Khael
12-17-2006, 10:55 AM
Full Name: Khael Stargazer
Date of Birth: Exact date unknown, celebrated on New Year's Eve
Age: 24
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Hair: Auburn
Skin: Fair, lightly tanned
Eyes: Brown
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 240 lbs.
Place of residence: Gadgetzan, Tanaris, Kalimdor (mail forwarded by way of The Times of Gadgetzan, 1 Korporation Way, Gadgetzan)
Place of Birth: Stranglethorn Vale
Known Relatives: none
Religion/Philosophy: Please see the attached excerpt from The Times of Gadgetzan.
Occupation: Paladin-Engineer
Group/Guild affiliation: Sacred Fire
Guild Rank: Commander
Enemies: none known
Favorite Foods: cheeses of various varieties, fresh produce, Westfall cheesesteak (coyote steak and Alterac swiss on Mulgore spice bread)
Favorite Drinks: Ice cold milk, Thunderbrew Lager
Favorite Colors: red, green, and black
Weapons of Choice: light swords, scathing wit, and Science!
Hobbies: noodling around in the workshop, blowing things up (intentionally or otherwise)
Physical Features: Khael is tone and muscular for a human his size. His hair is kept long, and is well-maintained. His eyes are clear, and shine with an inner mirth that seems to be only just contained. His face is unmarred by scars, but is usually covered some form of sooty residue, the results of a (successful) bout of experiementation and design.
Special Abilities: Nothing outside of his formidable abilities as an experienced paladin
Positive Personality Traits: Khael is usually very cool-headed and calm, remaining so even in very tense or dangerous situations. His sense of temperence causes him to gather as much information as possible before making decisions, though he is quick to act when required to do so.
Negative Personality Traits: Khael can be seen sometimes as being unable to make a decision, especially when he does not feel sufficiently informed to do so. Khael can also be slightly bullheaded, especially when discussing the possibility of an extended peace with the Horde.
Misc. Quirks: Khael will juggle objects at hand when he is pondering a difficult issue, to focus his mental energy. He keeps a few sealed pouches of sand for this, but usually ends up juggling Thorium grenades, or whatever explosives are at hand.
Played by What Famous Person: Bruce Boxleitner
Theme Songs: Anvil of Crom (Basil Poledouris, from Conan the Barbarian)
History: Please find included here an article from a Midsummer issue of Gadgetzan newspaper, The Times of Gadgetzan. This should be sufficient exposition.
---------
HORDE/ALLIANCE FEUD CONTINUES!
BLOODSAILS ON THE HORIZON?
...
Today's Featured Column: Sign of The Times
Columnist Arcweld Talespinner got a chance to sit down with Khael Stargazer, one of Goblin Engineering's most vocal, most intriguing, and, surprisingly, most prolific proponents. In this wide-ranging article, Stargazer comments on his life, his origins as an engineer, the state of Engineering and, more interestingly, of international affairs.
Arcweld Talespinner: First off, thank you for this opportunity.
Khael Stargazer: Pleasure's all mine.
AT: Why don't we start at the beginning?
KS: Well, there wouldn't be much to tell. I was orphaned at an early age, and I eventually found my way to Stormwind. I took up the mantle of paladin, and that's about it.
AT: That sounds like a very conservative description.
KS: *laughing* I guess you could say that. The readers will probably want more. I was born in Stranglethorn Vale. My mother and father were survivalists, and they had a small cottage near where Hemet Nesingwary has his hunting encampment these days. I was very young when they were killed by a Bloodscalp hunting party, and I remember fleeing into the jungle and escaping them somehow. That's where my memory goes a little fuzzy, and I can't remember how long I was out there on my own.
AT: Incredible!
KS: What's more incredible was who found me eventually. I was trying to find something to eat when I literally ran into a group of orcs. I vaguely remember them catching me and binding my hands, but they weren't as savage as some of the anti-orc literature out there say. I didn't really understand what they were saying when they talked to me, but they fed me and kept me clothed. A short time later, they brought me to the crossroads in Darkshire, where I was found by members of the militia.
AT: That's quite a story.
KS: Everyone has one just as incredible. It's a feature of living on Azeroth, I think.
