Keilune Nightglow

[Keilune]

Kei's timeline and history (abridged version)

[since the actual write-up for her is so long, I thought a shortened version would be appropriate.]

Born: Astranaar, Sept 21 (fall equinox), year 14 (assuming the current year is 30).

Her first 11 years were sheltered and very normal for an elven child. Her parents were very traditional and her mother was already directing her toward the Sisters of Elune. She showed great aptitude and had a truly magical singing voice with the ability to calm and comfort animal and elf alike.

At age 11 it all changed, with the coming of the third war. Her family, among others in the village, was forced to flee and spent a good deal of time in a refugee camp. She remembers the flight vividly and the great fires at night rolling like lava over the ancient forests. She remembers the destruction of Nordrassil and the feeling of her immortality being sucked out of her like water through a straw. This experience is why she fears magic. The warnings of her parents didn't help much either, couched as they were lore of the high-elves. She saw what magic could do, she felt it. She was part of it. The great spell that destroyed the legion was fueled in party by her own spirit. The suddenness of it, the fear of not knowing what was happening, left a deep terror of magic within her.

Age 12, she and her family moved to Teldrassil, the hope of the people.

Age 14, Attacked by a gnarlpine, she was rescued by Dalazaar, the village hunter trainer. He saw talent in her and through their friendship began to teach her the ways of a hunter. This of course did not sit well with her mother who was still determined the Kei would be a priestess. Tension grew, expectation battled stubbornness.

Age 16, Kei left, knowing that if she stayed at home, her mother's desires would prevail and she would be denied her calling. Her love for Elune is strong, her potential as a priestess undeniable, but fate and Elune has other plans for her, plans which determination and a whole lot of luck may yet bring to fruition.

[Keilune]

“Kei, don't tarry! You must pack your things, hurry!” Urgency in her mothers voice spurred the young elf. It set her into a focused intensity as her mind scanned her belongings. Only two bags and so much stuff. She went quickly around the room judging each item by how sad she felt when she imagined it gone. Into the bag went her books, her sandals and some clothes. What else? Her doll, a wood-carved representation of Elune, twin crescent moons carved into its chest and a white pigment staining the wood. She wasn't much, but it was her dolly. It was who she slept with at night, her confessor and confidant. Into the bag.

Into the bag went the rocks, each a different shape and colour from the nearby stream. The rocks were heavy, but she couldn't leave them. She knew she would never be back. Her parents told her they would, promised her that as soon as the invaders were gone, they would come home. She could tell by their voice and their furtive eyes that even they did not believe their own words. She knew her life was about to change.

They fled. Under the cover of night the village packed up and headed toward the hills. In the distance she could see the fires, great rolling seas of red and yellow, hungrily consuming the ancient forests. Trees thousands of years old... gone. The fire would take all in its path. And behind the fire, something even more dangerous, something vile and evil. Her parents tried to hide the knowledge from her, but she heard others talking. People describing creatures, dead, yet walking. Soulless shells that ate the flesh from the dead bodies of their victims. She shuddered as these images arose, her trembling lip standing in stead for tears she fought bravely to control. Hours passed, they ran, they ran and they ran more. The journey was both long and short, marked only by the movement of the earth beneath her feet. She looked neither up nor to the side, but simply watched one foot precede the next.

And then she was there.. a small clearing with some makeshift shelters. Other families were there, sitting around fires, cooking food. Tension and fear rode the air like vultures on updrafts, but her people stoically refused to acknowledge such base emotions. The enemy was far behind now, and though their homes were likely gone, they were safe.

Days passed... news came slowly to the camp, brought only by other fleeing refugees. One such bit of news shattered the peace and serenity of the camp, destroyed the illusion of stoicism; people wept openly at the news that the great arch-druid, Cenarius had fallen in battle. From then, there was no laugher at night, there were no stories around the fire, all that remained was a desperate silence broken only by the camp sounds as people went through their routine by rote.

