Mordrem

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Spoiler alert: The following text contains spoilers relating to Living World Season 2, Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns, Living World Season 3 and Living World Season 4.
Mordrem Guard Sniper.jpg
“

Mordrem are the nightmarish minions of the jungle dragon, Mordremoth. These plantlike horrors are fanatically devoted to Mordremoth, twisted by its influence over the domain of the mind, and more than willing to call on the dragon's power in order to better serve it in battle.

— Official site

The Mordrem (sometimes prefixed Overgrown or Blighted) are the corrupted plant-like minions of Mordremoth, the Elder Dragon of Plant and Mind. They are based in the Heart of Maguuma but have spread eastward to Central Tyria, appearing as far as Iron Marches in Ascalon.

Physiology[edit]

“

Raises the stakes to a whole new level of awful, doesn't it?

— Marjory Delaqua about Mordremoth's corruption

The appearance and shape of the Mordrem vary, but all of them have traits commonly associated with flora, being composed of corrupted plant matter. When they appear, a growth of small vines and other vegetation can be seen on the ground as they rise. They can take various shapes, such as Mordrem Wolves appearing beast-like and the Mordrem Shield Blossoms as plant-like. The process of Mordremoth's corruption remained unclear at first such as whether the creatures were formed into new shapes from vegetation or if Mordremoth took animals and turned them into plant-like creations, but later evidence suggests that Mordremoth used both ways to create minions.[1]

Blighting Trees act as minion making factories. Many Mordrem are closer to clones, created by corrupting plant matter that is shaped into near perfect replicas of beings both living and dead that are used as base templates in the minion creation process. The original beings that the Mordrem are based on are placed in a Mordrem Pod (for the living) or a Blighting Pod (for the dead).

Explorer Amoxtli has denoted a similarity between the Mordrem and Mordremoth's vines, and the Nightmare Court's own influences.

History[edit]

Living World Season 2[edit]

Following its awakening, Mordremoth began extending its influence throughout the Heart of Maguuma and created several Mordrem to enact its will. The Mordrem first appeared in Central Tyria in Brisban Wildlands, where they opened a passage to Dry Top in 1327 AE. They then attacked the Town of Prosperity as they spread their influence across the Maguuma Wastes. They continued advancing along with Mordremoth's vines, appearing as far east as Iron Marches, and attacked Fort Salma in Kessex Hills and Fort Concordia in Timberline Falls in search of magical artifacts.

The Mordrem's most devastating attack took place in the Grove, however, where the Shadow of the Dragon led them in an attempt to kill the world leaders attending a summit there and to injure the Pale Tree in preparation for Mordremoth's plan to weaken the sylvari's mental protection.[2] Although the Mordrem were driven off, the Pale Tree was reduced to a weakened state and could only stay conscious for brief amounts of time.

The Mordrem continued their advance but faced resistance from the Pact which had mobilized and set up Camp Resolve in the Silverwastes. The dragon minions were successful in breaching the camp but were driven back by bombardment, and the Pact continued the offensive to force the Mordrem Vinewrath, which had been coordinating the Mordrem assault, to withdraw. By the time the Pact Commander's party defeated the Shadow of the Dragon, the Pact fleet launched and headed for the Heart of Maguuma to take the fight to Mordremoth before the Elder Dragon could gather enough magic to become more powerful.

Heart of Thorns[edit]

The Pact fleet crashed in 1328 AE, however, when Mordrem vines ambushed them by extending and piercing several airships while Mordremoth's call affected many sylvari who turned against their companions and sabotaged the ships. Following the crash, the Mordrem continued harassing surviving Pact members and local jungle inhabitants alongside the turned sylvari who began calling themselves the Mordrem Guard. They killed opposition and transported living captives and corpses to Blighting Trees to be cloned. Mordrem reacted to the reactivation of Tarir, the Forgotten City, and attempted to breach the city to gain the magic and Glint's Egg that resided within. Mordremoth created special Mordrem vinetooths to kill Tarir's Exalted defenders whom it was unable to corrupt.[3]

During the Pact's regrouping and offensive in the jungle, Mordremoth refined its blighting abilities by creating the first batch of improved Mordrem from the imprisoned Logan Thackeray and Zojja who were kept alive as templates within Mordrem Pods. The dragon had plans to do the same to Trahearne, leading an army of these improved Mordrem on a full-scale invasion of Central Tyria.[4] However, these Mordrem were ultimately slain before Mordremoth itself was slain by the combined efforts of the Pact Commander's party, Trahearne, and the rest of the Pact and their jungle allies.

Living World Season 3[edit]

Following Mordremoth's death and the lack of the dragon's voice to guide them, some of the Mordrem became unhinged.[5] They nevertheless continued terrorizing the Heart of Maguuma and remained a threat even if their numbers had diminished by 1329 AE.

Living World Season 4[edit]

The fate of the surviving Mordrem Guard and whether they stayed loyal to Mordremoth or not remained unknown except for one atoning sylvari who appeared in Labyrinthine Cliffs during the Festival of the Four Winds in 1331 AE. An Inquest cell headed by Overseer Kuda used a Mordrem test subject, known as Beyn, to gather data on its combat and synchronization abilities alongside other dragon minion simulacra in the Specimen Chamber of Rata Primus.

