When the Great Alliance appeared in our forests, fighting against the Orcish-led Horde, we were as distrustful of them as we were of the Orcs. They were, however, fighting against the terrible greenskins who ruined our sacred forests and our Priestess, Tyrande, and her lover, the Archdruid Malfurion, chose to work with them when faced with the terror of the Burning Legion. They are now our stalwart allies, even if they are quite strange. Even I must admit, the Humans, Dwarves, and Gnomes have taught us what it is like to live mortal lives, something all of the Kal'dorei must now accept and adapt to.
I have chosen to learn of Engineering, a craft and profession previously held by the Goblins and Gnomes alone. My knowledge is, for now, quite basic, and I find myself often stumbling over the strange ideas and unnatural materials. I know my mother would despise such a decision. It was Goblin Shredder machines that destroyed - and continue to destroy - so much of our forests. I see my choice as a way to better understand the enemy. Also, the various weapons you can create using these skills are superior to what I have used in the past, and explosives, while dangerous, are excellent to have in a battle. To ignore them because they are "unnatural" is foolish, as our enemies have no such qualms.
I also left the Sentinals to pursue a life on my own, alone. No doubt my former Sisters, the ones that survived, would never understand... But they do not have to understand in order to accept my decision. My choice was actually made to escape, to get away, to run... after the war, I was lost, confused and broken. My time alone, living as a hermit, was helpful to heal my spirit and mind, but it stunted my social skills as I became more animal than Elf. It was then, that a terrible event occurred off the coast. I remember seeing it from the forest: the huge trail of fire and smoke, and the roar of the engines... the Exodar, a ship from another world, crashed into the islands off the coast of Ashenvale.
My curiosity and my inner need to investigate the damage to the land drove me from hiding, and I returned to my people for a short time. After stocking up on supplies, and finding my companion, Citrine, a small, golden-yellow boar from Teldrassil, I took a ship to the islands to see what could be done. It turns out that the ship had inhabitants, now known, of course, as the Draenei, another race to join the Alliance.
From them, I learned how to use a crossbow and did what I could to aid them in healing the land. In the Draenei, I found kindred spirits, in a way. They are old, most older than a great portion of the Kal'dorei, and have great power. Still, I found them far more comforting than what was left of my people, who were still confused and distrustful. It was the Draenei that enabled me to continue, to grow, and to choose a new path. It was also in this land that I found my second companion and fellow soldier, Obsidian, a thorny, black spider. Though frightening to behold, especially to my enemies, he shows me affection, of a sort, and is the best companion I could ask for on a battlefield.
I decided the only way to find a new path was to explore. So explore I did. I left Kalimdor entirely and sailed East, to the kingdom of Stormwind and then to Khaz Modan, the homeland of the Dwarves and Gnomes. I learned much, saw much, and accepted that the relative peace of Ashenvale was false. The world was steeped in bloody war and I had to step aside or fight.
I choose to fight. The Alliance has need of my skills, such as they are, and I do my best to provide. I have fought in what is known as Warsong Gulch, a valley between Horde and Alliance territories in Kalimdor. The battle there is for lumber and a foothold in my people's sacred forest. I stand as I once did as a Sentinal, but this time my allies are not just Kal'dorei. Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes, and even the Draenei also stand with me to push the Horde out of our lands.
I have, more recently, been called to fight in and near the Arathi Highlands, where the Forsaken, former humans who succumbed to the Scourge plague, now nothing more than walking, rotting corpses, try to take land from the League of Arathor, a group of Humans who are members of the once mighty kingdom of Stromgarde. These lands are fractured and the Kingdom of Stromgarde itself is nearly entirely destroyed, but the resources in the Arathi Basin are needed for the war efforts elsewhere. We cannot allow the Forsaken to use the land for their nefarious and deadly deeds, whatever they may be.
I have become a true Sentinal, not just for the Kal'dorei and our forests, but for all of Azeroth. I'll not stand aside as the Horde, the Legion, and the Scourge do their best to destroy the world. My journey is only just beginning down this new path my life has taken, but I know that it is the right path.
My feet may falter. I may lose my way. But I will find the path again and again, and this time...
This time, I have far more allies at my side.
No comments:
Post a Comment