More time.... late a night she was awakened. A sound. A terrible shriek as if the very soul of the land were being ripped apart. It was more than a noise it was a sensation- a sensation the included her as her very breath was ripped from her lungs. She felt herself picked up by the head and held suspended in the air then thrown heavily to the ground- though her body never moved. A great ripping, a collective wail arising from all living things filled the air with a palpable terror, and suddenly it was gone. The world was empty, a vacuum, she could feel the magic being drained away to a very far away place... and then she felt it return. A great boom, so loud she can still hear its echo in her mind as the magic returned to the earth in a giant explosion. The ground shook, rocks fell from nearby hills and rolled down into the gullys, those standing were knocked to the ground and the ringing, the ringing in her ears was deafening. She knew something terrible, something extraordinary had just happened. She knew too, for the first time, the taste of magic, the acrid tingling as magically charged air rolled over her tongue, trying vainly to enter her lungs. Her eyes burned, her flesh felt like it was melting from her bones.. she could not breath. The world went black.

Months passed, perhaps years since the destruction of Nordrassil, since their immortality was ripped from her tender body. “They are growing a new one”, her parents told her, excitement and hope in their voice for the first time in ages. It is already miles high and it has been populated by animals and vegetation. A great city has been raised in its bows. She did not understand these things. A city in a tree? She tried to imagine living like squirrels. She visualized sleeping on a tree limb. She had often done so, but for a quick nap, not for a whole night. Still again she packed. This time there was little to leave behind. This time there was no one chasing them. This time, she left the rocks behind.

[Keilune]

Teldrassil and Kei's Departure

Dear Reader,

Below is the story of Keilune Nightglow, hunter. It picks up from her arrival in Teldrassil at age 12 to her striking out to make her way in the world. It is a short four years. By elven standards she is still a child, a very young child at that. She is in the midst of the physical change, but she has barely committed to memory the first few centuries of her people's history. She is barely past the sixteenth conjugation of basic verbs and adverbial pronouns. She has yet to see the full life cycle of a night-stalker from pup to mother and back to the earth. No, it is much too soon for her. Her parents can only hope that the fires of youth, the intensity of the change will dim and her reason will prevail. They can only pray that their values lay safely planted within her and will guide her through this troubled time. This story is one of leaving, it explains how Keilune, child of Illeine and Lyrid Nightglow, abandoned the safety of her nest and hopefully engenders empathy or at least an understanding of why.

Keilune Nightglow, who's first name in Darnassian translates roughly into “daughter of” or “emanating from” Elune, was born sixteen years ago in Astranaar. Her name reflects the hope and aspiration of her parents. Kei's mother likes to tell of Kei's coming. It is a sentimental tale, and while full of love may be a story only true in retrospect- where the outcome, her birth, pulls some events to the forefront and leaves others in the shadows.

Illeine Nightglow, had for many years dreamt of having a child, a female child who would carry the family tradition of priestess. She herself had yet to make it into the inner ranks of the Sisterhood, held back by self-doubt, known that she was looked down upon by the others. Though the family line of Nightglow is long and its members have served with distinction, they have seldom risen to the higher ranks. This lack of prestige, though undeserved, hovers over Illeine to this day. Assuming that a place in the inner circle would forever be denied, Illeine devoted herself to becoming a mother, hoping to raise a child who would surpass her in honor and achievement and bring honour to the family name. She dreamed of brining forth one who would love and cherish the goddess, who's movement, words and depth would sing the goddesses praises in their very expression. To this end Illeine prayed daily for a daughter. She fasted, she meditated, she prepared concoctions of herbs and tinctures to keep her attuned to Elune's lunar essence. Elune granted her request, to every detail, but one cannot so easily dictate to fate what is to be. Fate alone is Fate's architect.

A few weeks before Keilune's conception, Illeine began to have visions. Once the flight of a Strigid Owl passed in front of the moon and the silhouette stirred Illeine's mind. To her, it was the promise of a long awaited arrival. Another time, Illeine found a baby rabbit in a bush. The carcass of the mother rabbit lay half eaten a few feet away. She marveled at its tiny features, its soft down, the silvery glow of its skin. As she picked the infant rabbit up and held in her arms, she felt a presence. It was a soft gentle presence, more like the touch of a warm breeze than anything tangible. Illeine knew that her own infant was soon to come and she felt the beginnings of life stir within her.

