Aetheril
12-14-2007, 01:07 AM
Full Name: Aetheril Rayfeather
Nicknames: Aetheril the Bastard, Aetheril Name-killer
Age: 61
Race: Blood Elf
Gender: Male
Hair: Red-blond
Skin: Fair
Eyes: Green
Height: 6'0''
Weight: 150
Place of residence: None permanent, has been inn-hopping.
Place of Birth: Suncrown Village
Known Relatives: Adoptive mother Kendra (deceased), biological father Arcturus (estranged), half-brother Mardil (estranged).
Religion/Philosophy: Strong believer in Kael'thas and his declaration of the "Sin'dorei" as the children of the blood. He believes he must fight for all those who fell before him, and that people must always be aware of sacrifice. Hence, he supports the Blood Knights, despite their flaws.
Occupation: Blood Knight Adept
Group/Guild affiliation: No guild affilitation currently
Guild Rank: N/A
Enemies: His brother Mardil. Likely to make more in the course of his life.
Likes: People who are true to their word. Also likes spinning a good yarn, or listening to someone tell one.
Favorite Foods: Poultry and fish
Favorite Drinks: Ice Cold Milk (not a big alcohol drinker)
Favorite Colors: Red, gold, forest green.
Weapons of Choice: Sword and polearm
Dislikes: Afraid of complete darkness, and hates and fears all forms of rottenness. Hates pompous people, but lately has found himself becoming a little pompous, and thus has a few self-esteem issues.
Hobbies: Drawing maps of places he's visited, and sketching landmarks, creatures, or objects from those places. Rather interested in mining and metallurgy. Also likes telling stories.
Physical Features: Thin white scar from his cheek to his chin, partially obscured by his beard. Got from a mining accident.
Special Abilities: Good at laying low, can take a punch, excellent liar.
Positive Personality Traits: Pragmatic, dedicated, cautious, self-controlling.
Negative Personality Traits: Can be vengeful, ruthless, and cynical at times. Capable of great brutality when ordered. Unnerved by mention of his family or his status as an illegitimate child. Though he hides it, he can be power-hungry and opportunistic at times.
Misc. Quirks: Has an involuntary twitch in his right eyelid, usually under emotional distress. Strange compulsion to collect trophies or trinkets from his enemies or from places he's been.
Theme Songs: "Darkest Omen" (Chrono Symphonic remix of Yasunori Mitsuda's "Black Dream")
History:
Aetheril was the illegitamate child of Arcturus Rayfeather, a member of the Farstriders. Arcturus never revealed who his mother was, and he left her to care for the child. His mother cared for him for the first three years, but for unknown reasons abandoned him on an errand in the woods. Young Aetheril nearly became meat for a springpaw, when one of the Farstriders saved him.
By either design or coincidence, this Farstrider was out hunting with Arcturus at the time. He showed the child to Arcturus. Upon further inspection, Arcturus found a note on the child. The instant he read the name on the bottom, he tore it to pieces, understading that the woman had returned the child to him.
Aetheril grew up with suspicion from his adoptive mother, Kendra, and his half-brother, Mardil. His father was strangely silent on the matter. A handful of years later, the truth finally came out as Arcturus confessed his shameful affair. He left home for a long journey.
In the five years Arcturus was gone, Aetheril gained a reputation as the "Bastard" of the village. Arcturus returned five years later, which stymied Kendra's desire to marry another, for she had hoped he had either run off for good or died somewhere.
In the intervening years before the coming of Arthas, Arcturus kept Aetheril close. He attempted to teach him the arts of the Farstriders. Kendra fought his doting, however, and desired that they focus on their son Mardil, who was not marked with the shame of illegitimate birth. Mardil excelled in bowmanship and hunting. Aetheril benefitted little from his father's teachings, for Kendra's words held too much sway in his upbringing. She overruled Arcturus, and apprenticed Aetheril to a mining guild, a profession deemed filthy and thus appropriate for one of Aetheril's status.
