Trahearne

From Guild Wars 2 Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search

The dragons are not stars in the sky. They can be counted. They can be fought. One day, we will kill the last of them. Only then will Tyria be safe.

Trahearne

Trahearne of the Cycle of Dusk is the first of the twelve Firstborn[1] and is a sylvari valiant. Upon awakening, he was given the Wyld Hunt to reverse the corruption inflicted upon Orr, which he long thought impossible. To this end, he has spent his time traveling Orr alone, and for a long time he and his sister Caithe were the only two creatures to have seen the Elder Dragon Zhaitan and lived to tell the tale. Throughout his travels, Trahearne has formed many connections with the Orders of Tyria, as well as more withdrawn races such as the tengu and largos. Due to this, and his wealth of knowledge about Orr and the Risen, he is held in high regard by many.

Biography[edit]

Early years[edit]

Trahearne was the first of the Firstborn sylvari to awaken under the boughs of the Pale Tree in the Cycle of Dusk in 1302 AE. He witnessed the awakenings of his eleven siblings, evenly divided between the four cycles of the day.[1] Trahearne was unique even among the Firstborn because he was initially the only sylvari who could directly communicate with the Pale Tree, relaying the Pale Mother's messages to the rest of his siblings.

Personal story[edit]

Teachings of Ventari[edit]

Act With Wisdom
All Things Have a Right to Grow
Where Life Goes

When news about the Nightmare Court's raids and their search for a mysterious Harbinger reached the Grove, Caithe, Trahearne, and the Valiant volunteered to travel to each outpost in order to both aid in the outposts' defense and thwart the courtiers' plans. As they reunited after successfully defending the outposts, Caithe and Trahearne learned that the Valiant had found the supposed Harbinger, a sylvari named Malyck, who was initially wary of the two Firstborn and their motives but was willing to hear them out due to his respect for the Valiant who had aided him in thwarting the Nightmare Court's attacks earlier. Upon learning only fragmentary memories from Malyck's recent past and that he seemingly did not have a connection to the Dream unlike other sylvari, Caithe and Trahearne had different solutions to solve the mystery. Caithe suggested that they follow the river in order to find a specific bridge which Malyck had mentioned and discover more clues to his origins there. Meanwhile, Trahearne suggested that they visit his old friend, the sylvari seer named Amaranda the Lonesome, who could help them find answers from the Dream.

If Malyck and the Valiant followed Trahearne's plan, the three of them traveled to Zinder Slope where they found Amaranda being targeted by the Nightmare Court. After defeating the attackers and asking for Amaranda's assistance, the seer looked into Malyck's eyes. She saw strange images about a distant shore, darkness, a root, a cave, and how Malyck appeared to be the seed of what Ronan, the human who had planted the Pale Tree, had known but had never told anyone about but which still lingered on in the Dream. Amaranda's words made Trahearne realize that Malyck did not originate from the Pale Tree but somewhere else.

The Knight of Embers, a high-ranking courtier whose Dark Hunt was to find the Harbinger, managed to track down the trio and realized Malyck's importance not only for her Dark Hunt but to the Nightmare and the entire sylvari race as well. She revealed that it was her mission to draw Malyck into Nightmare so he in turn could help free the sylvari from the laws of Ventari's Tablet. She tried to persuade Malyck to come with her, but Malyck refusal to follow her led to a fight between the trio and the Knight's entourage. Realizing that her forces could not win, the Knight retreated but promised to bring news of the Harbinger to Faolain and hunt Malyck to the ends of the earth if she had to.

The trio tracked the Knight of Embers to Nemeton Grove, and Malyck pondered his options and the gravity of the situation as they prepared for battle. If the Nightmare Court as a whole learned of the existence of Malyck's tree which was not influenced by Ventari's Tablet, the courtiers could burn down the Grove as they no longer needed to convert the Pale Tree to Nightmare due to having another tree to turn their attention to. Malyck resolved to rather die and take his secret with him to the grave than allow the Nightmare Court to abuse the knowledge of his origins.

Malyck had kept the disguises from his and the Valiant's earlier infiltration of Joy's End and had the Valiant and Trahearne dress up as courtiers who had ostensibly captured him. They managed to infiltrate the Nightmare Court gathering and freed the courtiers' prisoners, using the resulting chaos to their advantage to locate the Knight of Embers who was accompanied by her two squires. Malyck rejected the Knight's final offer to join her side, and the trio defeated the Knight and her squires after a fierce clash.