Into the loving and expectant arms of her mother, a bundled and cleaned Keilune was placed. Her skin was soft and diffuse, almost as if it were covered in a light powder that reflected ambient light into a subtle glow. Kei's newborn skin held the scent of ghost-weed, a velvety leaf that grows deep in the forest. Mother and daughter's eyes met and between them grew a bond born of hope, love and.... expectation.

Keilune grew quickly, almost overnight she was running, leaping and laughing. Her father liked to remark that such exuberance could charm even the ferocious night-stalker. He is an enigmatic sort. Having mastered many occupations in the past, his current passion is herbalism. He is fond of demonstrating this knowledge to Keilune, naming this plant and the other, instructing her on their use. When he learned of Illeine's pregnancy he immediately closed his shop and began preparing their homestead for the child's arrival. Kei is now his occupation. While Illeine is busy at the temple, his care and love fill Kei's days. It is he who prepares her meals, who instructs Kei and sees to her studies. Her father is the one to whom Kei runs when she needs a bandage or a glass of water.

Both Lyrid and Illeine are very traditional. They distrust outsiders. They look down upon other races, especially humans for both their recklessness and their lack of wisdom. How can one obtain wisdom with so few years in which to learn it? Dwarfs and Draenei are mild exceptions to this, provided one can keep the ale out of dwarven hands. This superiority is tempered, however, with their racial past, the addiction to magic that nearly lead to the destruction of all life. An act redeemed only by the sacrifice of their immortality to the Legion's destruction. Even the great wisdom of the ages can fall prey to corruption and the lust for power. Right living is the only mediator. It is the single lantern that guides one upon a righteous path where straying to one side means corruption and the other, death.

Keilune was two years old when she began to sing. She had been talking for a while and she had of late begun to run her words together as if playing with their sound instead of their meaning. Soon her cadence grew and began to flow into something that, while meaningless, could only be described as a song. Her parents were transfixed. Such sweet sound filled their hearts with joy. As Kei grew, they noticed that this sound had similar affects on others, elven and animal alike. She could calm with a soothing tone, she could reassure with a touch. Kei was sent many times to the temple in Darnassus, and sometimes the temple even sent priestesses to observe her. Kei's grace, her voice and her pure spirit were watched and it was largely assumed that she would enter the sisterhood as soon as she came of age.

Throughout her youth, Kei's mother brought many books on her people's history, on the nature of the Goddess and the work of the sisterhood. Daily Kei grew to love Elune, constantly did she feel her presence. She heard it in the wind, saw it in the moonlight, felt it in the cold waters of lake Al'Amath as she swam late at night. Kei was in the habit of sneaking out at night, though she was far too young to be out on her own.

Kei was fourteen. It was three years since the flight, and two since they had arrived in their new home. It was late and the normally bright moon was obscured by clouds that traveled so quickly across the sky they looked as if they were fleeing. Even the waters were tense and the Timberlings groaned in the background. Kei knew to stay away from the timberlings. She also knew that each of them had only a short patch of ground that they covered. They seemed to pace, like restless spirits over the same spot, back and forth. Kei knew their routes through months of sneaking about. She could get within five feet of one without disturbing it and even on a night like tonight, she felt safe.

Yet again, there was something in the air. The night sounds weren't right. She was used to the screeches of owls, calling for their mate, planning their hunt. She knew the rumblings of the sabers and the clicking of the mandibles of the forest spiders. No there was something different tonight. The snap of a limb alerted her that something was close. It was a loud snap and whoever made it obviously did not care whether they were heard or not. Closely following the breaking limb was the sound of running feet, deep thuds as of something large and fast.... something headed directly for her.