Sylvari[edit]

Primary article: Sylvari

The sylvari are a purified form of Mordrem, born from the Pale Tree that was freed of Mordremoth's corruption by unknown means. Unlike Mordrem, they grow without taking over other living things. Because they are protected by the Pale Tree and the Dream of Dreams, the sylvari are immune to corruption by Elder Dragons, a fact which was taken advantage of by the Pact by forming all-sylvari units such as the Pale Reavers.[6][7][8][9] Any attempt to corrupt a sylvari results in the affected sylvari dying instead; however, there are ways to circumvent this protection if the affected sylvari willingly opens themselves to a dragon's corruption rather than being forced to undergo the process.[10]

However, the sylvari are so vulnerable to mental corruption by Mordremoth that mere proximity and the intensity of its voice masking itself as the sylvari's own thoughts or a false sensation of a Wyld Hunt or Dark Hunt can be enough to turn them to the dragon's side. Sylvari refer to this phenomenon as "The Call", and they must continually fight to keep from being subsumed.

Mordrem Guard[edit]

Primary article: Mordrem Guard

The Mordrem Guard are a specific type of Mordrem. They are sylvari who have answered Mordremoth's call and succumbed to its influence during and after the Pact fleet's crash in 1328 AE.[11]

Types[edit]

See also: Category:Mordrem

Gallery[edit]

Concept art
  • Art by Carlyn Lim.

    Art by Carlyn Lim.

  • Art by Carlyn Lim.

    Art by Carlyn Lim.

  • Art by Carlyn Lim.

    Art by Carlyn Lim.

  • Art by Carlyn Lim.

    Art by Carlyn Lim.

  • Art by Carlyn Lim.

    Art by Carlyn Lim.

  • Art by Carlyn Lim.

    Art by Carlyn Lim.

Renders
Screenshots

Notes[edit]

  • Despite the Mordrem's plant-like appearance and traits, they are not plants and none of them count toward the Plant Slayer achievement.

Trivia[edit]

  • It is unclear who called the Mordrem by that name originally. It is never mentioned in game until the end of The Machine story instance, when Kasmeer calls them that by name.
  • The Mordrem have their own leitmotif, called "The Mordrem", which was composed by Maclaine Diemer. The "Newly Awakened" track, appearing in the flashback instance which depicts early sylvari years, subtly plays a more innocent version of the Mordrem theme beneath its main melody, foreshadowing the later reveal of sylvari origins as purified Mordrem.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Post by Scott McGough in "Lore Q&A", Old Guild Wars 2 Forums (Archived)
  2. ^ Cornered (upon examining Aerin's corpse) The left half of the paper is missing, but the remaining piece says, "...leader will die. The rest will fall in line. We will not fail." The rest is unreadable.
  3. ^ Exalted Bastion
  4. ^ The vision of Glint's Egg seen at the end of City of Hope.
  5. ^ Eir's Memorial in Hoelbrak
    <Character name>: I still can't believe it. How did you find Garm?
    Rox: Tracked him from the crash site. Wasn't easy—the jungle's still crawling with Mordrem.
    Rox: Some of them have come unhinged without their master's voice. Poor Garm followed Eir's scent into the middle of it all.
  6. ^ Rallying Call
    Avatar of the Tree: Well, my child, the one thing you must never forget is that I stand between you and the greatest darkness you'll ever know. A vast darkness intent on consuming all that we hold dear.
    <Character name>: (if sylvari) What do you mean, Mother?
    Avatar of the Tree: There are those who reject my protection. It leaves them vulnerable in ways they cannot imagine, in ways they never were before. I shield you as best I can and will for as long as I can.
    <Character name>: You're talking about dragon corruption. We've been immune to it.
    Avatar of the Tree: Yes. In the past, my children have been immune. But Mordremoth's corruption is powerful, and just as Zhaitan created the undead from so many creatures, so Mordremoth's corruption can change you.
    <Character name>: Scarlet?
    Avatar of the Tree: I believe she opened herself to it when she let down the wall of her mind. Mordremoth's corruption seeps in through the cracks in our willpower. Do not follow in her footsteps.
  7. ^ Hidden Arcana
    <Character name>: Sylvari were invulnerable to corruption. But not with Mordremoth. Why?
    Ogden Stonehealer: (if sylvari) You refer to Scarlet and Aerin. Similar symptoms. Yes.
    Ogden Stonehealer: I'm no expert on your kind. But your people's concept of nightmare and Dream is simple.
    Ogden Stonehealer: Too black and white, too unsophisticated to explain the changes affecting some of you.
    Ogden Stonehealer: The Pale Tree is said to protect you from the corruption of the other dragons. They both rejected her, no?
    Ogden Stonehealer: It makes sense that sylvari would be vulnerable to Mordremoth, a plant-based being like yourselves.
    Ogden Stonehealer: This is a question you should ask your Pale Tree.
  8. ^ Points of Interest Episode 18 summary, guildwars2.com
  9. ^ While the common misconception is that sylvari are immune to dragon corruption due to being dragon minions themselves, the existence of cross-corrupted dragon minions such as Kudu's Monster, Subject Alpha and the Simulacrum of Subject Beta shows that dragon minions can be corrupted by other dragons' energies.
  10. ^ The Crystal Blooms
    Caithe: It's all right. Speak through me. [...]
    Caithe: Oh, I'm me. We were right—she DOES need both of us. Now I know what my role is. And it's...humbling.
    Taimi: I thought dragon minions couldn't be corrupted by other dragons! Is it 'cause her egg absorbed Mordremoth's magic? How—
    Caithe: Taimi, it's all right. She asked, and I accepted. This isn't corruption—it's connection.
  11. ^ The Mordrem Guard
Elder Dragons
Primordus (Destroyers) • Jormag (Icebrood) • Zhaitan (Risen) • Kralkatorrik (Branded) • Mordremoth (Mordrem)
Deep Sea Dragon • Elder Prismatic Dragon
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