Death's struggles

[Nick]

Spoiler:

(If one of my posts at one point in time could give the wrong idea of one of the characters involved, please send me a PM. These posts are written from my own character's viewpoint and she might not have seen all of the details because of how the events happened in my mind. IF ONE OF THE "UNSEEN" DETAILS IS IMPORTANT IN SOME WAY, TELL ME SO I CAN CLARIFY IT!!!)

Franziska sits at a table in her home. Late at night, her only source of light a mere candle and the deathly glow of her own eye. She looks to be writing.

Spoiler:

Writing down my thoughts... I thought I was done with this when I joined the Sisterhood. This needs writing down, though, and I wouldn't know who to talk to, anyway.

Well, once again my feelings betray me. I've allowed my heart (or, well, what's left of it) to make my decisions for me again and allowed myself to develop feelings for someone. And of all people it had to be Kalah... Kalah... That name still manages to bring a smile to my dead lips.

Kalah and I were almost sacrificed by Twilight Cultists earlier. Woke up tied, with Kalah leaning on me. As she woke she seemed to panic. Whether it was my eye (well, the socket) distracting her or my attempts at calming her, I doubt I'll figure it out, but I managed to calm her enough and, together, we made it out of there. We were almost sacrificed but... Sitting so close to her, whispering into her ear... Elune?! What is happening to me?!

I told her of my feelings earlier (I got cornered, okay!). Not my smartest decision, I might add, as she didn't seem to enjoy the news. And who can blame her, really?! She deserves someone better than me. Someone who will grow old with her, can grant her a family with lots of little Elves. I should probably apologize to her for that little surprise...

I'll write her a note...

Another night, another piece of paper and the same Elf, writing.

Spoiler:

Hello again, piece of paper that I'll probably discard...

The note seems to have worked... Either that or Kalah is simply ignoring what I told her last night. It's good to see her smile, though. Elune, that smile... If I didn't know better, I'd say that smile warms my heart.

We attacked the cultists today with the strength of the Ash Wardens at our back. As you can imagine, the cultists fell like flies... Another feeling that seems to bring warmth to me... Not quite as fulfilling, though. The Hunger... Well, as long as death is a necessary part of the natural balance, I'd guess I can keep it in check.

After the fighting we traveled back south, to Astranaar. Got another chance to show off my somewhat rusty skills in the kitchen. Everyone seemed to like it, though, so I'm not complaining.

Haven't seen Kalah at home yet. Gone to her parents, maybe?
Oh, well. Tikar's back in town. Might as well have a word with him since I haven't seen him in some time.

[Nick]

The not-quite-so-young Elf, Franziska, appears to have recently come home. Pieces of armour laying from down at the door all the way to the bed, she appears to be lying down on her back. A smile on her lips as she writes.

Spoiler:

Well, I met Tikar in Ashenvale today. We had a picnic out in the forests... That went well. Of course, then a Demon Hunter appeared and Tikar inadvertedly told me Kalah might've gotten into trouble. How could that have slipped his mind?! If anything were to happen to Kalah... Elune, I can't even think of it...
As you can imagine, I took off for Astranaar immediately to get my armour and weapons back in order to set out for Winterspring.

The trip to Winterspring was rather uneventful. Fortunately, I didn't find her in Felwood (who knows what fate would've befallen Kalah there). When I came to Winterspring, though. Winterspring. What a sight to behold... As I thought, it was cold, but it was beautiful.
In any case, I got to Winterspring and, deciding to really start my search there, turned off the road. First stop: the hot springs I had heard so much about.

So I came up on these hot springs (they weren't that hard to find, being warmer than all the rest of the area). I saw Kalah! In fact, I saw quite a bit of Kalah (I'm sure I've written this down before, but I do find her quite beautiful). Deciding it'd be best for both our sakes, I tried to get her attention as she slipped into the water. Last thing I'd want her to think is that I was spying on her!

Averting my eyes, I managed to gain her attention. Strangely enough, she seemed less bothered than I was about her situation! In fact, averting my eyes didn't really seem to work on her since she swam right up to me with that wonderful smile of hers. In the end, I even joined her in the water! Quite an awkward situation to be in when you're me... My eye always had the tendency to wander, I'm afraid, and so it did what it did best...

I think I'll have to visit Winterspring more often...

A hasty scribble is, well, scribbled on the edge of the note.

Must remember to either thank Tikar or kick his backside. Will have to think of which one first...

[Nick]

The sound of heavy footsteps resounds through the house, soon followed by the sound of plate striking wooden floor, as two blue eyes glow in darkness; one paler than the other. The Death Knight lights a candle on the table and, with a tired huff, she sits down and begins writing.