Kei screamed and tried to run, stumbling backwards as she desperately tried to put distance between her and the creature, but it was too fast. Leaping from two feet it pounced on her, pinning her to the ground. Hot breath burned Kei's neck and her vision was filled with snarling teeth, each as big as a finger. Kei screamed again, a terrified shriek that pierced the veil of night searching for any who could hear. The beasts eyes were wide with rage.... and intelligence. They looked deeply into Kei's establishing dominance, tasting Kei's fear, savoring its desperate immediacy. Then the eyes widened with something different: pain. Nothing more than a hiss announced the arrival of the arrow, a hiss and a thunk as it sunk deeply. Surprise was the last thing that Kei saw in those eyes as the body collapsed upon her.

What was probably only seconds seemed like an eternity before the body was rolled off of her and she looked up into the concerned face one of the men from her village. He said only one word: Gnarlpine. So this was a Gnarlpine. She had been warned of them and never ventured into their part of the woods. What was one doing out here, so far? She examined its body, more like a bear than a person. She shuddered. The stories she heard about what they do to their victims, what they would have done to her if he..... who was he.... had not been close. Kei's gaze returned to her savior. Amber eyes grabbed her attention, deep set upon rugged skin and crowned by emerald green hair. His cheeks were as bushy as his head and his hair went in all directions, almost as if he were face-first in a violent windstorm. Quickly and expertly the man checked her for wounds and satisfied she helped her sit up.

His name was Dazalar. Kei had often seen him standing outside the inn, conferring with others and instructing any who came to him. He was well known and respected, both for his wood lore and for his skill with the bow. Kei was truly lucky that he was close by. That night was the beginning of a friendship that lasts to this day. He was both troubled and impressed to learn about her nightly wanderings. When she showed him how she had learned to sneak around the timberlings and what parts of the lake were safe from their attention he saw talent in her, and potential. The next two years found her often by his side, sometimes she would simply listen as he instructed students. Other times he would let her accompany him in his scouting and hunts and the two became almost inseparable.

Kei's parents of course were not oblivious. They did worry that Kei was spending too much time outdoors and not enough in her studies, but they were also happy to know that she was safe and protected. Dazalar's reputation in the village bequeathed trust, and this only grew deeper as his connection with their family broadened.

Yet, Kei's mother, over time, began to act strangely. At first she welcomed Dazalar's presence and even acquiesced to his instructing Kei, as long as Kei knew that her ultimate place was with the sisters. Yet the passage of time brought more and more disturbing feelings to Illeine as she watched Kei's passion for lore and animals out-pacing her study of esoteric Goddess-craft. She became inwardly resentful of the connection between Kei and Dazalar and outwardly began restricting her time outdoors. This restriction grew over months and as did a deep and previously unknown resentment between mother and daughter.

And this dear readers brings us to the present day. The conflict between parent and child grew. Family tradition, Illeine's expectation, fueled by love but also by a desire to live vicariously through her daughter's success clashed with Kei's need to define herself separately from her parents. Her talent for priest-craft is evident, her singing is magic, the depth and compassion of Elune are ever present within her, yet so is impulsiveness, petulance and the hubris of youth. So also is a love for the woods, for animals and for the land. Kei's greatest day was when Dazalar taught her how to use her song to tame beasts, and it was then that she knew which way she must go, the path of the hunter.

She also knew that it would not be taken well by her family, so during the night she slipped out. She had received an assignment from the arch-druid that took her to Darkshore and well-packed, she said goodbye to her home and family for the last time. A few days later a note arrived for her mother and father, and a separate one for Dazalar. It explained that she was leaving and why. It asked for forgiveness and for them not to worry, but also to send no one after her. It said that she would return when she could.

[valrae]

((Amazing. Seriously. Well thought out and brilliantly executed. ))

[cantera]

(( I think you have two sections here, both written very well. The history of Kei would need to be of less volume and the rest is easily a wonderful story to put in the story boards. It is obvious you have put a lot of thought and energy into your character. Nice to see that, really.))

[Keilune]

Thanks to you both for you wonderful compliments.

You are right, it is long. This of course means I have more work to do, so as to distill down to something of a more appropriate length. Writing for forums is such a challenge as opposed to writing a paper for a class where you are expected to write ten or more pages. You have to really learn to chose your words.

So *sighs* more work to do, but it worth it I will probably find myself adding more content even while trying to keep the history post to a reasonable length.

Kei