyways, I'm really enjoying the game and its beautiful.

 

Charr were originally orcs. Or rather, orc-like animalistic creatures.

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20130201045335/http://www.arena.net/blog/the-artistic-origin-of-the-charr

 

_"The original concept for the charr was a race of animalistic creatures that have a variety of forms and functions. Some of these creatures would be brutish brawlers that ran on all four limbs, while others would be more intelligent magic users who would stand on their back legs, performing rituals and holding magic artifacts with their hands._

 

_Initially we were considering an orc-like race of creatures, but I think everyone soon agreed that we didn’t want to make orcs, ogres, or trolls the main bad guys in our game. They’ve been used in many books, movies, and games, and have been done very well. We needed something different, something that would grab at your gut without needing to be explained."_

 

IIRC, it was actually the grawl who were inspired by gnolls. ((EDIT: Nope, the grawl were inspired by troglodytes that also inspired the lizard-like troglodytes of D&D. https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Planet_of_the_Grawl#Behind_the_Scenes))

 

(It's a real shame that ArenaNet removed that old blog; lots of interesting articles lost).

 

> Also if the Sylvari are supposed to be Elves of GW2 then its one of the best original ideas for an Elven race in my opinion and it is how I would imagine them to be if Elves were real. The whole idea of being born from a tree (Modeled after Humans) and entering into the world is brilliant.

 

Not really. They only fulfill similar roles in that they're both "close to nature races", but most elves tend to be an ancient race with their kind on the decline; this role is instead played by humans in GW2. Sylvari have stronger influence from dryads

 

Some reading:

https://web.archive.org/web/20130201050207/http://www.arena.net/blog/kristen-perry-on-designing-and-redesigning-the-sylvari

https://web.archive.org/web/20130201045908/http://www.arena.net/blog/the-sylvari-soul

 

> I wonder can Sylvari procreate since there is female and male Sylvari and would they produce an offspring that looks more human like of plant like? I guess my question would be, would the offspring of a Sylvari look like something the Pale Tree had produced or would it look more Human?

 

Sylvari cannot procreate. They can have sex, but not bear children.

 

None of the player races are capable of interbreeding with each other. Not even human and norn.

[Konig Des Todes.2086]

> @"Westenev.5289" said:

> I'm pretty sure Sylvari can change their genders (it's purely aesthetic) - similar to how they can turn into 7 foot muscleheads after hearing "the call".

>

> Wasn't the Pale Tree in gw1 planted near a human grave site? It sure would be creepy if that was the reason why they were given human form.

 

It kind of is, and mostly isn't. The Pale Tree modeled sylvari after humans based on those she saw, such as Ronan. It is possible, but not necessary, that the corpses also gave additional "study material" for her.

 

> @"Dawdler.8521" said:

> > @"Danikat.8537" said:

> > Not exactly. The Pale Tree's seed was found by a human called Ronan who took it to a small island where a few individuals chose to live (mainly humans and two centaur - most importantly Ventari who was a famous pacifist centaur in GW1). He planted the seed and it grew in the middle of their little village. They did, eventually, die there because they'd all gone there to live out the rest of their lives away from the chaos in the rest of the world, but the Pale Tree modelled the sylvari after Ronan and the others because of her memories of living with them, not because of having their dead bodies.

> But there are no salad centaurs afaik?

 

That's because the Pale Tree decided to model sylvari after humans, rather than centaurs. Given their true roots (that I won't mention due to OP being new), she could make sylvari centaurs, or other creatures, but didn't.

[crepuscular.9047]

> @"Steve The Cynic.3217" said:

> > @"crepuscular.9047" said:

> > nope, all Sylvari are borne from the Mother Tree, basically...

their grand old daddy is the big bad Mordremoth

 

>

> Actually, that's not true.

>

> >! You forgot about Malyck, who is a slightly strange-looking Sylvari who was *not* born from the Mother Tree.

