[This article was originally posted on the Vox Ex Machina gaming news blog by Kyt Dotson under the moniker Helvetica.]
Today, visitors to the Norn capital city of Hoelbrak in the massively multiplayer online (MMO) game Guild Wars 2 will find a group of friends gathering in support of one of their own who is currently in the hospital.
Desertfox, one of the leaders of Dragon Slayers aka [BURN], is said to have been fighting cancer for years and recently went to the hospital for surgery. According to guild members, Desertfox’s condition took a turn for the worse during the early hours of the morning.
Current BURN leaders, Enlightened Queen and Nikki Fayre, spoke during the vigil and numerous guild members gathered both in GW2 and the guild's TeamSpeak channel.
Although this morning’s prognosis gave him mere hours to live, news at the moment is that his condition has improved. As a result, guildmates have been waiting for further updates.
“We’ve been chilling waiting for updates and we got another update that he was doing a little better,” said Monoui, an officer in BURN who helps newbies and greets people.
Monoui put together the vigil shortly after waking up and learning the dire news. After posting information about the gathering held in Hoelbrak it didn’t take long for members to jump into the game.
BURN guild members and others gather in the Norn city of Hoelbrak in Guild Wars 2.
Guild member and former guild leader X J U S T I N X has been advertising the gathering in the city in map chat with well-wishes for Desertfox. The guild also set up a guild keg, fireworks, and several buff banners for passersby to enjoy—and maybe stay a moment to honor Desertfox.
According to guild members, Desertfox took over as one of the leaders when JUSTIN stepped down. He joined almost eight months after the beginning of the guild and is best known for heading up decorations in the guild hall as well as leading the guild’s World vs. World efforts and running guild missions.
BURN was named for some preliminary information about Tequatl the Sunless, a major world boss in GW2 that was changed dramatically late 2013. According to JUSTIN, the name refers to the “burn phase” of the boss.
Although the guild started out as a Tequatl raiding guild, it has since become more of a social guild where members mean more than achievement.
“Some guilds are really about the grind, getting the best gear, best stats… But we always approached gaming and the guild like a family,” said Monoui. “It’s not like about the next raid or the next fractal but how we can help each other.”
“Primarily a social guild,” JUSTIN added, “we do have excellent players here, but it’s primary about people here.”
This coming together of membership is a testament to the guild’s people- and social-centric commitment. The vigil in Hoelbrak continues, at time of writing, to bring together members of BURN and other guilds who know about Desertfox.
Guildmates describe Desertfox as a person who is coarse but a very deeply caring person. He is said to have a dry sense of humor but one that sparks laughter and adoration from his peers. He is described as a man of few words, but of good intent and action.
Amid the stories told about Desertfox's exploits include running every jumping puzzle in the game--and oftentimes dragging others along to help them. He also attempted to take up residence in one of GW2's secret areas that contains a reproduction of fictional pirate One Eyed Willy's ship from the movie The Goonies.
The location was chosen because Desertfox’s character in game is Norn and the Hall of Legends is the place where stories are told about Norn heroes.
“We’re here celebrating him in true Norn fashion, telling stories so that his memory lives on forever,” said Monoui.
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