AT: You're a paladin, as you mentioned.
KS: That's right.
AT: Could to tell us how you started on that path?
KS: Well, shortly after I was brought to Darkshire, I was sent to Stormwind, to the orphanage there. When I got there, there were members of the military waiting, wanting to question me. The matron, Mrs. Stephanie Turner, wouldn't have any of it until she spoke with Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker.
AT: Lord Shadowbreaker must cut an intimidating figure to a young child.
KS: Oh, I was terrified at first, but his voice was... oddly comforting. I spoke with Lord Shadowbreaker for a while, and he wanted to know what I had seen. I described it as best I could, but, being as young as I was, I couldn't tell them much. I must have made some kind of impression, though, as, a few years later, just about as I was turning 8, he returned and asked that I be placed in the care of the Order for training.
AT: That must be quite an honor.
KS: It's known to happen every so often. I became a page, then a squire at 14, and then a knight on my 18th birthday. That was six years ago.
AT: Six years ago? Surely you would have seen battle almost immediately?
KS: I was appointed as assistant scribe and protector under Sir Dathorian Rall, who remained in Stormwind to assist the King. It was a while yet before I could actually get out and quest. In any case, it allowed for further education in the finer arts.
AT: And by "finer arts", you mean engineering?
KS: Absolutely. Card-carrying memebr of the Honorable Order of Goblin Engineers.
AT: How did you get into engineering?
KS: Even while I was young, I had a fascination with gadgetry of all kinds. When I was made a squire, I was given the opportunity to learn a trade, and I picked engineering. Through the course of that, I also became a skilled metallurgist.
AT: It must be a strange combination, paladin and engineer.
KS: Not as strange as you might think. Most of the other paladins think I'm a fool, but they don't complain when one of my devices saves the day.
AT: Why goblin engineering?
KS: Well, as my mentor would say, goblin plus engineering equals knowhow. In the course of my studies, I've developed an affinity for goblin invention, as it combines well with my sense of pragmatism.
AT: This sounds like a methodology argument in the making.
KS: *laughing* If you start a conversation with an engineer about engineering, it ALWAYS becomes a methodology argument in the making.
AT: So you're firmly on the goblin side of the fence?
KS: Without question. Which is why anything I say on the matter can't be taken as unbiased. Fair warning.
AT: Alright, just to get it out of the way, why is golin engineering superior?
KS: Well, goblins are out to make money off of whomever will hand it over. It's a way of life that is deceptively simple, especially in a world where everyone wants to kill each other.
AT: War is good for business, as they say.
KS: Exactly. As such, goblin engineering works directly with that maxim in mind: weapons and explosives. On a more theoretical tangent, the goblin approach is a purely practical one, of application in reality. That's why a Goblin Dragon Gun rarely misfires, or why a goblin device explodes: because that is what it's built to do. A gnomish device, like that Gnomish Death Ray, isn't nearly as reliable, because it's based on theory and principle in a magic land where everything works all the time, not real world practicality.
AT: Would you say that goblin ethics have rubbed off on you?
KS: *sigh* Not really. If anything, I probably should have been born a goblin.
AT: Why is that?
KS: Because I have their sense of realism. Which, incidentally, is why I hate this conflict.
AT: By conflict, do you mean the war between the Horde and Alliance?
KS: That's what it's turned into. Again. You would think a peace treaty means something, but I guess not. It seems no one is happy unless the two sides are tearing into each other with the vigor of a dwarf in a drinking contest.
AT: You think the fighting should stop?
KS: I think the fighting should stop, yes. That isn't to say that we shouldn't be testing ourselves against each other, certainly. I've done multiple tours in Warsong Gulch. Capture the Flag? That isn't war. Everyone walks away happy in one form or another. Arathi Basin is the same way. Hells, Alterac Valley is nothing more than a series of military exercises.
AT: You think they don't mean anything?
KS: I think what they represent means a great deal, and that they will remind us of the way things were. But out in the real world, when raiding parties show up at Refuge Pointe, or Splintertree Post, or wherever, it just becomes a drop-down, drag-out brawl, and nothing gets done. Where it the sense in that?