Aetheril underwent hardship working for the guild, but it toughened him up, enough to take the blows of the others his age. Mardil continued to be the golden boy of the family, though Arcturus still felt more of a connection to Aetheril. In secret, he taught Aetheril to use a blade, seeing that the work in mining had given him strong arms. Even if Kendra would forbid he learn the arts of the farstriders, Arcturus at least wanted to give his son a way of protecting himself, and perhaps a calling beyond menial labor.
Aetheril learned grudgingly from his father, for his mother had been steadily attempting to turn the family against Arcturus. Again, Arcturus left abruptly, presumably to avoid the authorities. Whoever he had had the affair with must have had high connections who desired to have Arcturus arrested.
Arcturus returned after another few years, but by that time Aetheril felt betrayed by his father. Arcturus was promptly reported to the authorities by Kendra, and arrested. Kendra was again denied the chance to marry another, however, for Arcturus was only given a short sentence. Aetheril was thoroughly alienated from his father by the time he was released. Arcturus avoided coming home as much as possible.
Life continued much this way for a long time. Aetheril seemed set to a life of labor or to die a lowly soldier in the wars of man. Mardil was set to become a great farstrider. Mardil began to train as a scout at the Farstrider retreat. Aetheril, on the other hand, had to throw in his lot with the lowest militia.
Arthas attacked Silvermoon before Aetheril was fully trained. The blow was swift and violent, and turned Aetheril's world on its head. Arcturus left the house to assist against the brunt of the assault, and left Aetheril to help his mother escape. Mardil was away from home at the time.
Aetheril fended off some of the undead stragglers (most of the scourge throng pressed onward to the city), but in the struggle his mother panicked and was killed when she fled out into the open. Aetheril barricaded himself in his home, and held off for hours against a handful of prowling undead. When most of the undead had left, passing on to the city of Silvermoon, Mardil arrived to find his mother dead. In a rage, he claimed that Aetheril was directly responsible for her death, and came very close to killing his half-brother on the spot. Aetheril fled into the woods, pursued for a while by the vengeful Mardil.
The two eventually agreed to cooperate after a long and harrowing chase, but only out of the necessity imposed by Arthas' attack. They did not see much of the action itself, only the carnage left in the wake of the scourge army. They saw combat when they attempted to come to the aid of the city's defenders, but were forced to flee.
They managed to hook up with a small band of remnants of the splintered forces of Silvermoon, and for weeks made camp in a distant corner of the Eversong Woods. The company eventually built rafts and made their way to Sunstrider Isle, with other refugees. Aetheril spent the rest of his time there, avoiding his brother and living in fear like the rest of the elves. When Prince Kael'thas reunited the people of Silvermoon, Aetheril felt a great surge of loyalty, and redoubled his efforts to assist his fellow elves.
He has served in local militias and has currently entered into service as an errand runner of the Blood Hawks, keeping the wretched in line. However, in the course of these last few years he has seen corruption take root in Blood Elf society. He has become disillusioned and somewhat cynical. In Aetheril's heart, the only pure loyalty he has resides with Kael'thas and the Blood Knights. But in order to move up the ranks in this society, he must navigate the darkness, and be as ruthless as possible.
Aetheril believes that in this dark age every day is a battle for survival, regardless of what the carefree nobles might think. Rejecting the name "Rayfeather", Aetheril reserves a special hatred for his father and brother, and daily his desire for vengeance festers.
And yet, his revulsion towards the seedy underbelly of Silvermoon society is steadily growing. He holds only the single forlorn hope that Kael'thas will return to sweep away the unworthy, and those who have suffered, like himself, will have their just reward.
-------------- (ADDENDUM AS OF 1/16/08 ) --------------
In the past year of board at Falconwing square, Aetheril served well enough to retain his post, which largely consisted of running petty errands, but occasionally allowed him to be involved in the "arrest" of certain Wretched. Unfortunately, since the Wretched often resisted fiercely, Aetheril never once brought one back alive. It was no great loss to the Blood Hawk patrolmen, and Aetheril did get a few men out of tight spots from time to time. The "bastard", long an object of jeers and jokes in the local police force, was moved up to slightly more honorable (but still petty) errands, and given the force's distinctive red claymore. He began to earn the respect of some of his comrades, though others strove to keep him down.
