Asuran Councillor Phlunt and other "villains"

[Tinker.6924]

This guyhttps://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Phlunt

Anyone else think this guy sounds just like the Emperor from Star Wars. I can really see him channeling Darth SidiousYes. Let the hate flow through you.

[hugo.4705]

Did you know that it was originally a planned villain for ls4e2? The story got kinda reworked from a jurrassic park island to the actual map. Also originally we were facing phlunt within rata primus escaping from experiment beakers... using the magneton hammer within the cube.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/Guildwars2/comments/bpc898/a_glimpse_at_how_the_story_changed_at_the_start/

See https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/66208/archive-lws4-cut-contents-spoilers for other cut-contents.

[Tinker.6924]

That explains a lot. Dude is a total jacka--

[hugo.4705]

Here's a wild hypothesis of myself:During Ls2, Phlunt was very interested by Taimi researchs, after saying no, not long time after the Inquest came. A strange coincidance. Also as part of council he wears red and black (probably mean nothing) maybe just a grumpy asura.

[Hashberry.4510]

Phlunt >> Taimi

[Thelassa.8652]

I still think Phlunt has Zojja held prisoner in a lab somewhere. It would explain why there are only rumors about her condition and why no one has personally seen her in almost four years.

[Tinker.6924]

@Hashberry.4510 said:Phlunt >> Taimi

Them's fighting words

[Kossage.9072]

I'm glad Phlunt wasn't used as a villain because he's always come off more like an obstructive bureaucrat than an outright antagonist based on previous stories he's been in, and he doesn't strike me as a hidden member of the Inquest when the Inquest already has a member, Councillor Yahk, in the council. If not counting actual Inquest villains, the "good guy" non-Inquest asura are already amoral enough in their morality as we only need to look back at Emissary Vorpp and High Councillor Flax.

Vorpp, who has never been a member of the Inquest mind you, experimented on and dissected secondborn sylvari years ago after most asura (aside from Inquest who simply didn't care) had already realized that sylvari were sapient and sentient and had returned the cruelly treated and malformed Malomedies to the firstborn. Thankfully Vorpp did redeem himself a bit by stopping the experiments at an unknown date and helping us end Scarlet's schemes in Divinity's Reach during Season 1 but he never apologized for his treatment of sylvari when we confronted him about his shady past in Season 2 (after we learned of Caithe and Faolain saving Canach from Vorpp in "Meeting the Asura") as he believed bygones should be bygones. Vorpp's cruel treatment of sylvari and uncaring attitude towards the "peace treaty" between asura and sylvari for a time even ended up causing great damage to the world in hindsight as his actions inspired Faolain to take the gloves off and start using more drastic measures to protect sylvari and thus leading in part to the rise of the Nightmare Court.

Canach: No! Cease your attacks! I feel a strong energetic connection between us and those constructs.
Newborn: (scream)
Vorpp: Oh! You noticed! We've learned that your kind's life force does wonders for our golem's power levels!
Faolain: This stops now. These monsters will pay a steep price for their cruelty! Focus on their leader.

Character name: I know you experimented on sylvari.
Vorpp: What? I imagine your friend Caithe told you, hm? Well, that was a long time ago. The world was a different place back then.

Flax, the leader of the Arcane Council, is even worse as not only is he a supporter of asuran dominion over lesser races, he wanted to keep crucial information about magic and Elder Dragons hidden from even most asura beyond the council and was willing to send the Arcane Eye to imprison or kill any troublesome witnesses, including Professor Vorpp whose theories ended up contributing to the Pact's eventual victory over Zhaitan once he'd been saved by the Snaff Savant and Zojja. In a Chinatown film type of plot twist we learn that most if not all of the Arcane Council is actually corrupt and totally okay with both Flax's megalomania and all this senseless loss of life resulting from the Snaff Savant and Zojja killing Rakt and a bunch of Arcane Eye agents who were simply punchclock villains (aka goons who were diligently carrying out orders from their superiors) in a rather dark storyline moment. We leave Flax's presence with these chilling words in "Lines of Communication":

Professor Gorr: Here. You see, Councillor Flax? Everything I said is true! The Arcane Eye have been trying to suppress my theory that the dragons are eating magic.
Professor Gorr: My correct theory, I might add. We now have proof that the dragons do consume magic.
Councillor Flax: We know, Professor. We've always known. Preparations are being made to exploit your "discovery" for Rata Sum's benefit even as we speak.
Character name: Then Rakt was working for you all along. You used the Arcane Eye to get Gorr out of the way so you could stifle the truth.
Zojja: You won't get away with this. We'll tell the world. We'll distribute Gorr's research. We'll—
Councillor Flax: You'll make a lot of shrill noise, as always. And as always, no one will listen or care. You're wasting the Council's time. This audience is over. [...]
Councillor Flax: Your alacrity is inspiring, but you really must leave governing to those equipped to handle it. The council will decide what's best for Rata Sum.Character name: What about the rest of Tyria?
Councillor Flax: Don't be absurd. The world's best and only hope is for us to start running it. When Rata Sum defeats the dragons, Tyria will fall to its knees and beg us to rule it.

What shocked me even more in this asura storyline was that Flax was accompanied not by Councillor Haia (who had been proven to be a crook in one of the early story branches) but by Councillors Ludo and Zudo who one would imagine were decent women in the otherwise corrupt council but it turns out that they don't bat an eye at Flax's ambitions. Depending on how aware Phlunt is of these plans (as some personal story branches joked about his bad hearing), he may be the most moral member in the entire Arcane Council because he at least comes to our aid (even if under the pretext of saving his research) to even the odds against Balthazar's mercenaries who would've otherwise overwhelmed us in Rata Novus.

So, looking back, despite all his faults and acting like a typical asuran jerk, Phlunt is an angel compared to the real scheming hero-villains of asuran society like Flax and Vorpp who have actually committed murder (or rather, several murders, implied or otherwise) either directly or indirectly. :(

[Tinker.6924]

I remember that.... but they didn't sound like Emperor Palpatine