AT: So, you would want to see hostility out in the field stopped?
KS: Not just there. Look at what's out there: the Qiraji in Silithus, that big floating deathtrap in the Plaguelands, oh, and let's not forget the Dark-freaking-Portal staring at us in the Blasted Lands. Two nations at war with one another can't hope to defeat that scale of threat. This conflict, if it continues, may cost everyone more than they think.
AT: That's quite a statement.
KS: Well, it's how I feel. That, and I really want to learn Orcish at some point.
AT: That kind of philosophy must get you a lot of angry stares from other paladins.
KS: You would think so.
AT: It doesn't?
KS: If anything, my focus on the engineer's craft draws more ire than my political views.
AT: Why would that be?
KS: I think it's the underlying dedication to the Light.
AT: Could you explain that further?
KS: I could try, but I'm never very good at it. What it comes down to is that we're united in our power and ability, granted by the Light and tasked to its protection and the protection of the people. In basic terms, that calling requires us to be healers, cruasders, and defenders all at once.
AT: Would you say that the burden is too great?
KS: I would say that not everyone could carry it. It's a demanding path, but the rewards far outweigh the hardships. Dedication to public works and relief aid should know no political affiliation, and I think that paladins, on the whole, try to remember that even as they're battling on the front lines.
AT: So politics isn't an issue?
KS: Well, it comes up in conversation, certainly. I won't say that debates on the subject never get heated, but any of that emotion stays there. Again, that dedication to the Light tends to override political affiliation more often than not, but that's just my opinion.
AT: Well, thank you again for your time.
KS Again, pleasure's all mine.
Khael Stargazer is a paladin in the service of Stormwind and a noted Goblin engineer.
Arcweld Talespinner is a staff columnist and interviewer for The Times. His column, Sign of The Times, may be found weekly here in this publication.
The editors of The Times would like to remind our readers that the opinions and views expresed in Sign of the Times do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. The Times of Gadgetzan is a daily publication owned and operated by the Goblin Experimental Engineering Korporation, and is not affiliated with The Gadgetzan Times of Sparkle Entertainment Lightning & Fireworks.
Date of Birth: Exact date unknown, celebrated on New Year's Eve
Age: 24
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Hair: Auburn
Skin: Fair, lightly tanned
Eyes: Brown
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 240 lbs.
Place of residence: Gadgetzan, Tanaris, Kalimdor (mail forwarded by way of The Times of Gadgetzan, 1 Korporation Way, Gadgetzan)
Place of Birth: Stranglethorn Vale
Known Relatives: none
Religion/Philosophy: Please see the attached excerpt from The Times of Gadgetzan.
Occupation: Paladin-Engineer
Group/Guild affiliation: Sacred Fire
Guild Rank: Commander
Enemies: none known
Favorite Foods: cheeses of various varieties, fresh produce, Westfall cheesesteak (coyote steak and Alterac swiss on Mulgore spice bread)
Favorite Drinks: Ice cold milk, Thunderbrew Lager
Favorite Colors: red, green, and black
Weapons of Choice: light swords, scathing wit, and Science!
Hobbies: noodling around in the workshop, blowing things up (intentionally or otherwise)
Physical Features: Khael is tone and muscular for a human his size. His hair is kept long, and is well-maintained. His eyes are clear, and shine with an inner mirth that seems to be only just contained. His face is unmarred by scars, but is usually covered some form of sooty residue, the results of a (successful) bout of experiementation and design.
Special Abilities: Nothing outside of his formidable abilities as an experienced paladin
Positive Personality Traits: Khael is usually very cool-headed and calm, remaining so even in very tense or dangerous situations. His sense of temperence causes him to gather as much information as possible before making decisions, though he is quick to act when required to do so.
Negative Personality Traits: Khael can be seen sometimes as being unable to make a decision, especially when he does not feel sufficiently informed to do so. Khael can also be slightly bullheaded, especially when discussing the possibility of an extended peace with the Horde.
Misc. Quirks: Khael will juggle objects at hand when he is pondering a difficult issue, to focus his mental energy. He keeps a few sealed pouches of sand for this, but usually ends up juggling Thorium grenades, or whatever explosives are at hand.