The trio reunited with Caithe in the aftermath, and Malyck realized that the victory over the Knight of Embers was only temporary. He had to leave the sylvari of the Grove behind or the rest of the Nightmare Court, despite still being unaware of his origins, would keep hunting him, hurt others and eventually discover his secret. Malyck determined to head west, into the Heart of Maguuma, to find his people if they still existed, and tell them of the Grove while carrying the virtues of loyalty and honor that he had learned from the Valiant during their adventures together. Before departing, he promised his companions to return with an army with which to fight the Elder Dragons someday.[3]

Justice for Riannoc[edit]

The Battle of Claw Island[edit]

In 1325 AE, Trahearne learned of a fleet of Zhaitan's Dead Ships sailing on Lion's Arch. He traveled to Claw Island in an attempt to warn Watch Commander Talon, but was too late to prevent the massacre and barely escaped with his own life with few other survivors. In seeking new allies to help retake the island, Trahearne joined the hero who would come to be known as the Pact Commander in recruiting allies. He took counsel from the Pale Tree who granted him the magical sword Caladbolg, which had once belonged to his brother Riannoc, and who tasked the pair with unifying the Orders of Tyria into a single force to oppose the Elder Dragons. The pair were successful and, together with the three Orders and other recruited allies, eventually retook Claw Island and slew Zhaitan's champion Blightghast the Plaguebringer.

Forging the Pact[edit]

After the liberation of Claw Island and using the momentum of the three Orders' well-received collaboration, Trahearne forged a Pact from the Orders, and directed them in an offensive against Orr. As Pact Marshal, he established Fort Trinity over the ruins along Terzetto Bay as the main base of operations for the invasion of Orr. The nascent Pact sought out means to protect Fort Trinity from the Risen, so Trahearne contacted his largos ally Sayeh al' Rajihd to recover the Blue Orb, a magical artifact of mysterious origin that would help strengthen Fort Trinity's defenses against encroaching dragon corruption.

During this time Trahearne witnessed the Pact Commander facing their greatest fears which led to losses of allies and the Commander nearly losing their standing in the military and in the eyes of Trahearne after Zhaitan's moles in the Pact had manipulated the Commander to cause a devastating friendly fire incident. However, the Commander was able to resolve each crisis and strengthened their bond with Trahearne as a result.

Victory or Death[edit]

As part of the invasion, Trahearne and the Pact targeted the Eyes and Mouth of Zhaitan to blind Zhaitan's forces and starve the Elder Dragon of magic. They later eliminated the Risen's supply of corpses from the Sea of Sorrow's coast, stemming the growth of Zhaitan's army.

The Pact eventually managed to establish a forward base at the foot of the Promenade of the Gods which would lead to the gates of Arah where Zhaitan himself was dwelling. Upon realizing that Zhaitan could not turn sylvari into his Risen minions and claim their knowledge for himself, Trahearne founded the Pale Reavers, an all-sylvari squad initially led by his old acquaintance Tegwen, and sent them on various dangerous missions throughout Orr.

Upon learning of a way to cleanse Zhaitan's corruption and where to do so, Trahearne and the Commander traveled to the Artesian Waters where they defeated the Sovereign Eye of Zhaitan. The marshal performed the Ritual of Purification to reverse the corruption therein while the Commander and eventually other allies fought against a Risen horde to protect him during the ritual.

Trahearne was weakened in the aftermath of the ritual, however, and was forced to recuperate at Fort Trinity while the Pact and Destiny's Edge assaulted Zhaitan in the Ruined City of Arah. After Zhaitan had been defeated, Trahearne attended the victory celebration in Fort Trinity. He exclaimed the need to begin planning to win four more "impossible victories" over the remaining awake Elder Dragons while feeling a sense of relief over completing his seemingly impossible Wyld Hunt at long last.

Living World Season 1[edit]

Despite the end of his Wyld Hunt, Trahearne remained as the Marshal of the Pact. In the time after Zhaitan's defeat, he focused on reconstituting the ranks and resources of the Pact, with emphasis on building up its highly effective fleet. He was actively sending scouting parties and establishing research teams to begin the plan of an offensive against the Elder Dragon Kralkatorrik in the Crystal Desert.

