COMMANDERS

One hero, born to shoulder the burden of destiny, finds
strength in the heart of the man who set out to kill him.
A vengeful hunter finds redemption by sparing his prey.

An interloper from beyond the stars has forgotten
their scheme. Now they walk the path of the savior,
guided by the whispers of a prescient memory.

ROOTS

With every victory Tamsin achieved against the Elder Dragons, Gethen's anger and hatred deepened. When his investigations into the White Mantle led Gethen to discover that the fallen Balthazar intended to slay the Crystal Dragon, the embittered assassin knew that this was one victory he would not allow anyone, not a hero or a god, to wrest from his claws. He pursued Tamsin into the Crystal Desert, prepared to take his vengeance on the Elder Dragons by any means necessary or die trying.Gethen dogged Tamsin's heels throughout his travails in Elona, making attempts on his life at every opportunity and, in so doing, slowing the Herald's pursuit of Balthazar. Their clashes came to a head in the Elon Riverlands, when at last Gethen had Tamsin cornered atop a spire that had just moments before been crawling with watchful Forged. The two faced off in single combat, Gethen determined to end Tamsin's life and Tamsin fighting only to protect it. Gethen laid out every inch of his outrage against the Commander, and blow by blow, Tamsin began to understand who Gethen was and what he was doing - what Tamsin himself had, in part, created.

Balthazar took notice of the clash - and he struck. The young Aurene's efforts to intervene and protect her Champion were thwarted, and in a few swift blows, the Commander and his would-be assassin both fell on the war god's blade.Unbeknownst to Balthazar, Tamsin and Gethen's conflict continued in the Domain of the Lost, each battling the other for their names and their memories. It was through this ordeal that a bridge was built between them, the likes of which was likely only possible under those ghastly circumstances. As memories traded hands and emotions moved between hearts, each came to know the other more intimately and truly than they had ever known anyone else. By the time they cast their weapons aside and came to a truce, each man knew that in the other, he had found - made - a person who truly understood him, who he knew just as well in return. That this would give rise to sympathy and cooperation was inevitable.So it was that two spirits united to free the Domain of the Lost from the horrors that plagued it, and two souls returned from beyond the grave with a newfound conviction to stop Balthazar and Kralkatorrik both - together.Despite the challenges of explaining what had passed between Tamsin and the man who had just moments before been determined to kill him, Gethen's assistance proved invaluable, and his eventual acceptance into Dragon's Watch allowed him to reunite with the stubborn young norn he had encountered and assisted some time before in the caves of the Far Shiverpeaks. With the help of Gethen's tactics and subterfuge and the support of his allies from his White Mantle investigations, Tamsin and the rest of Dragon's Watch were finally able to corner Balthazar, Gethen dealing the final blow.This victory was, of course, short-lived. Kralkatorrik devoured the lion's share of the magic released in Balthazar's death and proceeded to terrorize all of Tyria, gorged as he was on the power of two Elder Dragons and a rogue god. The balance of Tyria's magic could not be prioritized when the Crystal Dragon had become the greatest threat to Tyria thus far, and so with some reluctance Dragon's Watch rallied against it. As Tamsin's destiny as Aurene's Champion loomed ever closer, it was Gethen, pragmatic and ordinary, who anchored and strengthened him, just as Tamsin inspired Gethen in his radiance.