Spoiler:

Went with Tikar to Winterspring today. We shared some stories and had a good, nice walk... Of course, when I say "good" and "nice" I actually mean it took a turn for the worst after a couple hours of walking as we noticed chanting from a nearby clearing which had been infested with wildkin (corrupted wildkin, as it turned out). We, almost immediately, were noticed by them and came out of hiding at their request.
Now, the next bit is a bit of a blur for me but I do remember a beautiful orb and a bright light...

I can barely remember Tikar splashing something in my face while I was out of it (well, not out of it, per se). Later, it turned out it was something Lillisea gave him which was, apparently, filled with "Elune's Tears" or something... I don't know much about this but, apparently, it's supposed to augment nature magic. Maybe healing magic? Had to be something like that... I mean, Tikar's a good friend and all... But he's definitely not the best healer out there.

In any case, next thing I remember, I'm sitting against a tree, Tikar's keeping me upright and, from the lingering burning sensation in my face, I'm assuming he's just healed me. For some reason my old wound (the reason I wear an eyepatch) was hurting and itching like... Something that really hurts and itches. I get up on unsteady feet and, using Tikar for support, we walk back to Starfall, to an old barrow den where Tikar checks on my wounds. Seeing me rub at my eyepatch, he decides to have a look at that wound as well...
Turns out it's not actually a wound anymore! I have two eyes again! Goddess, I still half-expect me to wake up from this dream! My right eye is a little bit weird, though. I'm not used to seeing like this after walking around for about 300 years with only one eye. And, from the look in the mirror I had before starting to write, it's obviously paler than the left one and my markings seem to have a hole in them but... I have two eyes, for Elune's sake! This is more than I could've possibly hoped for!

It'd probably be a good idea to ask Lilli where she got that vial as, in the right hands, it could probably help a lot more people that -really- need it. Elune's Tears... I'll definitely keep an eye out for information on it. This could really help in the fight against the Orcs!

Well, in any case, the idea was for me to stay in the den untill the sun went down a bit so I didn't blind myself then and there. Me and Tikar are sitting there, talking, when Anthrion walks in. I salute... I fall over and decide to stick close to the wall for support from now on...
Tikar had to leave for a while so it's just me and Anthrion there. We tell eachother some stories (I relay the story of Tikar's human drinking game, he somewhat tells me of the time he fought a doomguard without chestarmour)... So, we're just talking, and Kalah comes up as a subject. I'm sure I've written this before but the mention of that name does something to me... So, Anthrion almost immediately notices something's up and realizes I feel something for "the young private."

I have to admit to his "accusations" and, luckily, he's very supportive of it. It was good to talk to someone about my feelings for Kalah. The warden told me (and I had this figured out by now) Kalah needs someone who'll be there for her. He even believed I could be that person! Maybe I -am- good enough for Kalah, after all? ... The thought of it brings a smile to my face, even as I write it down... Kalah... Goddess, what a woman...
Of course, Anthrion also told me I should be patient with her. Which he's obviously right about... She -is- still young, after all. He did tell me another obvious fact, though:
The reward will be very much worth it in the end.

That's pretty much it for today, safe for going to the hot springs again... But that's not a very interesting story, in truth... I think today's been eventful enough. Anthrion's proving to be a valuable friend to me. It's good to have friends...

[Nick]

The next note in the pile of notes looks dirty. One could easily figure out this was written somewhere in the wilderness and added to the pile on a later date...

Spoiler:

Wow... Long time no see...

Well! I finally did it! Little Franziska Shadowstar is back to training with a bow! My time with the Scourge did not seem to help much when it came to my skills with the bow and, after about three years of fighting face-to-face with my enemy, I think it's time I started doing again what Sentinels should be able to do best... Well, maybe not best... But at least decently! And thanks to Sentinel Starheart, I might one day be able to shoot Orcs from the relative safety of the trees again.

I'll be honest. I knew this'd be hard... But this definitely exceeded my expectations.
As required, I had sent a letter to the good sentinel and, after quite some time, received an answer which told me where I could find her... That was the first task... Finding one stealthy sentinel in a huge forest... However, I knew she'd be quite close to the Warsong encampments so I put on my armour, hooked my moonglaive to my belt and slung my bow over my shoulder. After searching for hours, I finally did manage to find her.

We exchanged pleasantries... Well, we told eachother our names anyway and she agreed to train me. I, of course, accepted her training. Well, it turns out she was about to teach me more than just how to shoot a bow again.
First thing she did was grab a short blade and cut the straps of my armour (and I'm sure she intentionally cut too deep here and there) and threw some leather scraps and thread at me, telling me to "get dressed." Now, I'm not usually a slow learner but sitting there with scraps and thread... And a sentinel watching your every move is pretty nerve-wracking.
It must've taken me at least three hours before I was able to make something and put it on... Thank the Goddess it fit...