Aetheril forced through a request to his superior to allow him to run errands to the Blood Knight headquarters. With some reluctance, Aetheril was given a chance to prove himself. He was sent into Eversong. There he performed several "great services" (which largely consisted of killing more Wretched), and was finally allowed to begin duty as a messenger to the knights. This continued for nearly a month, in which time Aetheril grew weary of being unable to enter the Blood Knight order itself - his illegitimacy required that he prove himself through deeds to even be noticed by the knights.
So he began patrolling the streets more often, requesting night duty, anything that could allow him to land a big arrest. Traitors were in high demand, and the knight-hopeful would tail anyone who looked remotely suspicious. He managed to drag in some petty criminals, mostly those who were already on their way to becoming wretched (with impossible plots to take magisters hostage and siphon their mana and other unlikely things). The force was only mildly impressed, and Aetheril struggled to find something big to bust.
Dejected one evening, the messenger took a seat on a bench next to a woman named Saturna, and struck up a conversation. For many months, despite all the jeering and painful jabs, Aetheril had been able to retain face. Something about the woman's quiet demeanor, however, made him lose his composure. He spilled everything to her, his wants and his dilemma. Their conversation, however, as interrupted by the intrusion of several of Saturna’s acquaintances, among them the traitor Draco Visca himself.
The responses he recieved to his claims about justice and his right to serve were met with dire warnings that the Blood Knights were corrupt and not worthy of his efforts. Aetheril, overwhelmed and taken aback to be surrounded by such dangerous words in the midst of the city, resisted until his defenses were worn thin. By the end of the issue, he and Saturna were alone again, and he found himself even lower than before, wondering if his dream was wasted on a false cause.
Saturna offered Aetheril his door out, despite her disagreement with his aim at becoming a knight. Using her status as a Watcher, she referred him to the Farstrider Retreat, there to be reassigned temporarily and prove his mettle not by arresting traitors, but by battling the Amani trolls. Aetheril was uncertain, wondering if he would meet his brother Mardil there and have a tense reunion. Aetheril questioned her as to whether she knew if any of the name "Rayfeather" were stationed at the retreat, and was relieved to hear that the family members had long been away.
Aetheril went with raids on the Amani villages, collecting the heads of ten troll warriors. He was commended for his efforts, though he still longed to fight the Scourge instead, and believed he was wasting his time until he was allowed to do that. For his service at against the trolls, Aetheril was sent to a new posting in the Ghostlands, where he faced his first trial on the Isle of Tribulations. Inducted into the order as an Initiate, Aetheril still nonetheless felt lingering fears about his path. He continued to meet with Saturna, drawing comfort from his conversations with her.
Nonetheless, she planted the seed of doubt in his mind, and ever more he began to become strongly suspicious of the subversive elements she was mixing with. In particular, Draco Visca and his mysterious “Order” continued to make him fear what would come of his dangerous new friendship with Saturna.
In Tranquillien, Aetheril continued to be of use to the Knights. He spent much of the time killing night elves at first, which frustrated him to no end. He found it counterproductive to fight the living where the common enemy, the Scourge, clung to the land like a festering sore. Nevertheless, he followed his orders, and eventually gained the responsibility of joining one of the many raids on Deatholme.
The foray into Deatholme affected Aetheril deeply. Having seen decay, having waded through droves of the undead…he couldn’t possibly begin to even comprehend any longer why the nobles of Silvermoon went about their daily lives as if it didn’t exist. The rottenness, the horror was so painfully real that anyone who refused to acknowledge it was ignoring reality, in his mind. His journal entries grew darker, as did the subject matter of his sketches. Several of the sights he saw, he couldn’t even bear to draw on paper.
It was in this disturbed manner, returning from Tranquillien with his newly-earned warblade, that Aetheril appeared to Saturna for one last meeting. He carried a package of his notes and his dark sketches, which he thrust on Saturna for safekeeping. He could only relay his first entry by mouth, in which he spoke of returning to his home of Suncrown village only to find it infested by the undead Nerubians. He couldn’t continue after that.