During this time Trahearne had received reports about Scarlet Briar's attacks on cities, but did not involve Pact in any official capacity as they did not seem to pertain to Elder Dragon activity. During the quest to end the threat posed by the Tower of Nightmares, the Pact Commander encountered a nightmarish hallucination of Trahearne which the Commander was forced to fight against in the Nightmare Chamber.

Trahearne's plans to go after the Elder Dragons were interrupted by the aftermath of Scarlet Briar's assault on Lion's Arch, however, when Tyrians heard a dragon's roar in the aftermath of the Scarlet's demise. The marshal dispatched Laranthir of the Wild to investigate what had occurred.

Living World Season 2[edit]

The Dragon's Reach: Part 2[edit]

Upon hearing that the Pact Commander was to present evidence of the recently awoken Elder Dragon Mordremoth's imminent threat to Tyria, Trahearne attended the World Summit in the Grove in 1327 AE. The negotiations were halted when the Shadow of the Dragon, one of Mordremoth's champions, attacked the Pale Tree and the gathered leaders. The beast was driven off after a fierce clash although it managed to severely harm the Pale Tree before fleeing.

Echoes of the Past[edit]

After the attack on the World Summit, Trahearne took the Commander's warnings to heart and shifted all Pact resources against the newly awakened Mordremoth in hopes to counter an anticipated dispersion of the Elder Dragon's Mordrem minions across western Tyria. He established Camp Resolve in the Silverwastes with contributed arms, resources, troops and researchers from each prominent race. Trahearne began investing in a strictly aerial assault on the Jungle Dragon with the hopes to avoid another drawn-out war of attrition on the ground, and planned to strike before Mordremoth could muster its minions. To locate the Elder Dragon, the marshal used reports which claimed that Mordremoth's core of power was "somewhere east, or south." He also tasked the Commander with finding Caithe and Canach who had gone missing during a reconnaissance mission deep in the Silverwastes, and the Commander managed to rescue the pair from a Mordrem ambush much to the marshal's relief.

Point of No Return[edit]

When the preparations of the Pact Fleet were nearly complete, Mordremoth attempted a counter-offensive against Camp Resolve, which failed thanks to the Commander's timely intervention. Trahearne, flush with victory, called out for the rallying and beginning of the Pact's own offensive. He was then informed that the Pact Commander would not join him in the attack as the Commander was attempting to recover Glint's Egg from a mysteriously absent Caithe who had taken it earlier.

With assistance of Destiny's Edge members Logan Thackeray, Eir Stegalkin, and Zojja, Trahearne led the Pact Fleet aboard the Glory of Tyria in battle against Mordremoth in the skies above Verdant Brink. The battle ended as rapidly as it began, however. Moments after the marshal had called out for the initial volley of fire into the jungle below, massive vines shot out and pierced airships like paper. Chaos spread as sylvari aboard the fleet began to lose their wills and minds to Mordremoth's call. Armed, well-trained, and freshly delivered, the subjugated sylvari overwhelmed Trahearne and Destiny's Edge, and the offensive ended in a complete rout.

Heart of Thorns[edit]

Trahearne, Eir, Zojja and Logan went missing after Mordremoth had brought down the Pact Fleet. It was revealed from survivors of the fleet's destruction that the four had been taken prisoner, and placed in a caravan headed south through the Heart of Maguuma. At some point during their transport through Tangled Depths Trahearne, Zojja and Logan created a diversion to allow other captured Pact officers to escape although it came at the expense of his and their own opportunity to flee.

When the Pact Commander, their allies, and remnants of Destiny's Edge finally reached Trahearne in the depths of the Dragon's Domain in 1328 AE, the captured marshal was dangling unconscious and guarded by a corrupted and blighted Faolain. At her defeat, Trahearne was snatched away from rescue by Mordremoth itself, and taken into the dragon's inner sanctum, seemingly as a trap.

By the time the Commander's party reached the sanctum, Trahearne was awake but broken in body and spirit, and unable to survive removal from his eldritch, pod-like prison. Despite this state, he was able to aid the Commander in attacking Mordremoth's weakness — inside the Dream, where the Elder Dragon had been attacking sylvari in their own minds — by acting as intermediary to the Dream. This connection allowed Trahearne to open a portal so the Commander's party could begin the final assault on Mordremoth's mind while other members of the team stayed behind to guard the area from encroaching Mordrem.

