Valmir.4590

Concerning the status of Imperator, being a descendant of the Khan-Ur is indeed supposed to be necessary. Now, I suspect that a Charr as victorious as the Commander could gather a lot of troops if he so wished, like the Renegades did, and possibly stake a claim that he is an heir of the Khan-Ur, since as of today, there is probably a lot of Charrs able to trace their lineage to him : the Khan-Ur had several children, who had several children, etc. And it was many generations ago (more than 1300 years ago, even) so the number of Charrs able to say they are from the Khan-Ur distant family must be enormous. As for the Norn, would it even be possible to make a bigger homestead that Hoelbrak ? The Norns are solitary, would they truly gather to his homestead in enormous numbers when they already have something more than enough for them ? And would this homestead survive the death of the Commander when he wouldn't be able to have children to protect and nurture it, like Asgeir Dragonrender did with Knut Whitebear's father, Knut himself and his sons ?

I would say the Sylvaris and Asuras are the least negatively impacted at a personal level. After all, while the revelation of their origin may have been hurtful, the Sylvaris Commanders powered on and proved that they weren't Dragons Minions but true heroes, probably inspiring whole new generations of their kind in the Dream with their actions, tilting perhaps forever the balance toward it and away from the Nightmare. Asuras have witnessed countless magical events of incredible magnitude, probably took note and, while Taimi is the one credited with the Elder Dragons' research, they are surely extremely sought after for their field knowledge and their personal work which has probably bolstered their standing with their College. Applications for every discoveries made in each map must be enormous, really - just the elite specializations being brought back partially by the Commander must be extremely interesting to Asuras. Humans are a mixed bag. They are obviously very heroic figures, who have risen from whatever their initial status was to legendary level. I highly doubt that even the poorest of street urchin Commander is anything but an absolute savior in Kryta, what with dealing with the White Mantle, once and for all, reuniting the Kingdom with Elona and saving it. But they also had to face off with one of their Gods and kill him, while learning that the others have utterly given up on Tyria and left, even Kormir who was humans barely 250+ years ago. So at a personal level, they must be happier than before but also shaken in their devotions. Edit : in essence, Charr and Norn commanders are both facing structural problems impacting their lives as members of their species, whether they wanted them or not, while the other races' commanders face situational problems which, while sometimes dire, can be surmounted and left in the past.

Well, I fought a lot of Risen Mesmer during the Orr Campaign if my memory isn't too fuzzy (I didn't replay most of it in a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery long time), which makes me think that Mesmer magic was pretty common in Orr. Which seems to fit with the refined -almost decadent- style that Orr has for me, with its magic everywhere doing every mundane things and all. I can't really see Elementalists or Necromancers being a huge part of their culture, while reffined Mesmer magic definitively could be seen as a natural fit for their tendencies. An Orrian descendant could very well have turned into a Mesmer because it's today's school of magic which seems to fit the most with whatever was preserved of this country's now long-dead culture and history. So I would go for an Orrian Mesmer and a Vabbian Guardian.

I guess the Charr commander situation largely depends on the current world situation and the personal affiliation of every Legion. Basically, when things seems to go awry really bad (like with Scarlet and then Mordremoth, mainly), he's probably considered as "A Gladium in all but name" by most, perhaps even his Warband. The rest of the time, it'll depend of his Legion. A Iron Legion Commander right about now is probably very much acclaimed by his Legion and Imperator as a true champion of the Black Citadel, a pinnacle of Charr's devotion to their Legion and its survival. Blood and Ash Legions are probably a lot more reserved on that front. But overall, it's a little sad that the two races with the less prominence in the recent lore additions, Charr and Norn, are the ones the most impacted by the events at a personal level. The Charr commander, because his entire social standing basically depends on how well he performs and how bad the Imperator of his Legion has slept the night before; the Norn because her legend is so damn great now that there is absolutely no way she'll find a worthy mate and is probably extremely isolated, even in her society, since she almost never comes home to see how the Norns are faring with all those changes. Hell, she didn't even really bother to be there when the Serpent's Fang was pierced ! That's why I hope that if LW5 is about smaller threats and all, that the Charr at least, and hopefully also the Norns, will have a significant role. They really need some love beyond the Olmakhan who are so far removed from playable Charrs than they are basically a whole new civilization.

Right about now, I would very much like Asuran and Humans to take a back-seat a little and see some love given to Charrs and Norns. While the human-charr peace treaty would involve the former, I think the main point would be dealing with the Blood Legion and its ruler, since Bengar hates all humans vehemently. Dealing with more down to earth difficulties would be appreciated after the scale of the stories thus far. Discovering the Blood and Ash Legions homelands, with potential new species and threats we don't know about, some ancient Charr lore and culture, with less of the Iron Legion style and behavior, could be a great way to develop them beyond the industrialist warriors they are right now. And with Jormag being put to sleep for now, the Far Shiverpeaks should see a lot less Icebrood activity and ice tempests, meaning that Norns, Kodans and Dredges may be willing to migrate up North once more. Which, in the case of the Humans and Charrs would open a lot of questions. The Norns have basically become a tampon state between the Kingdom of Kryta and the Legions. if they pack up and go North, especially since Braham did pierce the Serpent's tooth, meaning that a lot of them must be very riled up and want to go hunt Jormag. If the Norn aren't there to stop any invasion of their lands, how will the humans and charrs react ?