Aetheril had been given his second task, to obtain the materials for his Adept’s Ranseur. After a tense conversation with Saturna, he turned on her, deciding once and for all that it was time for him to move on, to stay away from her. If he saw her again, he feared that he would be forced to arrest her for fraternizing with traitors like Visca. In a sense, he feared that she was putting dangerous ideas in his head, and that for his safety, and for hers, they should remain apart. In the fear that he would not return home alive, he left his journal entries at her feet.
“Lest the people of this city forget the sacrifices made daily for them,” he insisted, before turning to leave. Then he left Saturna, hoping that if they were to meet again, he would hear no more of this Visca nonsense. He was already in too deep for comfort. Aetheril pressed on his path, and spent time stationed in Forsaken territory. The unsavory Undercity only aggravated Aetheril’s distaste for all things decaying and rotten, but he endured it, intent on obtaining bloodforged ingots from the supply at Shadowfang Keep.
After performing duties for the Forsaken there (who grudgingly thanked the paladin for what services he provided, however rude he may have been to the “free” undead he served), Aetheril obtained the first of the three materials, and set his eyes on going to Kalimdor to retrieve the rest.
In his time in Silverpine Forest, Aetheril managed to make some gold selling the fruits of his labor, mining in the hills. With this, he bought himself a suit of red armor, in preparation to look the part of a knight. It was right on time, however, for the trial of Leoren Evershine. Not long before he was planning to take an airship to Kalimdor, Aetheril found a poster of the trial in the Undercity, and moved by a morbid interest, chose to return prematurely to Silvermoon to see the trial.
But can Aetheril save face for returning so soon, even after telling Saturna that he’d be gone for a very long time, and possibly not return alive at all? And even more…what would happen if he were to meet her again, after supposedly “walking out” on the whole issue?
With the future of the Knights hanging by a thread in the face of Leoren’s trial, Aetheril’s success in obtaining a small measure of power might be for naught. He hopes that it will not come to that.
Nicknames: Aetheril the Bastard, Aetheril Name-killer
Age: 61
Race: Blood Elf
Gender: Male
Hair: Red-blond
Skin: Fair
Eyes: Green
Height: 6'0''
Weight: 150
Place of residence: None permanent, has been inn-hopping.
Place of Birth: Suncrown Village
Known Relatives: Adoptive mother Kendra (deceased), biological father Arcturus (estranged), half-brother Mardil (estranged).
Religion/Philosophy: Strong believer in Kael'thas and his declaration of the "Sin'dorei" as the children of the blood. He believes he must fight for all those who fell before him, and that people must always be aware of sacrifice. Hence, he supports the Blood Knights, despite their flaws.
Occupation: Blood Knight Adept
Group/Guild affiliation: No guild affilitation currently
Guild Rank: N/A
Enemies: His brother Mardil. Likely to make more in the course of his life.
Likes: People who are true to their word. Also likes spinning a good yarn, or listening to someone tell one.
Favorite Foods: Poultry and fish
Favorite Drinks: Ice Cold Milk (not a big alcohol drinker)
Favorite Colors: Red, gold, forest green.
Weapons of Choice: Sword and polearm
Dislikes: Afraid of complete darkness, and hates and fears all forms of rottenness. Hates pompous people, but lately has found himself becoming a little pompous, and thus has a few self-esteem issues.
Hobbies: Drawing maps of places he's visited, and sketching landmarks, creatures, or objects from those places. Rather interested in mining and metallurgy. Also likes telling stories.
Physical Features: Thin white scar from his cheek to his chin, partially obscured by his beard. Got from a mining accident.
Special Abilities: Good at laying low, can take a punch, excellent liar.
Positive Personality Traits: Pragmatic, dedicated, cautious, self-controlling.
Negative Personality Traits: Can be vengeful, ruthless, and cynical at times. Capable of great brutality when ordered. Unnerved by mention of his family or his status as an illegitimate child. Though he hides it, he can be power-hungry and opportunistic at times.