After Mordremoth's mind was destroyed and the victors return to the waking world, Trahearne asked the Commander to bring Caladbolg to him while others marveled at their impossible victory and Mordremoth's disappearance from the minds of the sylvari. The revelry ceased when Trahearne announced that the Elder Dragon had left a 'seed' inside his mind that would blossom and allow the dragon to reclaim all it had just lost if not dealt with immediately. Insisting that he would not survive anyway if removed from his pod-like prison, Trahearne asked to be destroyed with the shattered remains of Caladbolg. After a horrible moment when Mordremoth attempted to possess Trahearne's body, the Commander struck Trahearne down and ended Mordremoth permanently at the expense of the marshal's life.

Legacy[edit]

Memorial statue of Trahearne near the entrance of the Grove.
Knight of the Thorn

After their return from the Heart of Maguuma, Pact soldiers set up a memorial statue for Trahearne near the entrance of the Grove. Valiant Ridhais, who had seen a vision of Caladbolg in her Dream, sought out the Pact Commander in hopes of using the Commander's help to restore the broken blade. During the quest, the Commander encountered a vision of Trahearne in Caladbolg's Dream in the canopy of Verdant Brink. The vision of the marshal tested the Commander's worth in battle, thanked them for finishing Mordremoth, and entrusted them to take up Caladbolg and protect Tyria.

Path of Fire

After dying in the rogue god Balthazar's ambush in 1330 AE, the Pact Commander's soul appeared in the Domain of the Lost where all spirits which experience sudden, violent deaths end up in. While recovering their name and remembering their purpose to be properly judged, the Commander was subjected to fragmented visions of past deeds, during which Trahearne's memory was briefly visible.

End of Dragons

When the allied forces of Tyria, Elona, and Cantha faced off against the Void-maddened Elder Dragon Soo-Won at the Harvest Temple in 1335 AE, the Commander and several of their allies' souls were separated from their bodies while shielding their comrades from the Water Dragon's attacks. As their disembodied spirits tried to climb up the Harvest Temple to return to their bodies, memories of the past which belonged to allies and enemies alike whispered to them to encourage them to keep going. One of these whispering memories was Trahearne whose words reminded the Commander of the importance of defeating the Elder Dragons in order to save the world.

What Lies Beneath

As the Commander investigated disturbances in a Ley-Line Nexus underneath Gyala Delve in Cantha, they were targeted by the Ravenous Wanderer, an oni who was drawn to the Commander's emotional anguish. The oni attempted to use the Commander's many traumas against them, including potentially drawing out a memory of Trahearne. This memory manifested as a demonic phantasm taking on the Pact Marshal's appearance while twisting Trahearne's original words into accusations to try to overwhelm the Commander. However, the Commander had managed to process the pain of Trahearne's demise and thwarted the Wanderer although the resurfaced traumas of more recently departed friends weakened the Commander and forced them and their party to retreat as the Wanderer rejuvenated.

What Lies Within

During the second encounter with the Ravenous Wanderer, the Commander's party drew the oni to the surface to block it from its source of rejuvenating ley energy and weaken it. Using Gorrik and Taimi's invention, the Commander was able to turn the oni's malicious phantasms into its weakness as positive memories of the Commander's allies manifested from dragonjade to empower the group instead. Ultimately the Commander confronted their own memories in the clash, among whom were their fallen Order mentor or potentially Trahearne who gave the Commander the resolve to defeat the Ravenous Wanderer for good.

Visions of Eternity

Trahearne inspired wandering sylvari troubadours to sing, play, and recite his valiant deeds as they traveled the world. The troubadours used these ballads and orations, called the Tale of the Valiant Marshal, as a catalyst for powerful magic as they taught their craft to apprentices from all races in the Tyrian Alliance by 1338 AE, thus spreading the new mesmer specialization further and keeping the late Pact Marshal's heroic legend alive.[2]

Locations[edit]

Ruins of Orr

Historical locations[edit]

Kryta

Story involvement[edit]

Personal story[edit]

Living World Season 2[edit]

Heart of Thorns story[edit]

Living World Season 3[edit]

Path of Fire story[edit]

End of Dragons story[edit]

Event involvement[edit]

Red Boss.png [Group Event] Defeat Soo-Won (80) (as a memory)

Combat abilities[edit]

Effects

DefianceDefiance bar teal.png

Skills
Skills (underwater)
  • Overhead Smash - Inflicts heavy damage on the target.
  • Shield of Absorption Shield of Absorption - Grants Shield of Absorption.png Shield of Absorption.
  • Smash - Basic melee attack.
  • Spinning Slash - Whirls forward to the target.