Kralkatorrik fell, and from his heart, a new Elder Dragon was born. Tamsin's role was clear, and their next steps were already taking shape before them. Corruption in the High Legions stoked old pains for Gethen, but this only inspired him to forge ahead in supporting Tamsin and his old friend Rytlock through their struggles with the Dominion and the Frost Legion. This would end poorly for Gethen, however, when a well-aimed arrow would prevent him from stopping Bangar's plans and force him to the sidelines.As Tamsin pressed on alone, Gethen did what he could to support Braham instead, eventually sharing his burden as his twin Champion under Primordus - anchoring the divine, as he had come to understand was his role. Drawing the two Elder Dragons together was challenging, even moreso for Tamsin to undertake without Gethen by his side, but once more, Dragon's Watch reached out and grasped victory; with Primordus's death, Braham and Gethen were freed from its grasp, just as Ryland Steelcatcher was released from Jormag's.The ordeal left Gethen unfit to join Tamsin in his next adventure, perpetuating what Tamsin hoped would not become a pattern of separation between the two of them. Tamsin leaned on Aurene for support in his absence, delving deeper into his part as her Champion as they found themselves cast across the Sea of Sorrows and into the jaws of their final battle together, soaring to heights where Gethen could no longer follow. Scion and Champion struck as one against the Void, and as the dust settled on a world forever changed, Dragon's Watch - and, in time, all of Tyria - discovered that Tamsin, present in body, was absent in mind and spirit. His bond with Aurene had broken a new threshold, and Tamsin's spirit had taken flight, vanished to somewhere deep in the Mists.

In the aftermath, Gethen had no choice but to try his best to carry on in his partner's stead. The grief, fear, and fatigue left him vulnerable, and on what he had thought would be a simple investigation, a predator from beyond would pry that vulnerability wide open.Even after this terrible ordeal, however, he had to persist. He pursued new mysteries in Garrenhoff, and found himself facing a whole new world of secrets and dangers...alone. At every turn, Gethen found reminders of the man he had lost - Zojja, who had found a new start after Mordremoth had destroyed what she had built with Tamsin's puppeted hand; rumors of Tamsin's unknown exploits out in the depths of the Mists; a journey that Gethen knew was too grand for someone like him - and he persevered, hoping that, eventually, he would find more than reminders.As he developed a reputation for himself as the "Wayfinder" to the Astral Ward and to Peitha's forces in the alien world of Nayos, Gethen found new confidence and his own way of handling things as a tracker, explorer, and hunter. The Kryptis he assisted, particularly Peitha herself and their comrade Ramses, probed Gethen's mind throughout their forays in Nayos, exposing wounds that Gethen himself was not ready to confront. When victory was won, Gethen did not feel triumphant; on the contrary, he was exhausted and bitter. In the wake of Peitha's war and the crowning of the new Nightmare King, the Wayfinder withdrew from his allies and returned to his ailing mate's side.

Duty called Gethen back into the spotlight before long. The nations of Tyria were gathering to form a new alliance in the wake of the worldwide ravages of both the Void and Eparch's Kryptis raids, and as the closest person to both Aurene's lost Champion and the Kryptis conflict, the Wayfinder's presence was essential. While he enjoyed a brief reunion with Braham and other familiar faces from his and Tamsin's adventures across Tyria, matters soon shifted to concerns over new magical fluctuations in the Isles of Janthir. With Isgarren's full support on behalf of the Astral Ward, Gethen was sent to the Isles to investigate alongside Countess Anise and his own former Imperator, Malice Swordshadow of the Ash Legion.On the wild shores south of the Isles, Gethen found himself more at home than he had been in a very long time, presented with the welcome task of exploring an unfamiliar wilderness and learning to handle fearsome wild beasts. The lowland Kodan who lived there guided and mentored him as he and his allies searched for signs of the strange disturbances that had drawn them there. The proverbial cherry on top, of course, was Gethen's added task of hunting down an Astral Ward wizard, supposedly gone rogue.Investigations soon led Gethen and his comrades to clash with Titans, old enemies and former gods of the charr, and it was in these battles that the lost wizard Waiting Sorrow revealed herself to protect her people. Despite their best efforts to track down and eliminate all three of the Titans they had found, however, Gethen's band was ultimately deterred and forced to regroup. In the quiet before their next advance, the Wayfinder has dedicated his time to revitalizing the homestead offered to him by a friend among the Kodan, building some semblance of a quieter domestic life. As the days pass, his thoughts turn again to Tamsin's absence and a quiet hope that someday his star will return to guide him once more.

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KRYTAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE [KEF]

SIDE CHARACTERS