Misc. Quirks: Has an involuntary twitch in his right eyelid, usually under emotional distress. Strange compulsion to collect trophies or trinkets from his enemies or from places he's been.
Theme Songs: "Darkest Omen" (Chrono Symphonic remix of Yasunori Mitsuda's "Black Dream")
History:
Aetheril was the illegitamate child of Arcturus Rayfeather, a member of the Farstriders. Arcturus never revealed who his mother was, and he left her to care for the child. His mother cared for him for the first three years, but for unknown reasons abandoned him on an errand in the woods. Young Aetheril nearly became meat for a springpaw, when one of the Farstriders saved him.
By either design or coincidence, this Farstrider was out hunting with Arcturus at the time. He showed the child to Arcturus. Upon further inspection, Arcturus found a note on the child. The instant he read the name on the bottom, he tore it to pieces, understading that the woman had returned the child to him.
Aetheril grew up with suspicion from his adoptive mother, Kendra, and his half-brother, Mardil. His father was strangely silent on the matter. A handful of years later, the truth finally came out as Arcturus confessed his shameful affair. He left home for a long journey.
In the five years Arcturus was gone, Aetheril gained a reputation as the "Bastard" of the village. Arcturus returned five years later, which stymied Kendra's desire to marry another, for she had hoped he had either run off for good or died somewhere.
In the intervening years before the coming of Arthas, Arcturus kept Aetheril close. He attempted to teach him the arts of the Farstriders. Kendra fought his doting, however, and desired that they focus on their son Mardil, who was not marked with the shame of illegitimate birth. Mardil excelled in bowmanship and hunting. Aetheril benefitted little from his father's teachings, for Kendra's words held too much sway in his upbringing. She overruled Arcturus, and apprenticed Aetheril to a mining guild, a profession deemed filthy and thus appropriate for one of Aetheril's status.
Aetheril underwent hardship working for the guild, but it toughened him up, enough to take the blows of the others his age. Mardil continued to be the golden boy of the family, though Arcturus still felt more of a connection to Aetheril. In secret, he taught Aetheril to use a blade, seeing that the work in mining had given him strong arms. Even if Kendra would forbid he learn the arts of the farstriders, Arcturus at least wanted to give his son a way of protecting himself, and perhaps a calling beyond menial labor.
Aetheril learned grudgingly from his father, for his mother had been steadily attempting to turn the family against Arcturus. Again, Arcturus left abruptly, presumably to avoid the authorities. Whoever he had had the affair with must have had high connections who desired to have Arcturus arrested.
Arcturus returned after another few years, but by that time Aetheril felt betrayed by his father. Arcturus was promptly reported to the authorities by Kendra, and arrested. Kendra was again denied the chance to marry another, however, for Arcturus was only given a short sentence. Aetheril was thoroughly alienated from his father by the time he was released. Arcturus avoided coming home as much as possible.
Life continued much this way for a long time. Aetheril seemed set to a life of labor or to die a lowly soldier in the wars of man. Mardil was set to become a great farstrider. Mardil began to train as a scout at the Farstrider retreat. Aetheril, on the other hand, had to throw in his lot with the lowest militia.
Arthas attacked Silvermoon before Aetheril was fully trained. The blow was swift and violent, and turned Aetheril's world on its head. Arcturus left the house to assist against the brunt of the assault, and left Aetheril to help his mother escape. Mardil was away from home at the time.
Aetheril fended off some of the undead stragglers (most of the scourge throng pressed onward to the city), but in the struggle his mother panicked and was killed when she fled out into the open. Aetheril barricaded himself in his home, and held off for hours against a handful of prowling undead. When most of the undead had left, passing on to the city of Silvermoon, Mardil arrived to find his mother dead. In a rage, he claimed that Aetheril was directly responsible for her death, and came very close to killing his half-brother on the spot. Aetheril fled into the woods, pursued for a while by the vengeful Mardil.