Played by What Famous Person: Bruce Boxleitner
Theme Songs: Anvil of Crom (Basil Poledouris, from Conan the Barbarian)
History: Please find included here an article from a Midsummer issue of Gadgetzan newspaper, The Times of Gadgetzan. This should be sufficient exposition.
---------
HORDE/ALLIANCE FEUD CONTINUES!
BLOODSAILS ON THE HORIZON?
...
Today's Featured Column: Sign of The Times
Columnist Arcweld Talespinner got a chance to sit down with Khael Stargazer, one of Goblin Engineering's most vocal, most intriguing, and, surprisingly, most prolific proponents. In this wide-ranging article, Stargazer comments on his life, his origins as an engineer, the state of Engineering and, more interestingly, of international affairs.
Arcweld Talespinner: First off, thank you for this opportunity.
Khael Stargazer: Pleasure's all mine.
AT: Why don't we start at the beginning?
KS: Well, there wouldn't be much to tell. I was orphaned at an early age, and I eventually found my way to Stormwind. I took up the mantle of paladin, and that's about it.
AT: That sounds like a very conservative description.
KS: *laughing* I guess you could say that. The readers will probably want more. I was born in Stranglethorn Vale. My mother and father were survivalists, and they had a small cottage near where Hemet Nesingwary has his hunting encampment these days. I was very young when they were killed by a Bloodscalp hunting party, and I remember fleeing into the jungle and escaping them somehow. That's where my memory goes a little fuzzy, and I can't remember how long I was out there on my own.
AT: Incredible!
KS: What's more incredible was who found me eventually. I was trying to find something to eat when I literally ran into a group of orcs. I vaguely remember them catching me and binding my hands, but they weren't as savage as some of the anti-orc literature out there say. I didn't really understand what they were saying when they talked to me, but they fed me and kept me clothed. A short time later, they brought me to the crossroads in Darkshire, where I was found by members of the militia.
AT: That's quite a story.
KS: Everyone has one just as incredible. It's a feature of living on Azeroth, I think.
AT: You're a paladin, as you mentioned.
KS: That's right.
AT: Could to tell us how you started on that path?
KS: Well, shortly after I was brought to Darkshire, I was sent to Stormwind, to the orphanage there. When I got there, there were members of the military waiting, wanting to question me. The matron, Mrs. Stephanie Turner, wouldn't have any of it until she spoke with Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker.
AT: Lord Shadowbreaker must cut an intimidating figure to a young child.
KS: Oh, I was terrified at first, but his voice was... oddly comforting. I spoke with Lord Shadowbreaker for a while, and he wanted to know what I had seen. I described it as best I could, but, being as young as I was, I couldn't tell them much. I must have made some kind of impression, though, as, a few years later, just about as I was turning 8, he returned and asked that I be placed in the care of the Order for training.
AT: That must be quite an honor.
KS: It's known to happen every so often. I became a page, then a squire at 14, and then a knight on my 18th birthday. That was six years ago.
AT: Six years ago? Surely you would have seen battle almost immediately?
KS: I was appointed as assistant scribe and protector under Sir Dathorian Rall, who remained in Stormwind to assist the King. It was a while yet before I could actually get out and quest. In any case, it allowed for further education in the finer arts.
AT: And by "finer arts", you mean engineering?
KS: Absolutely. Card-carrying memebr of the Honorable Order of Goblin Engineers.
AT: How did you get into engineering?
KS: Even while I was young, I had a fascination with gadgetry of all kinds. When I was made a squire, I was given the opportunity to learn a trade, and I picked engineering. Through the course of that, I also became a skilled metallurgist.
AT: It must be a strange combination, paladin and engineer.
KS: Not as strange as you might think. Most of the other paladins think I'm a fool, but they don't complain when one of my devices saves the day.
AT: Why goblin engineering?
KS: Well, as my mentor would say, goblin plus engineering equals knowhow. In the course of my studies, I've developed an affinity for goblin invention, as it combines well with my sense of pragmatism.
AT: This sounds like a methodology argument in the making.
KS: *laughing* If you start a conversation with an engineer about engineering, it ALWAYS becomes a methodology argument in the making.
