#manyeullan

He was home, he was safe, he was with everything that made him comfortable. From the dark leaves of the canopy to the judging courtiers that walked past him as the sylvari sat with one leg crossed over the other, his head propped up in his hand. Yet, he was unsettled by what he had encountered. 

Manyeullan had been home from the Maguuma Jungle for months now and yet the echoes of Mordremoth’s voice still gave him shivers. To think he had survived being so close to the dragon without being overwhelmed. There were several moments he thought he was going to be, for sure, until he had burned his arm in stubborn idiocy to keep his mind on the pain and not the dragon’s call. That was something Cyhpri had taught him during the few weeks she had kept him under her charge. If you focused on nothing else but the pain then nothing else can get to you. If you focus on the pain it can only fuel you to end it in any way possible. For Many it had made him want to go home, want to sit here on this rock and watch other courtiers do their job. It had freed him from the dragon’s call so many times before he had been knocked out..

He looked over at his bare arm that had once been fairly pristine and now only saw dark, charred bark. It hadn’t been so bad that the bark was going to crumble away, but it had hurt him enough to leave some black scarring. It would grow out in time, he knew, yet he didn’t like the constant reminder of being born a slave even when he thought he was free. Even when he was a dreamer he was in chains. Being resentful of his position as a Courtier didn’t seem to make sense anymore. He was free from the dragon, yes, but as a dreamer, following Ventari’s teachings you weren’t really free either, were you? Not even as a Nightmare Courtier. Your chains were of a different sort. You were chained by the idea of freeing Dreamers...but at hat cost? Either way you were a slave to something. Many rubbed his arm. This was too much to think about. Even humans were in chains by laws, hell, even soundless were chained by the idea of meditation to keep them ‘free’. The dark sylvari sighed and for a moment felt at a strange peace. Everyone was in chains like he was. It made him feel better. 

SPOILERS for those who haven’t played all the way through!

more faces

some of the faces from the expression prompt!

Theres some more i have to do but if you’d like send me some.

There were those in the Nightmare Court who did not see dragons as a threat. They were a necessary evil in this world and like so many of the darkened sylvari had believed, it was just the way of life. But Manyeullan would have been damned if he’d be held back by dragons and pushed around by the ideas of others. He was forced into this Nightmare and he wasn’t about to let that go to waste because ‘dragons were an needed evil’ just like the Nightmare was for the Dream. 

Of course, that had always been like the sylvari. He was mean and cruel with bouts of cockiness and a sprinkling of pride. Cyhpri had not been kind to him but she had taught him the importance of power and control...and if the dragons didnt have control over Tyria then the Nightmare could spread...

He supposed he got the idea from Rowann, though he’d never admit it, to join the Priory to investigate what was going on with these monstrous creatures. He took on a quieter demeanor and stayed away from other sylvari--they would know his presence in an instant and unlike his higher up he cared just enough so he wouldn’t have to hear rumors. He shed his old outfit when he’d come to visit, disappearing from the Arbor without a word for days or weeks, leaving his staff behind for a dagger and focus and his favorite burning gloves for small, more delicate ones that made it easier to turn pages. He was a different person at the Priory. He’d sit and study books and stare at artifacts and bore himself to the brink of going mad just so he could have control over the dragons. As if he could defeat one himself. Hah. He was cocky, but the sylvari was not a fool. 

He’d need an entire army of people who were as smart as Rowann and strong as himself to defeat something like that...which had caught the attention of an Asura one night as Manyeullan rubbed his eyes in frustration, grumbling about it to himself. 

Caledon was not the forest she thought she would return to, yet as she made her way past the sylvari encampment she found herself welcomed with a sort of nostalgia...among other things. She would not admit it but she was excited to see some of her old friends again. What more could she call them, really? She did not despise them like many of the Nightmare Court did with each other, but she certainly was not overly friendly or open with them, either. 

Cyhpri made her way through the dark swamp, taking note of how the trees and roots looked like faces and the swamp water was still murky like she remembered. It was if nothing had changed...until she saw a certain Knight of Ashes standing with her own. he had taken notice of her once she had made herself visible, pushing the tall swamp grass aside. “Baroness Cyhpri, I was wondering when you’d make it. Vyridnith here says you've come to visit your old roots...I’m almost flattered~” Manyeullan smirked, full of himself as ever as he tried his best to flirt with the dark green sylvari. He had no such luck as Vyridnith snickered behind her gloves. He gave her a nasty look as the Baroness moved past the two Knights and into the Arbor. She had no time for saplings at the moment--especially Many.