The two eventually agreed to cooperate after a long and harrowing chase, but only out of the necessity imposed by Arthas' attack. They did not see much of the action itself, only the carnage left in the wake of the scourge army. They saw combat when they attempted to come to the aid of the city's defenders, but were forced to flee.
They managed to hook up with a small band of remnants of the splintered forces of Silvermoon, and for weeks made camp in a distant corner of the Eversong Woods. The company eventually built rafts and made their way to Sunstrider Isle, with other refugees. Aetheril spent the rest of his time there, avoiding his brother and living in fear like the rest of the elves. When Prince Kael'thas reunited the people of Silvermoon, Aetheril felt a great surge of loyalty, and redoubled his efforts to assist his fellow elves.
He has served in local militias and has currently entered into service as an errand runner of the Blood Hawks, keeping the wretched in line. However, in the course of these last few years he has seen corruption take root in Blood Elf society. He has become disillusioned and somewhat cynical. In Aetheril's heart, the only pure loyalty he has resides with Kael'thas and the Blood Knights. But in order to move up the ranks in this society, he must navigate the darkness, and be as ruthless as possible.
Aetheril believes that in this dark age every day is a battle for survival, regardless of what the carefree nobles might think. Rejecting the name "Rayfeather", Aetheril reserves a special hatred for his father and brother, and daily his desire for vengeance festers.
And yet, his revulsion towards the seedy underbelly of Silvermoon society is steadily growing. He holds only the single forlorn hope that Kael'thas will return to sweep away the unworthy, and those who have suffered, like himself, will have their just reward.
-------------- (ADDENDUM AS OF 1/16/08 ) --------------
In the past year of board at Falconwing square, Aetheril served well enough to retain his post, which largely consisted of running petty errands, but occasionally allowed him to be involved in the "arrest" of certain Wretched. Unfortunately, since the Wretched often resisted fiercely, Aetheril never once brought one back alive. It was no great loss to the Blood Hawk patrolmen, and Aetheril did get a few men out of tight spots from time to time. The "bastard", long an object of jeers and jokes in the local police force, was moved up to slightly more honorable (but still petty) errands, and given the force's distinctive red claymore. He began to earn the respect of some of his comrades, though others strove to keep him down.
Aetheril forced through a request to his superior to allow him to run errands to the Blood Knight headquarters. With some reluctance, Aetheril was given a chance to prove himself. He was sent into Eversong. There he performed several "great services" (which largely consisted of killing more Wretched), and was finally allowed to begin duty as a messenger to the knights. This continued for nearly a month, in which time Aetheril grew weary of being unable to enter the Blood Knight order itself - his illegitimacy required that he prove himself through deeds to even be noticed by the knights.
So he began patrolling the streets more often, requesting night duty, anything that could allow him to land a big arrest. Traitors were in high demand, and the knight-hopeful would tail anyone who looked remotely suspicious. He managed to drag in some petty criminals, mostly those who were already on their way to becoming wretched (with impossible plots to take magisters hostage and siphon their mana and other unlikely things). The force was only mildly impressed, and Aetheril struggled to find something big to bust.
Dejected one evening, the messenger took a seat on a bench next to a woman named Saturna, and struck up a conversation. For many months, despite all the jeering and painful jabs, Aetheril had been able to retain face. Something about the woman's quiet demeanor, however, made him lose his composure. He spilled everything to her, his wants and his dilemma. Their conversation, however, as interrupted by the intrusion of several of Saturna’s acquaintances, among them the traitor Draco Visca himself.
The responses he recieved to his claims about justice and his right to serve were met with dire warnings that the Blood Knights were corrupt and not worthy of his efforts. Aetheril, overwhelmed and taken aback to be surrounded by such dangerous words in the midst of the city, resisted until his defenses were worn thin. By the end of the issue, he and Saturna were alone again, and he found himself even lower than before, wondering if his dream was wasted on a false cause.
Saturna offered Aetheril his door out, despite her disagreement with his aim at becoming a knight. Using her status as a Watcher, she referred him to the Farstrider Retreat, there to be reassigned temporarily and prove his mettle not by arresting traitors, but by battling the Amani trolls. Aetheril was uncertain, wondering if he would meet his brother Mardil there and have a tense reunion. Aetheril questioned her as to whether she knew if any of the name "Rayfeather" were stationed at the retreat, and was relieved to hear that the family members had long been away.