So, then the next step... Sneaking up on a target, nocking an arrow and shooting the worthless bastard through the head.
Sneaking went okay-ish... Safe for the ridiculous amount of branches I kept stepping on I actually did pretty well, even if I say so myself... Now, nocking an arrow and aiming it correctly?Not quite as easy as my shan'do made it seem... I can still nock an arrow! But that's where it ends...
I aimed... I released... I missed by about the size of Teldrassil... Me and Starheart were out there for the rest of the day, trying to get me to hit a target the size of a tauren...

Oh, well... By the end of the day my arms were sore, my leathers were soaked in sweat and I'd managed to hit the target about two times... Here's hoping Sentinel Starheart doesn't regret her decision. I'll definitely need a lot more training if I ever want to be as good as her... Or even as good as most of my Sisters with the Sentinels...

In any case, I think I've deserved a rest... And a bath...

[Nick]

The Death Knight sighs, pale mismatched eyes shining brightly in the morning light. The Elf looks ready to go to sleep, lying on her stomach, paper laid out on a somewhat flat root and a writing utensil of some kind in her hand as she hovers over the piece of paper.

Spoiler:

Dearest min'da, an'da,

I'm writing you because... Well... I don't even know whether or not you two are even alive. However, if by some chance you are... And, if by some chance, you ever find this letter, I wanted to let you know I miss the both of you.

If only you could see your daughter now. I'm not sure you'd even want to, to be honest... If you are alive, I'm sure my Sisters of the Sentinels have told you what happened to me when I was dispatched to Lordaeron. Death... Undeath... And our subsequent freeing. Maybe you're now wondering why it took me so long to write you? To be honest, I should've done so as soon as I'd returned to Ashenvale but life has a way of keeping people busy. Especially in the face of war.

So, where do I begin? At the start I imagine. I won't bore you with details of the Scourge as it's a chapter of my life I'd prefer to forget, and it's not important with the Scourge's destruction. However, after I was freed from the Scourge, I traveled to the human kingdom of Stormwind. I'd already renounced my ties with Darion's "Ebon Blade" and its lackeys, and I couldn't even imagine finding myself back in Ashenvale without an arrow sticking out of my throat, so I traveled to Stormwind... What does a Kaldorei do when she arrives there? Find a tavern and listen for news, as it turns out. News which came into the form of a Kaldorei warrior, a former Sentinel like myself at the time, Sylvandre Cloudtear. My first friend...

Sylvandre and I eventually met up with more people. Even some humans... Ugh... Not to bore you with the details, but we formed our own group to combat the corruption in the human's kingdoms. A task easier said than done but honourable enough. Suffice it to say, it was a lost cause and I doubt the human kingdoms are any better off after we destroyed a few of their criminal organizations. However, Sylvandre -and the other members of our group- did teach me one thing; Despite what I've become, despite what some people may view me as, I'm still me and I can still work for the betterment of my people. This became even more apparent when, under the protection of Cloudtear, we traveled to Ashenvale again. Some of the sentinels I knew in life were sympathetic enough, though a lot were mistrustful as well.

It wasn't long after this that I chose to return home. I left Sylvandre's group, the friends I'd made, and the human kingdoms behind and set out on a ship to Darnassus. If there's one thing I can thank the Alliance for it has to be the fact that I wasn't outright shot the moment I set an armoured foot on the pier, and with that I set out to the city proper, intent on returning to active duty. I reached the Temple of the Moon and, long story short, I was allowed back into our lands... And the Sentinels, even! As usual, I didn't own much more than the arms and armour on my back so I set out to Ashenvale as soon as I could.

Though my Sisters and Brothers were mistrustful at first, I did what I could to help our people against the vile Orcs and the demons that had invaded during the Third War. I was surprised to see the Orcs were still here... Especially after we sacrificed so much in order for their primitive race to live. In the end, I suppose, it made no matter -and still doesn't- as they've turned into an enemy once again. It took a while but, eventually, even the people of Astranaar began to accept me again. Meeting Druidesses, male Sentinels (what use our commanders see in most of them I may never know) and fellow Sisters of the Sisterhood... Suffice it to say I eventually managed to make more friends. I even managed to make some close friends... Corchel Duskthorn, Tikar Wildseer, Captain Anthrion Ironraven (a male Warden, if you'd believe it), and others.

Eventually, Captain Ironraven created a coherent group of us: The Ashwatch Vigil. We were, and still are, responsible for the safety of our lands. Of our people. Steadily, our group grew into what it is today. A force to be reckoned with. In more recent times, we assisted the Ancients, Dryads, and Furbolg in order for them to help us in the war effort. An alliance which was of great assistance when we attacked the Orcs occupying Maestra's Post.

I suppose that's all that's been going on with me. Safe for the continued strikes against the Orcs and taking advantage of the downtime I can get, at least.
If you read this. Please write me back...

I love miss you.

Sentinel Franziska Shadowstar
Sentinel of Darnassus and Elite of the Ashwatch Vigil.