After the Pact's formation[edit]

Abilities
  • Marshal of the Pact
Effects

DefianceDefiance bar teal.png

Skills (wielding Caladbolg)
  • Sword of Wrath.png Daybreak Blade - Slash your foe once, then again on the backswing.
  • Chain Lightning.png Electrolyze - Hit multiple foes with arcs of chain lightning.
  • Backbreaker.png Skyfall - Smash your foe, knocking them down.
  • Cleansing Wave.png Twilight Crash - Knockback all targets in front of you.
  • Whirling Wrath.png Maelstrom Strike - Thrash foes around you in a spinning frenzy while flinging projectiles.
Skills (following the ritual in Against the Corruption)
  • Punch Punch - Basic melee attack. Inflicts Daze.png Daze (2s).
  • Kick Kick - Physical. Push your foe back with a kick.

During The Second Vision[edit]

  • Daybreak Cleave -
  • Flashing Crescent -
  • Electrolyze - Hits multiple foes with arcs of chain lightning.
  • Maelstrom Strike - Thrash foes around user in a spinning frenzy while flinging projectiles.
  • Nightfall -
  • Putrid Explosion - Explodes a summoned Flesh Golem.
  • Skyfall - Smash your foe, knocking them down.
  • Twilight Crash - Knockbacks all targets in front of user.

Dialogue[edit]

Before completing the personal story
Salutations. My apologies for being so brief. There is much that must yet be done.
Talk end option tango.png Okay.
After completing the personal story
My friend! Greeting once again. Even with Zhaitan dead, there is much to do. Around the world, the dragons are rising. We must put them down.
Talk end option tango.png Okay.

Quotes[edit]

Greets
I am pleased you are here.
The Pale Tree guide you.
What's on your mind?
What troubles you?
This won't end well.
Greets during The Second Vision
Commander.
Mordremoth is next.
I hope you're well.
Hello, old friend.
You're always welcome here.
Upon entering combat
Die by my hand!
This won't end well—for you. (when engaged during The Second Vision)
Upon leaving combat
Never rise again! (after fighting Risen)
Upon defeat
A new experience...

Gallery[edit]

Appearances
Screenshots

Related achievements[edit]

Notes[edit]

Trivia[edit]

  • Trahearne is voiced by Matthew Brenher.
  • King Trahern is a legendary King of the Britons in Geoffrey of Monmouth's fictional Historia Regum Britanniae. In Welsh, the name means "incredibly strong"; in Celtic, it means "strong as iron." In Norwegian, the word TrÆrne means "Trees", which bears significant similarity to the name.
  • Thomas Traherne was an English poet, clergyman, theologian, and religious writer. A great passion depicted in his work is his love of nature and the natural world. The work for which Traherne is best known today is the Centuries of Meditations, a collection of short paragraphs in which he reflects on Christian life and ministry, philosophy, happiness, desire and childhood.
  • Trahearne's favorite poem is "Darkness Pays Orr a Visit."[5]

See also[edit]

Associated items

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Post by Angel McCoy in "[Spoilers]Lore retcon - Wynn, Caithe, Riannoc", Old Guild Wars 2 Forums (Archived)
  2. ^ a b Elite Specializations Are Back: Mesmer, Ranger, and Guardian, GuildWars2.com
  3. ^ Snuffing Out Embers
    Malyck: Still, this is only the beginning. Even if they don't know the reason, the court will keep searching for their "harbinger."
    Malyck: If I stay here, others will try to convert me to nightmare. They'll discover my secret.
    Caithe: He's right. Faolain will hunt him, and I promise you: she does not give up.
    Malyck: Somewhere to the west, at the source of that river, there's another tree. Maybe even another city, with more sylvari like me. My family.
    Malyck: I'm going to find them. When I do, I'll tell them about the Grove, and I'll return with an army to help fight the dragons.
    <Character name>: I wish I could go with you, Malyck, but my duty is here. I wish you good fortune and safe travels.
    Malyck: Don't worry. We'll meet again, some day.
  4. ^ Lore Interview with Ree Soesbee, March 24, 2016, GuildWars2.com (English translation from the French source at GW2Shop.net)
  5. ^ Chaos Theory
    Taimi: That's a legendary poem by an Orrian soldier. It was Trahearne's favorite. The final line was lost when the city sank.