 

 

 

Mother Tree is just a colloquial term Sylvaris used to call the tree they grew out from, the one at the Grove is the Pale Tree, most likely due to the appearance of it, the Sylvaris addresses the avatar as Pale Mother

 

who knows what Malyck calls his mother tree

 

the thing is, the Sylvaris of the Grove calls themselves the Sylvaris, the Sylvaris where Malyck came from, they may have called themselves something different

 

when we first encountered Malyck, he actually called the Nightmare Courts Sylvaris 'creatures', so he may not have recognise they are the same race

Malyck: The Wardens said these creatures are called the "Nightmare Court." They've set fire to the camp, and cut down everything in their path.

 

the name of the race 'Sylvari' may well be something created by Ventari

 

 

 

[Trise.2865]

Depending on your perspective, one might argue that the "elves" of this world are, in fact, the Humans. Fantasy Elves have always been the "ancient, magical, declining" race, illustrated by their connection to long-lived, seemingly wise, but mostly powerless trees and forests. They serve as the supernatural "mentor race", much like the Vulcans of Star Trek, or the Asgard aliens from Stargate, to the audience-insert character/race (typically the Humans). In this case, the Tyrian Humans are themselves aliens, longer-lived (compared to the current playables), and comparatively wise (given their connections to supernatural Gods, and their predilection for history).

 

So who are the "humans", if the Humans are the "elves"? Why, the Sylvari, of course! The *Sylvari* are the young, ambitious species with great potential but no experience, lacking only guidance from the older species.

[Danikat.8537]

> @"Trise.2865" said:

> Depending on your perspective, one might argue that the "elves" of this world are, in fact, the Humans. Fantasy Elves have always been the "ancient, magical, declining" race, illustrated by their connection to long-lived, seemingly wise, but mostly powerless trees and forests. They serve as the supernatural "mentor race", much like the Vulcans of Star Trek, or the Asgard aliens from Stargate, to the audience-insert character/race (typically the Humans). In this case, the Tyrian Humans are themselves aliens, longer-lived (compared to the current playables), and comparatively wise (given their connections to supernatural Gods, and their predilection for history).

>

> So who are the "humans", if the Humans are the "elves"? Why, the Sylvari, of course! The *Sylvari* are the young, ambitious species with great potential but no experience, lacking only guidance from the older species.

 

I agree with everything you said, but I'd also point out that we don't know yet how long sylvari can live. The oldest sylvari are only 30 years old and so far the only ones to die have been killed rather than dying of old age.

 

I sometimes wonder if the sylvari (particularly the first born) think about that. Do they ever wonder about how long they might live and does it worry them that they don't know their own life expectancy? I know in real life no one really knows how long they'll live, but at least we have a rough estimate and I think that influences a lot of choices people make in their lives.

 

The oldest sylvari could be approaching old age already, or they could have a life span similar to humans, or they could live for thousands of years, or anything in between. And we - and they - might not know until they start to show signs of aging and dying of natural causes.

[Tiviana.2650]

> @"crepuscular.9047" said:

> > @"Tiviana.2650" said:

> > > @"Rauderi.8706" said:

> > > Sylvari seem to be the elf-alternate for Tyria. Which.. is kinda cool. I like the twist, and I'm glad to not see elves and dwarves and most other fantasy-bait.

> > > Sylvari have a new-race feel and their personalities are a delightful step away from the aloof and pompous nature of the typical fantasy elf.

> > >

> > > Charr fill the checkboxes for "warrior race" and "beast race", but they do it with a wonderfully steampunk-Roman flair that still makes them feel unique.

> > > Now if we could do something about the clipping...

> >

> > I love them but settled on asura just too cute to pass up.

>

> they weren't meant to be cute, from GW2 , and especially LW S2 with the introduction to Taimi they went toward the cutie direction

>

> the original concept arts reminded me of those little imp demon creatures from Diablo Act 3 the swamp jungle

>

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YIKES!!!