AT: So you're firmly on the goblin side of the fence?
KS: Without question. Which is why anything I say on the matter can't be taken as unbiased. Fair warning.
AT: Alright, just to get it out of the way, why is golin engineering superior?
KS: Well, goblins are out to make money off of whomever will hand it over. It's a way of life that is deceptively simple, especially in a world where everyone wants to kill each other.
AT: War is good for business, as they say.
KS: Exactly. As such, goblin engineering works directly with that maxim in mind: weapons and explosives. On a more theoretical tangent, the goblin approach is a purely practical one, of application in reality. That's why a Goblin Dragon Gun rarely misfires, or why a goblin device explodes: because that is what it's built to do. A gnomish device, like that Gnomish Death Ray, isn't nearly as reliable, because it's based on theory and principle in a magic land where everything works all the time, not real world practicality.
AT: Would you say that goblin ethics have rubbed off on you?
KS: *sigh* Not really. If anything, I probably should have been born a goblin.
AT: Why is that?
KS: Because I have their sense of realism. Which, incidentally, is why I hate this conflict.
AT: By conflict, do you mean the war between the Horde and Alliance?
KS: That's what it's turned into. Again. You would think a peace treaty means something, but I guess not. It seems no one is happy unless the two sides are tearing into each other with the vigor of a dwarf in a drinking contest.
AT: You think the fighting should stop?
KS: I think the fighting should stop, yes. That isn't to say that we shouldn't be testing ourselves against each other, certainly. I've done multiple tours in Warsong Gulch. Capture the Flag? That isn't war. Everyone walks away happy in one form or another. Arathi Basin is the same way. Hells, Alterac Valley is nothing more than a series of military exercises.
AT: You think they don't mean anything?
KS: I think what they represent means a great deal, and that they will remind us of the way things were. But out in the real world, when raiding parties show up at Refuge Pointe, or Splintertree Post, or wherever, it just becomes a drop-down, drag-out brawl, and nothing gets done. Where it the sense in that?
AT: So, you would want to see hostility out in the field stopped?
KS: Not just there. Look at what's out there: the Qiraji in Silithus, that big floating deathtrap in the Plaguelands, oh, and let's not forget the Dark-freaking-Portal staring at us in the Blasted Lands. Two nations at war with one another can't hope to defeat that scale of threat. This conflict, if it continues, may cost everyone more than they think.
AT: That's quite a statement.
KS: Well, it's how I feel. That, and I really want to learn Orcish at some point.
AT: That kind of philosophy must get you a lot of angry stares from other paladins.
KS: You would think so.
AT: It doesn't?
KS: If anything, my focus on the engineer's craft draws more ire than my political views.
AT: Why would that be?
KS: I think it's the underlying dedication to the Light.
AT: Could you explain that further?
KS: I could try, but I'm never very good at it. What it comes down to is that we're united in our power and ability, granted by the Light and tasked to its protection and the protection of the people. In basic terms, that calling requires us to be healers, cruasders, and defenders all at once.
AT: Would you say that the burden is too great?
KS: I would say that not everyone could carry it. It's a demanding path, but the rewards far outweigh the hardships. Dedication to public works and relief aid should know no political affiliation, and I think that paladins, on the whole, try to remember that even as they're battling on the front lines.
AT: So politics isn't an issue?
KS: Well, it comes up in conversation, certainly. I won't say that debates on the subject never get heated, but any of that emotion stays there. Again, that dedication to the Light tends to override political affiliation more often than not, but that's just my opinion.
AT: Well, thank you again for your time.
KS Again, pleasure's all mine.
Khael Stargazer is a paladin in the service of Stormwind and a noted Goblin engineer.
Arcweld Talespinner is a staff columnist and interviewer for The Times. His column, Sign of The Times, may be found weekly here in this publication.
The editors of The Times would like to remind our readers that the opinions and views expresed in Sign of the Times do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. The Times of Gadgetzan is a daily publication owned and operated by the Goblin Experimental Engineering Korporation, and is not affiliated with The Gadgetzan Times of Sparkle Entertainment Lightning & Fireworks.