#sarafir bladestorm

[quality-shinies]

I recently finished the Binding of Ipos and gave it to my commander, Sarafir, so now she’s fully decked out with legendary weapons! On top of that, she’s gotten a new look for Part 2 of the Icebrood Saga.

#sarafir bladestorm #guild wars 2 #charr

[quality-shinies]

IT’S DONE. I FINALLY GOT THE FLYING SNAKE BABEYYYY.

#guild wars 2 #sarafir bladestorm

[quality-shinies]

GW2 Commander Week

Day 1: Origins

Sarafir Bladestorm was born to the Blood Legion and raised in Grothmar Valley. She’d always had a soft-tempered soul, shirking brashness for calculating; better to wait and listen before jumping to a decision, after all. This approach made her stand out throughout her formative years in the fahrar, and when the time came no one was surprised she took command of the Blade Warband.

Her position was greeted with celebration. She reveled in the praise of her warband, all of whom she regarded as family in all but blood.

They were sent to bolster the Black Citadel’s mounting forces. Under her leadership the Blade Warband tore through foe after foe, earning praise and recognition and, most notably, more dangerous work.

But not even Sarafir was immune to hubris: every victory was an addition to her ego. Every close call an affirmation of her prowess. She fancied her armor and tactics impenetrable--until it all came crashing down around her.

Branded with the shame of a gladium, she took the opportunity to join the Priory when it was presented to her. Anything to start anew.

#guild wars 2 #gw2commanderweek #sarafir bladestorm #charr #day 1

[quality-shinies]

I don’t know how it took me this long, but better late than never to show who my canon Commander is, I suppose.

Sarafir Bladestorm - Once a proud Centurion of the Blood Legion, then a disgraced gladium fleeing to the halls of the Durmand Priory, and now a Commander facing challenges she never imagined.

#guild wars 2 #sarafir bladestorm #charr

[quality-shinies]

GW2 Commander Week

Day 6: Opposite Day

Honestly, if you really wanna see the opposite of Sarafir, throw her into the space mushrooms: Excitable, uninhibited, and easily distracted by the nearest shiny. She’ll drop her worries and her responsibilities and behave more goofy and laid back anyone has ever seen of her.

And if you want to keep your head you won’t mention it to anyone. Ever.

#guild wars 2 #gw2commanderweek #sarafir bladestorm #day 6

[quality-shinies]

GW2 Commander Week

Day 4: Turning Point

Sarafir suffered a humiliating defeat at the claws of Flame Legion. Her whole warband was killed, leaving her to spiral in her grief and shame. That day marked not only the end of her Legion career, but the beginning of her crippling self-doubt. For years she’d struggle coping with her loss and reconciling with her skills as a leader. Only the help of her friends and Aurene broke her out of this cage.

She experienced another turning point when she came upon the Olmakhan village. Before, she never could have dreamed of a different life for charr. Thus began her questioning the Legion way of life: Why fahrars rather than families? Why focus on endless war when the Legions have the power and resources to do so much better?

Maybe she would have never met her warbandmates through the Olmakhan way of life, but would they have at least lived?

This doubt would follow her long after she left that village--when she was welcomed home as a war hero to Grothmar Valley.

#guild wars 2 #gw2commanderweek #sarafir bladestorm #day 4

[quality-shinies]

GW2 Commander Week

Day 3: Free Time

Most of Sarafir’s life has been occupied by battle or preparation for battle, but the more she deals with Tyria’s shit, the more she comes to embrace her free time like a treasure.

She didn’t join the Priory just to get away from the Black Citadel. She’d always had an aptitude for learning, and her interest in the arts grew as they studied ancient sculptures and paintings and pottery. Even after leaving the Priory for good she’d developed a taste for craft. Painting, sculpting, weaving--anything to put her claws to work and create something rather than tear it down.

When Sarafir itches for more excitement, she eagerly attends the local moots. Drinks aplenty and the uproarious boasting (and maybe the occasional brawl) sends Sarafir’s spirit soaring.

#guild wars 2 #gw2commanderweek #sarafir bladestorm #day 3

[quality-shinies]

GW2 Commander Week

Day 7: Legacy

Sarafir rarely entertains the thought of how she will be perceived decades--maybe even centuries--down the line. When she does, however, she finds herself worrying.

She’s made countless mistakes. Gotten people killed. Failed innocents as much as she’s helped them. The sweet taste of victory has often been soured by all the failures along the way. Each time she loses someone, she once again questions her worthiness as Commander.

Yet her friends and family are able to pull her out of her melancholy.

They remind her of all the good she’s done. They assure her they don’t follow her out of obligation, but respect and faith. And they insist they’re not the only ones.

It’s in these moments Sarafir is given hope that she’ll be remembered as a flawed, but accomplished hero who stood her ground against her enemies; who saved whoever she could and enacted justice for the rest.

But whether history is kind or cruel, she’ll continue fighting until her last breath.

#guild wars 2 #gw2commanderweek #sarafir bladestorm #day 7

[quality-shinies]

GW2 Commander Week

Day 5: Family

Sarafir had always been hesitant to call anyone “family.” Her sire was so distant he may as well have been a stranger, and her relationship with her dam had soured early on in her adult life. Even her warbandmates were stuck behind a barrier of rank and professionalism, however close they were.

Things changed when Sarafir fought with Margot Duval in Orr. An amicable friendship blossomed into romance. After Sarafir came back from the Domain of the Lost, Margot asked for her hand in marriage, and they had a ceremony in Amnoon once Balthazar was defeated. (And by extension Logan became her brother-in-law).

Over time, Sarafir also came to view Aurene almost like a daughter, even when the dragon ascended.

#guild wars 2 #gw2commanderweek #sarafir bladestorm #margot duval gw2 #day 5

[quality-shinies]

GW2 Commander Week

Day 2: Champion

Few know the truth about the Aurene’s “champion.” There is not one, but three beings who had inadvertently taken the mantle. Sarafir Bladestorm stands with Logan Duval and Aralix Wraithbane as Aurene’s chosen (both of whom are more like sidekicks to Sarafir than alt-commanders).

In truth, all three had been hesitant to take the mantles of Champion for quite some time. Sarafir most of all. Trekking through the Heart of Maguuma to defeat Mordremoth had been one of Sarafir’s worst experiences; Mordremoth’s grip on the minds of sylvari, and his control of the land, created such strife that when the jungle dragon finally lay dead Sarafir was drained of emotion, energy, and motivation.

This did not improve when Aurene hatched. Not at first.

In the beginning, the three of them took it as an obligation. Over time relationships mended, mental scars faded, and the mutual support of all three pulled them out of the darkness so that they could truly connect with Aurene--and she to them.

Aurene was like an anchor: providing a stable connection throughout waves of self-doubt and turmoil. Sarafir came to treasure her title as Champion. She knew that when all else failed, she would still have Aurene by her side.

#guild wars 2 #gw2commanderweek #sarafir bladestorm #logan duval gw2 #aralix wraithbane #day 2