Skyscale lore: SOTO

[Kalavier.1097]

Just now I came across two of the rift hunter riders at Beacon of Ages, only now they had fire and dark monarch skins on their skyscales.

They had some ambient dialogue which was interesting, as it confirms how Skyscale skins work and how they occur.

https://i.imgur.com/8hdtegO.png https://i.imgur.com/4g8sp0R.png

The fire skin is described as coming about because of a love of Lava beetles, and the Dark Monarch (fitting as it's food is risen chicken in idle animations) came about from feasting on some Risen corpses. Small details, but quite interesting and further establishing mount skins as actual canon with reasons of how they came about.

[Eekasqueak.7850]

Does that mean the synergetics skyscale ate some golems? 

[Kalavier.1097]

10 minutes ago, Eekasqueak.7850 said:

Does that mean the synergetics skyscale ate some golems? 

Lol, I consider that one to be a golem, but it could be an explanation for the exalted skyscale.

Some poor exalted trying to bat away a skyscale gnawing on one of the exalted batteries.

[EdwinLi.1284]

2 hours ago, Eekasqueak.7850 said:

Does that mean the synergetics skyscale ate some golems? 

I will not be surprised if this is the case. We never did learn how strong their ability to break down certain things they eat is. 

This also means all Skyscales are canon because their physical appearances are the result of what they specifically eat which we learn here they can literally eat anything but just prefer fish and magic above everything else. Though we can assume their desire for eating magic is what cause them to eat the specific thing that gave them their "unique" physical appearance.

It is a bit concerning since that means they still have a craving for magical objects and anything powered by magical energy like the Elder Dragons but how strong it is and how much they need to consume is still way smaller than what Elder Dragon's desire.

Edited September 19, 2023 by EdwinLi.1284

[Kalavier.1097]

2 hours ago, EdwinLi.1284 said:

I will not be surprised if this is the case. We never did learn how strong their ability to break down certain things they eat is. 

This also means all Skyscales are canon because their physical appearances are the result of what they specifically eat which we learn here they can literally eat anything but just prefer fish and magic above everything else. Though we can assume their desire for eating magic is what cause them to eat the specific thing that gave them their "unique" physical appearance.

It is a bit concerning since that means they still have a craving for magical objects and anything powered by magical energy like the Elder Dragons but how strong it is and how much they need to consume is still way smaller than what Elder Dragon's desire.

Well, mount skins have almost always been canon, but it's nice to see further examples of it being explicitly true.

It appears Skyscales are all the same looking when young, but depending on their diet/living space, they can change drastically into various forms. The Canthan ones are probably skyscales that migrated into Cantha, etc.

I don't think they'd be a major problem for magical artifacts, but I can see the Asura considering the Skyscales a pest at times though.

[Ehecatl.9172]

That is extremely interesting. It makes a lot of sense for the obviously elementally inclined skins, but I wonder what my skyscale had to eat to get a giant horn in the center of its head and a bunch of weird, mutated tusk-looking teeth (Venomous Greathorn). Obviously something venomous based on the skin name.

I kind'a wish each skin had a little lore blurb describing what diet led to that appearance now.

Edited September 23, 2023 by Ehecatl.9172

[Danikat.8537]

10 hours ago, Ehecatl.9172 said:

That is extremely interesting. It makes a lot of sense for the obviously elementally inclined skins, but I wonder what my skyscale had to eat to get a giant horn in the center of its head and a bunch of weird, mutated tusk-looking teeth (Venomous Greathorn). Obviously something venomous based on the skin name.

I kind'a wish each skin had a little lore blurb describing what diet led to that appearance now.

This is one thing Elder Scrolls Online does which I really like. Mounts, including ones in the cash shop, each get a little blurb about where they come from. Sometimes it's pretty basic - horses bred by someone who wanted that pattern or an atronach style mount created by a wizard's experiment, but it's something. They do the same with other cosmetics as well.

I'd love it if GW2 did the same. But seeing mount skins in the world helps as well, especially when they fit the rider or the area they're in.

[Kalavier.1097]

16 hours ago, Ehecatl.9172 said:

That is extremely interesting. It makes a lot of sense for the obviously elementally inclined skins, but I wonder what my skyscale had to eat to get a giant horn in the center of its head and a bunch of weird, mutated tusk-looking teeth (Venomous Greathorn). Obviously something venomous based on the skin name.

I kind'a wish each skin had a little lore blurb describing what diet led to that appearance now.

I'd almost want to say things like marsh drakes or such, because of the bright green colors so I'd see it in a forest or marshy enviroment. I once started a writing project to link mount skins to regions (and maybe personality blurbs) but that project died due to RL.

6 hours ago, Danikat.8537 said:

This is one thing Elder Scrolls Online does which I really like. Mounts, including ones in the cash shop, each get a little blurb about where they come from. Sometimes it's pretty basic - horses bred by someone who wanted that pattern or an atronach style mount created by a wizard's experiment, but it's something. They do the same with other cosmetics as well.

I'd love it if GW2 did the same. But seeing mount skins in the world helps as well, especially when they fit the rider or the area they're in.

My biggest enjoyment is I had already linked Dark Monarch to Orr because the Risen chicken treat (I pictured my Necro finding one in the temple of Grenth) so having that become true is fun. 

But mostly because it's another hit in the "Yes, the mount skins are canon. Don't yell at a person because they are using it as part of their in universe descriptions/character."  area. I've seen people who get made at others for using mount skins in-character (or even using mounts in general lol) so having it outright be shown "Yes, these exist in the universe, deal with it" is nice.