Aetheril went with raids on the Amani villages, collecting the heads of ten troll warriors. He was commended for his efforts, though he still longed to fight the Scourge instead, and believed he was wasting his time until he was allowed to do that. For his service at against the trolls, Aetheril was sent to a new posting in the Ghostlands, where he faced his first trial on the Isle of Tribulations. Inducted into the order as an Initiate, Aetheril still nonetheless felt lingering fears about his path. He continued to meet with Saturna, drawing comfort from his conversations with her.
Nonetheless, she planted the seed of doubt in his mind, and ever more he began to become strongly suspicious of the subversive elements she was mixing with. In particular, Draco Visca and his mysterious “Order” continued to make him fear what would come of his dangerous new friendship with Saturna.
In Tranquillien, Aetheril continued to be of use to the Knights. He spent much of the time killing night elves at first, which frustrated him to no end. He found it counterproductive to fight the living where the common enemy, the Scourge, clung to the land like a festering sore. Nevertheless, he followed his orders, and eventually gained the responsibility of joining one of the many raids on Deatholme.
The foray into Deatholme affected Aetheril deeply. Having seen decay, having waded through droves of the undead…he couldn’t possibly begin to even comprehend any longer why the nobles of Silvermoon went about their daily lives as if it didn’t exist. The rottenness, the horror was so painfully real that anyone who refused to acknowledge it was ignoring reality, in his mind. His journal entries grew darker, as did the subject matter of his sketches. Several of the sights he saw, he couldn’t even bear to draw on paper.
It was in this disturbed manner, returning from Tranquillien with his newly-earned warblade, that Aetheril appeared to Saturna for one last meeting. He carried a package of his notes and his dark sketches, which he thrust on Saturna for safekeeping. He could only relay his first entry by mouth, in which he spoke of returning to his home of Suncrown village only to find it infested by the undead Nerubians. He couldn’t continue after that.
Aetheril had been given his second task, to obtain the materials for his Adept’s Ranseur. After a tense conversation with Saturna, he turned on her, deciding once and for all that it was time for him to move on, to stay away from her. If he saw her again, he feared that he would be forced to arrest her for fraternizing with traitors like Visca. In a sense, he feared that she was putting dangerous ideas in his head, and that for his safety, and for hers, they should remain apart. In the fear that he would not return home alive, he left his journal entries at her feet.
“Lest the people of this city forget the sacrifices made daily for them,” he insisted, before turning to leave. Then he left Saturna, hoping that if they were to meet again, he would hear no more of this Visca nonsense. He was already in too deep for comfort. Aetheril pressed on his path, and spent time stationed in Forsaken territory. The unsavory Undercity only aggravated Aetheril’s distaste for all things decaying and rotten, but he endured it, intent on obtaining bloodforged ingots from the supply at Shadowfang Keep.
After performing duties for the Forsaken there (who grudgingly thanked the paladin for what services he provided, however rude he may have been to the “free” undead he served), Aetheril obtained the first of the three materials, and set his eyes on going to Kalimdor to retrieve the rest.
In his time in Silverpine Forest, Aetheril managed to make some gold selling the fruits of his labor, mining in the hills. With this, he bought himself a suit of red armor, in preparation to look the part of a knight. It was right on time, however, for the trial of Leoren Evershine. Not long before he was planning to take an airship to Kalimdor, Aetheril found a poster of the trial in the Undercity, and moved by a morbid interest, chose to return prematurely to Silvermoon to see the trial.
But can Aetheril save face for returning so soon, even after telling Saturna that he’d be gone for a very long time, and possibly not return alive at all? And even more…what would happen if he were to meet her again, after supposedly “walking out” on the whole issue?
With the future of the Knights hanging by a thread in the face of Leoren’s trial, Aetheril’s success in obtaining a small measure of power might be for naught. He hopes that it will not come to that.